Torricelli v. Bergen Record II: 'These People Behave Like an Organized Crime Family'

Last time we checked in with former New Jersey senator Bob Torricelli he wrote that the Record of Bergen County was a very mean newspaper and he delighted in the recent announcement that the paper was shutting down its Hackensack office.

On July 4, the Record's Alfred Doblin responded. "Being lectured on meanness by the likes of Bob Torricelli is akin to Amy Winehouse leading a rehab retreat for substance abusers," he wrote. Fireworks! 

Mr. Torricelli didn't care much for that. He writes today on PolitickerNJ that the Record's response had all "the sophistication of an adolescent rage." But he proceeded to have a bit of a tantrum himself! Choice nasty bits:

• "The Publisher of the Record, Malcolm Borg, is a convicted drunk driver. It's a miracle that his drunken rampages didn't kill somebody."
• "There was the time that the Publisher asked to meet with me after an Editorial Board Meeting. He needed help with an environmental problem and gave me a thousand dollar check for a Pennsylvania Congressman. I wanted to go home and take a shower."
• "Last year I wrote a blog outlining the best and worst newspapers in New Jersey. The next day an outraged Record reporter suggested to a State House Official that "it's time to do a little research into Bob Torricelli's life". These people behave more like an organized crime family than a newspaper."
• "The Hacks might deny that firing staff, falling subscriptions amid collapsing advertising will lead to bankruptcy. I suspect that they're secretly dusting off those high school equivalency diplomas and double spacing their resumes. There must be something that they've done which will appeal to the fast food industry."

Goodness. So if isn't quite base enough for you yet, Mr. Torricelli maybe admits the root of some of his inner rage:

As Times metro editor Joe Sexton said yesterday, "Love Jersey."