TRENTON – State Sen. Raymond J. Lesniak says he wants to do in the New Jersey Senate what the United States Senate refused to do – honor native son rock legend Bruce Springsteen on the 30-year anniversary of his album, “Born to Run.”
“For the last 30 years, Bruce Springsteen has been a world ambassador for his New Jersey roots,” said Senator Lesniak, D-Union, of the Long Branch-born and Freehold-raised singer of international renown. “It’s altogether fitting that we pay tribute to “The Boss.'”
Republicans who control the U.S. Senate last month refused to consider a proposed resolution honoring Springsteen which was sponsored by New Jersey’s two U.S. Senators, Frank Lautenberg and Jon Corzine. Observers speculated that the snub was a result of lingering GOP discontent with “The Boss” lending his voice to the campaign of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry.
“It’s unfortunate what happened in Washington with the Republicans because the music of Bruce Springsteen transcends party politics,” said Senator Lesniak, the former Democratic State Chairman. “I am calling on my Republican colleagues in the State Senate to join Democrats and make this tribute to Bruce a unanimous, bipartisan gesture.”
Senator Lesniak said he hopes his proposed resolution honoring Springsteen, to be proposed at the Senate session on Thursday, passes unanimously.
“I expect it to pass,” said Senator Lesniak, a longtime fan and Springsteen concert attendee. “Regardless of Bruce Springsteen’s First Amendment right to campaign for whichever presidential candidate he chooses, my resolution will pay tribute to his music, his poetry and his message of hope.”