Why Tony Soares won't sue (anyone, ever) for defamation

Permanently-outraged Tony Soares finds yet another target to threaten. But as usual, Soares' bluster means less than nothing.

As noted in Al Sullivan's 9/6/09 column, Tony Soares has another Internet flame war going on. This one's with the Hudson Shark, who Soares has 'revealed' to be Tom Bertoli. Bertoli's known as a Russo backer, and no friend of Soares for sure.

Last time we looked, Soares was trying desperately (that might as well be his middle name) to work his way back into the graces of the Zimmer camp. Soares, with his customary political acumen, had declared the Zimmerites losers and was running headlong into the open arms of the Cammarano camp when, er, Cammarano got arrested. Soares backtracked so fast he nearly got whiplash.

With the Zimmer contingent now in power, Soares wants to demonstrate his loyalty and value to them in his usual fashion: The relentless posting of online sleaze under various names, all in the name of 'reform' and designed to enhance the acting Mayor's position.

Bertoli, for his part, denies being 'The Hudson Shark' and says:

"If Tony sues me for defamation of character, I'll sue him for lack of character."

Yeah, that's about right.

Soares has threatened any number of Hoboken citizens with defamation suits. He's threatened us, too. But he'll never do it, because a lawsuit would violate his modus operandi.

For many years, Soares has spent his days (usually anonymously) spreading innuendo, half-truths and outright lies for one self-interested purpose or another. He operates in the shadows, from the safety of distance, where he never can be called upon to back up his attacks with substance. But in a lawsuit, he'd have to stand like a man and face his accuser. (Or - more likely - his accusers.) In a court of law he'd have no place to hide, and Soares is just not equipped to deal with that.

Tackling tough problems head-on is just not Soares' thing. His style is the sucker-punch, the hit-and-run, the blindside blow. He prefers his fish in a barrel. While in office, Soares faced a vote on a raise for Hoboken's cops. He had campaigned, as had his running-mate Carol Marsh, against rubber-stamping raises for city employees. But Soares knew that voting the raise down would turn the cops' ire against him. So, while Marsh voted against the raise and took the subsequent heat, Soares left his ally holding the bag - alone - by abstaining.

Soares has doublecrossed more people than he cares to count. Folks in his condo and at his workplace (he's been known to threaten his employers with lawsuits, too) loathe him. Taxi drivers dread picking him up. He consistently ranks lower in local phone surveys than pols who've done jail time. He's been banned outright from more than one local blog. He's trashed and slandered former supporters, permanently alienating at least one former campaign manager we know of.

The thought of standing up in open court and facing even a fraction of the people he's screwed in his life terrifies Soares. He's not suing anyone for defamation - ever. Because, as Tom Bertoli suggests - what happens when they sue him back?