This is typically the time of year for celebration. Families plan their gatherings for Thanksgiving. People start to create their perfect Christmas. State legislators figure out more ways to spend your money during what's known as the Lame Duck Session.
This time around brings up an interesting situation for the members of the state Senate and Assembly. Since now outgoing Governor Jon Corzine has called for $400 million in spending cuts before the year is done, will the legislature get the duck to quack or croak?
Since extra (and typically unnecessary) spending, which is commonly referred to as Christmas Tree Items, is out of the question except for the totally clueless among the legislators will that open the door to a blast of social re-engineering which has always been a goal of the Cozine Administration and the statehouse Democrats? Recent history shows that this is a very friendly path for Democrats who have used this point in the calendar to do such things as abolish the death penalty and increase smoking bans.
Two of the most referenced ideas has been the recognition of gay marriage and legalizing marijuana for medical use. At this point it looks like the former is being sent back to the bench due to a lack of votes supporting it while the later will stay alive. That's supported by the incoming Governor Chris Christie being in favor of the idea but wanting more restrictions than what's currently being called for.
But wait! There's more.
Other controversial bills could be added to the lame-duck agenda. One measure would eliminate the property-tax rebate checks, instead converting them to credits on homeowners' tax bills. One would cut aid for five years to towns and cities where residents refuse a state recommendation to merge. Another would launch a drivers amnesty from surcharges and fees if they pay for some outstanding infractions. Then there's an idea that Corzine said he would favor which would provide in-state tuition for illegal aliens.
What will further water down logic will be if the Democrats and Jon Corzine pass any of these social re-engineering ideas and claim that they kept the budget under control. Don't doubt for a second that any of these ideas won't cost the state, and more directly, you more money.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Will the Garden State Have To Sell The Gardens?
After looking at the financial state of New Jersey reports are saying that Governor-elect Chris Christie has found things to be in dangerous fiscal shape. That's a study that must have taken all of five minutes to arrive at that conclusion. So in light of that, some are saying that Christie is considering declaring a financial emergency.
This would actually be a win-win situation. The declaration would give Christie broader powers regarding spending, state workers, contracts and other related financial matters. It would also allow him to make financial decisions that would totally piss off every member of the state legislature whose jobs solely exist on spending and coddling state workers by protecting their jobs and often excessive salaries.
The declaration of a financial emergency policy by design was to be used in the event if New Jersey was hit by a tremendous natural disaster. In this case, the state was hit by an unnatural policy of overspending and overtaxing...otherwise known as the Corzine Administration. In lieu of a financial emergency declaration, Governor-elect Christie does have additional options.
He can take what's left in the general fund and get a boatload of scratch off lottery tickets.
He can take what's left of the Transportation Trust Fund, go to Atlantic City, walk up to a roulette table and put it all on red.
He can convert the New Jersey Network to a statewide home shopping channel and start selling off pieces of the state government...most of which have been available to the highest bidder for years any way.
or
He can adopt Jon Corzine, have him declared incompetent, send him to an institution and take control of what's left of his money. Given his performance as Governor, that could be the quickest path to the most money.
This would actually be a win-win situation. The declaration would give Christie broader powers regarding spending, state workers, contracts and other related financial matters. It would also allow him to make financial decisions that would totally piss off every member of the state legislature whose jobs solely exist on spending and coddling state workers by protecting their jobs and often excessive salaries.
The declaration of a financial emergency policy by design was to be used in the event if New Jersey was hit by a tremendous natural disaster. In this case, the state was hit by an unnatural policy of overspending and overtaxing...otherwise known as the Corzine Administration. In lieu of a financial emergency declaration, Governor-elect Christie does have additional options.
He can take what's left in the general fund and get a boatload of scratch off lottery tickets.
He can take what's left of the Transportation Trust Fund, go to Atlantic City, walk up to a roulette table and put it all on red.
He can convert the New Jersey Network to a statewide home shopping channel and start selling off pieces of the state government...most of which have been available to the highest bidder for years any way.
or
He can adopt Jon Corzine, have him declared incompetent, send him to an institution and take control of what's left of his money. Given his performance as Governor, that could be the quickest path to the most money.
Friday, November 06, 2009
A Loss Can Reveal A Lot Of Truth
Now that the race for New Jersey Governor is over, there are a few people who now see it as a safe time to start telling the truth. One of those is Senate President Dick Codey who revealed this week that current Governor Jon Corzine was thinking about pulling the plug on his own campaign and dropping out.
While not a hindsight newsflash, given the number of people including myself who saw it as a possibility, it does call into question just how much of a partnership actually existed between Corzine and the White House versus what was being claimed during Obama's five stops in New Jersey for Corzine. Cody revealed that the White House started having concerns back in June after Joe Biden made an appearance for Corzine which was poorly attended. Codey said that they were calling him weekly asking what was happening.
This was piled on in July with the White House asking Codey whether he would run if Corzine dropped out. The White House political director asked Codey if he could give Obama a "Yes" if he asked whether Codey would run. At this point in the campaign poll numbers showed Codey leading Christie in a hypothetical race by double digits at a time when Corzine was trailing Christie by double digits.
All of that resulted in a sitdown between Corzine and Codey (cue Godfather Theme) with Codey asking Corzine what his intentions were. The meaning that can be taken from that is that if Corzine said he was out, Codey would have been in.
The lesson from this Codey revelation and the election results also give the answer to a question that came up during each of Obama's five appearances for Corzine. We now know that those huge crowds were just there to see Obama. Corzine was like the comedian that would open for Frank Sinatra. The audience tolerated the opening act only because they were there to see the big star.
While not a hindsight newsflash, given the number of people including myself who saw it as a possibility, it does call into question just how much of a partnership actually existed between Corzine and the White House versus what was being claimed during Obama's five stops in New Jersey for Corzine. Cody revealed that the White House started having concerns back in June after Joe Biden made an appearance for Corzine which was poorly attended. Codey said that they were calling him weekly asking what was happening.
This was piled on in July with the White House asking Codey whether he would run if Corzine dropped out. The White House political director asked Codey if he could give Obama a "Yes" if he asked whether Codey would run. At this point in the campaign poll numbers showed Codey leading Christie in a hypothetical race by double digits at a time when Corzine was trailing Christie by double digits.
All of that resulted in a sitdown between Corzine and Codey (cue Godfather Theme) with Codey asking Corzine what his intentions were. The meaning that can be taken from that is that if Corzine said he was out, Codey would have been in.
The lesson from this Codey revelation and the election results also give the answer to a question that came up during each of Obama's five appearances for Corzine. We now know that those huge crowds were just there to see Obama. Corzine was like the comedian that would open for Frank Sinatra. The audience tolerated the opening act only because they were there to see the big star.
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
New Jersey's New Endangered Species
With Republican Chris Christie winning the election for New Jersey Governor, this created the need to amend the Endangered Species List for New Jersey in order make an addition. The new member on the list is the state operated New Jersey Network's Statehouse Reporter Zachary Fink...especially since now Chris Christie is his new boss starting in January.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Change Comes To New Jersey
Although he lost me as a supporter during the campaign I nevertheless congratulate Chris Christie on his win in the race for New Jersey Governor. Now he will be the recipient of demands to fill in the blanks that have surrounded his What's with How's. As they say during the NFL draft, Christie's on the clock. Adding to the challenge for Christie will be the Democrats in the State House who hold enough a majority to override any veto he may issue. Even though Christie got the win and statistically overachieved in some counties, state Republicans picked up only one Assembly seat.
I thank Independent candidate Chris Daggett for his campaign of class and substance which helped clean the waters of the campaign which had become way too polluted.
Regarding Jon Corzine...don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out and be sure to wear your seatbelt as you hit the road.
The results in New Jersey and Virginia with the Republican wins for Governor have already been a catalyst for job creation. Tailors are being recruited to adjust and repair Barack Obama's coattails given his failure to carry his Democratic candidates across the finish line first.
Congratulations to News 12 New Jersey for the excellent informative coverage they provided election night. I was bouncing back and forth between News 12 New Jersey and the state run New Jersey Network. That had to stop when the fossils NJN has as anchors and pundits were putting me to sleep with their monotone verbal meanderings. News 12 New Jersey delivered a far more electric content filled interactive presentation of the evening's events.
I thank Independent candidate Chris Daggett for his campaign of class and substance which helped clean the waters of the campaign which had become way too polluted.
Regarding Jon Corzine...don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out and be sure to wear your seatbelt as you hit the road.
The results in New Jersey and Virginia with the Republican wins for Governor have already been a catalyst for job creation. Tailors are being recruited to adjust and repair Barack Obama's coattails given his failure to carry his Democratic candidates across the finish line first.
Congratulations to News 12 New Jersey for the excellent informative coverage they provided election night. I was bouncing back and forth between News 12 New Jersey and the state run New Jersey Network. That had to stop when the fossils NJN has as anchors and pundits were putting me to sleep with their monotone verbal meanderings. News 12 New Jersey delivered a far more electric content filled interactive presentation of the evening's events.
Monday, November 02, 2009
Time For New Jersey Voters To Step Up
The voters of New Jersey have been turned into punching bags by Democratic Governor Jon Corzine and his druids in the State Senate and Assembly. The taxes, spending, new mandates and financial ledger tricks that Corzine and the Democrats have pulled in order to keep the state barely financially afloat demonstrate clearly their inability to lead.
The Republican's answer to this void of leadership has been a candidate who launched his campaign for NJ Governor with the one standout issue on his resume...going after corrupt politicians. While that's a novel idea, if you read any poll results that list the primary concerns of the state's residents, you'll quickly learn that they are property taxes, income taxes and business taxes. Republican Chris Christie waited until 90% of the campaign was gone before he even made a mostly general attempt to explain how he would deal with these matters.
By the way, Christie's ideas feature tax cuts for everybody with no realistic way to balance the cut in state revenue with the expected $8 billion deficit that the state is facing next year. His ideas for job creation rest on the creation of commissions and study groups as if any government, either state or federal, has ever led the way to job creation.
Both Corzine and Christie have overlooked a simple, basic yet factual truth of economics. When more people work, more people come under whatever the current tax system happens to be. That creates an increase in revenue to the state that will allow things that need addressing to be taken care of. It's the key to a stronger financial position which will also open the door to...dare I say it....tax cuts when all is once again well.
Education is another major issue for the citizens of New Jersey. Jon Corzine continues to excuse the failure of teachers and administrators while rewarding failed schools with excessive funding that polluted with corruption from the programs and districts who receive it. Chris Christie, as has been his campaign style, gives a nod to the need for accountability from teachers but doesn't come through with any significant details of how he would call for that to take place.
I point to these out of the many issues which have come up during the race for New Jersey Governor in order to present a point. The people of New Jersey are unhappy and it's due to the people they've hired, and are about to hire on this Election Day, who are entrusted to get a job done. Approval ratings for the Governor along with the members of the state Senate and Assembly couldn't see over 40% if they were standing on Shaquille O'Neal's shoulders. The people have been calling for change with a voice that's become louder every day.
If that is truly your wish then this Election Day is your time.
Independent candidate Chris Daggett is the only candidate for New Jersey Governor who has presented plans and policies that will change the state of the state for the better. Property tax rebate scams are replaced by property tax cuts. Excessive municipal spending is punished. Business tax rates drop below those of neighboring New York and Pennsylvania which will encourage new business and new jobs. Teachers and administrators are called on to deliver or get out. Creating and sustaining revenue to address needs will replace so-called temporary taxes.
Does Chris Daggett call for an expansion of the sales tax? Yes. However, most of those taxes will be paid by out-of-state visitors and will expedite the financial recovery that New Jersey so desperately needs.
Chris Daggett has been called a "non-issue" by the Christie campaign. If that were true then why has his campaign along with a national GOP organization run attack ads against Daggett? Why has Christie's Internet Copy & Paste Brigade launched a baseless "A vote for Daggett is a vote for Corzine." swarm? It's because Chris Daggett has succeeded where Chris Christie and Jon Corzine have failed. Chris Daggett has presented a path to prosperity for New Jersey.
So, for all of those who have demanded change, Tuesday is your day. Do you believe your vote is a tool for change or is it something you treat like a 900 number call to American Idol where you want to make sure you vote for who other people say should be the winner so you don't look bad? Is your idea of change joining Facebook groups or milling around at a Tea Party or are you ready to step up and say to the politicians and parties who have failed you that their days are done?
Vote for Independent candidate Chris Daggett for New Jersey Governor.
If you truly want change then this Election Day Tuesday is your day to step up otherwise all you have done is talked and not walked.
Chris Daggett Campaign Site
The Republican's answer to this void of leadership has been a candidate who launched his campaign for NJ Governor with the one standout issue on his resume...going after corrupt politicians. While that's a novel idea, if you read any poll results that list the primary concerns of the state's residents, you'll quickly learn that they are property taxes, income taxes and business taxes. Republican Chris Christie waited until 90% of the campaign was gone before he even made a mostly general attempt to explain how he would deal with these matters.
By the way, Christie's ideas feature tax cuts for everybody with no realistic way to balance the cut in state revenue with the expected $8 billion deficit that the state is facing next year. His ideas for job creation rest on the creation of commissions and study groups as if any government, either state or federal, has ever led the way to job creation.
Both Corzine and Christie have overlooked a simple, basic yet factual truth of economics. When more people work, more people come under whatever the current tax system happens to be. That creates an increase in revenue to the state that will allow things that need addressing to be taken care of. It's the key to a stronger financial position which will also open the door to...dare I say it....tax cuts when all is once again well.
Education is another major issue for the citizens of New Jersey. Jon Corzine continues to excuse the failure of teachers and administrators while rewarding failed schools with excessive funding that polluted with corruption from the programs and districts who receive it. Chris Christie, as has been his campaign style, gives a nod to the need for accountability from teachers but doesn't come through with any significant details of how he would call for that to take place.
I point to these out of the many issues which have come up during the race for New Jersey Governor in order to present a point. The people of New Jersey are unhappy and it's due to the people they've hired, and are about to hire on this Election Day, who are entrusted to get a job done. Approval ratings for the Governor along with the members of the state Senate and Assembly couldn't see over 40% if they were standing on Shaquille O'Neal's shoulders. The people have been calling for change with a voice that's become louder every day.
If that is truly your wish then this Election Day is your time.
Independent candidate Chris Daggett is the only candidate for New Jersey Governor who has presented plans and policies that will change the state of the state for the better. Property tax rebate scams are replaced by property tax cuts. Excessive municipal spending is punished. Business tax rates drop below those of neighboring New York and Pennsylvania which will encourage new business and new jobs. Teachers and administrators are called on to deliver or get out. Creating and sustaining revenue to address needs will replace so-called temporary taxes.
Does Chris Daggett call for an expansion of the sales tax? Yes. However, most of those taxes will be paid by out-of-state visitors and will expedite the financial recovery that New Jersey so desperately needs.
Chris Daggett has been called a "non-issue" by the Christie campaign. If that were true then why has his campaign along with a national GOP organization run attack ads against Daggett? Why has Christie's Internet Copy & Paste Brigade launched a baseless "A vote for Daggett is a vote for Corzine." swarm? It's because Chris Daggett has succeeded where Chris Christie and Jon Corzine have failed. Chris Daggett has presented a path to prosperity for New Jersey.
So, for all of those who have demanded change, Tuesday is your day. Do you believe your vote is a tool for change or is it something you treat like a 900 number call to American Idol where you want to make sure you vote for who other people say should be the winner so you don't look bad? Is your idea of change joining Facebook groups or milling around at a Tea Party or are you ready to step up and say to the politicians and parties who have failed you that their days are done?
Vote for Independent candidate Chris Daggett for New Jersey Governor.
If you truly want change then this Election Day Tuesday is your day to step up otherwise all you have done is talked and not walked.
Chris Daggett Campaign Site
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Chris Daggett And Chris Christie On The Show
The appearances made this week on the radio show by Independent candidate for New Jersey Governor Chris Daggett and Republican candidate Chris Christie were the best displays of their differences, a summary of their campaign styles and a major reason why Chris Daggett should get your vote for New Jersey Governor this Tuesday.
Chris Christie's appearance once again demonstrated his lack of details to go along with his ideas. A candidate for office should have details at the ready to freely offer as the first bullet out of their chamber. Christie continued to rely on the vague generalities that outlets from the Wall Street Journal to the Star Ledger have criticized him for. The fact that I had to slam the brakes on the segment and call on Christie to give details about how ANY of his ideas would come to pass showed the weakness of his grasp or maybe even confidence of those ideas.
Christie's death grip on the "I'm not Jon Corzine" mantra was also a major part of his time on the show. That brings about an important question. If a candidate like Chris Christie spends so much of his time talking about one of his opponents, does that further display a lack of content about himself?
When the segment with Chris Daggett started it was quickly obvious that he came ready to present the How to go along with the What. He stated that it's going to take drastic yet realistic steps which may be difficult for some to swallow but will result in a better state of the state of New Jersey when it comes to property taxes, education, transportation and most importantly job creation. Chris Daggett understands that only private business creates jobs. Daggett's plans would once again invite businesses to set up shop in New Jersey. While Christie wants to launch committees and new state agencies, Chris Daggett wants to launch new private businesses in New Jersey. Daggett also shared how his revamping of the tax structure would create steady revenue which would eliminate the need for matters such as borrowing to protect open space like Ballot Question 1 is asking for.
After the show, while preparing the podcasts, the difference between the two candidates was clearly visible on the computer screen. When I brought up the segments on the audio software program, I could see a visual display of the audio like a graph on a chart. Christie's segment showed Christie's voice in short bursts not lasting very long while my voice asking questions actually added up to as much time as his. Daggett's segment showed his voice as the vast majority of the segment thanks to the time he took detailing his ideas about taxes, education and other ideas.
As I said on the air, I believe that Chris Daggett is the only candidate for New Jersey Governor who will work to make the state a winner once again. Listen to the segments via the links below. Then visit the Chris Daggett campaign site. I think you'll agree with me.
Chris Daggett Campaign Website
Chris Daggett Segment
Chris Christie Segment
Chris Christie's appearance once again demonstrated his lack of details to go along with his ideas. A candidate for office should have details at the ready to freely offer as the first bullet out of their chamber. Christie continued to rely on the vague generalities that outlets from the Wall Street Journal to the Star Ledger have criticized him for. The fact that I had to slam the brakes on the segment and call on Christie to give details about how ANY of his ideas would come to pass showed the weakness of his grasp or maybe even confidence of those ideas.
Christie's death grip on the "I'm not Jon Corzine" mantra was also a major part of his time on the show. That brings about an important question. If a candidate like Chris Christie spends so much of his time talking about one of his opponents, does that further display a lack of content about himself?
When the segment with Chris Daggett started it was quickly obvious that he came ready to present the How to go along with the What. He stated that it's going to take drastic yet realistic steps which may be difficult for some to swallow but will result in a better state of the state of New Jersey when it comes to property taxes, education, transportation and most importantly job creation. Chris Daggett understands that only private business creates jobs. Daggett's plans would once again invite businesses to set up shop in New Jersey. While Christie wants to launch committees and new state agencies, Chris Daggett wants to launch new private businesses in New Jersey. Daggett also shared how his revamping of the tax structure would create steady revenue which would eliminate the need for matters such as borrowing to protect open space like Ballot Question 1 is asking for.
After the show, while preparing the podcasts, the difference between the two candidates was clearly visible on the computer screen. When I brought up the segments on the audio software program, I could see a visual display of the audio like a graph on a chart. Christie's segment showed Christie's voice in short bursts not lasting very long while my voice asking questions actually added up to as much time as his. Daggett's segment showed his voice as the vast majority of the segment thanks to the time he took detailing his ideas about taxes, education and other ideas.
As I said on the air, I believe that Chris Daggett is the only candidate for New Jersey Governor who will work to make the state a winner once again. Listen to the segments via the links below. Then visit the Chris Daggett campaign site. I think you'll agree with me.
Chris Daggett Campaign Website
Chris Daggett Segment
Chris Christie Segment
Friday, October 30, 2009
I'd Vote For Chris Daggett But...
It's safe to say that here in New Jersey there are a lot of unhappy people. These unhappy people vote. OK...more than 50% of them vote. Their vote is the one tool they have that can initiate the change that they claim they want. I think it's an easy concept to grab hold of.
This year in the race for New Jersey Governor the opportunity for the mother of all changes is available. Independent candidate Chris Daggett has presented detailed policy and program ideas that would address taxes, education, transportation and the culture of state government corruption that a continuously growing number of residents have expressed concern about and disgust over. Daggett's ideas and campaign have attracted the interest of many who have been enslaved by party politics.
Yet, when many of these people are asked who they will vote for this coming Tuesday they say, "I'd like to vote for Chris Daggett but I don't think he'll get enough votes to win so I'm going to vote for..." and then they say either Jon Corzine or Chris Christie.
Let's ponder that line of thought for a moment.
You say that you support a candidate. You say that you agree with their ideas and believe that they can lead to a better state and standard of life for yourself. You know that in order to win an election a candidate needs the most votes. So with that as the obvious fact, how can the candidate you believe in win if you take a stance like the one I mentioned earlier?
Let's reword things a little. How much sense does it make to you if someone says, "I like that candidate and my vote is one of the votes they need to win but I'm voting for someone else."?
See?
If you're one of the many in New Jersey who are clamoring for change, you can join all the Facebook pages and attend all the Tea Parties that you want and it won't mean a thing. This Tuesday is your true opportunity to demand change. When you vote for Chris Daggett you put every single party politician on notice that their days of blind loyalty that has translated into continued employment for them which has produced an increasingly poor performance are numbered. Your vote for Chris Daggett will light the fire under the party politicians that they have long needed.
Your vote for Chris Daggett is THE vote for change in New Jersey.
This year in the race for New Jersey Governor the opportunity for the mother of all changes is available. Independent candidate Chris Daggett has presented detailed policy and program ideas that would address taxes, education, transportation and the culture of state government corruption that a continuously growing number of residents have expressed concern about and disgust over. Daggett's ideas and campaign have attracted the interest of many who have been enslaved by party politics.
Yet, when many of these people are asked who they will vote for this coming Tuesday they say, "I'd like to vote for Chris Daggett but I don't think he'll get enough votes to win so I'm going to vote for..." and then they say either Jon Corzine or Chris Christie.
Let's ponder that line of thought for a moment.
You say that you support a candidate. You say that you agree with their ideas and believe that they can lead to a better state and standard of life for yourself. You know that in order to win an election a candidate needs the most votes. So with that as the obvious fact, how can the candidate you believe in win if you take a stance like the one I mentioned earlier?
Let's reword things a little. How much sense does it make to you if someone says, "I like that candidate and my vote is one of the votes they need to win but I'm voting for someone else."?
See?
If you're one of the many in New Jersey who are clamoring for change, you can join all the Facebook pages and attend all the Tea Parties that you want and it won't mean a thing. This Tuesday is your true opportunity to demand change. When you vote for Chris Daggett you put every single party politician on notice that their days of blind loyalty that has translated into continued employment for them which has produced an increasingly poor performance are numbered. Your vote for Chris Daggett will light the fire under the party politicians that they have long needed.
Your vote for Chris Daggett is THE vote for change in New Jersey.
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
A Special And Fun Evening For MDA
The northern New Jersey offices of the Muscular Dystrophy Association will be holding their annual A Toast To Life evening on November 18 from 7 until 10 p.m. at The Wilshire Grand Hotel at 350 Pleasant Valley Way in West Orange. I'm honored to have been asked by the people at MDA to emcee the evening for the second year.
The night will include food, cocktails, music and some surprises. All of the money goes to the work of the Muscular Dystrophy Association for research and patient care. There are sponsorship opportunities still available which would also give you the opportunity to present a check live during the 2010 Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon.
For ticket and sponsorship information, call MDA's offices in Maywood New Jersey at 201-843-2324. I hope I'll see you there!
The night will include food, cocktails, music and some surprises. All of the money goes to the work of the Muscular Dystrophy Association for research and patient care. There are sponsorship opportunities still available which would also give you the opportunity to present a check live during the 2010 Jerry Lewis MDA Labor Day Telethon.
For ticket and sponsorship information, call MDA's offices in Maywood New Jersey at 201-843-2324. I hope I'll see you there!
Thursday, October 22, 2009
The Latest Poll On The Race For NJ Governor
If trends say anything, and most say that they do, then today's poll on the race for Governor in New Jersey says a lot. Incumbent Governor Jon Corzine continues to spin his wheels, Republican Chris Christie continues to drop and Independent candidate Chris Daggett continues to climb.
The Rutgers-Eagleton Poll showed 39 percent of likely voters supporting Corzine, 36 percent for Christie and 20 percent for independent Chris Daggett.
Analysts are saying that the win will go to the candidate who winds up with the strongest get out the vote effort. Given the disgust New Jersey voters have regarding the Corzine and Christie campaigns, the loss will go to those who have more of their voters stay home to treat the acid reflux this campaign has given them.
By the way, if you're a student of political history you might want to go back and study Jesse Ventura's run for Governor in Minnesota. It'll be a useful way to get ready for election night here in New Jersey.
The Rutgers-Eagleton Poll showed 39 percent of likely voters supporting Corzine, 36 percent for Christie and 20 percent for independent Chris Daggett.
Analysts are saying that the win will go to the candidate who winds up with the strongest get out the vote effort. Given the disgust New Jersey voters have regarding the Corzine and Christie campaigns, the loss will go to those who have more of their voters stay home to treat the acid reflux this campaign has given them.
By the way, if you're a student of political history you might want to go back and study Jesse Ventura's run for Governor in Minnesota. It'll be a useful way to get ready for election night here in New Jersey.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
When It Comes To Chris Christie I'll Admit When I'm Wrong
One of the criticisms that has been made about the Chris Christie campaign is that the presentation of his ideas lack the details of how he would put those ideas into action. This has especially true regarding taxes. New Jersey residents and businesses are forced to try to live and exist in a highly unfriendly tax climate. The voters don't just want to know what someone will do to change this. They want to know how a candidate will change it. That's why the call for and delivery of details is vital.
I confess that I called on the Chris Christie campaign to supply those details. It makes for pretty window dressing when someone says that they'll lower taxes and cut spending but if you don't put anything in that window, people will just keep walking by after taking a fast glance.
Over the past few days I've written some fairly strong words about what I saw as the faults of the Chris Christie campaign. I'd like to take the time to correct this matter because I have been told where I can find the details of how Chris Christie would cut spending and reduce taxes if elected the next Governor of New Jersey. I'd like to share with you how you can learn about this detailed plan too.
Go to the campaign website for Chris Christie which is www.christiefornj.com . When the page loads, point your cursor to where it says Issues. A menu will then drop down. Click on Cutting Taxes. This will take you to an introductory page with a general presentation of Chris Christie's plan to cut taxes and spending.
But wait! There's more!
Just as Christie and his campaign has stated, there is a very detailed plan of exactly how Chris Christie would take on the challenging task of cutting taxes and reducing spending. There's a link to click on at the bottom of that intro page in the Cutting Taxes section. In order to save you from bouncing back and forth from here to there, I've included a link below which when you click on it you can read all about Chris Christie's plan to cut taxes and reduce spending in it's full and complete detail directly from his official campaign website.
The Chris Christie Plan To Cut Taxes & Reduce Spending
I confess that I called on the Chris Christie campaign to supply those details. It makes for pretty window dressing when someone says that they'll lower taxes and cut spending but if you don't put anything in that window, people will just keep walking by after taking a fast glance.
Over the past few days I've written some fairly strong words about what I saw as the faults of the Chris Christie campaign. I'd like to take the time to correct this matter because I have been told where I can find the details of how Chris Christie would cut spending and reduce taxes if elected the next Governor of New Jersey. I'd like to share with you how you can learn about this detailed plan too.
Go to the campaign website for Chris Christie which is www.christiefornj.com . When the page loads, point your cursor to where it says Issues. A menu will then drop down. Click on Cutting Taxes. This will take you to an introductory page with a general presentation of Chris Christie's plan to cut taxes and spending.
But wait! There's more!
Just as Christie and his campaign has stated, there is a very detailed plan of exactly how Chris Christie would take on the challenging task of cutting taxes and reducing spending. There's a link to click on at the bottom of that intro page in the Cutting Taxes section. In order to save you from bouncing back and forth from here to there, I've included a link below which when you click on it you can read all about Chris Christie's plan to cut taxes and reduce spending in it's full and complete detail directly from his official campaign website.
The Chris Christie Plan To Cut Taxes & Reduce Spending
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
New Jersey & Jobs: Missing Each Other
If I recall correctly, all during the promoting and pushing of the federal stimulus, New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine promised that as soon as the money was in the bank new jobs would spring up. A particular focus was placed on the supposedly numerous opportunities that would rise up in construction. The basis of this claim was the statement that there were dozens of projects that were sitting on drawing boards with all planning needs done. The federal stimulus money was all that was missing to launch these projects and create new jobs.
These were what were being called "shovel ready projects."
So here we are in the homestretch of October. With the exception of a very small, and later revised from the original falsely inflated numbers, rise in private sector jobs back in August New Jersey's unemployment rate has continued to climb t0 9.8%. Among the hardest hit sectors for job losses in the most recent report...construction. That area lost 4,000 jobs between August and September.
It looks like the only one with a shovel was Jon Corzine.
These were what were being called "shovel ready projects."
So here we are in the homestretch of October. With the exception of a very small, and later revised from the original falsely inflated numbers, rise in private sector jobs back in August New Jersey's unemployment rate has continued to climb t0 9.8%. Among the hardest hit sectors for job losses in the most recent report...construction. That area lost 4,000 jobs between August and September.
It looks like the only one with a shovel was Jon Corzine.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
The Candidate Debate For NJ Governor - Second Verse Same As The First
The three leading candidates in the race for New Jersey Governor debated Friday night. The evening saw incumbent Democrat Governor Jon Corzine, Republican Chris Christie and Independent Chris Daggett all walk into the evening with priorities they needed to address, especially after the first debate. All three know that the voting population is disgruntled, disgusted and among the Democrats and Republicans, not thrilled with their party's respective candidates.
Here's how each candidate did.
Jon Corzine, as he did in the previous debate, tried to get people to focus on the big picture rather than his role in guiding the state.
All this week he had claimed that job creation was "priority one, two and three" for his administration. If that's so then why did he say in the debate that he would not give tax cuts to big business? Given that New Jersey continues to be rated the most unfriendly state to do business in, if Corzine continues to discourage business development and growth, who does he expect to create jobs?
There was a small sign that Corzine may be feeling more confident. He referred to his early attempt to lease the NJ Turnpike to a private company by saying that "perhaps it was too much too fast." That sounded to me like, albeit lame, an attempt on Corzine's part to tell the voters that he'll admit to mistakes when he makes them. If that's true then he has a lot of catching up to do with that idea.
Corzine offered a look into how he sees things which revealed that if he's re-elected nothing will change. The Xanadu project was brought up. This is a project at the Meadowlands which was promised to be a shopping and recreation center which would create jobs and produce revenue. It's become New Jersey's version of Boston's Big Dig. It's way over budget. It's way behind schedule. It's also THE ugliest building you've ever seen. It looks like an oversized Lego creation some drunk built. When asked about the financial blackhole Corzine remarked, "It ain't good looking, but the fact is it has to go forward."
In hindsight, that line could have been Corzine's campaign slogan.
To his credit, Corzine did supply the laugh line of the night when he said that he wanted his opponents to stick to the issues. Has he watched even one of his campaign ads? Does he have ear plugs in when he speaks on the campaign trail?
Then there's the Republican challenger Chris Christie. Out of fairness I hesitate to detail his performance since once again Christie failed to detail how he would do what he's promising to do if elected. It's gotten to the point where someone needs to ask Christie whether he thinks that he's running to become a General since that's how he addresses issues...in as general a way as he can.
Christie said that he would fix the financial state of the state with steps that would include $6.5 billion in cuts. Once again, he failed to list even one specific cut. Imagine if someone comes up to you and says, "I want to build a house for you!" Would you just tell them to go ahead or would you want some detail about how they're going to do what they want to do? Just as it was in the previous debate, this was lacking from Christie Friday night.
Another general statement by Christie was that the problem is spending, not revenue. Well, if programs and policies were in place that would encourage spending, investing in the state and business growth both spending and revenue issues would be addressed. That's called prosperity. New Jersey has seen tax revenue drop by double digit percentage because of job losses along with the number of people and businesses that have left the state. The next Governor will have to put out the fire that's burning on New Jersey's welcome mat. Chris Christie once again failed last night to detail how he would do that.
Rather than spend time detailing how his ideas would become actions, Christie continued to spend time defending himself against the charges and insults made by that various Corzine ads which continue to talk all about Christie and not about Corzine. So once again, Christie hurt his own cause by repeating the Corzine insults and charges planting them into the heads of people who may not have heard them.
Chris Daggett, as he did in the previous debate, delivered the best performance among the three. He presented his ideas. He gave some of the mechanics of his plans that would make his ideas possible. He corrected Chris Christie when Christie misrepresented an element of Daggett's plans and got a pretty big reaction from the audience when he said that New Jersey residents are sick of negative campaigns.
Daggett's performance countered the excuses the other two campaigns have made about how it's difficult to present details in a short amount of time. Chris Daggett told how his plans may hit hard in some areas but also explained that given the financial mess the state's in it's the only realistic way that the problems can be addressed.
When it comes to education, just as it is with the state finances, Daggett would place responsibility on those who have been skating through and still getting rewarded with additional funds and grants. Those who fail to hold up their end will be called on to answer for their failures with the assurance that a price will have to be paid on their part for their failure. Now that's change we can believe in!
Jon Corzine gave excuses. Chris Christie gave a 90 minute presentation of his campaign ads concluding with a version of phrase that those who have nothing lean on resort to, "Are you better off now than you were then?" Chris Daggett presented a structure, ideas and details with direction attached to them.
Chris Daggett showed that he has the mind and drive of a true leader that the voters of New Jersey need to be their next Governor.
Here's how each candidate did.
Jon Corzine, as he did in the previous debate, tried to get people to focus on the big picture rather than his role in guiding the state.
All this week he had claimed that job creation was "priority one, two and three" for his administration. If that's so then why did he say in the debate that he would not give tax cuts to big business? Given that New Jersey continues to be rated the most unfriendly state to do business in, if Corzine continues to discourage business development and growth, who does he expect to create jobs?
There was a small sign that Corzine may be feeling more confident. He referred to his early attempt to lease the NJ Turnpike to a private company by saying that "perhaps it was too much too fast." That sounded to me like, albeit lame, an attempt on Corzine's part to tell the voters that he'll admit to mistakes when he makes them. If that's true then he has a lot of catching up to do with that idea.
Corzine offered a look into how he sees things which revealed that if he's re-elected nothing will change. The Xanadu project was brought up. This is a project at the Meadowlands which was promised to be a shopping and recreation center which would create jobs and produce revenue. It's become New Jersey's version of Boston's Big Dig. It's way over budget. It's way behind schedule. It's also THE ugliest building you've ever seen. It looks like an oversized Lego creation some drunk built. When asked about the financial blackhole Corzine remarked, "It ain't good looking, but the fact is it has to go forward."
In hindsight, that line could have been Corzine's campaign slogan.
To his credit, Corzine did supply the laugh line of the night when he said that he wanted his opponents to stick to the issues. Has he watched even one of his campaign ads? Does he have ear plugs in when he speaks on the campaign trail?
Then there's the Republican challenger Chris Christie. Out of fairness I hesitate to detail his performance since once again Christie failed to detail how he would do what he's promising to do if elected. It's gotten to the point where someone needs to ask Christie whether he thinks that he's running to become a General since that's how he addresses issues...in as general a way as he can.
Christie said that he would fix the financial state of the state with steps that would include $6.5 billion in cuts. Once again, he failed to list even one specific cut. Imagine if someone comes up to you and says, "I want to build a house for you!" Would you just tell them to go ahead or would you want some detail about how they're going to do what they want to do? Just as it was in the previous debate, this was lacking from Christie Friday night.
Another general statement by Christie was that the problem is spending, not revenue. Well, if programs and policies were in place that would encourage spending, investing in the state and business growth both spending and revenue issues would be addressed. That's called prosperity. New Jersey has seen tax revenue drop by double digit percentage because of job losses along with the number of people and businesses that have left the state. The next Governor will have to put out the fire that's burning on New Jersey's welcome mat. Chris Christie once again failed last night to detail how he would do that.
Rather than spend time detailing how his ideas would become actions, Christie continued to spend time defending himself against the charges and insults made by that various Corzine ads which continue to talk all about Christie and not about Corzine. So once again, Christie hurt his own cause by repeating the Corzine insults and charges planting them into the heads of people who may not have heard them.
Chris Daggett, as he did in the previous debate, delivered the best performance among the three. He presented his ideas. He gave some of the mechanics of his plans that would make his ideas possible. He corrected Chris Christie when Christie misrepresented an element of Daggett's plans and got a pretty big reaction from the audience when he said that New Jersey residents are sick of negative campaigns.
Daggett's performance countered the excuses the other two campaigns have made about how it's difficult to present details in a short amount of time. Chris Daggett told how his plans may hit hard in some areas but also explained that given the financial mess the state's in it's the only realistic way that the problems can be addressed.
When it comes to education, just as it is with the state finances, Daggett would place responsibility on those who have been skating through and still getting rewarded with additional funds and grants. Those who fail to hold up their end will be called on to answer for their failures with the assurance that a price will have to be paid on their part for their failure. Now that's change we can believe in!
Jon Corzine gave excuses. Chris Christie gave a 90 minute presentation of his campaign ads concluding with a version of phrase that those who have nothing lean on resort to, "Are you better off now than you were then?" Chris Daggett presented a structure, ideas and details with direction attached to them.
Chris Daggett showed that he has the mind and drive of a true leader that the voters of New Jersey need to be their next Governor.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Dreaming Of A White Halloween
So here I sit on October 15 looking out my window at snow falling and listening to a weather forecast that's calling for a total of 1 to 4 inches in Northwest New Jersey with the larger amounts in the higher elevations.
Where can I go to get an order of Global Warming to go?
Where can I go to get an order of Global Warming to go?
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
Chris Daggett's Latest Campaign Ad
Who says you can't have a little fun in a political campaign and still get your point across?
Why I'm Voting For Chris Daggett
During the Republican primary race for New Jersey Governor, when the race was between former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie and former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan, without hesitation I thought that Chris Christie was the candidate who would get things done. His background in law enforcement was strong. His battles against government corruption were successful. I thought that Chris Christie would make an excellent Governor for New Jersey.
Then as time moved on, when details were called on to team with impressions, Chris Christie began to fall short. Sure, his plans and policy wish list were ones that New Jersey needs to have injected into the stagnant system of state government, but details on how he would build those plans and initiate those ideas were yet to be revealed.
I decided to wait and see. Since Christie was a first time candidate, I thought it would be fair to give him and his advisors the opportunity to develop the details that would make what he wanted to do in fact happen.
I'm not waiting any longer.
There's less than three weeks until Election Day. Anything that the Christie campaign comes up with now will only appear to be a grasp at straws. As it is, they seem more interested in spending time responding to the ridiculous issues like weight and hotel rooms that the Corzine camp keep bringing up. Given the obvious concerns of the people of the state of New Jersey, details should have been a priority for the Christie campaign. What they insist on calling plans, without those details, is merely a laundry list. My state is broken. When I have something that's in need of fixing, I want someone who can get to work with the foundation of a plan and the knowledge of a direction they see that's needed to be followed.
As far as Jon Corzine is concerned, he committed one of the worst things a politician can do. He oversold and under delivered. If it wasn't for games with the general fund and federal stimulus money, Corzine would have had nothing. His claims that he cut the budget as some grand achievement are totally bogus. Given how his programs and policies chased businesses and people out of the state, slashing the tax revenue the state received, Corzine and the Democrats couldn't spend all that they planned to do.
That's why I'm voting for Chris Daggett.
Daggett has produced a detailed plan that places a focus on making New Jersey more business friendly. That positive change in the business climate would be one of the fastest ways to create new jobs. Daggett has proposed cutting property taxes by $2,500 for each home owner. The caveat is that the cuts would only take place if the town or city those homes are in avoids overspending.
Daggett's background and knowledge about the environment would also place a studied and knowledgeable focus on the various elements of the growing green industries. Rather than falling for hyped up spin that some are trying to sell, Daggett can better determine what areas will create jobs, cut costs and offer the most opportunity.
I realize that Daggett has also proposed an expansion of the sales tax to certain services and would look favorably at a hike in the gas tax. The reality of New Jersey's situation, like it or not, means that it will cost something to fix the mess that the Corzine and before that the McGreevey years have impaled the state with.
A smaller reason for my decision to vote for and support Chris Daggett for New Jersey Governor is the wake up call it would deliver to the occupants of the State House in Trenton and special interest groups who feed them while they themselves feast at the trough. All of a sudden a true outsider who won't be in any sort of debt to any of them would hold the reigns and be guiding the direction of the state. The election of an independent candidate would make even the most complacent politician wake up and realize how bad state matters are and how fed up the people of the state are with their lack of action.
While I never formally endorse a political candidate, because I believe that you have the intelligence it takes to make a smart choice, I will ask you to study Chris Daggett's ideas and plans. Place your political loyalty to the side and think about yourself and your state. After you look at the details of what the three candidates for New Jersey Governor have in mind for their term in office, I think you'll realize that voting for Chris Daggett is voting for a stronger future for New Jersey.
Then as time moved on, when details were called on to team with impressions, Chris Christie began to fall short. Sure, his plans and policy wish list were ones that New Jersey needs to have injected into the stagnant system of state government, but details on how he would build those plans and initiate those ideas were yet to be revealed.
I decided to wait and see. Since Christie was a first time candidate, I thought it would be fair to give him and his advisors the opportunity to develop the details that would make what he wanted to do in fact happen.
I'm not waiting any longer.
There's less than three weeks until Election Day. Anything that the Christie campaign comes up with now will only appear to be a grasp at straws. As it is, they seem more interested in spending time responding to the ridiculous issues like weight and hotel rooms that the Corzine camp keep bringing up. Given the obvious concerns of the people of the state of New Jersey, details should have been a priority for the Christie campaign. What they insist on calling plans, without those details, is merely a laundry list. My state is broken. When I have something that's in need of fixing, I want someone who can get to work with the foundation of a plan and the knowledge of a direction they see that's needed to be followed.
As far as Jon Corzine is concerned, he committed one of the worst things a politician can do. He oversold and under delivered. If it wasn't for games with the general fund and federal stimulus money, Corzine would have had nothing. His claims that he cut the budget as some grand achievement are totally bogus. Given how his programs and policies chased businesses and people out of the state, slashing the tax revenue the state received, Corzine and the Democrats couldn't spend all that they planned to do.
That's why I'm voting for Chris Daggett.
Daggett has produced a detailed plan that places a focus on making New Jersey more business friendly. That positive change in the business climate would be one of the fastest ways to create new jobs. Daggett has proposed cutting property taxes by $2,500 for each home owner. The caveat is that the cuts would only take place if the town or city those homes are in avoids overspending.
Daggett's background and knowledge about the environment would also place a studied and knowledgeable focus on the various elements of the growing green industries. Rather than falling for hyped up spin that some are trying to sell, Daggett can better determine what areas will create jobs, cut costs and offer the most opportunity.
I realize that Daggett has also proposed an expansion of the sales tax to certain services and would look favorably at a hike in the gas tax. The reality of New Jersey's situation, like it or not, means that it will cost something to fix the mess that the Corzine and before that the McGreevey years have impaled the state with.
A smaller reason for my decision to vote for and support Chris Daggett for New Jersey Governor is the wake up call it would deliver to the occupants of the State House in Trenton and special interest groups who feed them while they themselves feast at the trough. All of a sudden a true outsider who won't be in any sort of debt to any of them would hold the reigns and be guiding the direction of the state. The election of an independent candidate would make even the most complacent politician wake up and realize how bad state matters are and how fed up the people of the state are with their lack of action.
While I never formally endorse a political candidate, because I believe that you have the intelligence it takes to make a smart choice, I will ask you to study Chris Daggett's ideas and plans. Place your political loyalty to the side and think about yourself and your state. After you look at the details of what the three candidates for New Jersey Governor have in mind for their term in office, I think you'll realize that voting for Chris Daggett is voting for a stronger future for New Jersey.
Bearly Legal
In most place in America hunting is looked on as a means for the balance of nature to progress and for people to sustain themselves with food. The current challenging economic times have added importance to hunting for food purposes. Hunting is also a means by which animal overpopulation can be controlled in order to preserve the natural habitat and feeding grounds for wildlife. This ensures that wildlife population can exist in a healthy way for a full lifespan.
Except here in New Jersey.
The issue of bears in Northern New Jersey has been one of great debate. While the studies have shown over an over that there is an overpopulation of bears that's limiting the natural food for these animals, Governor Jon Corzine and a few bear proponent groups have blocked any sort of hunt. This decision also impacts the financial state of the state through revenue lost that hunters are spending in neighboring states for permits, supplies, gas, food and other things.
Now it's gotten to the point that if you shoot a bear in self-defense, it's looked on as if you shot a robber who tried to car jack you and someone needs to bring the FBI in. If you don't believe me, then click on this link and read on...
Man Shoots Bear In Northwest New Jersey
Except here in New Jersey.
The issue of bears in Northern New Jersey has been one of great debate. While the studies have shown over an over that there is an overpopulation of bears that's limiting the natural food for these animals, Governor Jon Corzine and a few bear proponent groups have blocked any sort of hunt. This decision also impacts the financial state of the state through revenue lost that hunters are spending in neighboring states for permits, supplies, gas, food and other things.
Now it's gotten to the point that if you shoot a bear in self-defense, it's looked on as if you shot a robber who tried to car jack you and someone needs to bring the FBI in. If you don't believe me, then click on this link and read on...
Man Shoots Bear In Northwest New Jersey
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Jon Corzine Sets A Trap With Some Weighty Issues
It continues to amaze and disappoint me. Jon Corzine and his re-election campaign keep setting traps in order to divert attention from the true issues. Almost without fail, the Chris Christie campaign and certainly the New Jersey media fall into the trap which allows Corzine to avoid the issues even if only for a moment that he should be answering to.
One of the biggest impacts of Corzine's trap setting has been the failure of important issues to the voters of New Jersey to gain any focus with momentum. For example, a month or so ago the Christie campaign placed a focus on the failing business climate and the lack of job creation in New Jersey. How did Camp Corzine respond? They pitched a storyline in an ad about a traffic accident Chris Christie was involved in with a motorcyclist. This took the discussion off of jobs and on to whether someone with less than perfect driving skills could be a good Governor.
Here's a bit of news for those media morons who thought this was a worthy topic of discussion. Governors don't drive. They have people drive them. The roads and other drivers won't have to worry...unless a Governor (not mentioning any names here) orders his driver to go 92 MPH on the New Jersey Turnpike in order to get that certain Governor to a photo op with a certain radio host and a certain women's college basketball team.
Yet, along with the New Jersey news media, Corzine's challenger Chris Christie fell into the trap. Instead of waving off the stupid he jumped head first into the pool with no water. By spending time responding to the questions about his driving ability he gave longer legs to the information, accusations and stopped any forward progress on debate about topics that matter.
Having seen this succeed, Camp Corzine figured the second time would be an even bigger charm. They launched a TV ad that through the choice of visual gave a very strong focus on Chris Christie's weight. Christie's a big dude. That's not exactly a state secret. One of the lines in the ad, which charged that among other things Christie sought favor through his position in the U.S. Attorneys office, went, "as he threw his weight around."
So of course the New Jersey media, and even the national cable news channels along with the NY Times, jumped on this. During the debate featuring the candidates for Lieutenant Governor, one of the journalists asked Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate Lorretta Weinberg, "Do you think Chris Christie is fat?" Weinberg stammered and made an attempt at a joke while not really answering the question. While that was happening, the camera cut to Christie who was sitting in the audience.
This weighty issue didn't stop there. It was one of the top talking points of the race for New Jersey Governor that next day. To add to the fire, once again falling into the Corzine trap, Christie at numerous points stopped his focus on issues and instead talked about his weight.
I know this might sound like making a lot out of a little, but when you're running for Governor of a state with growing unemployment and decreasing business opportunity, I kind of think you wouldn't want to turn time for meaningful discussion into garbage time. Christie has been criticized for presenting ideas with no details. Maybe if he would stop playing in the Jon Corzine litterbox, he would have time to satisfy his critics.
Of course this is Jon Corzine's perfect storm. He's talking about his opponent in a way that is diverting the attention of his opponent thereby diverting attention from calling on Jon Corzine to answer for his failures.
This Friday will be the final debate between the three major candidates for New Jersey Governor. The election is only weeks away. If Chris Christie is content with dancing to Jon Corzine's music by responding rather than initiating, there's going to be a very sour note struck for Christie on election night.
One of the biggest impacts of Corzine's trap setting has been the failure of important issues to the voters of New Jersey to gain any focus with momentum. For example, a month or so ago the Christie campaign placed a focus on the failing business climate and the lack of job creation in New Jersey. How did Camp Corzine respond? They pitched a storyline in an ad about a traffic accident Chris Christie was involved in with a motorcyclist. This took the discussion off of jobs and on to whether someone with less than perfect driving skills could be a good Governor.
Here's a bit of news for those media morons who thought this was a worthy topic of discussion. Governors don't drive. They have people drive them. The roads and other drivers won't have to worry...unless a Governor (not mentioning any names here) orders his driver to go 92 MPH on the New Jersey Turnpike in order to get that certain Governor to a photo op with a certain radio host and a certain women's college basketball team.
Yet, along with the New Jersey news media, Corzine's challenger Chris Christie fell into the trap. Instead of waving off the stupid he jumped head first into the pool with no water. By spending time responding to the questions about his driving ability he gave longer legs to the information, accusations and stopped any forward progress on debate about topics that matter.
Having seen this succeed, Camp Corzine figured the second time would be an even bigger charm. They launched a TV ad that through the choice of visual gave a very strong focus on Chris Christie's weight. Christie's a big dude. That's not exactly a state secret. One of the lines in the ad, which charged that among other things Christie sought favor through his position in the U.S. Attorneys office, went, "as he threw his weight around."
So of course the New Jersey media, and even the national cable news channels along with the NY Times, jumped on this. During the debate featuring the candidates for Lieutenant Governor, one of the journalists asked Democratic Lieutenant Governor candidate Lorretta Weinberg, "Do you think Chris Christie is fat?" Weinberg stammered and made an attempt at a joke while not really answering the question. While that was happening, the camera cut to Christie who was sitting in the audience.
This weighty issue didn't stop there. It was one of the top talking points of the race for New Jersey Governor that next day. To add to the fire, once again falling into the Corzine trap, Christie at numerous points stopped his focus on issues and instead talked about his weight.
I know this might sound like making a lot out of a little, but when you're running for Governor of a state with growing unemployment and decreasing business opportunity, I kind of think you wouldn't want to turn time for meaningful discussion into garbage time. Christie has been criticized for presenting ideas with no details. Maybe if he would stop playing in the Jon Corzine litterbox, he would have time to satisfy his critics.
Of course this is Jon Corzine's perfect storm. He's talking about his opponent in a way that is diverting the attention of his opponent thereby diverting attention from calling on Jon Corzine to answer for his failures.
This Friday will be the final debate between the three major candidates for New Jersey Governor. The election is only weeks away. If Chris Christie is content with dancing to Jon Corzine's music by responding rather than initiating, there's going to be a very sour note struck for Christie on election night.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
A Shot In The Dark
This past week saw the release of a poll done by Fairleigh Dickinson University Public Mind that asked the people of New Jersey whether they would be getting the Swine Flu vaccine now that it's available. The poll results showed that 62% of the people said that they would not get the Swine Flu vaccine. Another 9% said they hadn't made their decision yet. That left only 29% of the people polled who said that they would get the vaccine.
These poll results could wind up being bad news for the people of New Jersey, especially parents, given the past performance of the Jon Corzine Administration.
We were told this past week by Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary Of Health And Human Services in the Obama Administration, that "you must get the H1N1 flu vaccine." We certainly know that Jon Corzine is one of the leading disciples of the Church Of Barack Obama. That was confirmed when just the other day Corzine revealed that he's counting on another injection (pardon the pun) of federal stimulus money next year to help him close the expected $8 billion state budget gap. Then you can look back to late last year and earlier this year when the Corzine Administration mandated that school children get a specific cocktail of vaccines in order to be able to continue attending school. That mandate was made in spite of the concerns that the vaccine cocktail made some children more susceptible to autism. Oh sure, there was a personal objection clause people could claim within this program, but it was so vague that school and state officials could pretty much deny any parent's attempt to keep the needles away from their children.
So, when you add all of these elements together, is it a stretch to expect Jon Corzine and his druids in New Jersey to order parents to get their kids the Swine Flu vaccine or else they can't go to school? It's also an equal possibility that the same mandate could be made of employers with the threat of fines or license revocations for non-compliance.
I'm not saying that I've heard anything. Just a shot in the dark.
These poll results could wind up being bad news for the people of New Jersey, especially parents, given the past performance of the Jon Corzine Administration.
We were told this past week by Kathleen Sebelius, the Secretary Of Health And Human Services in the Obama Administration, that "you must get the H1N1 flu vaccine." We certainly know that Jon Corzine is one of the leading disciples of the Church Of Barack Obama. That was confirmed when just the other day Corzine revealed that he's counting on another injection (pardon the pun) of federal stimulus money next year to help him close the expected $8 billion state budget gap. Then you can look back to late last year and earlier this year when the Corzine Administration mandated that school children get a specific cocktail of vaccines in order to be able to continue attending school. That mandate was made in spite of the concerns that the vaccine cocktail made some children more susceptible to autism. Oh sure, there was a personal objection clause people could claim within this program, but it was so vague that school and state officials could pretty much deny any parent's attempt to keep the needles away from their children.
So, when you add all of these elements together, is it a stretch to expect Jon Corzine and his druids in New Jersey to order parents to get their kids the Swine Flu vaccine or else they can't go to school? It's also an equal possibility that the same mandate could be made of employers with the threat of fines or license revocations for non-compliance.
I'm not saying that I've heard anything. Just a shot in the dark.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
Chris Christie's Terrible Trends
Regarding the race for NJ Governor, the latest poll confirmed that it's now a statistical dead heat. The Fairleigh Dickinson University Public Mind Poll released today shows that in a race between incumbent Gov. Jon Corzine and challenger Chris Christie Corzine leads by a spread of 44% to 43%. When the people taking part in the poll were directly given a choice between Corzine, Christie and independent candidate Chris Daggett, the spread became 38% Corzine, 37% Christie and 17% for Daggett.
This is seriously bad news for the Chris Christie campaign for a variety of reasons and shows the results of the mistakes that his campaign has made.
Let's start with what state Republicans are claiming about the so-called "Daggett Effect." The claim is that Daggett is a candidate being funded behind the scenes by Democrats in order to take away votes from Christie. Today's FDU poll shows that in fact Daggett is taking more votes away from Jon Corzine than Christie. The FDU poll has Daggett taking twice as many votes away from Corzine than Christie. Yet, Christie has shown a lack of ability to take advantage of that statistical fact.
Another excuse Republicans are making is that Corzine can get his message out better because he has more money. But what has his message been? The claim that he cut spending is laughable because it was his policies and programs which caused people and businesses to flee the state. That in turn cut the tax revenue the state received so the Democrats and Corzine couldn't spend all that they wanted to no matter how much Santa Obama brought to New Jersey.
When it comes to communicating a message, more people would rather watch road kill get a tan on the side of the road than listen to Jon Corzine speak. The Great Communicator he ain't. What he excels at is running a scum-filled campaign, which is appropriate since his poll numbers are stagnant. Yet the Christie campaign hasn't been able to close the deal.
The reason the door was left open by the Christie campaign is because they fell into the Camp Corzine trap. Rather than swat away the mud that Camp Corzine was throwing at them, the Christie campaign decided to play in the mud puddle which only gave the attention to the mud and that worked to Corzine's advantage. The FDU poll, along with other recent ones, show that the negative view of Christie is increasing.
Instead of a commercial that was focused on details of the plans and policies he will bring to the office, Christie has spent his time responding to charges. To make matters worse, most of the time he would repeat the damn charges so anyone who didn't hear them from Camp Corzine got to hear them from the target of the mud himself.
That made me think back to something that happened during the 1982 Jerry Lewis Telethon. For years the press slammed Jerry and made a variety of poisonous accusations about MDA, Jerry's work and the Telethon. Jerry finally decided to take them on. Live in front of a TV audience of over 80 million people, Jerry spent over ten minutes addressing a variety of things written about him, MDA and the Telethon. He countered each item with facts that refuted them. What Jerry did, which Christie has failed to do, was to attack what was said without mentioning by name or outlet who said and wrote it or who they worked for. He turned the attack, which most would react to with explanations and excuses, into an opportunity for declarative statements that strengthened his position. That's what the Chris Christie campaign has to do.
Instead of spending campaign money to yell, "Corzine sucks and here's why. Here's what he's saying about me. He's playing dirty. Vote for me instead." Christie should say, "I'd rather talk about how I'll create jobs in New Jersey," (and here's the important idea Christie needs to say and do), "and here's a couple of the ways I'll do it." He has to stop sending people to his website to read. When someone asks you a question and their vote depends on your answer, you give them the most detailed and complete answer you can give. It doesn't matter if it's the same answer to the question to different people. If it's an answer that's detailed, realistic and shows signs of success, repeat it like your doing a line in a Broadway show.
Thanks to Camp Corzine and, in a plan that quickly backfired on them, their attempts to elevate Chris Daggett still produced a danger for Chris Christie even though Corzine has lost more votes to Daggett. If Christie doesn't spend more time talking details than saying "Jon Corzine sucks." his runoff of voters to Daggett will grow as large as Corzine's. The voting population of New Jersey is unhappy and the FDU poll shows that half of the voters know who Daggett is. That's true for the Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Right now the New Jersey voters are all in a multiplex theater watching a movie. If they don't like what they're watching, they can easily pick up their popcorn and walk over to the next theater.
This is seriously bad news for the Chris Christie campaign for a variety of reasons and shows the results of the mistakes that his campaign has made.
Let's start with what state Republicans are claiming about the so-called "Daggett Effect." The claim is that Daggett is a candidate being funded behind the scenes by Democrats in order to take away votes from Christie. Today's FDU poll shows that in fact Daggett is taking more votes away from Jon Corzine than Christie. The FDU poll has Daggett taking twice as many votes away from Corzine than Christie. Yet, Christie has shown a lack of ability to take advantage of that statistical fact.
Another excuse Republicans are making is that Corzine can get his message out better because he has more money. But what has his message been? The claim that he cut spending is laughable because it was his policies and programs which caused people and businesses to flee the state. That in turn cut the tax revenue the state received so the Democrats and Corzine couldn't spend all that they wanted to no matter how much Santa Obama brought to New Jersey.
When it comes to communicating a message, more people would rather watch road kill get a tan on the side of the road than listen to Jon Corzine speak. The Great Communicator he ain't. What he excels at is running a scum-filled campaign, which is appropriate since his poll numbers are stagnant. Yet the Christie campaign hasn't been able to close the deal.
The reason the door was left open by the Christie campaign is because they fell into the Camp Corzine trap. Rather than swat away the mud that Camp Corzine was throwing at them, the Christie campaign decided to play in the mud puddle which only gave the attention to the mud and that worked to Corzine's advantage. The FDU poll, along with other recent ones, show that the negative view of Christie is increasing.
Instead of a commercial that was focused on details of the plans and policies he will bring to the office, Christie has spent his time responding to charges. To make matters worse, most of the time he would repeat the damn charges so anyone who didn't hear them from Camp Corzine got to hear them from the target of the mud himself.
That made me think back to something that happened during the 1982 Jerry Lewis Telethon. For years the press slammed Jerry and made a variety of poisonous accusations about MDA, Jerry's work and the Telethon. Jerry finally decided to take them on. Live in front of a TV audience of over 80 million people, Jerry spent over ten minutes addressing a variety of things written about him, MDA and the Telethon. He countered each item with facts that refuted them. What Jerry did, which Christie has failed to do, was to attack what was said without mentioning by name or outlet who said and wrote it or who they worked for. He turned the attack, which most would react to with explanations and excuses, into an opportunity for declarative statements that strengthened his position. That's what the Chris Christie campaign has to do.
Instead of spending campaign money to yell, "Corzine sucks and here's why. Here's what he's saying about me. He's playing dirty. Vote for me instead." Christie should say, "I'd rather talk about how I'll create jobs in New Jersey," (and here's the important idea Christie needs to say and do), "and here's a couple of the ways I'll do it." He has to stop sending people to his website to read. When someone asks you a question and their vote depends on your answer, you give them the most detailed and complete answer you can give. It doesn't matter if it's the same answer to the question to different people. If it's an answer that's detailed, realistic and shows signs of success, repeat it like your doing a line in a Broadway show.
Thanks to Camp Corzine and, in a plan that quickly backfired on them, their attempts to elevate Chris Daggett still produced a danger for Chris Christie even though Corzine has lost more votes to Daggett. If Christie doesn't spend more time talking details than saying "Jon Corzine sucks." his runoff of voters to Daggett will grow as large as Corzine's. The voting population of New Jersey is unhappy and the FDU poll shows that half of the voters know who Daggett is. That's true for the Democrats, Republicans and Independents. Right now the New Jersey voters are all in a multiplex theater watching a movie. If they don't like what they're watching, they can easily pick up their popcorn and walk over to the next theater.
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