Is it "highly unacceptable" or not?

by: Hopeful

Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 02:10:44 PM EST

I found this interview with former Governor Corzine very troublesome. Here's what Corzine said about last year's big scandal:

Pointing to the colossal N.J. sting operation in July and the fallout in Hudson, Corzine said that accepting campaign contributions in cash in exchange for favors is highly unacceptable.
"None of this is attractive," Corzine said. "The discussion of it undermines the credibility of government in the public's mind and makes even stronger the argument that we need to take steps to give people assurance that this behavior is going to change."
Pay-to-play, or commercial bribery, gets at defining what might be legal in today's context, but to the public, it looks pretty unethical on any basis, he said.

He also made this observation:

"People need to be very focused on the quality and character of the candidates," Corzine said. "At the end of the day, if somebody wants to cheat, we can probably write the strictest laws in the world and you will still find people circumventing those kinds of challenges."

That would be more convincing if he didn't go out of his way to excuse those who circumvent the law:

Corzine said he feels [Jersey City Mayor] Healy should absolutely not resign based on the available facts. Healy has made his case that he did nothing wrong within the context of the law, he said.

If our reformers excuse people like this, no wonder there's no achievements on the corruption front.

Hopeful :: Is it "highly unacceptable" or not?

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Is it "highly unacceptable" or not? | 5 comments

Wow! He STILL Doesn't Get It!!! (0.00 / 0)

The appearance of impropriety is as much a factor in the public's distrust of government as actual "quid pro quo" de facto bribery.

Corzine touched on the sad reality that much of this crap is actually LEGAL! But he never quite was willing to declare all out war on the legalized bribery and to make it THE focus of his administration. Had he done that, the actual PEOPLE of the state would have seen him as a hero.

It's a shame that he didn't read and understand what I, and others, have been saying here for years

So now we wind up with a partisan hack machine Republican as governor who, no doubt, knows just how to work/cut deals with the machines/bosses in both party's.

Poor John Corzine was neither fish nor fowl.....he wasn't a thoroughly corrupt "good old boy", nor was he a real aggressively progressive gut level reformer willing to put his balls on the line. If he had been either one of those things, he would probably still be in office (for different reasons obviously).

by: Nick Lento @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 13:33:55 PM CST

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Correction...... (0.00 / 0)

.......I meant de jure bribery. De facto is what's we've got routinely going on now.

by: Nick Lento @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 13:38:07 PM CST

[ Parent ]

Disturbing. (4.00 / 1)

The word "discussion" jumps out at me. Was it the discussion of politicians being arrested in NJ what bothered Corzine or the unethical and criminal acts themselves?

Is it PR he is worried about here? Does he want public trust where none is warranted? He is very Rube Goldberg in his wording.

He doesn't talk about changing the underlying problems, but simply "taking steps to give people assurance that the behavior is going to change". (Italics mine.) We don't need to alter the public perception. We need to alter the political behavior of those entrusted by the public.

We need to call out these politicians, not hide the discussion because it makes Dems look bad. Hemming and hawing and taking a roundabout meandering way of condemning the behavior of the folks who got caught gives the impression that Corzine is more sorry these folks got caught than he is about what they did.

One Vote. Yours. It really does matter.

by: carolh @ Mon Feb 08, 2010 at 13:52:28 PM CST

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THIS is why he lost my vote (0.00 / 0)

The way he's sticking up for Healy reminds me of the way he stuck up for Ferriero. If you can't make a stand for honest government; then you should just sit back and STFU.

To hell with what she wants, let's make Rosi Efthim the next DSC chair.

by: Thurman Hart @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 09:52:46 AM CST

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Ethicaly challenged? (0.00 / 0)

State Rep. Ruben Ramos stands next to, now, indicted former mayor Peter Cammerano and explains why laws won't stop him from accepting bribes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...

by: HobokenSchmo @ Tue Feb 09, 2010 at 22:04:49 PM CST

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