Chris Christie won the Governor election with less than 50% of the vote. That means more than half of the voters wanted someone other than him to govern.
He has consistently abused his power. He pulled rank as a US Attorney to get out of a ticket when he went the wrong way down a one way street, and also pulled rank when he got a speeding ticket in an unregistered car to avoid being towed. He failed to disclose his close financial relationship with top assistant Michele Brown, a conflict of interest. He gave huge no bid contracts to his boss (John Ashcroft) and the man who didn't prosecute his brother for securities fraud, while 19 others were prosecuted. He governs with a personal vendetta to the detriment of New Jerseyans.
Those are just off the top of my head. And they aren't "partisan policy disagreements". They are basic character traits of a man with a short temper who is set in his ways, come hell or high water. We already had a nightmare of a similar "leader" that just left the White House. And Christie is a disciple of that regime.
And this current situation with the $400 million in education funding that NJ students now lose out on after he took over the application process - accusations and documented support from Bret Schundler that Christie again is playing fast and loose with the facts all while lashing out at anyone who dares to point out the truth.
Understanding that many in the corporate media are overwhelmed and overworked, it would be nice to see some more reporting on this very disturbing pattern of reckless behavior and how these ethical issues on Christie's part are a danger to the state and its future. Christie has shown that he does not negotiate in good faith - if he even negotiates at all. He is not one to be trusted, and his word has been proven over and over to conflict with his actions and reality.
Chris Christie said many many a time that he would not raise taxes. And yes, this was a transparent promise that very few (outside of some of the hardcore conservatives) took seriously in any way. But when he first was sworn into office and raised "fees" or increased charges for the same services, cut property tax rebates and did a slew of other things that would result in tax increases - the cat was out of the bag.
It wasn't "raising taxes". It was "raising CERTAIN taxes" that was the issue. On others who were out of favor in Christie's class warfare, it didn't matter if you were paying more for less (like public transportation, for example) or if you were getting less in tax rebates - it was part of the not-quite-so-shared sacrifice. And when the millionnaire's tax was introduced and promptly vetoed, Christie said the following:
"Now is not the time for more of the same. Ultimately, another tax increase will punish the state's struggling small businesses and set our economy further back from recovery."
Ahhhhhhhhhhhh, and there is the rub. It isn't JUST another tax increase - it is a tax increase that Christie knows will hit him and his cronies, so therefore, it must be vetoed. Now fast forward to this draconian budget and even his fellow Republicans have called this budget full of tax hikes.
So now we know that Christie was pushing his fellow Republicans to vote for his tax hikes. It was just a matter of which tax hikes he wants - on everyone who isn't super duper rich. And when he tries to say how "fees" aren't taxes and how he won't raise taxes, he is either lying or leaving out the words "on the super wealthy" after the words "I won't raise taxes".
Either way, Christie's true colors of a bully and a liar are showing through, yet again.
I promised myself that I would refrain from writing Christie-bashing posts, and was able to write a number of posts that were more constructive than destructive. But once again, Christie's pigheadedness and arrogance shone through at the expense of women's rights. Just like in the campaign, when "mammography-gate" exposed him for the callous arrogant prick that he is.
A group of female legislators continues to push to have 7 and a half million dollars added to the state budget for family planning - but Governor Christie insists it won't happen.
During an appearance on Millennium Radio's Ask the Governor program, Christie said "I just don't believe it's an appropriate expenditure of money, in the context of all the other difficult decisions that we need to make...I believe that women have the opportunity to access healthcare all across New Jersey, through a number of different programs. This is merely one of them, and no woman is not going to get healthcare because of this."
When pressed on why he feels so strongly about the issue, the Governor replied " I don't believe that this is a priority in a budget where you have to cut 11 billion dollars...that's my opinion - and it's the opinion obviously of the majority of the people who deliberated on this, or it would have changed."
No woman is not going to get healthcare because of this? Maybe not, but certainly it will be a lot more costly and difficult to get proper healthcare because of this. I'd be willing to bet that he'd be just A-ok with coverage for "Viagra on demand", but I digress.
Fact is, not just is this arrogant and shows a lack of basic empathy for women (not to mention an understanding of what happens when a woman gets pregnant from a rape or from being molested by a family member), but he falsely moves the bar in his claim of this being a popular decision. "The opinion obviously of the majority of the people who deliberated on this" is, quite frankly, irrelevant and a false choice. For starters, this budget is far from something that will be passed - there is very little Democratic support for this budget, and Christie is strongarming Republicans to vote for his tax increases. Additionally, this has been an issue for months now - even going back to the campaign, so this was on Christie's chopping block for a while now.
Adding in NJ being a pretty progressive state, a popular progressive issue like women's rights and a Governor elected with less than 50% of the vote, this is far from something that the majority agrees with Christie on. Compounding the heaping pile of crap is this narrowing of the "population that matters" to those who were conferees on a budget compromise that will be unpopular to Democrats and conservatives alike.
But nobody would have thought that Christie would actually Govern like an arrogant asshole - after all, it isn't like he ever acted this way as US Attorney or during the campaign. And now the Democratic majority in the Legislature has put most New Jerseyans, state Democrats and themselves in a horrible position - them politically and the rest of us in countless other ways.
If you're in Collingswood anytime soon, go check out the library. Then glance up and marvel at the craftsmanship and dedication that went into the shiny brand new ceiling. And then spare a thought for the people who made that progress happen: the members of Garden State Equality, whose south Jersey headquarters is located a few short block away.
In light of Governor Chris Christie's drastic budget cuts to libraries, it's up to the community to "step up" and fill the gap caused by an administration whose values and priorities do not include things like local libraries or food banks. (Click the link. I dare you.)
In this photo, members of the gay rights group Garden State Equality give their our weekends to community service projects that recognize Gov. Christie's neglectful ways.
Chris Christie ran for Governor on a platform of change. And while there's certainly been change over the last 3 months, it isn't the kind of change that's necessary, or the kind many voters expected. Big campaign talk of real change to the budget and "shared sacrifice" quickly degenerated into a game of "us vs. them", and Christie's "us" are the super rich and corporations against seniors, children, teachers and students, and the middle class.
It's easy, and it's right, to criticize Christie for who he prioritizes in his cuts, and who he targets. But Christie still has the opportunity to really do something here to fundamentally alter the way NJ runs. He can still bring the real change the people crave. And he can do it by seriously addressing the gorilla on every New Jerseyan's shoulder: property taxes.
As Jason noted yesterday, even Christie admits now that property taxes will increase from his proposals. And there are 2 things that need to be accepted as true because, well, they are true:
I'm a tax guy professionally. Here are some real facts:
NJ's sales tax falls in the middle among the states. Ditto the state unemployment tax (the wage limit is high but the maximum and average rates employers pay are fairly low as compared to other states). State personal income tax is also in the middle among the states for most families. Gas tax? One of the lowest in the US. The fact that NJ's dead last in the country in the amount of money it receives from the federal government as compared to what its residents send is also a big issue. We'll leave that for another day.
Does a village like mine (Ridgewood) need local, county and state police, where there's very little crime? Same question for most towns surrounding mine. What about the extra cost reflected in property tax just to have our garbage collected from the sides of houses, instead of asking us to walk our pails to the curb? Do we need school districts with no schools? Or 600 municipalities with their own governments and duplication of spending all across the state? Or duplicate school administrations? How about the costly fire department equipment rarely used? Shouldn't we get better negotiated contracts binding together more purchasing power? Can we lower costs for many services spread over a larger population?
It's time for us and our elected officials to take a long hard look at the fundamental underlying problems and begin to address them in a responsible manner. Chris Daggett had an interesting proposal but it merely shifted the tax burden from property tax to sales tax - that doesn't go far enough to address the underlying issues. If Christie is really serious about bringing fundamental change to the way that NJ runs, then he has a tremendous opportunity before him. This is something he'd get support for from both Democrats and Republicans. And it would be right.
But if he chooses to continue to indulge in class warfare and employ misleading numbers from conservative think tanks, then he fails miserably at the one thing he has the opportunity to do well. Christie can leave his mark on New Jersey. He can change everything.
In typically "diplomatic" fashion, and to try and stem the tide of people calling his class warfare just what it is, the Governor sent out a "fact sheet" that was purported to "rebut the overheated rhetoric" and dispel the so-called "myths" about Chirstie's war-on-everyone-not-filthy-rich budget.
The problem, of course, is that the "myths" weren't really myths and the "facts" were cherrypicked pieces of data that, in some instances, even confirmed the so-called "myths".
You can read the whole thing at the link above, but I'll go quickly through the four "Myth/Facts" below:
"Fact" 1 - Christie will not accept a budget that increases taxes. Of course this cites the Tax Foundation rankings, which award winning economist Paul Krugman recently cited as "not a reliable source", and mentions that there will not be a tax increase on hospitals. However, as we recently pointed out, there are tax increases all over the state as a result of Christie's actions and proposals.
"Myth" 2 - There isn't real shared sacrifice in the budget when the rich are getting a tax break. Citing Forbes and the Small Business Entrepreneurship Council to point out how (SHOCKING...) raising taxes on small businesses will kill the economy. However, the very fact that the rich ARE getting a tax break while everyone else is getting tax hikes and service cuts is, by definition, a lack of shared sacrifice. It doesn't matter whether Christie is answering a different question - he is declaring that the super rich are more deserving of a tax break while everyone else is more deserving of a tax hike.
"Myth" 3 - This budget means the largest property tax increase in history. This is hardly a myth, despite any tinkering around the edges or proposed Constitutional amendment. If Christie didn't combat the claim that Corzine raised the sales tax by 16% with a one-cent increase, then Christie has to own up to the fact that eliminating the property tax rebates is precisely the largest property tax increase in history. There is no denying it - at least not with any basis in reality.
"Myth" 4 - This budget is an assault on the middle class and seniors. This is an undeniable fact, regardless of a few bullet points that Christie can point to. I have written about this on more than one occasion, repeatedly citing just how many ways this budget is a flat out assault on the middle class and seniors (of course, I am far from alone there).
I guess when Christie said during the campaign that he went to law school because he wasn't very good at math, he didn't realize that he also didn't know the difference between a fact and a "fact".
On the losing side, well, just about everything else.
When it comes to the service cuts and fare increases for NJ Transit however, this is a world of hurt for New Jerseyans on so many levels. NJ Transit recently released a "proposal" with public hearings to be held later this month, that deal with a 25% fare increase in many instances to deal with the funding cuts Christie proposed last month. On top of the fare increase - which largely hits those who commute into Manhattan for work as well as those who rely on public transportation (read: more lower and middle income people) to get to work or to get around. So while the super rich get a tax cut that can help them with their vacation home or 4th car, everyone else gets a transportation tax increase.
Further modernization of these systems in New Jersey is fundamental to providing a safe and operational infrastructure while improving the quality of life for the state's residents.
So not only does Christie screw over those who can afford it least, he does it by cutting mass transit and public transportation services, which could very well lead to more use of cars, more pollution and more stress on our already overstrained roads and bridges.
But at least Wal-Mart and the super rich will be happy.
The Governor declares a State of Emergency when he/she believes a disaster has occurred or may be imminent that is severe enough to require State aid to supplement local resources in preventing or alleviating damages, loss, hardship or suffering. This declaration authorizes the Governor to speed State agency assistance to communities in need. It enables him to make resources immediately available to rescue, evacuate, shelter, provide essential commodities (i.e., heating fuel, food, etc.) and quell disturbances in affected localities. It may also position the State to seek federal assistance when the scope of the event exceeds the State's resources.
So...since the Governor said he'd be wary of throwing financial assistance to municipalities, and since this is the only Governor who hasn't noticed that an emergency exists...we might well ask if it is a financial consideration that keeps him from doing so. After all, it would virtually force him to spend state money, and if having thousands of people without power when temperatures are life-threateningly low isn't an emergency, then what possibly could be?
If so, it is likely a case of "penny-wise, pound foolish." If Christie doesn't declare a state of emergency; then we won't be able to qualify for the federal funds that will surely be approved for dealing with this snowstorm.
Or perhaps there is method to his madness. If he waits until the municipalities and counties struggle through this on their own, and then declares an emergency; then he prevents state expenditures but still qualifies for federal aid. Of course, the people of Southern Jersey still suffer, and perhaps die, but that's a small price to pay for political points. Right?
During the Gubernatorial campaign, there were few people who were more outspoken (and hyperbolic) against Governor Corzine than the Sierra Club's Jeff Tittel. He ignored the fact that then-candidate Chris Christie vowed to "gut" the NJ Department of Environmental Protection. He pretended that Christie's views which left no doubt about how low of a priority initiatives such as green energy, clean air and water as well as protecting our natural resources were didn't exist. He minimized Corzine's efforts that made New Jersey consistently in the top 2 or 3 states in the entire nation when it came to the very issues that his Sierra Club held dear.
While Tittle may very well be precisely on point, this should come as no surprise. Whether Tittel likes it or not, much of this blame falls squarely on his shoulders. He was the one who was reckless in his "strategy" during the campaign - trying to settle some political score instead of looking out for the longer term and the bigger picture. Unfortunately for the rest of New Jerseyans, our air and water very well may be more toxic and less safe due to Tittel's shortsighted and petty behavior a few months ago.
Promoted by Jason Springer: Thanks to the Governor's daughter Jenny for stopping by Blue Jersey to reflect on her father's term leading New Jersey.
At the end of my dad's term, I would like to pay tribute to his work as Governor of New Jersey.
Last week, watching my father walk through the beautiful statehouse in Trenton to deliver his final State of the State address to the NJ Legislature, I was moved by the historic nature of the occasion and by my father's words. My dad called it "his highest honor" to serve the people of New Jersey as Governor.
When I think about Jon Corzine as a father, and as a Governor, compassion is the first word that comes to mind. Listening to his speech, I saw the father I've always known. He even made the same kind of jokes, remarking that it was difficult to write his last State of the State while movers were taking his desk out of the office. He spoke honestly of things he wished he could have finished and admitted to not executing the job "flawlessly". He spoke of the things he cares most deeply about: education, healthcare, child welfare. And he talked of the progress, as he saw it, that had been made during his term as Governor of New Jersey . He spoke just as I've always known him - with a soft-spoken voice, humbly and with a thoughtful passion for making the world better for the future of our children.
I admit I am not in the political field, but I do believe that his nine years in public life speak to the ways in which government can make a real difference in people's lives. My father cut state spending every year and reduced the size of state government for the first time in over six decades. Yet, he maintained funding and greatly improved many government services: reforming the child welfare and foster care systems (which with the help of the legislature has gone from being one of the worst to one of the best in the country), expanding early childhood education, providing for new school construction, reforming school funding, expanding children's health care, building infrastructure and improving highway safety ( the best highway safety record since 1940) as well as increasing funding for homeless shelters and soup kitchens which have been hit by the recession.
The Divison of Elections certified the official voter turnout numbers the other day and we set a record:
Turnout was 46.9% - the lowest on record for a gubernatorial election, down from 48.5% in 2005 and 49.3% in 2001, the only other times less than half of registered voters turned out at the polls.
Looked at another way, though, the turnout of 2,451,704 voters was the most for a governor's race since 1997 and marked a 105,000 voter increase over the election four years ago.
The percentage turnout is affected by the presidential election registration surge typically seen every four years, which was particularly large in 2008. There were 390,000 more registered voters in 2009 than four years - and it's likely that a goodly number were interested in the race for the White House but less jazzed about the run for Drumthwacket.
"He's sending a message that he's willing to take on some of the sacred cows. And he needs to," former Republican Gov. Christie Whitman said. "But we'll see. Reality sometimes gets up and smacks you in the face."
That's right, we will see what reality does to Christie's promises. While she's talking about Christie and his tough rhetoric about taking on just about everyone, that statement applies on so many different levels beyond just Chris Christie and what he has said.
Led by Mr. Barbour, the RGA raised and contributed $7.3 million to the campaign of New Jersey candidate Chris Christie, allowing him to put up enough TV advertising to hold off both a late-surging Gov. Jon Corzine, the Democratic incumbent, and independent Chris Daggett. The result for the crime-busting former U.S. attorney, Mr. Christie, was a big victory in a state won easily by Barack Obama just a year earlier.
And as a result of that win, they made him one of the guests of honor at the annual conference this week:
I have to ask, where did they find that picture of our new Governor? It looks like something the Corzine campaign would have used in one of their ads. For $7.3 million, couldn't they do just a little bit better? It'll be interesting to see how that compares with what labor spent on the election.
In public appearances since Election Day, Christie has been blunt, funny, pugnacious, decisive, and, above all, forceful. He has been comfortable joking with teens and mingling with politicians, in control when dealing with the press, and defiant toward opponents and detractors.
[...]
Christie's public persona is a sharp contrast to that of Gov. Corzine, who often has been fumbling in the spotlight and meandering in his speech, leaving the public and lawmakers to parse his words for possible meanings.
We're supposed to elect a governor based on whether or not we think he can do the job and make life better for our state. Not because he has the "blunt, straightforward" personality of the average guy you'd find getting a cup of coffee at Wawa. No disrespect.
Christie "is very straightforward, very direct, very blunt, and very New Jersey" said State Sen. Bill Baroni (R., Mercer), a close ally. "That bluntness and directness is exactly what we need right now."
Baroni added that "there will be no need to read the tea leaves to figure out what Chris Christie thinks."
Tea leaves. That's funny. Because all through the campaign, Christie kept us guessing about what he would do when elected, substituting the always-reliable "cut spending" bromide for an actual plan. So what spending are you gonna cut, dude? Transportation? Education? What?
Following his attendance yesterday at the Blue Mass in Newark, Governor Corzine took a few questions and the last one he got from a reporter was, "why couldn't you excite your base?" Here's how he responded:
One of Governor-elect Chris Christie's first decisions as Governor will be to decide who will join him in his administration and he's not ruling out some names that garnered attention during the election:
Gov.-elect Christopher Christie told the Star-Ledger that he would not rule out appointments for Ralph Marra and Michele Brown, two of his top colleagues at the U.S. Attorney's office.
"People who have real problems won't be in the administration. People who have problems that are contrived for attempted political advantage won't be hurt by that. That doesn't necessary mean they're going to be in, but if they're not in, that won't be the reason why they're not," Christie told the Star-Ledger's Claire Heininger.
Christie could also be talking about former Morris County Freeholder John Inglesino, who stepped out of the spotlight after he became a campaign issue during the primary election.
You know, we're going to ferret out waste and fraud and abuse in the government. I think you know I'll do that better than anybody. I've got a group of assistant U.S. attorneys sitting down in Newark still doing their job. But let me tell you, they are watching the newspapers. And after we win this election, I'm going to take a whole group of them to Trenton with me and put them in every one of the departments because they saw a lot of waste and abuse being investigated while we were in the U.S. Attorney's office that didn't rise to the level of a crime. So I told them, the good news is, when we get to Trenton we don't have to worry about beyond a reasonable doubt anymore.
We'll have to see how the Governor-elect defines people with real problems and which people have been watching the newspapers.
Promoted by Jason Springer: A very candid take from Senator Weinberg on the race that was. Thank you for the shout out and for running.
Let's get the negatives out of the way first: We lost! Property taxes, unemployment, property taxes, property taxes. That was it in a nutshell.
To some of my colleagues whose egos might be a little out of control: Ray, was it really necessary to trash the Governor within 24 hours? Perhaps if you had joined us just once on one of those 18 hour days on the campaign trail, we might have gotten a couple of more votes out of your home base. Dick, did you have to share that White House anecdote? We could have saved that one for "the book". How about the party officials who couldn't join us for a very graceful concession. And how about that Jeff Tittel? He seemed to go out of his way to be mean and condescending. The Sierra Club endorsement is one thing - your meaness of spirit another altogether. Jeff, it's not ALWAYS about you!
Now to some of the more positive recollections: Our stars who were always there in full force. Thank you to Assemblywomen Annette Quihano, Linda Stender, Grace Spencer, Milla Jassey, and Nellie Pou, Senators Theresa Ruiz, Nia Gill, and Mayor-elect of Camden Dana Redd and to Mayor Colleen Mahr of Fanwood, Mayor Wilda Diaz of Perth Amboy, Mayor-Elect Toni Ricigliano of Edison (who must be related to half her constituents), the "WeDo" women of Passaic County, the Demo women's groups of Bergen County and of Essex County and so many more. To our Congressmen Frank Pallone, Steve Rothman, Donald Payne and Bill Pascrell who joined us many times on the campaign trail. Another "shout out" to our two Senators Lautenberg and Menendez.
Of course, our President Barack Obama and former President Bill Clinton gave us so much of their time and insight. I'll tell you in my next posting what he suggested to me to follow up. Congresswomen Debbie Wasserman Shultz and Loretta Sanchez joined us on the campaign trail and made women elected officials very proud. Fran Adubato runs a great progam in Newark. The labor community could not have done any more to help us. Charlie Wowkanich, Laurel Brennan, Ray Pocini and the building trades and my personal favorite, Buzz Dressel, were fully involved. The labor
bus with "the painter and insulator guys" was not a bad way to get around.
The campaign was energizing and I thank the Governor for giving me a wonderful opportunity to travel the great state of New Jersey, to meet many terrific NJ citizens, and for giving me a statewide voice to talk about the family values we share. I wouldn't change a moment of it.....oh yes, except the losing part!
I have so many anecdotes to share and hope to do that over the next few weeks. Jason Springer and Jay Lassiter along with those brave breast cancer survivors met me at the street fair rain and all. So we used pink umbrellas and carried the hand-colored pink Corzine/Weinberg signs right up the street.
The various Garden State Equality headquarters were always filled to the rafters and their members worked tirelessly. DFA came through for the Governor and me with a resounding endorsement. Rosi sent emails of encouragement. That picnic in Willingboro where I met 92 year old Miss Lizzie who is still actively engaged in civic life and their wonderful Mayor Jackie Jenkins. All those unairconditioned headquarters where folks worked in the heat of summer and never gave up. THANK YOU.
My friend and colleague, Rocco Mazza, put more than 12,000 miles on his trusty car. Rocco, the GPS and I traveled together for three months sometimes 14 or 18 hours a day. The only thing I got tired of was the voice in the GPS! My own campaign protectors Tory Singleton and Cecelia Fassano, made me feel comfortable every step of the way. Sometimes, there was a little too much "hovering" from the staff, but hey - it was great being part of an effort which had common goals.
Would I change anything? Perhaps better communication on the really good things Jon Corzine did these last four years. Perhaps one or two positive ads spelling these out a little more clearly. But that's all hindsight. I thank Governor Jon Corzine from all of us for working his heart out for New Jersey's residents.
Let's now join together with a newly installed Assembly, a newly organized Senate and figure out what the voices of our party should sound like; how we address the people's mistrust of their elected officials; how we make sure we have together taken a strong stand against corrupting influences in our body politic; and how we work with a Republican Governor on the things necessary to improve the lives of New Jersey residents.
If Chris Christie couldn't get more than 50% of the vote against a highly unpopular incumbent in the worst political environment for incumbents in a long time, then that speaks volumes about him and his campaign.
Corzine was dealt a bad hand with the national economy and he didn't do as much to help himself as he needed to (and not just over the past few months) - whether it be touting his accomplishments, some needless distractions and things that, let's just say could have been handled better. However, Christie now has a boatload of unrealistic and vague campaign promises, a Democratic legislature and an electorate that knows he is more of an ethical hypocrite and a bully than the so-called "white knight" that he tried to portray himself to be.
And everyone is watching.
Let's see how long it is before his first campaign promise is broken. Let's see how long it is before he points fingers at everyone else for his own failures, actions and decisions. Let's see how long it is before the first post-election scandal breaks and how it impacts his ability to govern. Let's see how quickly his own approval ratings are below 40%.
Christie got the win he wished for. Now he has to "put up" and do the real work of a Governor - and not in the secrecy that he did his job as US Attorney. Let's hope that we make it through 4 years without him destroying the State and its middle class - that is if he doesn't have to step down in disgrace first.
Jon Corzine would have won last night if he had listened to me. Four years ago, when the world was young and Jon Corzine was running for office I wrote an open letter to his web log in which I urged him to announce his intention of, upon becoming governor, initiating an Energy Race in the state of New Jersey along the lines of John Kennedy's Space Race.
John Inglesino became a campaign issue 
