Campaign Nosh

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The Wall Street Journal Editorial Board links New Jersey’s “overregulation” with the recent corruption scandal:

The point is that politicians and officials have more to sell in an environment of high taxes, big spending and overregulation—the same things that help explain New Jersey’s anemic economic growth and job creation. When government gets too big and complicated for businesses to get their permits and approvals and funding honestly, the dishonest prosper. And the honest get fed up and flee.

The Journal posits that our big government culture (New Jersey created only 6,800 private sector jobs from 2000 to 2007 while public sector jobs grew by more than 55,800) creates a nifty opening for Chris Christie.

Frank Esposito, an interim dean at Kean University, will be long-shot gubernatorial candidate Chris Daggett’s choice for lieutenant governor. Esposito is a strong supporter for school choice, including both charter schools and vouchers. The pick aligns Daggett with Christie on school choice issues and underlines the differences in education agendas between Corzine and Christie. Now that Daggett is eligible for matching funds, he’ll be included in the debate with Corzine and Christie. We vote for an education question. In the meantime, the NJEA gets a handy dichotomy to work with.

Bob Inlge over at Politics Patrol quotes a good line by Daggett: “The cancer of corruption inside and outside the law is so deeply embedded in New Jersey that unless the FBI is put on a monthly retainer, only a truly big change will make a difference.”

Chris Cillizza at the Washington Post reports that a “senior Democratic strategist” said that the FBI sting was a “tipping point” for Jersey voters looking “for an excuse to vote against business as usual but didn’t have an acceptable alternative.” Writes Cillizza,

“His [Corzine’s] clearest route to victory had been to spend tens of millions making clear he’d cleaned up Trenton and bloodying Christie with accusations of graft and corruption,” said one Democratic operative with long ties to New Jersey. “Now, a member of his cabinet and mayors he needs for turnout are caught up in a huge corruption ring, so he can’t run on ethics reform. So now what’s his road map to victory?”

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1 Comment

  • Alex Higgins, July 29, 2009 @ 1:48 am Reply

    Democrats are always screaming the “republicans” did this and the “republicans” did that. Republicans say no its was the “Democrats” that did this and the “democrats” that did that. When will members of bother parties wake up and admit that your both right, which could mean only one thing. Both parties are at fault and change is needed.

    We often hear about lobbyists and special interests controlling and corrupting our politicians. But when will we start to realize that the biggest special interest groups that make our representatives turn their backs on us is the Political Parties that they belong two. The parties themselves are corrupt and they both sit around like two hungry wolves passing around their kill, us.

    To many like myself, it gives us hope that someone like Daggett is out their and not afraid to call the Kettle black. Both parties like to point fingers at each other. They use scare tactics, cleverly crafted rhetoric and mass psychology to control, decieve and manipulate all of us. Given the opportunity they would steal every last penny from our pockets that they can.

    Daggett has it right and if he can get his message out we'll see him elected come November. For decades, the shift of power has gone back and forth between the blue and red parties. With each year that passes this state just continues to get worse. Insanity – repeating the same thing over and over expecting different results. This year, let's stop the insanity.

    We all know that Corzine's record speaks for itself. But I don't think Christie can go on campaigning as a “champion of ethics”, either.

    A little research online reveals the real Christie, well documented evidence of Christie's corruption going back years and years before he was even considered as a candidate for Governor.

    The Bottom line is both parties are corrupt, like two hungry wolves taking turns tearing away at their prey and having their way with us. Christie's used hundreds of millions in federal contracts to payoff prosecutor's not charge his brother (an AIG stock specialist, yeah that AIG) for massive stock market fraud. He even has a $50 million federal tort filed against him for using his political power for extortion and as a collection agency for his family.

    Yet he is called a champion of ethics. Why, because he selectively chose to prosecute his political opponents in slam dunk cases? But at the same time Christie used his powers to benefit his buddies and cover up corruption that he himself was a part of. Do we forget that he was a part of the Bush Attorney General Scandal. Who knows what deals he made behind closed doors to get his name removed from the list of those who where to be fired. We should also keep in mind that Christie hasn't earned the title the “King of Pay to Play” for nothing.

    NJ residents are just plain fed up. We go through the election cycle watching the power shift from party to party. We soon get fed up with the politicians in Trenton and when the next election comes we vote them out, replacing them with the other party who promises to change things. Rinse, later and repeat.

    Insanity – doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results. This year, NJ residents have a chance to change that. Send a strong message to Trenton that we no longer accept being preyed upon by this crooked two party system, Vote independent. Daggett is our man. His Voter Declaration of Independence shows he is in touch with this issue and NJ voters.

    Visit his site or check out http://njelection.wordpress.com for more news about Daggett.

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