Unrest in New Jersey?
It sure sounds that way from the quotes in
this Newsmax article. The article's titled "Tax Hikes Sinking Gov. Corzine in N.J.", which I believe. what I'm wondering, though, is what effect they're having on the Bob Menendez vs. Tom Kean Senate race.
Once voters think you aren't trustworthy, you're sunk politically. Corzine is sunk four months into the job. Worse, he's facing a huge budget deficit and little support for his agenda, especially within Democratic legislators. That wouldn't be doomsday if he were a moderate Democrat who could cobble together a coalition with moderates of both parties. Corzine isn't a moderate; he's a liberal. Thus, his options are extremely limited and shrinking almost daily.
If that's his honeymoon, I'm not sure I wouldn't rather skip to the divorce and be done with it.
Cross-posted at California Conservative
Posted Thursday, April 27, 2006 12:15 AM
Comment 1 by Tom Shakely at 27-Apr-06 04:22 PM
Ingrid Reed of the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University said voters are so cynical in corruption-riddled New Jersey that they may not have had much confidence in Corzine or his opponent last fall to begin with. "There was an enormous skepticism among voters that either candidate could deliver," Reed said.The voters who had "enormous skepticism" that "either candidate could deliver" certainly didn't expect Corzine to break his campaign pledges this fast or this dramatically. This is something that Democrats still haven't learned. You can't keep breaking campaign promises, especially if these broken promises cost taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars.
Once voters think you aren't trustworthy, you're sunk politically. Corzine is sunk four months into the job. Worse, he's facing a huge budget deficit and little support for his agenda, especially within Democratic legislators. That wouldn't be doomsday if he were a moderate Democrat who could cobble together a coalition with moderates of both parties. Corzine isn't a moderate; he's a liberal. Thus, his options are extremely limited and shrinking almost daily.
If that's his honeymoon, I'm not sure I wouldn't rather skip to the divorce and be done with it.
James Florio was New Jersey governor from 1990 to 1994 and lost re-election amid public anger over tax increases he pushed through within months of taking office. Florio predicted Corzine would survive the breaking of his campaign promise. "Everyone knows there's a real problem," Florio said. "People are starting to understand that you've got to make some choices."Florio is spinning like a tightly wound top. Everyone knew that there were real problems. They just expected the solution not to be a knee-jerk liberal tax increase, especially of this size this early in the Corzine administration. Florio knows better, too, because he enacted a huge tax increase and got beat by Christie Todd Whitman when he tried getting reelected.
Edward Jacko, who lives in Hamilton, said he expected nothing different from Corzine. "It's typical New Jersey politician," Jacko said of the tax increases and broken campaign vow. Corzine has indicated the state's budget problems were worse than he thought. Jacko doesn't buy it. "I'm a chemist," Jacko said. "I'm not a politician. I knew the situation was as bad as it was."Corzine's in bad political shape, with incoming shots coming from all directions. You can't hardly blame him if he wanted to curl into the fetal position and pray that the sky stops raining bombs on his administration. That won't stop until he starts making smarter policy decisions devoid of massive tax increases.
Cross-posted at California Conservative
Posted Thursday, April 27, 2006 12:15 AM
Comment 1 by Tom Shakely at 27-Apr-06 04:22 PM
I'm happy to see there may be a chance to replace Gov. Corzine sooner than I thought. I never did like him politically.
