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The Battle for New Jersey's Progressive Soul

by: Thurman Hart

Mon Apr 21, 2008 at 08:58:42 PM EDT

New Jersey's insane political schedule doesn't give anyone much time to plan their next move. Every year we face at least one primary and general election, and most of us face multiple elections at various levels. There's no time to strategize, only get the street warriors out there and pound the pavement for the upcoming election.

The old saw that "no one plans to fail, but they often fail to plan" remains true, even if we don't have the time to hold summits and conferences or even talk much to our neighbor about what's wrong with things. So I'm asking you to take some time and consider what you might be doing next year.

Thurman Hart :: The Battle for New Jersey's Progressive Soul

The impetus for this question has to do with Jon Corzine's complete and utter disdain for ethics, as evidence by the ongoing employment of Javier Inclan as his Deputy Chief of Staff. Here's a run-down - but the point of the thing, stripped down to its bare bones is that the Deputy Chief of Staff has admitted he helped David della Donna and his wife accept illegal amounts of campaign donations and hide the evidence. And he's still employed. Still.

Jon Corzine has done some good things for New Jersey. Despite heavy opposition, he has moved slightly ahead on the road to fiscal responsibility. He outlawed state-sanctioned murder. He was sort-of vocal about insisting that the state's horrendous not-quite-marriage law be enforced.

But political corruption is simply not a Progressive value. In fact, tolerating corruption is the antithesis of Progressive values. Yet this is exactly what Jon Corzine is doing by allowing Javier Inclan to keep coming to work. Inclan testified under oath that he knew Luisa Medrano was making illegal contributions to David and Anna della Donna, but he didn't even take the bare minimum action of recording donations as he was legally obligated to do.

I don't know about you, but in my book, Javier Inclan is every bit as corrupt as David della Donna. That should not be rewarded. It should not even be tolerated. If Jon Corzine wants to have the support of the Progressive grassroots; then he should - at some point - give full-fledged support to at least one Progressive issue.

Good people can disagree about issues. Corruption simply is not one of them. It's time for us to make some plans.

Poll

Would you support a primary challenge to Jon Corzine?

Yes - Reed Guscoria has my ssupport
Yes - Rob Andrews
Yes - Juan Melli for Governor
Yes - Whoever Joe Ferriero opposes
No - there's no reason. Corzine rocks!
Can we move on to something else?

Results

Tags: values, Progressive Movement, Javier Inclan, Jon Corzine, (All Tags)

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The Battle for New Jersey's Progressive Soul | 11 comments

tip jar n/t (4.00 / 5)

by: Thurman Hart @ Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 00:59:26 AM UTC

by: you @ soon

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Ka-Ching (4.00 / 2)

Yes, we can hold democrats to the same or a higher standard.

I dont like Corzines MBA solution set, and his neo liberal economic thinking. But corruption dwarfs those concerns. Sleaze sucks too.

Check out my 3 paragraph primer on Polywell Fusion.

by: FogerRox @ Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 01:59:09 AM UTC

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by: you @ soon

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Seriously, A Primary Challenge From... (4.00 / 1)

...Reed Gusciora just may be in order.

In a Democratic primary, with just about the whole activist base backing him at a grass roots level, Reed just might be able to overcome a few million bucks in TV ads.

So far I have seen very little substantial fight from Jon Corzine.

I had hoped that he would come to to Trenton and kick ass; instead he's had his own butt kicked around by the old boys network.

I don't know whether he's afraid (and if so, of what), if he's incompetent (hard to believe), if he's been bought off/co-opted (also hard to believe) or if maybe he's just been conning all of us with these progressive noises for all these years (I sure as hell don't want to believe that) or if maybe Jon Corzine is just too "nice" a guy to take the gloves off and realize that he's not in the US Senate any more and that the people he's dealing with in NJ politics are not "gentle"men?

Thurman hasn't even begun to scratch the surface of just how pervasive is all manner of corruption in NJ.

Why hasn't Jon Corzine paid anything more than lip service to this issue???

If Corzine were serious about really cleaning up NJ, he has the position and the money to run a statewide slate of corruption busters from the County Committee level on up. Yes, it would be revolutionary; but maybe that's what NJ needs, eh???

Also, I am very disappointed with Ann Milgram; is Sharpe James really the only corrupt pol in NJ? I assure you, she has access to many score whistle blower reports that could be prosecuted and she could get HUNDREDS more if she solicited them and people felt that something would be done.

I wish John Corzine had come up to Hackensack last year to get on to Loretta Weinberg's bandwagon instead of trying to "make peace" with a political monstrosity......by this time there would be no Ferrieroism in Bergen.

We need a governor trully wiling and able to FIGHT against the status quo. The people of this state would back such a governor too the hilt and they would cross all party lines to do so!!!

The people of New Jersey are sick and tired of corruption from BOTH parties!!!

If/when the people of New Jersey really felt/believed that government was honest and that their tax dollars weren't being ripped off; they would be far more willing to make the sacrifices that will be needed to clean up the fiscal mess that all the corruption has caused in the first place.

by: Nick Lento @ Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 02:02:53 AM UTC

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Corzine '09? (0.00 / 0)

Maybe not ... he's already made noises that sound like he's not going to run again.

My advise: factor in the strong possibility of a Republican governor in 2009 when you are deciding on how to run a progressive New Jersey. Don't assume you're going to have a friendly chief executive in the State House, like if someone has to be appointed to fill out the remainder of a term or something like that ...

Yes, I know there's no one credible on the Republican horizon - not today, anyway - but W(ho)TF was Corzine in 1999?

by: denniscmcgrath @ Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 12:21:31 PM UTC

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Can you say (4.00 / 1)

Andy Unanue?

by: Thurman Hart @ Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 13:17:19 PM UTC

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Not without laughing (4.00 / 1)

but he's hardly the only Republican millionaire in New Jersey, and one could be found that wasn't drunk on the job and/or living in Manhattan - or at least I assume so. Curtis Bashaw, for instance ...

by: denniscmcgrath @ Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 13:38:35 PM UTC

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by: you @ soon

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I think people (0.00 / 0)

used to laugh at Corzine, too.

Anyway, I don't think he's looking forward to a second term. More than likely, he'll bolt to DC in the new Administration. Then Rob Andrews will be challenging Dick Codey for the gubernatorial contest - and neither lose because we pick our first Lt. Gov.

As for Republicans - you don't really think Junior Kean is satisified, do you? He's not dumb enough to run against Lautenberg, but he's not lost any ambition.

by: Thurman Hart @ Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 14:09:22 PM UTC

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I try not to think about Jr. (0.00 / 0)

but yes, of course he's a candidate for Governor. Andy Unanue? Pshaw! But there are many other self-made (read: trust fund brat) Repub possibles; even the hapless Tom Wilson won't return to the Unanue well.

My point is that 2009 isn't the proverbial lead-pipe cinch for the Democrats, esp. (as you seem also to believe) if Corzine chooses not to run again. Codey versus ... who? Doubtlessly Codey is a powerful candidate, but we'll just have to wait and see how warmly the electorate is feeling towards Dems and about the very issues you're posting about today. I just hate the idea that some seem to think, well, if Lautenberg can't finish his term he'll resign and the Dem. governor will replace him ... I'm not so sure it will be a Dem. Gov. after 2009.

by: denniscmcgrath @ Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 14:36:16 PM UTC

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I tend to think (4.00 / 1)

that Dems will keep control until they have a major screw-up that proves they can't govern. A recession coupled with scandals might do it - but those are impossible to predict. If the NJ GOP had their head out of their ass, they could capitalize on things now. That's the other part of the equation - the other party has to be ready to take over.

by: Thurman Hart @ Tue Apr 22, 2008 at 15:40:42 PM UTC

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