The consequences of Chris Daggett

by: vincent solomeno

Tue Apr 21, 2009 at 07:19:00 AM EDT

An examination of his rhetoric reveals that the former Regional Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency represents the all but extinct brand of Rockefeller Republicanism once embodied by his former boss, Governor Tom Kean.  Some predict he may draw support from environmentalists disappointed with Corzine.  Based upon his reputation and record, that is a real possibility.  However, Democrats should welcome his entrance into the race.  For Daggett's decision to bluntly address the issues of taxes and spending in a specific way far outweighs the potential harm to Corzine's environmental left.  By talking details, Daggett will appeal to the fiscal conservatives critical to any Republican victory.  Such a development could spell disaster for Chris Christie, the likely GOP nominee.

At a Trenton press conference yesterday, Daggett criticized the major political parties as obstacles to economic growth:

We have met the enemy and it is our political parties.  The parties hide behind the mantra of 'home rule' not only because they believe it is too difficult politically to reduce the ruinous property taxes that are biggest obstacle to New Jersey's economic growth, but because those property taxes fund their patronage machines. We 'the people of New Jersey' have to start taking control of our government and living within our means.

True, the above passage could be lifted from the speech of any number of New Jersey politicians.  Yet rather than resort to the perennial attack on Trenton straw men, on his campaign web site he focuses on what he believes to be the root of New Jersey's present fiscal crisis:

Property taxes, not state taxes -  local spending, not state spending - are the biggest problems. These are self-inflicted wounds, and we need a governor willing to start talking seriously about reducing the real cost drivers of ever-rising salary, health care benefit and pension costs and the price we all pay to fund 566 municipalities and more than 600 school districts in the name of home rule.

In a campaign that has so far witnessed Chris Christie's reluctance to get into specifics, Daggett may force him to.  Rather than offering a reactionary platform that lacks any path to actual realization, he appears at first glance to be committed to developing substantive solutions to the challenges facing our state.  Specifics from Daggett would be a boon for Democrats and ruinous for Republicans.  While one expects he will disagree with Governor Corzine on a host of issues, he has the potential to present a two to one contrast of ideas versus sound bites; two plans that while different are better than Christie's pie in the sky promises.

Ironically, Corzine - despite his professed liberalism - has been the most fiscally conservative Governor in a generation.  He has reduced the size of state government, invested in the pension system, introduced bare bones budgets that reign in spending, and he is committed to putting New Jersey on a pay as you go system.  A Rockefeller and Kean Republican, Daggett shares that commitment to a government that lives within its means.  In an election that will likely hinge on the economy, his entrance draws attention to Corzine's successes and offers a sober alternative to Christie amateurism.

Forget NBC, Michael Aron is must see TV

by: vincent solomeno

Sun Apr 19, 2009 at 10:57:46 PM EDT

Do you understand how it looked so odd to some of us to see you standing up there after years of press conference after press conference pointing a finger?  'John Lynch, what he did was disgraceful.  Sharpe James, what he did was disgraceful.  Wayne Bryant, what he did was disgraceful.  Joe Coniglio, what he did was disgraceful.  And my brother, what he did was nothing wrong.' It was like going through The Twilight Zone.
- Michael Aron, On the Record

Chris Christie was a guest last weekend on the New Jersey Network's On the Record.  He was grilled by the program's host, veteran reporter Michael Aron.  Finally, someone asked the front runner for the GOP gubernatorial nomination how he intended to realize the promise of his stump speech: reducing spending while simultaneously lowering taxes.

Michael Aron: You have called for lower taxes and lower spending, but as best I can figure it out you've really offered only one specific cut in the budget, specific, and that is you would cut out the $250 million the state spent last year in overtime.  Is there another specific cut?

Chris Christie: Sure, I've offered more than that and if you go on my web site ChristieforNJ.com and you look at one of the number of the 51 ideas I've put forward...

Funny.  The Christie campaign's web site has a list of "53 Ways Chris Christie Will Fix New Jersey," but not one offers a specific cut in spending or an explanation of how he would implement a workable plan to reduce revenue.

Christie also criticized Governor Corzine for growing "the size of government during that period of time in terms of the number of employees we have on."  He accused Corzine of not cutting "one job at the state government level."  Christie's either plain misinformed or being downright disingenuous.  Under Corzine, the state government workforce has shrunk by over 4,000 employees in the last two years alone.

When asked (beyond the $70 million in savings he's outlined) what he would do to reduce state government, the former lawman promised some "very significant things."

As Aron pointed out, the very significant things he has proposed in his three months on the campaign trail amount to $3 billion in additional spending:

You've been critical of cuts in the homestead rebate.  He's [Jon Corzine's] saving $539 million.  You've been critical of the pension deferral scheme.  He's saving $500 million ... maybe $800 million.  You've been critical of what you call the hike in the payroll tax, which is the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund ... If you had your way and the state picked it up, that would be another $300-500 million.  You've said school aid is being flat lined, you're saying today we need more higher education money.  You've been critical of him hiking the income tax on people earning more than half a million dollars a year ... which saves the state, if enacted, $620 million.  You're criticisms would add $3 billion plus to the state budget.

As the interview came to a close, Christie told Aron, "I have a detailed plan of where I'd like to take the people of the state of New Jersey."  That's laughable.  Chris Christie and New Jersey Republicans have yet to offer a comprehensive plan that balances the budget and sets the state on a path to long term fiscal stability.

The complete video of the interview is below the fold.

Chris Christie to the Tune of "The Godfather"

by: vincent solomeno

Thu Apr 09, 2009 at 08:15:29 PM EDT

Christie's Not a Whitman Republican, He Just Plagiarizes Her

by: vincent solomeno

Wed Apr 08, 2009 at 06:54:25 PM EDT

He continued:

I have common sense solutions ... we need to lower the income tax so that people can keep more of their money to afford to live here ... we need to lower the corporate business tax cause businesses are leaving the state in droves and they're taking the jobs with them ... We need to set up a system in this state where private business can grow and thrive.

If Christie is not a Whitman Republican, he deserves a spot on the Sci-Fi Network for his psychic ability to channel her previous performances on the campaign trail.  An April 4, 1993 New York Times article quoted then candidate Whitman's stump speech.  Amazingly, she too talked a lot about common sense:

I don't like what I've seen happen in the state of New Jersey in the last three years ... It's common sense not to spend more than you take in, and it's common sense to know where you want to go before you try to get there ... We've got to make this state business friendly. We need jobs, and we can't have jobs without businesses.

Whitman, of course, went on to reduce state revenue while simultaneously increasing spending and borrowing on an unprecedented scale.  One of the principal causes of the present fiscal crisis was her lack of foresight to realize the consequences of such reckless policies.  

Chris Christie and Republicans have yet to present a comprehensive plan that addresses our current challenges and balances the books.  They have nothing more than tired sound bites.  Then again, perhaps they have no need for a real plan.  Not when they have that good old fashioned brand of Whitman common sense.

Christie Cries, We Compete for Suburbia

by: vincent solomeno

Tue Apr 07, 2009 at 11:33:38 AM EDT

Last month, Quinnipiac University published a poll that showed Corzine trailing Christie by nine points.  Seven months remain until Election Day, but right now Corzine is losing the battle for perception amidst the most difficult election environment since 1993.  Now is the time to redouble our efforts, beginning in our own neighborhoods, to convince friends and family that Corzine inherited a fiscal disaster, is addressing it, and continues to make important investments in education, health care, and property tax relief.  

When it comes to our children's future, he has proposed investing a total of $8.8 billion, or 28.5% of the total budget, in the form of direct school aid.  That is separate from the additional $3.9 billion set aside for school construction that will modernize our classrooms while putting 20,000 New Jerseyans to work building them.  And it represents a $304 million increase in funding from last year.

Similarly, under Jon Corzine more New Jersey children than ever have access to health care.  Working in conjunction with congressional leaders in Washington, Governor Corzine proposes expanding NJ Family Care, bringing us one step closer to removing the estimated 273,000 young New Jerseyans from the rolls of the uninsured.  Significantly, $9.9 billion of the proposed budget will go toward investments in Medicaid, pharmaceutical assistance for seniors and the disabled, and grants to college students.

When it comes to our pocket books, he's dedicated $12.1 billion (41% of the total budget) to assist municipalities, ease the burden on homeowners, and pare down property tax increases.

On the one hand, you have a responsible leader who invests in our priorities while also reducing the size of government through historic back to back cuts in state spending.  On the other, you have a Republican candidate and party that has yet to present a workable plan to solve the daunting challenges facing our state.

A lot can happen between now and Election Day, and nine points is not an insurmountable deficit.  However, we need to remember that, no matter how much of a cry baby he may be, Chris Christie is the most formidable Republican statewide candidate since Christine Todd Whitman.  

I may sound like a broken record when it comes to Jon Corzine, but so should you.  Suburbia is essential to winning, and in order to do so our grassroots work must begin in earnest.  We should share with family, friends, and neighbors our party's record of responsible leadership and demonstrate the GOP's inability to come out with a coherent plan that addresses the massive challenges we face.  Rather than crying about bad press and the public misunderstanding our candidate's record, let's shape opinion from the ground up.  Nothing less than the future of New Jersey is at stake.

The Reformer vs. The Do-Nothings

by: vincent solomeno

Sun Mar 15, 2009 at 01:32:58 PM EDT

Governor Jon Corzine has offered New Jerseyans a defining message in his campaign for re-election.  As last week's budget address makes clear, our state faces difficult choices relating to budget and fiscal policy.  Consistent with his actions since taking office, Corzine has taken up the gauntlet of the reformer.  He continues to develop practical solutions to seemingly insurmountable challenges, despite criticism from a do-nothing Republican minority.

With a little over $3 billion in cuts ($32.97 to $29.84 billion), Corzine's proposed budget is the first in state history to reduce spending two years in a row.  It is smaller then the first budget Corzine submitted when he assumed office in 2006.   Since that year, 4,000 workers have left the state payroll.  Rather than growing the size of government, this budget continues to reduce operating costs, by $380 million in 2010 alone.

This may be the leanest budget he has introduced, but it comes with increases that reflect Corzine's progressive commitment to education, seniors, and health care.  As he said in last week's address:

Yes, we are cutting the size of government, but because of our values, we have made it a priority to continue: Nurturing our children, honoring seniors, protecting the most vulnerable among us, and I want to make it clear that we must maintain these priorities at the same time that we work to minimize the tax burden on our citizens.

Representing a total of $8.8 billion, or 28.5% of the total budget, direct school aid will increase by $304 million in 2010.  Seniors will continue to receive a property tax rebate.  And in the area of health care, the proposed budget affirms the Governor's commitment to NJ Family Care.  With the help of federal funding, more families than ever will leave the ranks of the uninsured and gain access to basic medical treatment.

For their part, New Jersey Republicans have been long on criticism and short on solutions.  Chris Christie, the presumed front runner for the GOP gubernatorial nomination, has offered little specifics other than a plan that relies on a consolidation of existing bureaucratic agencies and irresponsible revenue cuts that will bankrupt state finances.  

Despite historic back to back reductions in spending and workers, Christie criticized the Governor's budget as "more of the same--higher state taxes, higher property taxes and no accountability for the pain that this lack of strong leadership has caused the people of New Jersey."  

Like legislative Republicans, Christie has yet to offer a plan that balances the state budget.  He has yet to say what expenditures he would eliminate.  Would it be the $12.1 billion (41% of the total budget) allocated for aid to municipalities that eases property taxes and supports community colleges?  Or would Republicans cut the $9.9 billion (33%) set aside for Medicaid, pharmaceutical assistance for seniors and the disabled, and grants to college students?

An examination of the record reveals that Governor Corzine has taken difficult decisions to reform the way New Jersey does business.  The Do-Nothing Republicans have offered little to the debate other than tired rhetoric that lacks the specifics necessary for our state to navigate its way out of the present mess.  As the campaign continues, in conversations with family, friends, and co-workers, Democrats should drive that point home.  

While Do-Nothing Republicans play politics with fiscal solvency, Democrats have delivered budget after budget that reduces spending, invests in our future, and sets New Jersey on the path to long term stability.  This contest is about reform versus doing nothing, and Governor Corzine has made it clear that the latter is not an option. Every time the GOP issues another baseless attack, we should repeat the refrain, "Where would you cut?  What would you do differently?"

If their track record thus far is any indication, the silence will be deafening.

Subponeas, Senate Seats, and Saving One's Behind

by: vincent solomeno

Sat Mar 07, 2009 at 02:01:16 PM EST

Former Bush Administration aides Karl Rove and Harriet Miers have reached an agreement with the House Judiciary Committee to comply with a subpoena seeking their testimony regarding the 2006 dismissal of eleven U.S. Attorneys.  For nearly two years now the committee has sought their appearance to determine whether the firings were politically motivated.  There are several questions that need to be answered about that process. Of import to the voters of New Jersey is how and why Chris Christie's name was removed from the list of those recommended for dismissal.

In September 2006, Democratic Senator Bob Menendez and Republican State Senator Tom Kean, Jr. were engaged in a bitter campaign to determine who would represent New Jersey in the United States Senate.  Many will recall the daily news reports detailing acts of official corruption by members of Congress.  For several months, Kean's campaign had dovetailed their message to that national narrative, consistently calling Menendez "Boss Bob" and a product of corrupt Hudson County machine politics.

There was one significant challenge to that message: Bob Menendez had never been accused of official misconduct and there was no evidence to support such a claim.  No evidence, that is, until then U.S. Attorney Chris Christie subpoenaed the records of the North Hudson Community Action Corporation, a recipient of federal grant dollars and a tenant in a Union City building owned by Menendez.  The subpoenas served as a lifeline to Kean's flailing campaign.  Finally, he had something to back his charges up.  For the rest of the campaign he would note that he had "an opponent under federal investigation."

Menendez defeated Junior in the November election, and in the weeks following, the U.S. Attorney quietly laid the matter of North Hudson Community Action Corporation to rest.  It became clear that there was no federal investigation and that the information gathered by the subpoenas proved Menenedez was innocent of any wrongdoing.

That same month, Michael Elston, chief of staff to the deputy attorney general, included Christie's name on a list of U.S. Attorneys slated for firing.  Among the names of those ultimately dismissed was New Mexico's U.S. Attorney David C. Iglesias, who alleged that he received pressure from Republican U.S. Senator Pete Domenici and Representative Heather Wilson to take action in a corruption probe of a local Democrat shortly before the 2006 election.  Within weeks, he was fired, and he has stated he believes it was because he refused to involve his office in politics.  Additionally, documents released by the Justice Department indicate that Karl Rove, a political adviser, was involved in the conversations relating to all of the dismissals.

Did Chris Christie prove his worth to the White House by subpoenaing the records of North Hudson Community Action Corporation?  Who removed his name from the list?  Rove and Miers will no doubt face a torrent of questions when they sit down before the Judiciary Committee.  However, questions about Christie politicizing his role as federal prosecutor have immediate bearing on the current campaign in New Jersey.  As November approaches, Christie will continue to tell voters he is a corruption busting lawman prepared to clean up government.  Yet the testimony of Karl Rove and Harriet Miers may demonstrate to New Jerseyans what some suspected all along: Chris Christie was a loyal Bush appointee who allowed politics to interfere with prosecutions.

Monmouth County and the Advantages of Christie's Record

by: vincent solomeno

Tue Mar 03, 2009 at 08:01:55 PM EST

Barbara McMorrow is fighting for re-election.

On February 18, news broke of Monmouth GOP Chairman Joe Oxley's decision to award Christie the coveted party line without consulting the elected members of the Republican County Committee.  Oxley noted Christie's fifty-eight endorsements from local party leaders, and explained, "Support for Chris Christie in Monmouth County is broad, strong and enthusiastic ... The excitement this morning clearly indicated that Chris Christie's hard work in building grassroots support throughout the county has cemented his status as the Standard-bearer for the Monmouth County GOP in both June and November."

In the coming months, Monmouth Republicans will no doubt distance themselves from their own record while also ignoring Democratic efforts to restore trust in county government.  While at first glance Christie may seem like an asset, his record points to the very corruption and mismanagement he has attempted to root out.  Consider Christie's last foray into Monmouth politics: his successful prosecution of Operation Bid Rig.

The county establishment's embrace of Christie may surprise those who followed the events of February 2005, when the then U.S. Attorney issued a string of indictments against several prominent Monmouth Republicans.  That decision ruined the careers of many, most notably the ailing Freeholder Director Harry Larrison, Jr.  A legend in his own right, and the boss of Monmouth County, Larrison built one of New Jersey's most powerful political machines through patronage, pay to play, and in no small measure, good public policy.

That all unraveled when Christie and Operation Bid Rig came along.  Within months of his appointment by President George W. Bush, Christie declared that public corruption in Monmouth County ran "both wide and deep."  Three years later, he acted.  Larrison was among those arrested in the early hours of a cold February morning.  Then the longest serving Freeholder in New Jersey, he did not live to defend himself and died innocent before the law.  Nonetheless, when the dust settled, the careers and reputations of the ten others indicted were destroyed and five served time in federal prison.

It is important to recognize that public corruption is not endemic to one party.  Two of the Bid Rig defendants were Democrats.  Yet coupled with demographic changes, the prosecutions set the stage for an aggressive campaign by Monmouth Democrats that culminated in 2008 and a majority of seats on the Board of Chosen Freeholders.  This November, with recently won control at stake, Director Barbara McMorrow stands for re-election.

During her time in the minority and her few months as Director, McMorrow has demonstrated a commitment to ending once and for all the pay to play culture that dominated Monmouth for decades.  A progressive, she has not flinched from standing up against powerful interests.  She refuses to continue the practice of awarding no bid contracts and doling out patronage jobs as if the Freehold Hall of Records is a twenty-first century Tammany.

As the campaign unfolds, Monmouth Republicans will no doubt embrace Christie's record as federal prosecutor.  Such an embrace may seem smart politics now, but it also points back to the anything goes culture of corruption that their own party leaders and elected officials used to dominate county politics for decades.  In contrast, Monmouth Democrats are working to restore trust in government and build a majority - not through backroom promises of quid pro quo - but sound management and sensible public policy.

Jon Corzine, Chris Christie and Budget Policy

by: vincent solomeno

Thu Feb 19, 2009 at 10:10:26 AM EST

Governor Jon Corzine

In the face of the mounting fiscal crisis, Governor Corzine announced Tuesday that he would like state workers to take an unpaid two-day furlough to help close New Jersey's $3 billion budget deficit.  This is the latest in a series of bold and politically difficult decisions by Corzine to find a way out of the present mess and put the state on the path to long term fiscal stability.  In contrast, former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, the presumed front runner for the Republican gubernatorial nomination, has relied on vague statements and hyperbole to make his case that he would be a better steward of New Jersey's finances.

Earlier this month, Christie gave his opening argument to voters in his official announcement speech in Newark.  On the subject of budget policy, he said:

As Governor, I will use every tool at my disposal, including aggressive use of the line item veto, to get state spending under control. I will change the way we budget, rejecting the Trenton way of giving every program an increase every year without demanding accountability and setting priorities. We will budget like you do in your home ... I will bring fiscal discipline to Trenton. This is simple common sense. All we need is someone with the will to stand up and make it happen.

If, as he promises, fixing New Jersey's budget problems is "simple common sense," what would he do differently from Corzine?

The Fiscal Year 2009 Budget sets aside nearly one billion dollars toward the reduction of the state's long term debt.  It consolidates state agencies, even eliminating two (Department of Personnel and the Commerce Commission), resulting in an across the board decrease in spending for every executive department.  The state work force was reduced by 2,000, saving taxpayers some $300 million.  And perhaps most importantly, the Fiscal Year 2009 Budget is $600 million less than the previous year.  That is the largest year to year decrease in state history.

First, we will determine how much money we have in our budget. Then we will determine the most important priorities, and those priorities will get funded. Other less critical programs will have to wait. Ineffective and outdated programs will be eliminated.  

Would he reduce the $16.1 billion - 50% of the overall budget - dedicated to property tax relief?  Or would he turn his veto pen to the one third of expenses, $11.5 billion, set aside to support the state public school system?  The truth of the matter is that the Corzine Administration has pursued the very policy Christie espouses.  For example, the Governor's leadership resulted in legislators agreeing to the elimination of pork barrel Christmas Tree expenditures.

This is the most bare bones budget the state has seen in decades; delivered without compromising Governor Corzine's stated intent of providing funding for education, public safety, and support for the most vulnerable among us (e.g., senior citizens, people with disabilities).  That said, in the midst of recession, New Jersey continues to confront daunting challenges to our fiscal health.  Christie believes that in order to overcome those challenges "[a]ll we need is someone with the will to stand up and make it happen."  Perhaps in the midst of advancing his own personal ambitions he neglected to notice that someone is already doing that.

At the risk to his political clout, reputation, and re-election, Governor Jon Corzine is fighting tough, sometimes unpopular, fights.  Through bold proposals and specific plans, he has demonstrated that he possesses the requisite courage and intellect to right New Jersey's fiscal ship and provide long term fiscal stability.  As the campaign continues, progressives should make sure they spread word of Corzine's budget success.  Changing preconceived notions and pushing back against Republican propaganda may determine the outcome of Election Day.