TRENTON - Democrats gave Chris Christie no room to savor his day-old GOP gubernatorial primary triumph, smothering him today with a flurry of examples of why they believe he's too conservative for New Jersey, the country's most diverse state.
Christie strode out in front of a raucous Republican crowd at the Marriott last night, accompanied by the big, grinding chords of Bruce Springsteen and a speech overladen with underdog symbolism in the face of the big money re-election bid of Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine.
But this triumverate of Democratic Party leadership consisting of State Chairman Joe Cryan, state Sen. Loretta Weinberg (D-Teaneck) and Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-Ewing) said Christie hardly embodies the populist values of most New Jerseyans as he now saddles up at the front of a GOP whose national leader appears to be Rush Limbaugh, while dragging the baggage of his own Bush allegiance.
"The voters of New Jersey sent George Bush and his platform into retirement," Weinberg said of the president Christie supported early, prior to Bush's 2000 presidental run, and who awarded Christie the U.S. Attorney's post after Christie, his brother and other allies fundraised for him.
In that vein, Christie's pro-life views collide with most New Jersey voters' belief that a woman has the right to choose.
"The people are not going to elect a pro-life governor in the State of New Jersey," said Weinberg.
The trio, gathered for a press conference at the Statehouse this afternoon, repeatedly objected to Christie's self-identification as a conservative, and questioned his outright rejection of Sonia Sotomayor as a candidate for the U.S. Supreme Court.
"I assure you she's qualified, otherwise Presdient Barack Obama wouldn't have nominated her," Watson Coleman said of the first Latina nominee to the high court.
"He dismissed her out of hand on a consideration basis," added Cryan, who also fastened Christie to the Bush economic policies, "which frankly caused the global economic recession. It happened under his watch."
Blasting Christie's efforts to run as the Jersey guy against Wall Street interloper Corzine, Watson Coleman in the overall assessment of the GOP candidate she sees as right-wing residue from the Bush era, exclaimed, "If he's so New Jersey, how come he's so out of touch with the social progressives in New Jersey? He may have been born here but that begs the question, what was he listening to when he grew up?"
Democrats have whispered the names of both Watson Coleman and Weinberg as potential lieutenant governor candidates for Corzine, and today's press conference at the official start of LG consideration season carried test-drive implications for both women lawmakers.
"There are many fine people who may do that job," said Weinberg. "No one has said to me that I'm on a short list. I'm focused on this, however I may be of help to our party."
"I'm happy serving here in the legislature," Watson Coleman said.
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Cryan, Weinberg, Watson
are too Marxist for Russia or China!!!!!! They have spent all our money on illegals and community activists and we are all going to the poor house. Corzine and Obama are on the verge of taxing what is left of our employers health insurance and they want to reduce the tax deduction on our homes.
The attack dogs
are out early.
Too conservative?
That is a laugh. There is not a dime's worth of difference between Christie and Corzine.
NJ is doomed.
Hope all you Republicans are happy that you will retain your "progressive" income tax!
The slums of Bergen County
Weinberg has turned District 37 into the slums of Bergen County. Just Drive from Ridgfield Park to Bergenfield and compare that to Ridgewood or Harrington Park.
Weinberg wants a third world electorate to be in perpetual poverty and wards of the State
Guess Theres No Moderation Here
Corzine picks the three most left-wing partisan Democrats for this?? What a joke!
Cryan left wing?
Only if it has Buffalo on the menu.
so the democrats and corzine
so the democrats and corzine plan on running against bush in this election also. this is because they have no record to run on. we all need to make sure christie is elected and that corzine is defeated so we can bring this state's economy back from the dead.
Christie too conservative? They missed their calling - comedy!
Calling Christie conservative? HA! I'm slapping my knee at that one. What are they going to call Christie next - anorexic?
If Christie has the chops to run a decent campaign, he should know that he has to shift focus away from his stances on social issues and place emphasis on why he's a better fiscal candidate. Is that even possible? He won the primary, and to my knowledge he STILL doesn't have a plan. While he clearly has the support of the left-of-center Bush/McCain Republicans which make up the bulk of the party these days, he has to win over the fiscal conservatives by coming up with a common sense plan for reducing taxes AND cutting spending dramatically. Unfortunately, his ilk so often forgets about that very important latter part.
Democrats take people in New Jersey for idiots, and they might actually be right to some extent ... after all, they nominated the abysmal Corzine for a second term by a more than 3-to-1 margin. Their attitude is also reflected in their rhetoric, which gives off the air that Bush is still in the White House, and that a state politician has the power to overturn a federal ruling.
Say what you will about the strategies, but the Democrats have come out of the gate strong and are clearly ready for this election. Christie needs to prove that he's not going to be yet another fickle cupcake, and fast. Thus far, I hate to say it, but it seems like Doug Forrester and Dick Zimmer all over again.
So they basically said nothing other than,
maybe more unborn children will meet their untimely demise in a second Corzine administration than in a Christie administration.
Meanwhile, the state budget is a disaster, my income taxes are unconscionable and my property taxes are even more appalling.
NJ homeowners are dying under a crushing property tax burden, so that these three can pay off their special interest base of support. I'd like to say these three should get back to work, but it would be better if they stayed home.
The Socialist Party of NJ
The Socialist Party of NJ sits in the State House, and I think most of us are aware of this problem. There is no longer such a thing as a Democrat. They are now known as anti American, socialists, marxists and/or communists. Let's clean up NJ by jailing the treasonists. Read our constitution, people,,,,state and federal. Crooks, liars and thieves have been running this state way too long. I am preparing to walk away from my lifelong home in search of an American state in which to reside.
Unbelieveable!
Lonegan was the conservative, Christie was the moderate. Now the primaries are over Christie is the new conservative.
The libs are drowning and going down for the third time, grasping for anything within reach to survive.
Corzine hasn't kept one promise since taking the oath of office, the rubber stamp Donkey's going along with every tax increase under the sun, forcing taxes to unbelievable highs that people can't afford to live in this state, and the best they have is to align Christie with Bush. Corzine picked up the slack 10 times more than where Florio left off.
Nice try, but it still doesn't change the fact that the libs have caused businesss to leave the state, forced people to move and sell their homes,wanting to raise the corporate business tax creating more job losses.
Elementary Watson, that's why everyone's Cryan.
So, what did you expect?
It is like the broken record. "To conservative for NJ...." "To conservative for NJ...." "To conservative for NJ...." "To conservative for NJ...." "To conservative for NJ...." "To conservative for NJ...." "To conservative for NJ...."
It is a joke but the only ones buying it are the media, and the NJ GOP.
Forrester was too conservative, Baby Kean was too conservative, Zimmer was too conservative, etc. Most conservatives couldn't even vote for those RINOs. The Conservatives are waiting to see what the Head RINO who is not Conservative enough will do to bring the Conservatives on board. He needs Palin surprise at a minimum.
Christie should enlist Butehorn, Ginty, or Illions for LG, but he probably has made his deal with the devil, the Whitman/Democrat-wing of the Party.
"The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants." Thomas Jefferson
Mandatory Pre-School just for the poor????
Idiot Senator Watson Coleman goes on and on about how this free pre-school is NOT daycare but providing the needed foundation for a great education. Well then why don't ALL pre-school children have it? I guess that for mothers and fathers who go to work and then actually sit down with their children and read to them and color with them and do mind stimulating activities don't get free pre-school.
Well dear Senator, why don't you just stop talking the talk and give it to all children. Where are you going to get the money for these programs? Where in the State Constititution does it say the pre-school is mandatory?
Do not children from working families that are not considered "poor" have any Constitutional rights?
What else can the left say?
What else do you expect the Socialist Corzine & his leftist cronies to say? They can't run on their own record because that record is abysmal adn they cannot attack Christie's aconomic proposal because he still hasn't released any specifics yet.
The only two words you're going to hear out the Socialist Democrat party of NJ this summer and fall are "Bush" and "Conservative."
"We are spending more than we have ever spent before and it does not work!"
- FDR's Treasure Secretary, Henry Morgenthau, in 1939, on 8 years of New Deal spending as an attempt to end the Great Depression.
I'm just ecstatic that
I'm just ecstatic that Lonnigan lost and I don't even vote republican. At least someone in your party was smart enough to put forward a candidate that will have a shot.
The New Republicans
It is clear that President Barak Obama would agree that New Jersey needs New Republican Leadership and Chris Christie will prove that the corrupt influence that the Double-Dippin Dems represent will be changed when we produce a true representation of balance in the state legislature. The bias distribution of tax monies and the irresponsible plans such as the SFRA will be adequately changed to reflect inclusion for every citizen that lives in the garden state. Together we can do this. "Let's Go To Work!"
Christie's beliefs
My gentle reminder to some of the far-right posters on this site is this: Most people, particularly New Jerseyans, don’t think like you do on social issues, health care, the environment, and a host of other issues. By Christie’s own admission, he is a “conservative” (his words), which makes him incredibly out of touch with one of the most progressive states in the country.
Christie takes a hard-line stance on immigration, believes that the government, not women, should make decisions concerning reproductive freedom, wants to write discrimination against gays and lesbians into the state constitution, and believes in nearly every Bush-era anti-constitutional mandate, including The Patriot Act. Without any ambiguity, Christie’s stances are indeed conservative and therefore disconnected from the values and beliefs of the state’s voters.
Conservative?
Christie is too conservative! Ha Ha Ha! If only he had one conservative credential.
These are the same people who are aligned with Comrade Obama, who even Hugo Chavez just admitted is to the left of his sorry, socialist dictator behind.
Social progressives = Socialists/Marxists/Communists
They come in both Democrat and Republican stripes.
You can change the terms but not the results - oppression, lack of freedom, and ultimately failure and collapse!
Christie beleieves whatever
Christie beleieves whatever the focus groups tell him to believe. NJ is doomed with Christie or Corzine.
The best thing you can do is vote by packing up and leaving.
Definitions
For the far left, they only have one thing that makes someone a conservative or not. If someone feels that butchering unborn babies should be illegal, that makes them a right-wing conservative.
Christie - on this issue - is wobbly at best. His pro-life credentials are weak.
On most other issues, he is simply a continuation of the status quo, which in New Jersey - in case no one has noticed lately - is NOT A GOOD THING!
RussOCNJ
Do you need help packing? I hear WV is a good state for people with your point of view.
My point of view is that I
My point of view is that I will not vote for someone that I do not believe and cannot take a stand on the issues. If they took a stand on something (and I believe them) I could vote probably vote for them even if I disagreed but there is no such candidate for NJ Governor.
Some I know have actually moved their Internet businesses to Caymen Islands. They set up high end Internet connections so businesses could set up there. The houses get knoecked down every few years due to hurricanes but they are making so much money it doesn't matter. Some places in NC I can get a place right on the beach for about $600K.
Actually
Actually, Andy, my old friend, WV is a very good place to move, and I know many (used to be) NJ taxpayers who finally had enough and did move. So, will the last taxpayers to leave NJ please turn out the lights (you can save the planet that way, I hear).
thanks for the laugh!!
That is TOO, TOO funny. Christie TOO conservative. Dear GOD, that's perfect. NJ is going to be like the gory and stupid horror movie - so horrible that you can't believe your own eyes when you dare to take a peek. The only "conservative" part of Christie is the figure he gives when asked his weight. Sorry, but I'm in the mood to punch the lights out of a state, and a party, that would do this to itself. Have fun and please hand me the popcorn.
Three fools
Weinberg looks like she just ate a sh*t sandwich and Cryan a liquid lunch. Mere slaves to the NJEA and the ass-wiped cradle to gravers. They can't blame Bush for what the Dem Machine has done to our beloved NJ. We couldn't get Lonegan so we have to settle for Christie. Only let's remind him on a daily basis about his promises during the debates if he wants us to come out on election day.
Democratic Party leaders call Christie too conservative
Are you kidding me?????????
There are NO Conservatives in New Jersey EVER.......Just BLOOD sucking Liberals Pigs.... and the voters..........
MartinOne
If there were true far right posters here you be six feet under.......