Christie versus Corzine

Congratulations to Chris Christie on easily winning the GOP gubernatorial nomination, Mike Doherty for his tenacious effort to win the Senate nomination in the 23rd District and to Mike Carroll who easily won renomination for his Assembly seat.

Steve Lonegan's flawed tax proposal cost him votes, and possibly the nomination.  If Steve did not have any tax hikes in his plan, he could have made a better case that both tax cuts and cutting state spending would revive New Jersey's economy. 

Instead, Steve stubbornly clung to his tax plan and he was defeated easily because it became a target for Chris to shoot down effortlessly.  I realized Steve would lose the election when he said he didn't care that his tax plan would hike income tax rates on low and middle income individuals and families. 

I told Steve several weeks ago that no candidate, Republican or Democrat--let alone a self described fiscal conservative-had won high political office campaigning on a tax hike plan, especially during an economic downturn.  So Steve, who some consider a master politician, hung himself with his own rope.   

Chris Christie had the organizational support around the state, the county lines everywhere, the resources and a generic message that the average primary voter was comfortable with.  Now it's up to Chris to have a clear fiscally conservative message, an easily understood plan, and the organization to bring in disaffected Democrats and independents--the voters who will put him over the top in November. 

Chris could win as the anti-Corzine candidate, but more likely he will have to put out more specifics about what he will do to revive New Jersey's economy in order to win in November.

As I predicted months ago, Jon Corzine's campaign strategy, which he unveiled last night at a rally with VP Joe Biden, is to run against Bush/Cheney and as a fiscal conservative and someone who has kept his promise to spend more on the most "vulnerable' in our state by protecting senior citizen property tax rebates among other initiatives. 

In other words, Corzine will rally his base by proudly claiming he expanded New Jersey's welfare state.  He will try to bring in independents to his column arguing he really is a fiscal conservative because his budget is the same as it was four years ago, and he cut the state workforce. 

In his speech to his supporters last night Jon Corzine's message was simple.  If people need           (fill in the blank), government will create a program or expand an existing program.   In short, Corzine is a hard core left winger, who the media never, ever, ever identifies as such.  According to the media, there are only right wingers in politics; all the left wingers are now progressives, not even liberals. 

Corzine is a statist through and through.  He passionately believes in every big government policy that has been created.  His next agenda is universal health care.  Last night he said healthcare is a right.  Education is a right.  Abortion is a right.  In fact, the biggest applause line during Corzine's speech was about a woman's right to choose.  Does that mean he supports the right of women to choose to carry a firearm to protect themselves? 

The Obama/Biden/ Corzine view of the world is simple:  people cannot be trusted in their local communities to live their lives.  Instead, government at all levels must interfere with the peaceful arrangements of free people to provide virtually everyone with an ever flowing stream of money and programs, which makes people more dependent on government for most of their needs.   And, of course, the "rich' must be plundered to pay for their phony philanthropy with ever higher tax rates.  In short, the OBC agenda can be summed up in one phrase-compassionate serfdom.