DEMOCRATIC LEADERS SAY CHRISTIE IS TOO CONSERVATIVE FOR NEW JERSEY

DEMOCRATIC LEADERS SAY CHRISTIE IS TOO CONSERVATIVE FOR NEW JERSEY

TRENTON – Democratic state chairman Joe Cryan, Senator Loretta Weinberg and Assembly Majority Leader Bonnie Watson Coleman today said that the Republican primary voters have yet again chosen a gubernatorial candidate too conservative for New Jersey and out of touch with the mainstream values of the Garden State.

“New Jersey voters twice rejected George W. Bush, yet Republican Chris Christie’s record as a Bush crony is clear,” said Chairman Cryan.  “Christie earned top fundraising status as a Pioneer by raising at least $350,000.  Christie was then rewarded when George W. Bush appointed him as United States Attorney for New Jersey.  Just like Bush, Christie follows the extreme Conservative position by opposing a woman’s right to choose, against any new gun safety laws and opposing President Obama’s recent choice for the Supreme Court.”

“Christie has spoken proudly about how conservative he is on social issues impacting people across the state,” said Cryan.  “Why would we want a George Bush clone in New Jersey after we finally got rid of him?  Christie’s right wing policies would set our progress on these issues back years and be completely contrary to the work being put forward in Washington by President Obama.”

Christie opposes new, stringent, gun laws including the bill currently in the legislature that would restrict gun purchases to one per month.  At a statehouse press conference in February, Christie said, “I think from my looking at it across the country, you know, we have very, very good, tough gun laws in this country, in this state, and I don’t know that we need any more.”

Since taking office, Governor Corzine and the Legislature upgraded the penalties for illegally possessing a machine gun or assault firearm, Corzine also signed legislation to make the possession of certain handguns a second degree crime, increased the penalties for possessing, receiving and transferring community guns and established as a second degree crime the trafficking of guns into New Jersey for the purpose of an illegal sale or transfer.  

 “The state’s anti-crime plan has allowed us to make significant progress in getting guns off the streets and keeping our kids safe,” said Majority Leader Coleman.  “Christie’s right-wing position on gun safety would set us back years and would willingly sacrifice the safety of our citizens.”

On the issue of whether a woman has the right to choose, Christie has said he supports a constitutional amendment to ban abortion and, as governor, would curtail women’s rights “through laws such as parental notification, a 24-hour waiting period and a ban on partial-birth abortion.”  Christie’s ultra-conservative views on this issue have been lauded by right-wing Republicans across the state and moved him to say he is “honored to have been endorsed by many key pro-life leaders from around New Jersey including Congressman Chris Smith, former Mayor Bret Schundler, State Senator Gerald Cardinale and State Assemblyman Jay Webber.”

“Christie has taken great pride in his decision to take away women’s rights,” said Senator Weinberg.  “This desire to infringe upon a woman’s right to choose is directly out of the Bush White House.  I would like to be the first to tell Christie that the American people and the voters of New Jersey sent George Bush and his right wing ultra conservative views into retirement.”  

Christie also condemned the State Supreme Court’s ruling that investment in education for three and four year olds should be expanded from the 31 “Abbott” districts to more than 80 school districts in suburban areas.  This initiative, which is strongly supported by Governor Corzine, would be part of the continued investment the Governor has made in children across the state.  Christie said about Corzine “He’s decided the government should babysit children?  It’s simply wrong.”

“Making sure our children are properly educated is not something to be mocked,” said Watson Coleman.  “These preschools are not day care, they are the first step in educating our children to make sure they are best prepared for the ever-changing global economic climate.  Christie wants to limit public school progress and apparently thinks a child’s education is something to be mocked which may help explain why, by his own estimation, he is bad at math and science.”

While some of the more moderate Republicans in the party have chosen to refrain from knee-jerk condemnation of President Obama’s nomination of Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, Christie has made it clear he stands with prominent ultra-conservatives like Rush Limbaugh against the President’s appointment.

After the President’s announcement of Sotomayor, Limbaugh said “The real question here that needs to be asked and nobody on our side from a columnist to a TV commentator to anybody in our party has the guts to ask, how can a president nominate such a candidate? And how can a party get behind such a candidate? That's what would be asked if somebody were foolish enough to nominate David Duke or pick somebody even less offensive. It is asked.”

When asked in a debate on WOR 710 whether he would have even considered appointing Sotomayor, Christie answered, “She wouldn’t have been my choice.  Absolutely not.  Not my kind of judge.”