President

Corzine campaign billboard in Orange

ORANGE - A hoarse, fatigued-looking Gov. Jon Corzine told a crowd of African-American ministers and supporters today that he believes he deserves the support of a community that backed him with numbers adding up to 90% in the last election.

Street sources say urban support is soft now for the incumbent governor, particularly when compared with the outpouring of urban black voters for Barack Obama last year, a disparity so obvious that gin-up "Keep it Going" billboards featuring Corzine and Obama stand all over key New Jersey cities, including this one.

"I support the President lock, stock and barrel," Corzine told his audience at AME Church on Wednesday afternoon, answering a question about why he diverges from Obama on the issue of merit pay for teachers.

President Barack Obama has seen a small climb in his popularity among likely New Jersey voters over the last 29 days, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll. Obama has a 56%-39% approval rating, up from 51%-43% on September 1.  Obama is at 89%-8% among Democrats, 23%-71% among Republicans, and 50%-44% among Independents.

Early in the year, when President Obama enjoyed a strong honeymoon upon Inauguration, it appeared that the new national mood would be a strong wind at Governor Corzine's back.

As the year went on, however, especially in late summer, rising public discontent with ObamaCare brought President Obama's approval ratings back down to earth.  Town hall meetings across the country, even in blue Jersey, served as barometers of a restless public mood.  Indeed in some NJ polls, independent voters were evenly divided on the President's job approval, a stunning drop from just months earlier.

However, I believe that the President's effort to use his popularity to re-frame the health care debate has paid off.  His address to Congress, his ubiquitous appearances on news interviews and late-night programs, and a more aggressive and sharper defense of his programs from allies and Congressional Democrats has aided, in my opinion, a more favorable political climate for Democrats then one month ago.  While NJ's economy  may not be improving, the recent increases in the stock market, and improving national indicators will serve to boost the public mood.

Corzine, right, and Gore.

ATLANTIC CITY - Identifying the touchstone values of their party, Democrats bucked one another up here at the Trump Plaza Casino, trying to build feeling for what amounts now to the last 38 days of their campaign effort to maintain control of Drumthwacket and deliver another four years to Gov. Jon Corzine.

"I love you all," Corzine told his supporters in a room packed with party insiders, stirring into his speech humanizing buzz notes - farm boy, soccer coach, parent teacher conference attendee - to offset the image of an aloof leader who landed in Trenton three and a half years ago with comparatively little time honed at the street level of New Jersey politics.  

Corzine noted his commitment to the vulnerable and poor - his move to enact the country's first economic recovery plan, broaden early childhood education and healthcare, and build new schools.

Echoing Bill Clinton with former Vice President Al Gore in the room, "I still believe in the family values my family taught me back on the family farm," said Corzine, who told the crowd that in his battle with GOP candidate Chris Christie "every value we hold dear is at stake." 

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) this morning put U.S. Attorney-designate Paul Fishman on a list of nominees to be included on the next unanimous consent calendar vote.  If no Senate raises an objection to Fishman, he could be confirmed by the U.S. Senate early next week.

Former Vice President Al Gore will be in New Jersey today, lending a hand to Gov. Jon Corzine's re-election by addressing an annual meeting of Democrats in Atlantic City.  Gore becomes the second of the eight living Democratic nominees for President to stump for Corzine; Barack Obama was in the state last July.  Democrats expect two others to be in New Jersey over the next few weeks: former President Bill Clinton, and U.S. Sen. John Kerry.  There are no plans for any of the other four onetime Democratic standard bearers to campaign for Corzine: George McGovern, Jimmy Carter, Walter Mondale and Michael Dukakis.

There are four living Republican presidential candidates.  It's almost certain that former Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush will not campaigning for GOP gubernatorial candidate Christopher Christie.  There is no word if Bob Dole or John McCain will be visiting New Jersey before November.

Gore also puts in checkmark under the living former Vice Presidents column. It seems certain that Christie won't ask Dick Cheney to come to New Jersey this fall - the heavy traffic on Route 1 notwithstanding. There are no apparent invitations for Mondale or Dan Quayle to stump for Corzine or Christie, respectively.

Vice President Joseph Biden appeared at a Corzine rally on the night of the Democratic primary.

Of the other five living former VP candidates, three almost certainly will not be invited: Sarah Palin, John Edwards, and Joseph Lieberman.  Sargent Shriver has health issues and is no longer making public appearances. That leaves Geraldine Ferraro, and there is a decent chance the Corzine campaign won't want her.

Paul Fishman’s nomination to be the next U.S. Attorney just passed committee, the Star-Ledger reports.  

The nomination will move on to the full Senate for a confirmation vote.

Fishman’s nomination was supposed to be considered by the Judiciary Committee last week, but it was held up at the request of the committee’s ranking Republican member, Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.).  

Democrats have a real problem in New Jersey, if a new poll released by Public Policy Polling, a North Carolina-based firm that polls mostly for Democratic candidates and Democratic-leaning interest groups, is correct.  The poll has President Barack Obama’s favorables upside-down among N.J. voters, 45%-48%.

The poll has New Jersey’s two Democratic United States Senators also upside-down: Frank Lautenberg (D-Cliffside Park) has approvals of 38%-44%, and Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken) has approvals of 27%-40%. 

“There are more Obama voters in New Jersey now who don’t approve of him than there are (John) McCain voters who believe he’s doing a good job,” said Dean Debnam, President of Public Policy Polling. “This is the first time we’ve found that anywhere and it makes you wonder how effective Obama’s really going to be on behalf of Jon Corzine.”

The weirdest part of the poll: 21% of New Jerseyans believe Obama is not a natural born citizen, 19% say George W. Bush had advance knowledge of 9/11, and 8% say Obama is the Anti-Christ.

U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken) stands with Gov. Jon Corzine, left, and Latino elected officials.

NEWARK - U.S. Sen Robert Menendez (D-Hoboken) today blasted GOP gubernatorial candidate Chris Christie and Christie's running mate, lieutenant governor candidate Kim Guadagno.

Standing at a podium beside Gov. Jon Corzine and flanked by Latino elected officials in support of the Democratic incumbent, Menendez singled out Christie and Guadagno's campaign headquarters kickoff here last week, and the LG candidate's empathetic comment to residents that as someone who teaches at Rutgers University, she knows what it's like to be "afraid" to cross the street in Newark.

"They're going to open a headquarters in Newark at election time but then say that they're afraid to walk the streets," said Menendez.

"We are not afraid to walk the streets of Newark," he added to growing applause. 

Hammonton First, from left: Steve DiDonato, Tom Gribbin, Jerry Barberio, and Mickey Pullia

HAMMONTON - If you head south on 206 out of Hamilton, eventually you reach a town called Hammonton, which might feel as far flung as Eufaula, Alabama, but for the fact that this is South Jersey's Little Italy, where every third or fourth young woman looks closer than the third or fourth cousin of Monica Belluci, and where you might even think you're in Nutley but for the local population's omission of "Do you know what I mean?" at the end of almost every sentence.

As a town regularly acknowledged as the most Italian - percentagewise - in the country, they welcome the Italian references here, and also celebrate their rural, Pine Barrens heritage as blueberry capital of the world.

This year there is a contest in Hammonton, pop. 14,000, and every event brings with it a political context as Republican Anthony Marino, Democrat Joe Ingemi, and Hammonton First candidate Steve DiDonato all vie to be the town's next mayor.

A Saturday night drizzle has minimized turnout at the 1950s car show and curtailed the number of flashy old roadsters competing for attention on Main Street, but the headquarters of two rival operations - Hammonton First and the Hammonton Democrats - eagerly try to outshine each other.