Jon Corzine's Wednesday: fix the problem of money in politics, then name a DNC member to the state Ethics Commission
By Wally EdgeOne of the gripes some members of the state political elite have with Gov. Jon Corzine is that politically he can be a bit tone deaf. Here's an example: yesterday, Corzine announced a rather bold proposal for campaign finance reform, taking on those so-called party bosses and special interest groups. Then later in the day, he quitely nominated a new member of the state Ethics Commission: newly-elected Democratic National Committeewoman Stephanie Bush-Baskette, a former Assemblywoman from East Orange and state Community Affairs Commissioner. She now works (albeit part-time) at Florio Perrucci Steinhardt & Fader, a politically active law firm that is registered to lobby state government. The highly regarded Bush-Baskette also runs an urban policy center at Rutgers University, which has numerous overlaps with state government.
(Editor's note: Bush-Baskette, who defeated Roz Samuels for the DNC seat in July and took office a few weeks ago, resigned her seat yesterday, just prior to Corzine's announcement.)
Corzine also renominated Bill Schluter, a former Republican State Senator from Mercer County and a longtime ethics watchdog. Schluter holds no party post and does not lobby.
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Quote of the Day
"Please. I wouldn't have enough paper. So let’s not even bother writing one. This is now about governing. I won. The one thing I could never understand about people in politics was winners who are sore winners." -- Gov.-elect Christopher Christie, on putting together an enemis list.
“He’s a nice man with good intentions, but in the end he’ll be remembered for timidity. Being a business titan and issuing orders from the corner office is a lot different than having to cajole and persuade people in politics and having the toughness and fortitude to see your vision become reality.”-- Ross K. Baker, a political scientist at Rutgers University, on Gov. Jon Corzine.
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