NJ Governor's Race: Not Obama's To Lose
It’s a case of a political narrative being repeated so many times, it becomes conventional wisdom, even if it’s not especially true. All day long—for weeks, actually—I’ve been hearing the cable newsers talking about how the New Jersey governor’s race is a “referendum” on how President Obama is doing. I’m writing this just as the polls in the Garden State are closing, so I don’t know whether Jon Corzine or Chris Christie is going to be the winner. But I am saying now that, either way, this never was Barack Obama’s race to lose, even though he threw his wholehearted support behind Corzine.
Obama had nothing to do with New Jersey’s $8-billion dollar budget deficit. He had nothing to do with residents having to pay the highest property taxes in the country. He had nothing to do with corruption arrests there, tolls on the Garden State Parkway, or Chris Christie’s weight. The problems that have “weighed down” an ineffective incumbent and a flawed challenger were not caused, or exacerbated by the White House. It’s what happens when the Beltway media wants to turn what is essentially a local race into something they can bloviate over from coast to coast.
Of course, if you’re determined to find an Obama effect, you might note that Jon Corzine was trailing by a double-digit margin for most of the year, until the president began making his five visits to campaign for the incumbent. Does that indicate that Obama’s still-strong popularity at least kept Corzine competitive? Or is it strictly a win-lose proposition: meaning if Corzine wins by a percentage point, President Obama and his party remain strong; if Corzine loses by a point, the president is a loser, doomed to failure in the 2010 midterms? There’s no way it’s that simple.
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Comments: 9
Agreed. I hear Sweden is beautiful. I'm done. No more voting for me.
So glad I don't live in NJ. Unfortunately I live in NY and am stuck with Bloomberg who bought everyone's votes. And since my rent is more than twice as much as ten years ago while my pay is less, it's time to leave NY, but not to NJ, that's for sure.
Yes, Obama is not the cause of NJ's problems, but he still has to get involved, not a smart move... There something called "overkill" that Obama still didn't realize.
Obama charm is not like it was anymore a year ago, people see what it is now, not as what some guy said he wants to do (unlike the Nobel committee "prepay" the peace prize).
As for the NYC mayor, I feel bad for poor Thompson - not many can play against a $100M campaign and an arrogant billionaire. Let's face it - Bloomberg can win it largely because he throws the money out like there is no tomorrow.
The law is the law (term limit) no matter how good (or bad) one did his job (or how rich he is). Try to let Bush do the same thing using the economy as an excuse, I can guarantee the outrage will never end.
By the way, for those who are like me, don't like Bloomberg practically use money to buy (or keep) the seat, tonight is not the end yet. He still got John Liu behind him, which largely represents a different group of people in interest (minorities). So hopefully Bloomberg will not be the king he wish for in the next 4 years.
EK - maybe I can have your apartment?
Jim - I don't think the election was Obama's to lose either. I think that the media wants us to believe that it was Obama's to lose. . . Was that Bill O'Reilly's influence driving the media.
It is so hard to choose between human beings, all faulted though probably all sincere in their desire to address and try to fix the NJ situation. All are intelligent and want to make a difference in peoples' lives.
It would take the diversion of the Hudson and the Raritan together to clean out the Augean stables that are NJ politics.
EK: I'm thinking Amsterdam. Maybe we're related. We have the same last name. ;)
"Try to let Bush do the same thing using the economy as an excuse, I can guarantee the outrage will never end."
Of course the "outrage will never end," because Bush is the one who destroyed the ecomony and the country in the first place. That's why his entire party abandoned him.
You know you've stayed up far too late when you write "ecomony."
PS: Don't I look like a turtle?