Congratulations to former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, who won a hard-fought primary battle against the more conservative Steve Lonegan in the Republican primary. Lonegan drew over 40% of the primary votes, and while most of these will "come home" in the general election, Christie cannot drift to close to the center without risking his base.
And he will need 100% of his base to win this, what with Corzine prepping to top the $40 million he spent to get elected in the first place. And Corzine-lite won't do it, either: Christie must offer a clear alternative to the destructive Democratic dominance of Jersey government, or it will be just another missed opportunity for state Republicans.
And speaking of Corzine -who has been sh*tting bricks at the sight of Christie for months now - he's come up with an interesting campaign strategy against the man who leads him in every poll: He's decided his opponent is not Chris Christie, but ex-president George Bush!
Well, I guess when you're a billionaire you think that you can bend reality to your will, and perhaps you can. Or perhaps you just sound a bit out of touch when, with gaffe-master Joe Biden at your side, you make speeches like this:
"My opponents won't tell you who they're going to cut — they'll have to check with George W. Bush on that! ...I won't entrust our state's future to the same people who gave us George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, John Ashcroft, skyrocketing unemployment, a housing crisis and the war in Iraq! New Jersey cannot afford to get Bushwhacked again!"
Incidentally, Jon Corzine's current approval rating is 36 percent, which is lower than former President Bush's approval rating of 41 percent (and rising). Add in the fact that while registered Democrats outnumber registered Republicans in New Jersey, unaffiliated voters make up the biggest segment of residents, and you can expect one hum-dinger of a campaign.
Stay tuned...
3 comments:
"while most of these will "come home" in the general election"
I wouldn't necessarily count on that RWN. The rift between the Lonegan camp and Christie camp is wide and real.
I would hope the rift heals before election day. Should the Lonegan camp not show up next November, we will most certainly have four more years of Corzine, and the state of New Jersey simply will not survive.
There is no doubt that Lonegan's conservative principles are less opportunistic and closer to his heart. But remember, Christie is no slouch: He spent seven years rooting out corruption in New Jersey (mostly Democrats) and earning a perfect 130-0 conviction ratio.
Not the same as governing, true, but he helped clean up what is most likely the most corrupt state in the Union (and I've lived in Chicago, mind you!) - and that is also conservatism in action, as political malfeasence is the cancer of democracy.
Personally, I hope Lonegan campaigns for him, and should Christie win, I hope he puts Lonegan in a position where his philsophies can become policies.
Lonegan in the days before the primary promised to get aboard the Christie campaign, if Christie were to win.
We will need a unified front to defeat the millions of disposable money of the incumbent that broke all promises to NJ taxpayers during his last run.
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