October 18, 2009

A vote for Chris Daggett is a vote for Jon Corzine.

That's the skeptical view of Daggett's independent gubernatorial candidacy and its effect on the contest between the incumbent Corzine and Republican challenger Chris Christie. Either that, or a Daggett vote is a wasted vote.

…

But if voters genuinely want to change the reckless, unethical culture of Trenton, Daggett's not the way to go. And another four years of Corzine certainly won't do it. Chris Christie should be the clear choice as the only candidate exhibiting the courage to meaningfully talk about what the state can't afford. He receives our endorsement.

…

Fact is, Christie has offered many specific ideas on how to cut government spending, mirroring much of Gannett New Jersey's own 20-point plan to ease New Jersey's tax crush. Pension reforms, requirements for public employees to contribute more toward their benefits, a two-thirds legislative supermajority for all tax increases — they've all been proposed by Christie, along with many other initiatives.

…

But the fundamental and vital difference is that Christie is wading into the morass with a commitment to finding the money without adding to the tax burden. Maybe he'll fail, but Corzine and Daggett have already given up.

Daggett's "independence" is a bit of a myth. He talks at times like Corzine Lite, preaching the practical realities of tax hikes as the only means to deliver to New Jerseyans the services they demand. While he claims to be an outsider unbeholden to party strongarming on either side, he clearly exhibits a greater antipathy toward the Republicans.

Daggett's core proposal is to fund a 25 percent property-tax reduction by extending the sales tax to more legal and household services. When Christie characterizes that plan as a tax hike, Daggett scoffs by noting that it's really a tax restructuring. But if that's true, why is Daggett also pitching it is a property-tax cut? And it's telling that while chastising Christie for his lack of specifics, Daggett suggested that a third of the revenue to fill that looming $8 billion deficit would depend upon "what the springtime brings." What's he hoping to find — a rainbow and a pot of gold?

Daggett sounds as if he would slide quite nicely into Corzine's chair without missing much of a Democratic beat if he were to somehow pull off an improbable victory. And yet that's not the biggest danger here.

Daggett's presence is giving Democrats disenchanted with the party or Corzine himself a safe ballot haven that creates the illusion of opposition without being forced into the Republican column. That means Christie could lose his fair share of anti-Corzine votes, opening the door to a re-election that seemed so unlikely a few months ago.

And another four years of Corzine as governor is about the worst thing that could happen to New Jersey.

We could run through some of Corzine's plans for another term, but why bother? He has been ducking questions and public forums for months, outside of the two gubernatorial debates and carefully orchestrated appearances. Earlier this month the governor refused to appear at a special forum on affordability held at Raritan Valley Community College. He followed that up by avoiding a joint editorial board meeting of Gannett New Jersey newspapers attended by Christie and Daggett, an event for which Corzine has managed to find the time during several past campaigns. Corzine's claims of scheduling conflicts were clearly contrived.

Corzine's record is clear, and as a result he shouldn't even be in the discussion as a gubernatorial preference. His first term in office has been a total failure. Taxes have continued to skyrocket, and any attempts at spending reforms have been minimal and to negligible effect. At first Corzine blamed the state's financial problems on previous administrations leaving him an economic mess to clean up. Then he started blaming the global economic meltdown. In the Corzine worldview he bears responsibility for none of the state's problems, and pats himself on the back for averting some nebulous worse-case scenario.

…

Otherwise, Corzine has exhibited tremendous weakness in dealing with teacher and state worker unions that are a primary driver pushing taxes through the roof. He has generated a host of ethical concerns, highlighted by — but not limited to — his outrageous invocation of executive privilege to hide from the public e-mails exchanged with his former girlfriend, Carla Katz, during negotiations with the state workers' union Katz headed at the time.

Corzine is all wrong for what New Jersey needs right now, and Daggett's not far behind. The governor's default position on spending is to concede possible tax hikes because there's no other way. Daggett's default position is to concede possible tax hikes because there's no other way. Christie's default position is to say he'll find a way to avoid those tax hikes. Maybe Christie's wrong. But we want a governor who will try. And we know there are ways to succeed, if New Jersey's leaders develop the guts to do the right thing and drop their relentless devotion to protecting their own interests. We believe Christie can lead that charge. He deserves your vote for governor.

Link to article: http://www.mycentraljersey.com/article/20091018/OPINION01/910180307/1060