Posted on 12/08/2004 8:40:25 AM PST by BATNF
Cap Corzine's campaign cash? By Fred Snowflack, Daily Record
When people talk about U.S. Sen. Jon Corzine's campaign for governor next year, the conversation starts with money. Corzine, who became a millionaire many times over during a career on Wall Street, spent about $70 million to win his Senate seat in 2000.
So, how much will he spend next year?
No more than $6.4 million if Morris County freeholder and gubernatorial candidate John Murphy has his way.
Murphy sent a letter to Corzine this week suggesting that the senator accept his proposal to limit campaign expenditures to $6.4 million.
"I believe $6.4 million should be an adequate sum to run a gubernatorial campaign," the letter said. "If not, perhaps you can suggest another reasonable amount? The important thing, however, is to prevent next year's election from turning into an ever-escalating battle of checkbooks. Politics should not be a battle of checkbooks, it should be a test of character and ideas for leadership."
How did Murphy come up with the $6.4 million figure? Easy. Currently, gubernatorial candidates receive public funding through a two-for-one matching system. If they raise $3.2 million, they receive $6.4 million in state funds.
No one expects Corzine to adhere to some artificial limit, but you can't blame Murphy for trying. Corzine's spokesman didn't return a phone call. If nothing else, Murphy's position of trying to rein in a so-called money machine like Corzine will appeal to the party's base. Of course, it will be interesting to see if Murphy and other Republicans would feel the same way about spending limits if the Republican nominee turns out to be wealthy businessman Doug Forrester.
Another part of Murphy's letter said:
"I believe that what New Jersey needs more than anything next year is an honest debate among the gubernatorial candidates about the real issues that matter to real people. Voters want to hear about solutions to problems like property taxes, education spending, and transportation. They don't need to be entertained by blasphemous television and radio commercials that belittle candidates and demean the political process."
That's pretty good rhetoric. Let's separate out some of the points.
Murphy is dead on when he says candidates should talk about "real issues" like property taxes, education spending and transportation. That is what voters should want to hear. Those are issues we'd like to see Murphy address now. As the only candidate in the race from Republican rich Morris County, Murphy should be adopting and articulating positions on those issues.
That's especially so if he believes them to be the most important issues in the state. And it's not blasphemy to say that.
If you want to rouse up the crowd at just about any Republican or conservative gathering, an easy way to do it is to blast the Abbott school districts. If that doesn't work, you can always try the American Civil Liberties Union. Because many conservatives see the ACLU as something that sprouted from the belly of Satan, any condemnation of that organization is bound to get cheers.
But not in Piscataway.
It surfaced this week that the ACLU is representing the Piscataway Republican organization in a libel suit filed against it by town Democrats.
The issue has to do with free speech. In the recent election, Republican municipal candidates attacked Democrats with campaign signs reading: "Bribery. Corruption. Indictment. Had Enough?" A picture of a broom was included.
Piscataway Democrats, who won the election, nonetheless filed a libel suit against Republicans.
In representing the Republicans, the ACLU claims -- correctly -- that the signs were political rhetoric and protected free speech.
This incident proves a few things. One is that some politicians -- the Piscataway Democrats in this case -- are ridiculously thin-skinned.
The other is that the ACLU has no political litmus test in deciding what cases to take. It supports the Constitution of the United States, pure and simple.
Uh-oh, looks like somebody needs some coffee before posting. Either that or...
Owl_Eagle
”You know, I'm going to start thanking
the woman who cleans the restroom in
the building I work in. I'm going to start
thinking of her as a human being”-Hillary Clinton
(Yes, she really said that
Peggy Noonan
The Case Against Hillary Clinton, pg 55)
1. Did Hillary Really say that?!?!?
2. Sorry about the screwed up Title.
1. Did Hillary Really say that?!?!?
2. Sorry about the screwed up Title.
Yeah, she really did! Un-Freaking-Believable, those people.
Owl_Eagle
”You know, I'm going to start thanking
the woman who cleans the restroom in
the building I work in. I'm going to start
thinking of her as a human being”-Hillary Clinton
(Yes, she really said that
Peggy Noonan
The Case Against Hillary Clinton, pg 55)
What? Why write about politics if you don't believe your readership can do simple math?
The JerseyHighlander prediction: Corzine wins, at over $15 per vote. Over 20 million spent by the Jersey Jon.
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