On a conference call with reporters just now, the Christie campaign offered a pre-rebuttal to Jon Corzine’s campaign stops this week with Vice President Biden (today), former President Bill Clinton (tomorrow) and President Obama (Wednesday) — that Corzine is trying to use national Democratic star power in order to distract from the real issues that have made New Jersey such a mess.
Corzine has caught up with Christie in the polls, after having trailed by severe margins all year long, and the race is now a dead heat with some polls having Corzine ahead and Christie up in others. In addition to attacks on Christie’s health care proposals — which have given Corzine a lot of mileage — Corzine is essentially using New Jersey’s fundamental Democratic leanings and the popularity of the Obama brand in the state to give him a boost in the home stretch.
“After the spotlights are turned off, the old Clinton economic team is gonna be gone, and other people in the Obama administration that people admire are gonna be gone,” said state Sen. Joe Kyrillos, “and we’re gonna be left with Jon Corzine, if he is governor again, and four more years of the same.”
Kyrillos compared this to Christie: “You got a real contrast of a real New Jersey guy, understanding real New Jersey problems, and trying to make this once again, should he be governor, the kind of place people are born to, or people came to.”
Campaign consultant added a kicker: “President Obama and Vice President Biden are gonna be leaving this state. They might not be able to afford to live in this state, with Gov. Corzine’s policies. They might be smart to get out of New Jersey.”
Kyrillos was also asked by a reporter about criticism that Christie has not been specific enough about his own proposals. “Chris has been very specific on his philosophy, his vision, his direction for the state. People may want him to do a math problem — something we allow governors to do for months as they work on their budget message,” said Kyrillos, pointing out that budgets go through along process in the legislature, “and that time will come. But right now there’s nobody in New Jersey paying attention to this state who has any question how chris will govern differently.”
“Certainly some of the employee labor groups and teacher’s unions, they must think he’s very specific about how he’ll change things,” Kyrillos added, “or they wouldn’t be geared up in a big way spending millions and millions of dollars.”
