Posted on 08/15/2004 1:18:27 PM PDT by Libloather
Post-McGreevey power struggle roils Dems
Sunday, August 15, 2004
Friday the 13th of August 2004, New Jersey woke up as the first state in the history of the United States to be led by an openly gay governor.
It will be weeks before the aftershocks subside from Gov. James E. McGreevey's admission that he is a "gay American" who had committed adultery with a man he hired for a $110,000-a-year state job.
The assumption then was McGreevey would resign on Nov. 15, with state Senate President Richard Codey, D-West Orange, serving as acting governor until January 2006.
Two days later, Democrats, many of whom have no love for Codey, were calculating whether it was in their interest to force McGreevey out sooner, clearing the way for a special election in November.
Codey was expected to serve as a caretaker for a year and then step aside.
But his associates now say Codey has long wanted to be governor and likely would want to run for governor on his own next year.
Codey would inherit a disaster from McGreevey - a $2.5 billion budget gap for example. But his genteel personality combined with the power of incumbency - which in his case would be leading two branches of government - could make him tough to defeat in a primary.
That has some Democratic powerbrokers, none of whom are close to Codey and several who are outright hostile to him, rethinking whether a special election might be in their best interest.
(Excerpt) Read more at nj.com ...
Maybe these dimocrats do have some brains after all!
No cornholers in the Statehouse!
Actually I wouldn`t mind driving the `Rats even more insane by having yet another recall election with maybe Bruce Willis or some other Repub actor running. If he won, I wonder what tantrum the `Rats would pull this time. In California they burned down the forests, in Jersey I assume they would kick down sand castles on the beach.
I am surprised that so much of the press buys the 'gay' cover story to the McGreevey corruption scandal(s).
"McGreevey needs to go - now..."(Libloather)
Could Codey flip and become a Repub.?
Sorry...I don't buy that. My guess is the B-C Campaign doesn't want a controversial state-wide election in NJ that we wouldn't win anyway drawing out a bunch of DEM voters that might otherwise not show. I don't necessarily agree with that logic, but that's what I think is going on.
Option B is they're pulling a Bre'ar Rabbit job, hoping their early non-challance on the whole issue allows them to work behind the scenes to really highlight this as another underhanded DEM stunt ala their last senatorial election in order to drive up voter frustration.
Option C: All of the above.
In Oscar Wilde's day he would be called a "libertine," not "a gay American."
A&B presume that McGreevey's corruption will continue to come out between now and election day, thus enraging voters further. Kerry may yet pay for McGreevey's sins.
Those commentators, such as that liberal jerk from USA Today, who assure us that the McGreevey scandal will have no negative impact for Kerry, are not only lying, they are whistling past the graveyard.
State GOP must demand a special election and make it stick. if we elect a GOP governor in NJ, it creates more trouble for Corzine in 2006 and Lautenberg could drop dead any day.
I bet NO reporter has asked John Corzine what should be done with McGreedy!! hmmmmm
"...No cornholers in the Statehouse!..."
LOL!! That would make a great bumper-sticker.
Let's assume it's Corzine for the Dems. Now, who will a bunch of corrupt, left-leaning, establishment, pay-to-play GOP insiders select? A conservative? Ha, not a chance (barring a real Chris Christie groundswell, of which I see no sign). They'll select a RINO like Tommy Kean I or Tommy Kean II, or, perhaps, Bob Franks. Can ya feel the grassroots excitement? Didn't think so.
So, we would be looking at a Corzine vs. Selected RINO race this fall. Corzine, untainted by Trenton slime, would be able to deftly co-opt the outsider mantle, thus stealing the RINO's only issue. Lord knows a Franks or Kean (or Allen, or Whitman) would never run on anything bold like fundamental tax reform. Outcome: Corzine as governor.
Then we are looking at a nightmare scenario in November '06, an incumbent billionaire who's not (that) corrupt, (mostly) backed by the Dem establishment, and rather popular facing the survivor of a multi-candidate GOP primary. The GOP candidate in the general would probably be Bret Schundler since he can deliver a solid 30%-40% conservative base in a primary. But the GOP establishment would cut his b---s off yet again and Corzine would coast to a fresh four year term in 2006.
The only way to get a conservative in there is to let Codey have the job for the next 14 months and hope he gets ambitious enough to want it for 4 more years. This would make Corzine choose between a bloody primary battle, or sitting it out and staying in DC. Then, Schundler could run against a candidate tainted by the Trenton morass and pull out a victory. Let's face it, NJ is a very Democratic state and The Right was dealt a blow with SLAMHOLE's resignation on Thursday 'cause he would've been the easiest Dem. to beat. Now, it's a whole lot tougher and the only way I can see a conservative winning is by using the corruption issue against a Trenton Dem. in 2006.
A Kean-esque GOP liberal could win a special election this year, but how that would advance the ball for the cause of smaller, cleaner government in NJ is beyond me.
Bump!
How do we make him step down?
Big Bump!
Besides, he's got to start doing some stretching excercises to get ready for prison.
Absolutely incorrect.
If there is a special election, there will be primaries in both parties.
Schundler is ready.
I get the impression that he has already done the stretching exercises needed for prison with his various male 'friends'
For a special election, the GOP nominee would be selected by the 42 GOP state committee members-two from each county. Asked whom the state committee might tap, the Republican said: “Unless somebody really comes out of the woodwork, it’s going to be one of the names out there (for the ’05 race). It’ll help to have someone who has some money or a bankroll, so that could be a factor with some people.” The Republican said the state committee vote would probably be unpredictable, but that former Jersey City Mayor Bret S. Schundler, who lost by fourteen points as the GOP’s 2001 gubernatorial nominee, would have little chance of emerging as the candidate.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.