Posted on 09/02/2004 10:43:07 PM PDT by neverdem
There's still time, though not much, for James McGreevey to end his governorship on a positive note by doing the right thing for his fellow New Jerseyans. Under state law, he has until midnight tonight to decide whether to leave office now or stick with his earlier decision to remain on the job until Nov. 15. If he quits now, both parties can begin organizing for a special election to choose a new governor on Nov. 2. If he remains in office beyond midnight, there can be no special election, and Richard Codey, the president of the State Senate, will take over as acting governor on Nov. 15 and serve out the remainder of Mr. McGreevey's term, which expires in January 2006.
We again urge Mr. McGreevey to step down. New Jersey voters have already been exposed to one too many unelected governors. Christie Whitman bequeathed the governor's office to Donald DiFrancesco, the Senate president at the time, when she joined the Bush administration in 2001. Mr. DiFrancesco's tenure was not successful for many reasons, one of which is that he had no real legitimacy as a governor because he had not been elected in a statewide vote. Mr. Codey would carry the same burden and, like Mr. DiFrancesco, would be required under the State Constitution to stay on as Senate president while he served as governor - an insult to the whole notion of separation of powers.
The New Jersey delegation to the Republican convention in New York has twice passed resolutions this week urging Mr. McGreevey to resign immediately. Several prominent Republicans have already tossed their hats into the gubernatorial ring, and all seem to feel they have a chance against anyone the Democrats put up.
The Democrats have been silent on the matter ever since Senator Jon Corzine, who would have been an odds-on favorite had he chosen to run in a special election, announced that he would defer to Mr. McGreevey's wish to stay on as governor to tie up legislative loose ends. This was one of several reasons Mr. McGreevey offered for his decision in a recent article on The Times's Op-Ed page.
What's at issue here, however, is not the political ambitions of either party or the legislative agenda of a damaged lame duck. At issue is whether New Jersey's voters are going to get a democratic say over who governs them. Partly with that in mind, a Princeton lawyer has filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging Mr. McGreevey's timetable. A ruling is expected next week. Mr. McGreevey can settle the issue himself by stepping down today.
The paper of record has a good masthead editorial. Avoid Krugman's, if you can.
Don't suppose that there are enough honest NJ legislators to impeach and remove him (sans salary or any kind of retirement) either. Pathetic.
I can smell their meathead editorials a mile away. I sometimes post them in order to mock them, but usually there's something better to do.
"At issue is whether New Jersey's voters are going to get a democratic say over who governs them. Partly with that in mind, a Princeton lawyer has filed a lawsuit in federal court challenging Mr. McGreevey's timetable."
How bad is it, when the NY Times gets it right? I'm sure the pubbies don't want to do this, or they'd be pushing a lot harder for it. Nevertheless, I do agree with the Times, and I hope the person with the law suit prevails.
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