NYP: SO MUCH FOR 'MR. CLEAN' - Corzine's 'privacy' problem

New York Post ^ | August 10, 2005 | Eris Fettmann

[OESY]

So much for the suggestion that running multimillionaire candidates who can self-finance their campaigns will rid politics of the "influence of money" factor.

Sen. Jon Corzine... whose approach to politics has always been "you have to give if you want to receive" suddenly finds himself embroiled in a potential scandal involving both money and sex.

Judging by his reaction thus far, Corzine believes his best bet is to stay close-mouthed behind an avowal of his right to privacy... lends an added air of someone trying to hide something.

And since Corzine is trying to run as the Mr. Clean..., the last thing he needs is the perception that he's got his own skeletons in the closet....

But it's still a problem.... Suppose Corzine were the CEO of a major company who'd secretly lavished a $500,000 gift on a woman with whom he'd been involved and who headed the union representing the company's workers and the shareholders found out. Forget about conflict of interest — Corzine would be out of a job even faster than he was ousted as head of Goldman Sachs back in the '90s.

Nor is this the only financial problem on the horizon.

Last October, just before launching his statehouse bid, Corzine invested $7 million in a hedge fund headed by Carl Icahn... majority owner of the Sands Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. That would be a blatant conflict of interest and a violation of ethics for a sitting governor....

Then there's his financial partnership... with real-estate tycoon Charles Kushner. The soon-to-be-convicted Kushner was brought down in a tawdry scandal involving tax fraud and sex. Ironically, he'd been the key link between then-Gov. Jim McGreevey and his lover, Golan Cipel, whose hiring as a key state homeland security official ultimately led to the governor's resignation....

[OESY]

[Brilliant]

If you're filthy rich, you don't give a hoot what the average guy's problems are.

[jjm2111]

If you're filthy rich, you don't even understand the average guy's problems.

[VRWCmember]

If you're filthy rich,

Well, he's just plain filthy.

[jmaroneps37]

The situation in New Jersey is becoming interesting. There is now actually a chance that Doug could win. A few things have to happen, however. First he has to raise money. Because of a technical problem in the campaign finance laws of New Jersey, he could be severely restricted from spending his own money. It has to do with companies doing business with the state. So if you want him to win make a contribution to his campaign. Second: the ratmedia in New Jersey will make or break corzine. This is just a matter of them publishing what they KNOW to be true about him already. They already know he is involved in pay to play democrat ex torsions in Northern New Jersey. They know the iron clad connections between corzine and abreau and menendez. It will be up to us to keep after them to print the stories. There is almost as must to be found on corzine as was found on the torch.

[jmaroneps37]

The situation in New Jersey is becoming interesting. There is now actually a chance that Doug could win. A few things have to happen, however. First he has to raise money. Because of a technical problem in the campaign finance laws of New Jersey, he could be serverly restricted from spending his own money. It has to do with companies doing business with the state. So if you want him to win make a contribution to his campaign. Second: the ratmedia in New Jersey will make or break corzine. This is just a matter of them publishing what they KNOW to be true about him already. They already know he is involved in pay to play democrat extorsions in Northern New Jersey. They know the iron clad connections between corzine and abreau and menendez. It will be up to us to keep after them to print the stories. There is almost as must to be found on corzine as was found on the torch.

[ZULU]

New Jersey politics is a strange place.

In a bitterly fought and dirty campaign, Doug Forrester succeeded in beating out Bret Schundler for the Republican nomination for Governor this year.

Schundler ran and lost against "Twinkletoes" McGreevey for Governor a few years ago.

Forrester ran and lost when the Dems pulled a last minute bait and switch and allowed the corrupt incumbent Torrecelli to step down as Democrat candidate for Senator, as he was losing in the polls. The Dems then replaced him at the last minute with the former Senator Frank "The Cadaver" Lautenberg. This was done with the connivance of RINO Chrissie Whitman's State Supreme Court, which ignored the State Constitution.

ONE of the reasons Republicans loose in New Jersey is if they are perceived by the affluent moneybags RINOs in the State such as Tom Kean, as being "too conservative". This means being a social conservative.

To New Jersey Limousine Liberal RINOS, the ONLY form of acceptable "conservative" is a fiscal conservative, who will allow them to protect their wealth from any State taxes. In order to accomplish the latter, they are more than willing to espouse a liberal social agenda, indistinguishable from that of Democrats.

Liberal New Jersey RINOs refuse to support social conservative Republicans. They barely supported Bush in the last Presidential election, when Bush could have, and should have, won New Jersey's electoral votes. They just sat on their hands, or, like Tom Kean, tried to help Kerry by delivering a scathing speech attacking the "government" for having "let down" the public in the 9-11 attack, just one week before the general election.

What does this have to do with Corzine and Forrester?

Everything.

Tom Kean, Lewis Eisenberg and the other New Jersey RINOs backed Forrester in the recent gubernatorial primary. I believe they did so because they NOW correctly perceived Forrester as a social liberal and fiscal conservative.
I also believe they perceived Schundler as a social conservative and fiscal Conservative - hence unacceptable.

Now, they are hoping to get Forrester elected with the active assistance of the dumb schlub conservative Republicans in Jersey whose candidates they have assiduously torpedoed in the past.

If they succeed, and Forrester DOES get elected, we will have another high profile RINO lurking in the wings as Potential Presidential timber another Rudy Giuliani or Pataki.

I hope Corzine wins. THEN, his own slippery past will be his undoing in office and perhaps a "real" Republican like Schundler will get a crack at him in the future.


Byzantine thinking? You bet. But then that's New Jersey for you.

[ZULU]

Forrester is loaded. Almost as loaded as Corzine. And if that's not enough money, he always has Lewis Eisenberg, another moneybags and former associate of Corzine's at Goldman-Sachs who has set up a PAC to help fund liberal Republicans and defeat social conservative Republicans.

Eisenberg actually accompanied RINO Chrissie Whitman to the Republican Convention in the last Presidential election as a delegate from New Jersey.

[George W. Bush]

Maybe this is just Corzine's way of reassuring the voters that he's not gay.

[Alberta's Child]

ONE of the reasons Republicans loose in New Jersey is if they are perceived by the affluent moneybags RINOs in the State such as Tom Kean, as being "too conservative". This means being a social conservative.

There's really only one reason why Republicans lose in New Jersey. In this state, the Republicans look upon government as a hobby while the Democrats look upon government as a business. It's really that simple.

[Rumplemeyer]

I my unofficial polling, that is asking questions of the local rabble and unwashed, of which I am one, the consensus is the Democrats need to be replaced in State Government, they are corrupt beyond repair.

I think Jonboy is in for a very unpleasant surprise in November.

Also, keep in mind that this is an off-year election and the regular Democrate base does not vote in the numbers of a national race.

[ZULU]

That observation, unfortunately, is true for Republicans at large also.

True Republicans, by philosophy, regard government as a necessary evil. Democrats and RINOs on the other hand love it - the bigger the better, and the more expensive the better, as long as they can shelter their OWN money from the cost of it and pass that on to the stupid schlubs who elect them.

How much do the Kennedy Klan, the Gores, the Edwardses, the Bushes, the Keans, the Whitmans, actually PAY in taxes compared with non-political figures in their own income brackets??

[Alberta's Child]

Also, I'll point out that there's no way Forrester will win in November. One big reason is that the national GOP doesn't want a Republican senator to win in New Jersey. With a GOP senator in New Jersey, it will become more difficult for the GOP-controlled Federal government to give New Jersey taxpayers the royal screwing they so richly deserve. New Jersey is currently one of the biggest "donor" states in Washington (meaning their Federal tax burden far exceeds Federal spending in the state), and it is in the best interests of the rest of the country to keep it that way. A Republican senator representing this state in Washington makes that much more difficult.

Byzantine thinking? You bet. But just go back to 2002 and remember how little concern you heard from the national Republican Party when the Democrats pulled that Torricelli-Lautenberg switch.

[ZULU]

If being a Republican means more than just carrying the name tag, don't vote for Forrester. A vote for Forrester is a vote for Tom Kean, Chrissie Whitman and Lewis Eisenberg, who backed him strongly in the primary.

But DO vote for Republican legislators back there.

[Alberta's Child]

True Republicans, by philosophy, regard government as a necessary evil.

I have no idea what a "true Republican" is, and I think your general characterization is incorrect. What you've said here applies to true conservatives, but that cuts across party lines for the most part.

[ZULU]

This is a gubernatorial race, not a Senatorial race.

The Repubs lost to Lautenberg and Corzine before.

But if Corzine gets elected Governor, he will get to appoint his successor for the duration of his Senatorial term, which will give that person, whoever he is, a leg-up in the next election for Jersey Senator.

[Inwoodian]

Forrester needs to give him a nickname which will stick. How about "The Liberal Lothario". Any other suggestions?

[ZULU]

The only political party which is a home for conservatives is the Republican Party.

There is no "big tent" in the Democrat Party and there shouldn't be in the Republican Party.

A political party should have an overriding political philosophy. I think Ronald Reagan best espoused that philosophy for the Republican Party - a strong defense, a small government and protection of individual constitutional rights - something RINOs completely ignore and don't understand.

If you have no idea what a true Republican is, I can direct you to Reagan, to Coulter, to Malkin, to Levin, to Tancredo, to.....ZELL MILLER!

[ZULU]

How about barf-face??

But that won't help Forrester if New Jersey Republicans are as astitute about this as they should be.

On social issues, I doubt if there is one whit of difference between the two candidates.

[Alberta's Child]

Thanks -- I should have been clear about the implications for the U.S. Senate. If Corzine loses, is he keeping his seat in the U.S. Senate? For some reason I thought he's already committed to leave his post in Washington regardless of whether he wins or loses.