The fat guy wins!!!

 

In a victory for all calorically-challenged people everywhere, New Jerseyans elected Chris Christie the 55^th Governor in the State’s history.  Overcoming negative attack advertising from incumbent Governor Jon Corzine’s campaign questioning Christie’s fitness to serve on the basis of prior alleged legal and financial improprieties as well as his weight, Christie won election by 4 percentage points despite being outspent by former Wall Street executive Corzine by two or three to one (depending upon the source you consider most accurate) and in a State renowned for its well-oiled Democrat machine and influential labor unions.

 

Now, lest you think I am mocking the Govenor-elect, allow me to assert that I myself am a fat American.  The real point is that when an incumbent politician feels the need to sink to the level of criticizing an opponent based upon appearance, that candidate reveals himself as completely devoid of substance and accomplishment upon which to base his own candidacy.

 

And, I believe that the New Jersey electorate took notice and the State’s great mass of Independent, politically-moderate voters were left with a choice:  Christie, the Republican, or Daggett, the Independent.  In the final analysis, the vast majority of these swing voters cast their ballots for Christie, not – I surmise – through any particular fondness or allegiance to Christie, but rather through their collective desire to witness a change in the State’s political and economic direction.

 

Daggett, despite a strong showing in the Gubernatorial debates, could not overcome the skepticism of the average voter regarding the electability of independent and minor party candidates.  Viewing a vote for Daggett as a benefit to the incumbent, most of his potential supporters ultimately pulled the lever for Christie.

 

In the end, I believe that both Corzine and Christie were humbled by the election results.  Corzine, having lost election in a solidly-blue state, appeared bewildered by the magnitude of the defeat but nonetheless demonstrated grace in his concession speech and pledged to fully support the transition to the new Christie Administration.  Christie, greeting his supporters to the beat of Bruce Springsteen’s “Born to Run,” seemed surprised and deeply grateful for the opportunity provided him by the electorate.

 

Vowing – in his victory address – to get right to “work” and “turn Trenton upside down,” Christie, no doubt, delighted his supporters and sent a shudder down the spines of the leaders of the State’s employees’ unions and the NJEA, labor organizations that vehemently opposed Christie’s election and that many have blamed for the State’s runaway spending and bloated budget.

 

But, to achieve anything, Christie will have to build bridges and work cooperatively with a State legislature still firmly controlled by the Democrats.  That work will certainly begin during the transition.  If, however, partisan politics rears its ugly head during the early days of this new Administration and threatens efforts to solve our State’s problems, it is incumbent upon we, the State’s citizens, to provide the political pressure to both Governor and legislature alike to assure progress toward our State living up to its moniker as the “Garden State.”

 

In an election with national repercussions, New Jerseyans will go to the polls tomorrow to elect a Governor.  Many view the New Jersey race, along with the Virginia gubernatorial election and a Congressional election in New York state, as a referendum on the year-old Obama presidency and Democrat control over Congress.

 

As a not-quite impartial observer, I, as I am sure many of the State’s residents, have been amused by the nature and tone of the campaigns.  If you watch and accept as true his commercials, incumbent Democrat Governor Jon Corzine has done a fabulous job over the past four years – reducing property taxes, protecting the environment, improving access to healthcare, bolstering education, fighting unemployment, and leading an affirmative response to the recent economic downturn that has saved the State from disaster.  Of course, if you believe the ads of his Republican challenger, former U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, Corzine’s term of office has been a total disaster and Christie has the answers and expertise to solve the State’s problems.  Then, there is independent challenger Chris Daggett.  A former Regional Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency and Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection under Republican Governor Kean, Daggett represents somewhat of a wildcard in the campaign.  His candidacy could potentially benefit Governor Corzine by siphoning votes from his challenger, Chris Christie, and has led some critics to assert that that is precisely his motive in the race.

 

As the campaign has unfolded, the mudslinging has intensified, including apparent attacks by the Corzine campaign on Christie’s weight (yes, Chris – if not yet married – could have been the bachelor on More to Love).  It seems that candidates will do or say anything to get elected; only to renege on campaign promises once elected.

 

In this vein, I have collected and below present some advertisements by the candidates.  Unfortunately, independent Chris Daggett’s campaign had fewer resources, making his advertisements harder to find.  Yet, I feel that the ads below are a fair sampling of what the candidates were saying about themselves and each other.  I will attempt to caption them according to their content.

 

The following ad is a Corzine commercial targeting one of his core constituencies – liberal women concerned about women’s health issues and the right to choose:

 

 

The next ad is an anti-Corzine message distributed by the Christie campaign, appealing to his more conservative Republican base:

 

 

The next ad is a Corzine attack ad:

 

 

Our next advertisement is a Christie attack ad amateurishly mimicking Rod Serling’s Twilight Zone:

 

 

The next ad impugns challenger Christie by implying that he is fat:

 

 

The following example is a form of testimonial in which former Governor Tom Kean praises and endorses Republican candidate Christie using the famous “perfect together” expression that Kean had use in various state promotional advertisements:

 

 

Finally, this last ad is independent Daggett’s. It uses footage from a gubernatorial debate to suggest that he (Daggett) is, in fact, the favorite of both of his rivals:

 

 

I hope that you have enjoyed these ads and that they have enhanced your confusion as to whom you will support in tomorrow’s election. Whomever you are supporting, be sure to vote!