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Corzine is...On the Line I recently hosted another live call-in edition of "Corzine on the Line", an interactive, electronic town meeting that was produced in cooperation with The Star-Ledger and NJ.com. "Corzine on the Line" was simulcast on PBS stations Thirteen\WNET New York and WHYY/TV 12 Philadelphia, and heard on NPR radio stations WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM and WHYY 91 FM. When you do a live call-in show with a politician, you wonder if anyone will actually call in, or if anyone will even care, particularly when you are competing against highly popular (although not exactly thoughtful) programming on commercial television. Well, New Jersey citizens did not disappoint. Apparently, they actually care—a lot. From the moment we got on the air on PBS, all 10 phone lines were jammed. Hundreds of e-mails came in. Governor Corzine was challenged with many hard-hitting questions, especially about how the over $800 billion federal bailout money from the Obama administration will be spent---if and when we actually get it. Jenny in Bayonne wanted to give the Governor an earful about giving "discounts" on college tuition for illegal immigrants. Given that the economy is in shambles, she says that "American citizens like me are struggling to pay for school." Ray from Pompton Plains told the Governor that "State workers have too much influence on elections" and ultimately, "on state policy." Ken from Basking Ridge asked; "How will you ensure my pension is safe in the future?" Following are some other questions for the governor that people e-mailed in from across the state: “We’ve seen too many urban hospitals close their doors in the last several years. What are you doing to keep city hospitals open and give citizens better access to care?” Shanti from Elizabeth “Instead of laying off any more state employees, why not remove all temp employees FIRST, because rates for consultants are way more than that of regular employees.” John from Monroe “Why are you against off-shore oil drilling? It's safe; will generate thousands of jobs and revenue, and above all, help satisfy the millions of taxpayers who want it.” Raymond from Manalapan “Given the current economic circumstances, why haven’t you also suggested a wage freeze for teachers and administrators?” Kendal from Flemington “What improvements to mass transit are planned over the next few of years? In light of the need for jobs, will this be part of an economic stimulus plan?” Nicholas from Passaic. After one solid hour, the Governor had taken 17 phone calls, responded to a dozen e-mails, and many other "person on the street" interviews. To his credit, Corzine was informed on virtually every aspect of every program and issue raised by New Jersey citizens. However, Corzine continues to struggle to communicate in a succinct and compelling manner that connects with voters. My sense is that he's deeply frustrated about his inability to explain how bad things are in the state and what he is trying to do to get us back on track. He was candid about the failure of his toll hike plan to get us out of debt and acknowledged he was going to have a very hard time convincing state workers to take an 18 month freeze on their salaries in order to save jobs. Corzine is no Barack Obama when it comes to communication, but I'm still convinced that he cares deeply about trying to get New Jersey out of the horrible financial mess he inherited. Yet, the winds of change are hitting us hard and Corzine is the incumbent. So, fair or not, he gets tarred and blamed for being the guy in charge when things are at their worst. That's why Chris Christie, if he survives this Republican primary, will seek to position himself as the Obama-like outsider who will change the ways of Trenton by cleaning things up and starting from scratch. Easier said than done. Corzine is going to have a war on his hands this fall, and he'll once again spend tens of millions of his own dollars to try to get re-elected. Yet, I've got to wonder why a guy, who financially has so much, would want to take four more years of abuse like this. My only conclusion is that Jon Corzine is convinced he can make a difference, even if he is going to have to convince a lot more New Jerseyans about the same thing. What do you think? Write to me at SAdubato@aol.com. Steve Adubato, Ph.D. is a commentator, lecturer and former state
legislator. Dr. Adubato is also an Emmy Award-winning television
anchor and syndicated columnist. |
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