Response by Rick Thigpen

Let’s see, President Bush dissed former Republican Governor Christie Whitman during her tenure at the EPA, gave the cold shoulder to former Republican Governor Tom Kean who did yeoman’s work as the 911 Commission Chair, and recently dispatched New Jersey’s former U.S. Attorney and current Homeland Security Director Michael Chertoff back home to remind New Jersey that we will not be receiving any new funds.  Get the picture yet?  Furthermore, I am only guessing, but I expect it has not escaped his attention that he lost New Jersey two times convincingly and that we have a Democratic Governor and two Democratic Senators.

President Bush largely ignored New Jersey during last year’s Presidential election when he received the most votes in American political history.  It is more likely for President Bush to ask Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, currently visiting him in Crawford, Texas, to find Golan Cipel a job, than it is for him to give a hoot about public doubts about his job performance in New Jersey.  We must face the facts. Unfortunately, New Jersey is largely irrelevant to Washington Republicans and certainly to President Bush.

Comment by Fairleigh Dickinson University's PublicMind Academic Associate, Rick Thigpen (J.D., Columbia University Law School). Rick is a former Executive Director of the New Jersey Democratic Party and now a partner in The Strategy Group and is a campaign coordinator for the Essex County Democratic Party. Rick Thigpen, Esq. can be reached at (609) 394-0888.