Response by Rick Thigpen

Imagine this, George Bush has borrowed $2 billion a DAY, every day, since September 30, 2005, to run the federal government. He needed this money on top of spending $2 trillion in federal government revenue in FY ‘05.  All this spending and he still is unable to win the confidence of New Jersey voters.  If we could put Governor Corzine in George Bush's shoes today, we would solve New Jersey's budget crisis by Friday.

The public's disconnect with its elected leadership continues to grow.  Only 26% of New Jerseyans think our country is on the right track and only 34% think our state is on the right track.  Unable to borrow like Bush and aware of the formidable political dangers of raising taxes, my guess is the Governor is keenly aware that viable options are fairly narrow.

The good news: Governor Corzine walks into a very difficult budget season in reasonably good political condition.  Only 1 in 5 voters express an unfavorable opinion of him and his job approval rating is solid.  The bad news, he is publicly warning of fiscal disaster facing New Jersey and authorizing painful budget cuts and/or painful tax increases may be his only way forward.  Unfortunately, it is probably asking too much to expect constructive participation from the Republicans in fashioning a bi-partisan solution.

If Governor Corzine can put New Jersey back on sound financial footing and successfully run this daunting political gauntlet with his standing intact than he will have earned all the high praise that can be found for him.

see also:
Survey Analysis
Republican Analysis
Tabular Results
Survey Details

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.