FDU PublicMind - July 20, 2005 Release

Response by Rick Thigpen

In New Jersey it appears you must be a Republican to see beauty in the Bush administration. With less than a third of our electorate believing the country is on the right track and nearly two thirds expressing doubts about Bush's performance as President, the question is: can Bush or Cheney really help Forrester?

The staggering numbers are that 65% of independents think the country is on the wrong track and 34% rate the President's job performance as poor. In other words a close link to George Bush and national Republican politics may significantly complicate the Forrester campaign's overwhelming need to appeal to independent New Jersey voters. I am sure Forrester wants Bush money to flow to New Jersey, but can he afford to carry the political baggage it is likely to come with? Will Forrester defend Karl Rove, justify the handling of the war in Iraq, or explain the monumental tax cuts for the wealthy in the face of record budget deficits? Or will he distance himself from the President and his policies? Will the Republican gubernatorial candidate stand behind the President's nominee for the Supreme Court?

Perhaps the Forrester campaign can find the time to tell the people of New Jersey what kind of Republican he is, particularly in light of the impending visit of the Vice President. Many New Jerseyans will want to understand the differences between Forrester and the Bush White House. It will take a strong leader and a confident candidate to challenge the policies of the White House that are harmful to New Jersey residents. Since they seem to have made up their minds about Bush, only time and the campaign will tell independent voters what they need to know about Forrester.

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.