Politics in New Jersey is about as subtle as a fist to the mouth. And with each passing blow, it's becoming clearer that this year's governor's race is going to be especially brutish -- even by Jersey standards. Nothing is off the table. Not even Republican Chris Christie's 2002 car accident with a motorcyclist who ended up in a hospital.
"I'm not sure if most of our classrooms have done away with drivers ed, but I think on behalf of our opponent, we should get that back into the curriculum," said state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, Gov. Jon Corzine's 74-year old running mate and a lady he calls "the feistiest grandmother I've ever met," at a press conference here Friday.
The event, held in front of an early education center in this blighted city, was ostensibly about education, but what Corzine and Weinberg really want to focus on is raising doubts about Christie, the former U.S. attorney who leads in the polls.
The line got a good laugh from a sympathetic crowd full of local educators, but Weinberg wanted it known she wasn't just having fun at Christie's expense. "Go for it," Corzine encouraged her.
"You know this is not a teenager we're talking about," she added. "He seems to have a set of rules for himself and another one for everyone else."
| Don't pick on Corzine like that ... |
"New Jersey races tend to get intense, and this one is heading there more quickly," said Maggie Moran, Corzine's campaign manager. "I maintain, though, that the public has a right to know about our opponent's hypocrisy."