Here's why a Republican won NJ governor...

[Postman]

A plethora of low-information voters live in NJ.

Property taxes are always an issue in NJ - very high. How a Governor can affect that short of mandating a major regionalization of schools and raising taxes on corporations and businesses is a challenge.

Apparently voters in NJ think that can happen by a voting in a Republican who promises lower taxes and better services. Sounds like the Ronald Reagan model - cut taxes for everyone but specifically for the wealthy and then borrow to pay for gov't services.

Another factor in a Republican winning the Governorship is the lame-ass Obama Administration. No Single-Payer Option for health care, retaining right-wing economic advisors that helped drive the country into a ditch, No jobs, Unemployment rising, no end in sight in Iraq and pondering an escalation in Afghnistan.......Gee I wonder why folks weren't fired up to run out and vote for Democrats?

[bullimiami]

1. mstly i think it was a referendum on corzine himself.

[Kahuna]

8. BINGO!!! He's been unpopular since his first day in office. He

struggled to close a budget gap, and the seniors didn't get their usually large property tax rebates this year. They did get something, but it wasn't as much as they usually get.

[AllentownJake]

2. Democrat lost other races last night

My local area which has been trending democrat for years in the suburbs swung back to republican.

[Postman]

4. See this ---

Another factor in a Republican winning the Governorship is the lame-ass Obama Administration. No Single-Payer Option for health care, retaining right-wing economic advisors that helped drive the country into a ditch, No jobs, Unemployment rising, no end in sight in Iraq and pondering an escalation in Afghnistan.......Gee I wonder why folks weren't fired up to run out and vote for Democrats?

[AllentownJake]

5. I know that

however other's won't see it that way.

[Sebass1271]

7. I see that. I said that last night on DU

and pretty much everyone ignored me. i think we need to write to the house. Rahm or P. Obama. We need to let them know how the sentiment is outthere. These ppl once they win, they go into a freaking bubble and can't see what's going on.
We are tired of P. Obama's non-response attitude towards HCR. We are tired of leaders not taking a strong stand against the blue democrats whom are standing against reform. WE are tired of Liberman.

[rurallib]

3. Dems tend not to turn out in off year elections

And off, off years are even worse.
I think losing the two governor's races was more due to low turnout and local issues.

[Postman]

6. That may very well be but.....

the "local issues" are driven somewhat by the "national issues"....if you don't have a job and you see the powers that be in DC moving at the speed of glaciers to solve problems .... that has consequences as well...

[Kahuna]

9. Obama has zero to do with Corzine losing. Corzine was destined

for one term long before NJers ever heard of Obama.

[Postman]

10. Maybe, maybe not...

Obama made an appearance in NJ on Corzine's behalf right before the election.

Had the Obama Administration and the Democratic majority in Congress been aggressive and progressive in their policies maybe the influence of Obama appearing, backed by his progressive agenda (which hasn't materialized), would have been enough to fire up Democrats to keep the ball rolling.....

[Kahuna]

29. As I've stated. Corzine has been popular for many years. The voters..

wanted to punish him and they did.

[Kahuna]

34. Yikes!! Correction. Corzine HAS NOT been popular...etc...nt

[rurallib]

11. true. But every sitting governor has a target on their back right now

We just happen to have more governors by a long shot.
I don't agree that Obama has been luke warm. That is in great degree to obstruction by Repugs especially in the Senate.
But the perception is that the Obama admin is going slow. This is fed and fed and fed by our shitty M$M. Perception in this country is so much more important than reality.
Also remember that Deeds ran away from Obama, so it is really hard to blame that on Obama.

I think that the results in New York's 23rd and California's 10th district more of a measure on the views of America on the Dems. Both were won by Dems. NY23 for the first time in 150 years.

[TreasonousBastard]

12. You lost it at the end...

thinking Obama has anything to to do with Joisey politix.

And thinking "single-payer" is high on the agenda in a state where the largest industry is pharmaceuticals.

[Postman]

14. The Single-Payer issue....

A Progressive measure if there ever were one that has not been embraced by the Democratic Party. Single-Payer is by far the most cost-effective form of health reform yet that message never makes the MSM and thus is lost on the majority of voters in NJ.

So yeah, maybe you're right in that it wasn't as big a factor in how NJ voters decided the race but it may be an indicator of why soo many Democrats stayed home.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

15. Democrats stayed home because they're too poor to turn out for off-year elections.

This is always, always the case.

[Postman]

18. They're too poor to turn out for off-year elections but they're not too poor for general elections?

It may be true about how political party's fare in off-year elections but I'm thinking that trend may have been thwarted had a truly Progressive Agenda been implemeted in DC which might have translated to successful elections for Governor....

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

20. Yeah, they are.

Especially in this economy, if it's between going to work and bringing home money or voting in a kinda, sorta, not really monumental election, you're going to work. There is no agenda that could've driven out more people in 2009.

[Postman]

24. I don't agree fully but somewhat ...

I still think a Progressive Agenda could have played a roll in getting people to the polls

[Sebass1271]

27. That has nothing to do with being poor. it is putting your

priorities straight. Besides, voting is until 7:00. ppl could have gone to vote after work. The reality is, that ppl don't vote on off elections. You have to be very well organized to gotv and make a difference, just like repukes were yesterday.

[Sebass1271]

26. Dems stayed home because there weas not a GOTV effort

period. DNC chairman is sleeping at the wheel. If he continues, 2010 won't be that pretty either.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

31. To be fair to Kaine, he's still Governor.

Not sure why they selected him knowing that, but it's not fair to say he's asleep at the wheel when he was only expected to be a part-time Chairman at this point.

[Sebass1271]

33. well, now that he won't have the job of governor, hopefully

he will bring his ass to work and hard, cuz dems, progressives and liberals are prett much pissed off at the lack of leadership in our party, and that goes for all, Obama, Reid and somewhat Pelosi..

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

13. Bullshit on Obama - he's got a 54% approval rating among the voters there.

Don't be Tom DeLay - we didn't lose because we "weren't liberal enough." We lost because times are friggin tough and we can't change things fast enough for a low-turnout electorate.

[Postman]

16. Okay.

Times are tough - as you say, and you're correct.

What is being done about it from DC?

The Stimulus was too small. Unemployment is still rising. Where are the jobs?

We need an FDR not a warmed over Bill Clinton.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

17. Do you know how long it took FDR to turn things around?

Here's a hint - it was a lot longer than 10 months.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

19. To prove a point...

Average rate of unemployment
in 1929: 3.2%
in 1930: 8.9%
in 1931: 16.3%
in 1932: 24.1% <---- FDR elected
in 1933: 24.9%
in 1934: 21.7%
in 1935: 20.1%
in 1936: 16.9%
in 1937: 14.3%
in 1938: 19.0%
in 1939: 17.2%3

[Postman]

21. He didn't take office until March 1933

notice unemployment went steadily down after that....

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

23. Notice that unemployment was at its peak in the year he took office.

Unless you think things were so utterly bad from January-March that it skewed the entire year.

[Sebass1271]

28. You think stimulous was too small and right wing repukes

think the stimulus was too big of a government hand out. Itn's this the reason why indies are piss at Obama too?

I am confused now.

[Craftsman]

22. According to exit pols in NJ the top 2 concerns were taxes and the economy

The rep promised to lower the property taxes (in NJ they are the highest in the country)

[Postman]

25. When people are desperate they believe anyone who will tell them what they want to hear..

Property taxes ARE high in NJ. But how does the Gov of the state affect local property taxes, the majority of the bill being school taxes?

Rebates? That money has to come from somewhere.

[DainBramaged]

30. Dems sat on their hands, period. I live here. NO ONE I know who voted in 2008 cared

and that's the answer.

[Kahuna]

36. While voting in urban Essex County... A poll worker in a very AA

neighborhood that is considered a Democratic stronghold told me that a lot of voters were coming in and talking "stupid." Her words. IOW, voters in that district were pissed and being that they are all black and Obama supporters it had zero to due with Obama, and more to do with property taxes and the loss of the annual homestead rebates.

[Dorian Gray]

32. My whole family lives in NJ

I grew up there. Lots of friends still live there. So, I know a little about their POV

Honestly? I think that the property taxes is a big issue. But it's also the rampant corruption and being sick of the constant budget crises. Many of them were sick of the status quo. While I don't think Christie will do ANYTHING at all and people will be voting to make a change again during the next gubernatorial election... I think it was more a statement about the mess of Jersey politics than anything else. And I don't think this makes any statement at all about Obama. It's about the mess of a state that Jersey is.

[Kahuna]

35. You hit the nail on the head. nt

[Reverend_Smitty]

37. Exactly...

as a NJ resident, taxes and the state budget mess were the deciding factors in the election. Obama has an approval rating in the high 50's and Corzine is somewhere around 35%, yet he still managed to pull in 45% of the vote. Voter turnout was tepid, even compared to 2005, people didn't like either candidate and most people stayed home. This has very little to do with Obama, yet the RW will try to spin it that way