FRAMING THE ARGUMENT/ GOP V. CORZINE

Vermont Governor Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee says the decision as to who should be the next President of the United States shouldn’t be very hard to make. He says, “If you’re for the war and against children, vote Republican. If you’re against the war and for children, vote Democrat.” The war reference needs no explanation. The part about children refers to the President’s veto of a bill to re-authorize the State Children’s Health Insurance Program. Dean said all Republicans are complicit even those who voted in favor of re-authorization. Dean spoke this morning at a Democratic Party fundraiser in Union County. I wasn’t there, but I spent some time speaking with Dean yesterday and he threw out a catchy quote that we’ll probably being hearing a lot and you may have heard already. He said, “Republican dress like it’s the 1950s and they talk like it’s the 1850s.”

The GOP case against the Corzine Administration plays out in court again today. Republican State Committee chairman Tom Wilson wants to force Governor Jon Corzine to make public all e-mails he exchanged with his union leader, ex-girlfriend Carla Katz during state worker contract talks. A judge is expected to rule on whether Corzine did or did not turn over all of the e-mails to the court. One of the key players in the case says, “Today could be a circus.” We’ve covered every court proceeding in this case and if today turns out to be circus-like it would be a first unless circuses are now tedious, uneventful and resolution-free.

Finally, I want to admit a mistake. In July, Corzine had a brief media availability outside the Senate chamber in the State House and he was asked about how much money he has given Katz and if his past romantic relationship with her tainted the contract negotiations. He gave the same he has always given; these are personal matters and then he said, “You can keep asking until you get tired of asking.” I thought at the time and may have even said that I would never get tired of asking. Wrong! I am tired of asking. I’ll keep asking when necessary because it is my job, but I fully admit that I am tired of asking.