CHRISTIE STILL BURDENING MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES WITH HIS FAILURES SAYS CURRIE

6/25/14

(Trenton) — Today, before a select crowd in Camden County, Chris Christie’s truth-defying narrative took center stage, as the governor denied responsibility for an array of policy concerns.

Notably, to plug a projected $2.75 billion budget shortfall created by Christie's overly optimistic revenue projections, the governor wants to cut planned pension contributions. His approach is to break the promises he made to hard working New Jerseyans, dismiss Democratic proposals, blame others for his mistakes, and then to personalize the state's challenges.

“It's shocking and disturbing that Governor Christie has no proposal to repair New Jersey’s troubled economy, and that he is incapable of accepting responsibility for his actions. In his carefully selected public appearances, he tells a few jokes, and then spins fictional tales that serve his political purposes but not our needs,” said John Currie, Chairman of the New Jersey Democratic State Committee. "Chris Christie needs to stop burdening middle class families with his failures, and start being truthful about the messes he created."

Governor Christie was willing to literally dance around his scandals on late night television earlier this month, but he refuses to acknowledge the severity of federal probes into his administration’s misuse of public funds, and prioritizes Republican campaign activities over New Jersey’s needs.

The fact is, Chris Christie’s policies have seriously undermined New Jersey’s economy, resulting in record six state credit downgrades, with further downgrades threatened, a massive hole in the New Jersey’s 2014 budget, the highest unemployment levels in the region, and a job creation rate that is ranked among the worst in the nation.

CURRIE ON CHRISTIE'S LATE NIGHT COMEDY APPEARANCE TONIGHT

(Trenton) — As news reports highlight New Jersey’s Governor Chris Christie scheduled appearance on Jimmy Fallon's "Tonight" show this evening, the New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chairman John Currie is asking whether perhaps the people of New Jersey would laugh better and louder if their governor saved the kidding for later. No joke.

“When the going gets tough, it's time to get going, not to start joking,” said New Jersey Democratic State Committee Chair John Currie. “Governor Christie should focus on solving the state’s policy problems, rather than creating distractions and making light of his many shortcomings. The governor's scandalous behavior has already made the Garden State the laughing stock of the country, so this late night comedy booking only adds insult to the the injury his failed economic policies have caused to middle class families."

Many of the Garden State's serious challenges — challenges that Christie blames on everyone but himself — are of Governor Christie’s making. In addition to the ongoing investigations into how and why the world’s busiest bridge was blocked by the governor's political appointees and citizens were put in harms way on the first day of school, the Christie administration has neglected Sandy survivors struggling to rebuild their lives, allegedly misused and misdirected public resources, and taken cronyism to “a whole new level.”

New Jersey is also enduring record foreclosures, anemic job growth and falling credit scores. And, because of Christie’s conservative priorities and excessively optimistic revenue projections, the state is facing a large budget shortfall, meaning it literally doesn’t have enough money to pay its obligations. The Christie administration’s proposal — for which he has no alternative — is to withhold promised payments to New Jersey's pension fund for public workers, a move that may well be unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, New Jersey’s deepening budget crisis has not inhibited the Governor from rewarding his political team. Despite the state's lagging economy, a Bergen Record report found that in recent months “nearly all of the state employees responsible for helping Governor Christie craft and promote his image… got raises that averaged 23 percent.” This may explain why the governor is booking television appearances instead of addressing policy concerns.

New Jersey Cannot Afford Absentee Governor

New Brunswick, NJ – Buono for Governor Campaign Chairwoman Bonnie Watson Coleman today issued the following statement:

“It’s clear that Governor Christie’s top priority is advancing his own political career, not improving the lives of working and middle class families. While the Governor was on The Jimmy Fallon Show slow-jamming the news, New Jerseyans have been slammed by his failed economic policies that have left 400,000 people out of work and caused property taxes to increase by 20 percent. His so-called “Jersey Comeback” was nothing more than empty rhetoric as too many New Jersey workers and families struggle everyday to make ends meet. New Jersey cannot afford to have an absentee Governor who will spend the next four years pandering to conservatives in the cornfields of Iowa instead of rebuilding our economy and creating good-paying jobs right here in New Jersey.”

Day 2 of the 12 Days of Christmas; Twas the Night Before Christmas with Tracy Morgan

Day 2 of my 12 Days of Christmas features a very funny reading of "Twas The Night Before Christmas", as read by Jimmy Fallon and Tracy Morgan, from a recent episode of  Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. It's destined to be a holiday classic!


latenight

Jimmy Fallon - Romney & Bain

Simply Aaawesome!

Late Night's Jimmy Fallon parodies James Taylor's performance during the Democratic National Convention Thursday. Listen for the special Chris Christie shout out.