One NJ Releases 1st Television Commercial Highlighting the Real Story Behind Christie's Record

Fact: NJ Is Falling Further Behind

(NEW JERSEY) – Tomorrow, One New Jersey is going up with its first television commercial to help people learn about the real story in New Jersey. The spot will run as a six-figure, state-wide cable buy for the next few weeks, and is being supplemented by a robust online ad buy.



“Governor Christie touted a Jersey Comeback. But, contrary to his claims, we’re clearly falling behind,” said Joshua Henne, spokesman for One New Jersey. "Our first commercial seeks to serve as a wake-up call to Trenton that there’s a huge gulf between the rhetoric being espoused and the reality on the ground. The sad truth is that New Jersey is falling further and further back due to the wrong-headed policies and misplaced priorities of the past few years. No amount of hype or hyperbole can hide the fact that middle-class and working families are hurting, while millionaires and powerful interests get special treatment – and New Jersey ends up worse-off, as a result.”

The facts speak for themselves. Over the past few years, New Jersey has consistently trailed the rest of America when it comes to jobs. In fact, under Christie and his policies, the state’s unemployment rate reached its widest distance from the national average since the 1970s. Right now, New Jersey has the country’s 7th highest unemployment and is the worst state in the region when it comes to joblessness.

While Christie's policies have surely warmed the hearts of right-wing think tanks, they've had a chilling effect on New Jersey's families. Protecting tax cuts for multi-millionaires, but vetoing an increase to the minimum wage reveals a backwards set of priorities. Property taxes skyrocketed some 20% on Christie’s watch, while services are slashed. Fiscal pain is pushed along to municipalities, while local residents are paying more and receiving less from local government. New Jersey also became home to the 2nd highest percentage of mortgage loans in foreclosure in America, even though rates nationally are falling to their lowest levels since 2008.

Since launching in the Summer of 2011, One New Jersey consistently shines a light on those policies striking against the best interests of New Jersey residents. One New Jersey is also exposing efforts to divide the state and its people for political gain. Along those lines, One New Jersey has written op-eds and offered commentary on a whole host of issues - including economic failures, broken promises on jobs, regressive policies and New Jersey’s chronic unemployment. A true “Jersey Comeback” would, indeed, be a great thing. Unfortunately, that’s not the real story, as the facts prove otherwise.

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One New Jersey is an independent 501(c) 4 advocacy organization that monitors policy positions and actions of elected officials and brings to light their records on the issues that matter to New Jersey’s middle-class and working families. You can follow @OneNJ on Twitter and search for “One New Jersey” on Facebook.

HOLD CHRISTIE ACCOUNTABLE – HE CAN’T HIDE FROM 3-YEAR RECORD OF FAILURE & MISPLACED PRIORITIES

Christie’s State of State Will Surely Ignore Failing New Jersey’s Families

(NEW JERSEY) – In 2009, candidate Chris Christie said we must hold a governor accountable… the same holds true today. Governor Christie runs a remarkable public relations machine and does a tremendous job bending the narrative in his favor, while simply ignoring the facts that don’t fit his polished story. However, the State of the State is about reality – not fiction.

To hear Christie talk these days, one would think his first day as Governor started the morning after Superstorm Sandy reached New Jersey’s shores. However, the dark clouds of Christie’s policies have been hovering over our state for a full three years. The people of New Jersey are strong and resilient, but our state has been neglected and is in a worse state of disrepair due to Christie.

Everyone agrees Superstorm Sandy was a hard hit for the state and devastated many families and businesses. But it is unfortunate and cynical for Christie to use the devastating storm as a smokescreen to obfuscate his anemic record of failures and misplaced priorities. And the governor should have to answer for his full record that has consistently hurt New Jersey’s middle-class.

The same problems New Jersey faced before Superstorm Sandy are still facing our state today. So, here are some of the facts that Governor Christie hopes you’ll forget. Because New Jersey has these issues – that predate Sandy and still matter:

• Unemployment is still hovering around 10%.
• Since Governor Chris Christie took office, New Jersey has consistently trailed the rest of the nation when it comes to jobs... and still does.
• Under Christie, New Jersey reached the largest gulf between state and national unemployment averages since Jimmy Carter was president.
• New Jersey residents suffered a gigantic net jump in property taxes since Christie took office – at one point reaching 20%.
• New Jersey ranks as the 46th worst-run state in America.
• New Jersey’s state economy ranks 47th.
• New Jersey’s business climate slipped to 41st.
• New Jersey now has the 2nd highest percentage of mortgage loans in foreclosure in the nation – as rates nationally have fallen to their lowest levels since 2008.
• Commuters are dealing with higher train tickets, bus fares and tolls.
• Schools are in disrepair... while teachers are disparaged.
• Higher tuition at public universities and colleges… while aid is slashed.
• 55% of New Jersey highways are in poor or mediocre condition.
• 35% of New Jersey bridges are structurally deficient or functionally obsolete.
• Christie claimed a mythical "Jersey Comeback" and based his budget on rosy revenue projections that were far from coming true well before Superstorm Sandy.
• There is one stat in which Christie has New Jersey leading the nation. We just slipped to become the number one state that people are moving out of.

****Starting at 2 pm, please follow @JoshuaHenne – who will be livetweeting @GovChristie’s State of the State.

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One New Jersey is shining a light on politicians who act against the best interests of New Jersey’s residents and who seek to divide our state for their own political gain. It is giving voice to the important issues that affect our daily lives. One New Jersey will closely monitor policy positions and actions of elected officials and expose their records on the issues that matter. You can follow One New Jersey on Twitter (@OneNJ) or search for “One New Jersey” on Facebook.

DUDE, WHERE'S JERSEY'S JOBS? NJ Unemployment Stands A Full 2 Points Behind National Average

For Immediate Release:
Thursday, October 18th, 2012


(NEW JERSEY) – New Jersey's latest unemployment numbers show the state continuing to lag the national average by a full two percentage points. While America's unemployment dipped below 8% to hit 7.8% in September, New Jersey's unemployment stands at 9.8% - just a breath away from double digits.

Things simply aren't getting better in New Jersey in any meaningful way on the jobs front on Governor Chris Christie's watch. Clearly, creating jobs for New Jersey residents isn't a priority for Christie. Rather than focusing on the job here at home, he's travelled all across the country sowing seeds for his own future. Since Labor Day alone, Christie's been stumping in such far flung-states as Iowa, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, Montana, Massachusetts, Washington, Ohio, North Dakota, Michigan, Missouri, and Indiana.

Ironically, just yesterday, Christie's itinerary in Indiana included a visit to a distribution center for Express Scripts - a pharmaceutical benefits company whose merger with Medco Health earlier this year cost New Jersey 258 jobs in Franklin Lakes, Montvale and Fair Lawn.

For nearly three years, Christie has had his way… and the Christie way is clearly not working. Christie has no jobs plan – aside from laying off workers in the public sector and cancelling projects like the bi-partisan supported ARC Tunnel that would have created jobs. He handed tax breaks to multi-millionaires, but the “job creators” simply are not creating jobs in Christie's New Jersey. His policies have done little to nothing to avert plant and office closings. Sadly, New Jersey ranks a dismal 47th in jobs - and that was before these latest numbers were released.

Since Governor Chris Christie took office, New Jersey has consistently trailed the rest of the nation when it comes to jobs. And the trend lines are only getting worse.

If only Christie cared as much about stemming job loss at home as he did promoting his own future job and personal agenda out-of-state, perhaps New Jersey wouldn't be staring at near-double-digit unemployment. Maybe that's something for Christie to ponder as he heads to Pennsylvania and Connecticut over the next few days.

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One New Jersey is shining a light on politicians who act against the best interests of New Jersey’s residents and who seek to divide our state for their own political gain. It is giving voice to the important issues that affect our daily lives. One New Jersey will closely monitor policy positions and actions of elected officials and expose their records on the issues that matter. You can follow One New Jersey on Twitter (@OneNJ) or search for “One New Jersey” on Facebook.

A Tale of Two Christies - and an overoptimistic message for the worst of times

In case anyone might have  missed this, the following op-ed ran yesterday at NJ.com and The Trenton Times 

By Joshua Henne 

In the weeks since Gov. Chris Christie fist-pumped onto the Republican stage and stepped up onto the Tampa Bay podium, many have chimed in on his keynote address. Expectations were high, and reaction ran the gamut from disappointing to middling.

Much ink has been spilled over how the speech seemed to be all about Christie's favorite subject: himself. The first mention of Mitt Romney came nearly 20 minutes into the address, and he used the word "I" a whopping 37 times.

Much has also been written about how the keynote was heavy on hyperbole and vague on specifics. But no one's pointed out the glaring disconnect between the story Christie told there and the reality in New Jersey.

While the national Republican message this campaign season will undoubtedly be the economy, Christie used the word "jobs" a scant three times. He never once uttered the terms "unemployment" or "middle class."

Understandably, Christie isn't an effective fiscal surrogate. New Jersey's economy ranks an anemic 47th and a similarly dismal 47th in jobs.

Sadly, unemployment is 9.9 percent. Since Christie took office, the state consistently lags the rest of America when it comes to jobs. In fact, unemployment stands at its widest distance from the national average since the mid-'70s.

Many who know Christie only from fluffy interviews and manufactured YouTube moments were shocked at the speech's nasty tone. Yet, the keynote was vintage Christie to those who've lived with his escapades day in and day out. No one in New Jersey was surprised to see utter disdain dripping from his lips when mentioning teachers and unions. And if you pressed the television's mute button and simply viewed facial expressions, you'd notice nothing but anger and frowns. In fact, the only time Christie seemed to smile was when he spoke about his family.

Yes, Christie delivered a heartwarming story about his mother taking three buses to get to work every day. Yet, today, Christie seems not to care how his own policies are hurting others in the same situation. Shortly after taking office, Christie increased bus fares 10 percent, not to mention train and toll escalations. How many mothers throughout New Jersey lost their jobs because they couldn't afford the commute anymore?

Admirably, Christie spoke of his father attending college on the GI bill. Yet, tuition at state colleges and universities spiked under Christie. At the same time, he cut funding for low-income students. How many fathers or fathers-to-be can't afford college or are forced to take out onerous loans because Christie jacked up the price of education?

Lip service was given to bipartisanship. Yet, the only time the governor finds common ground is when someone scurries over to where he's already standing. To Christie, bipartisanship means dragging someone across the aisle or taking sole credit for ideas started by Democrats years before he came to Trenton.

Christie took a victory lap about balancing the budget three years in a row. Yet, in New Jersey, it's constitutionally mandated. In marking this "accomplishment," Christie is insisting on a gold star for something he had to do. It's akin to asking for a round of applause from a cop for driving under the speed limit or from one's wife for taking out the trash.

Delusionally, Christie alluded to lower taxes. Yet, in addition to tolls and transit increases, New Jerseyans have seen property taxes rise 20 percent on his watch. Fiscal pain is pushed along to municipalities, and local residents are paying more while receiving less from local government.

This all occurred while Christie seeks tax cuts for multimillionaires at the expense of the middle class.

Ironically, Christie delivered the keynote under a "We Built It" banner. Yet, he awarded $261 million in taxpayer money to Atlantic City casino moguls and also handed over hundreds of millions to mall developers in Bergen County.

Ultimately, Christie's speech will be remembered for being unmemorable. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio gave the visionary GOP convention speech Christie was shooting for. ?A week later, at the Democratic convention, San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro gave the inspiring keynote many Republicans were hoping for.

And Christie should take notes on Newark Mayor Cory Booker's platform address for how a Jersey national name can deliver a passionate speech without resembling an angry man. Hint: It includes smiling and talking about aspirations, not simply making attacks and ignoring facts.

Long has Christie dreamed of making a mark like his political heroes. But wherein Ronald Reagan made us feel good about America and Tom Kean made us feel good about New Jersey, Christie only cared about making the audience feel good about Chris Christie.

And he even fell short on that front. Sure, he quoted his mother, who "never thought you get extra credit for just speaking the truth," but Christie outright failed by glossing over the truth back home.

As a drawbridge Republican, Christie got his and now believes you're on your own. This keynote was just like his record in New Jersey: mediocre, aggressive and, most of all, hypocritical.

Joshua Henne is a Democratic strategist and the spokesman for One New Jersey. Reach him on Twitter @JoshuaHenne.

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One New Jersey is shining a light on politicians who act against the best interests of New Jersey’s residents and who seek to divide our state for their own political gain. It is giving voice to the important issues that affect our daily lives. One New Jersey will closely monitor policy positions and actions of elected officials and expose their records on the issues that matter. You can follow One New Jersey on Twitter (@OneNJ) or search for “One New Jersey” on Facebook.

If Mitt Romney wouldn't choose Chris Christie, why should N.J. voters

In case you missed it, this op-ed that ran in The Times of Trenton and NJ.com earlier this week.

By Joshua Henne

With Chris Christie's lackluster record at New Jersey's helm, it's no surprise Mitt Romney passed on the Garden State's governor when selecting a running mate.

Ever a shrewd businessman when it comes to enriching himself, Romney knows he would get a poor return on a Christie investment.

In one regard, sure, it would have made sense, since they both look out for the "One Percent," believe corporations are people and share a worldview that promotion of the powerful, super-wealthy and politically connected should be put ahead of the well-being of children, senior citizens and middle-class families.

But it's also obvious that Christie's negatives would outweigh the positives on the national stage. That's why Paul Ryan got the call.

Clearly, Mitt Romney has made many mistakes on the campaign trail.

But he learned at least one lesson from John McCain's biggest folly of 2008. There's no way a presidential candidate could possibly pluck a first-term governor with more sizzle than substance - again.

The parallels between Sarah Palin and Chris Christie are remarkable: Both burst onto the national scene and quickly became addicted to the adulation. And both care more about personal brand, generating headlines and garnering attention than actual results. Neither are team players.

Christie relishes his reputation as a loose cannon.

At one point, his sporadic "straight talk" set him apart from the vanilla political speak we've become far too accustomed to - especially compared to his aloof predecessor. But no longer are these merely isolated incidents that spew from Christie's lips.  Rather, New Jerseyans are now subjected to a steady stream of hair-trigger, out-of-control antics unbefitting a public servant. So, it's a huge question mark as to whether Christie is even cut out for the rigors of a national campaign - where his record can't be glossed over and he'd have to actually answer for his substantial failures.

Once the rest of America looked past the bluster, hype and manufactured YouTube moments, they'd quickly see how New Jersey has unrelentingly trailed the country when it comes to jobs.

From an image standpoint alone, the fact that New Jersey's economy ranks a dismal 47th would remind voters that Massachusetts' economy was 47th in job creation under Gov. Romney.

In June, New Jersey's unemployment jumped nearly half a point, which was the largest monthly spike since 2009. The rate rose again in July to 9.8 percent, as the state lost another 12,000 jobs – 7,100 of which were in the private sector. Today, New Jersey's unemployment stands a full 1.5 percent higher than the nation's rate. This is the widest gulf from the national average since Jimmy Carter's first months in office.

Job creation and retention aren't the only areas where the governor has been a disappointment. Christie is the A-Rod of politics - lots of ego-driven, self-serving stats and self-promotion, but little by way of tangible benefits to the team (the residents of the state).

While Christie's policies have surely warmed the hearts of right-wing think tanks everywhere, they've had a chilling effect on New Jersey's families.

Property taxes have increased a staggering 20.4 percent since he took office, and one in every three children is now considered poor. New Jersey is also home to the second-highest percentage of mortgage loans in foreclosure in America, even though rates across the country are falling to their lowest levels since 2008. And due to Christie greasing the wheels for corporations at the expense of small businesses on Main Street, New Jersey's business climate ranking has slipped all the way down to 41st.

From the moment he lifted his hand off the Bible, Christie's been looking to trade up from the Trenton Statehouse to a grander stage. And he's used his constituents as stepping stones to accomplish this goal. Christie has taken his eyes off doing the work needed to make life better for New Jersey's families, and instead spends boundless time and energy on a magical mystery tour promoting his own objectives. With priorities like that, why would Romney ever want someone who cared more about personal ambition than doing the actual job at hand? As a running mate, Christie would have simply used the opportunity to audition for a future gig at Romney's expense - just as he's pursued regressive policies at the expense of New Jersey's middle class.

Yes, Christie and Romney share an agenda of looking out for those in the upper echelon of the economic strata while leaving everyone else in the dust. However, Christie's political baggage, fiscal shenanigans and abject failures would have been far too much of a distraction over the campaign's stretch run. Christie would bring virtually nothing to the table. Even worse, he would cut at the very heart of what little narrative Romney has left and torpedo his Hail Mary pass for the Oval Office. 

If Mitt Romney wouldn't choose Christie, why should New Jersey voters when he stands for re-election? The governor can only hope Romney wins the White House and hands him a plum Cabinet post. This way, Christie can enjoy a face-saving exit before he has to answer at the polls next year.

Joshua Henne is co-founder of White Horse Strategies, a communications and political consulting firm, and spokesman for One New Jersey. Find him on Twitter@JoshuaHenne.

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One New Jersey is shining a light on politicians who act against the best interests of New Jersey’s residents and who seek to divide our state for their own political gain. It is giving voice to the important issues that affect our daily lives. One New Jersey will closely monitor policy positions and actions of elected officials and expose their records on the issues that matter. You can follow One New Jersey on Twitter (@OneNJ) or search for “One New Jersey” on Facebook.

Christie’sRhetoric Does Not Match Reality

The following Op-Ed was written by Josh Henne and appeared in yesterday's The Record:



GOVERNOR Christie devotes a lot of time talking about a “Jersey Comeback.” But the truth is more like an impressionist painting by Monet or Seurat. From a distance, it seems as if things make sense … but the closer you get, the more you realize the dots don’t seem to connect.

When Christie goes on the cable news circuit or beats his chest to sympathetic audiences in far-off states, he paints a vivid picture. But in New Jersey, folks know the rosy rhetoric isn’t matching reality.

Whenever I hear beltway talking heads gush about Christie, I feel like yelling at the screen: “You’re not from New Jersey. You have no clue what you’re talking about.”

You aren’t sitting in traffic outside the Lincoln Tunnel or on a delayed train coming into Penn Station because Christie canceled the bipartisan-backed ARC tunnel linkage to Manhattan. Your kids’ teachers aren’t the ones being used as a political piñata to score points. Nor did your children lose out on $400 million in Race to the Top funding because your governor bungled the application.

Your air, land and water won’t be filthier because Christie is allowing corporate polluters to rewrite the rules via Department of Environmental Protection waivers. You aren’t living in a state where one out of every 12 mortgages is in foreclosure, and whose business climate has landed the state 41st out of 50. And you don’t have a governor who vetoed women’s health four times at $7.5 million a pop maintaining the money wasn’t there, while giving $261 million in bailout money to casino moguls.

Christie’s boosters point to popularity in the polls as if it gives him a mandate to run roughshod. But these same folks should realize that in 1997, Gov. Christie Whitman came within a whisker of losing to a completely unknown Jim McGreevey a mere year after polls had her at 62 percent.

This Christie’s numbers are due more to dumping millions of unanswered dollars into television advertising than actual ability to govern.

Face-saving exit
Every time Christie claims he doesn’t want to run for national office, I immediately think of Br’er Rabbit begging Br’er Fox not to throw him in the briar patch. It should come as no surprise that Christie relished being in the mix as Romney’s potential running mate, not just to feed his ego, but also because the opportunity would provide a face-saving exit valve from a state whose residents know the true story.

Just last month, unemployment spiked nearly half a point to 9.6 percent – the most severe monthly increase since 2009 and the largest disparity from the national average since 1978.

In fact, underemployment stands at 15.5 percent. For Christie, success is measured in increments of attention rather than measurable improvements for his constituents. Recently, the governor’s staff squawked about hitting 5 million YouTube hits, as if that’s a measure of success. Viral videos, retweets and Facebook “likes” are not the numbers that matter to New Jersey residents.

The real stats are grisly in the Garden State. Chronically lagging the nation when it comes to unemployment, allowing corporate polluters to rewrite environmental regulations and borrowing money the state doesn’t have to subsidize a tax cut for multimillionaires – that’s Christie’s New Jersey. We have a state economy that ranks 47th in the nation and are facing a property tax rate jump of 20 percent – those numbers mean something.

Now that the fantasy of his vaunted “comeback” is crashing down around him in the face of actual facts, Christie is acting like a man with one foot out the door. Clearly, the governor is a gifted politician with a calculating mind for campaign strategy. So when he vetoes funding for women’s health, nursing homes, after-school programs and repairs at the Marcellus Street Bridge in voter-rich Bergen County a mere year before Election Day, one has to wonder if Christie’s head is in the game … or if he even still holds designs on standing for reelection.

Seeing enemies
Christie is acting downright Nixonian in seeing enemies lurking around every corner. At first it was Democratic legislators bearing the brunt of his anger — which is to be expected in politics. Today, he sees adversaries everywhere: in the classroom, at press events, even on the boardwalk.

With each escalating incident, Christie repeats himself – first as tragedy, then as farce. Maybe this is all just a brilliant smokescreen designed to divert attention from his failures or to set himself up for a job in the entertainment industry.

Christie may skip town before the piper comes to make him pay for his failures. It’s New Jersey’s taxpayers and families who are going to be left holding the bag.

Joshua Henne is a co-founder of White Horse Strategies, a New Jersey-based political consulting firm, and is a spokesman for One New Jersey.

Romney Won't Select Christie As His Running Mate

By Joshua Henne, One New Jersey

(NEW JERSEY) - With Mitt Romney speeding up his running-mate selection to stop his campaign's continuous bleeding of bad story after bad story, it is clear that Chris Christie isn't going to make the cut.

Here are 14 reasons why Romney won't select Christie for the vice-presidential slot:

1. Remember the last time a Republican picked a governor short of one-term who burst onto the national scene and became addicted to the adulation, who was more sizzle than substance and who cared more about personal brand than helping a ticket.

2. When Romney hears the word "shore" he thinks "offshore accounts - where I can stow away my money". But, Christie thinks "Jersey Shore - where I can bully constituents on the boardwalk during an ice cream cone run."

3. Ronald Reagan said the most dangerous 9 words were "I'm from the government, and I'm here to help"... but he was wrong, it's "I'm Chris Christie, and I know the nuke codes."

4. The fact that New Jersey's economy ranks 47th nationally under Governor Christie would remind folks that Massachusetts ranked 47th in job creation under Governor Romney.

5. Month after month, New Jersey chronically lags the rest of America in jobs - often a full percentage point higher in unemployment than the national average.

6. CNBC reports New Jersey slipped to 41st in business climate under Christie - which wouldn't really do well to shore up support among the GOP's Wall Street base.

7. One out of every twelve mortgages in New Jersey is in the foreclosure stage. This number continues to spike as rates nationally have fallen to the lowest levels since 2008. New Jersey now has the 2nd highest percentage of mortgage loans in foreclosure in the nation.

8. With all of Romney's Bain gambles and bailout hammering, does he want a running mate who gave a $261 million bailout to casino moguls?

9. Does Romney really need to add a Halfway House scandal to his list of campaign worries?

10. Romney doesn't want a running-mate who talks more often to the Koch Brothers than he does.

11. Christie wouldn't even be able to carry his home state... just like Romney won't carry Michigan or Massachusetts. And wouldn't that be embarrassing.

12. Christie has used his time in Trenton to audition for the national stage at the expense of doing his job back home. As running-mate, he would simply use the opportunity to audition for a future gig at the expense of the top of the ticket.

13. Christie falls asleep at Springsteen concerts. Can you imagine what he'd do during Romney's warbling rendition of "America the Beautiful"?

14. Christie might turn Romney down because he already has a more lucrative gig lined up at Fox News for after November.

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One New Jersey is shining a light on politicians who act against the best interests of New Jersey’s residents and who seek to divide our state for their own political gain. It is giving voice to the important issues that affect our daily lives. One New Jersey will closely monitor policy positions and actions of elected officials and expose their records on the issues that matter. You can follow One New Jersey on Twitter (@OneNJ) or search for “One New Jersey” on Facebook.

Christie's Rosy Revenue Projections Are A Fraud

For Immediate Release:
Thursday,May 24, 2012

Still Pushing Tax Cuts to Multi-Millionaires While Lying About Revenue Projections Will Only Delay A Genuine Jersey Comeback

(NEW JERSEY) - The non-partisan Office of Legislative Services is warning that New Jersey is facing a whopping $1.3 billion tax revenue shortfall. These bleak numbers show the rosy revenue numbers Governor Chris Christie has been touting for the past several months have been self-serving, delusional and completely wrong.

Christie's administration now claims the revenue shortfall will "only" be a mere $676 million - which is akin to saying Snooki is just a little bit tan. Even with this newly-crafted, best-case scenario, Christie continues pushing income tax cuts for the wealthy in spite of the bad news. In fact, yesterday, the OLS's budget chief said an additional $900 million shortage could be tacked onto the already-stark numbers if revenue growth rate continues at its current clip.

Just as his "Jersey Comeback" has been undercut by reality and cold hard facts, Christie's revenue projections are inflated and unrealistic. Since the non-partisan OLS numbers don't match his stubborn attempts to cut taxes for the super-wealthy, Christie has once again resorted to name-calling and mean-spirited attacks. He's referred to OLS staff as "Dr. Kevorkian" and "hand maidens." Hopefully, his salty language won't fool anyone into ignoring the real issue. Namely, that Christie's rosy rhetoric fails to match reality.

Just as there is one set of rules for Chris Christie and one set of rules for everyone else, it seems there is also one set of revenue projections for Chris Christie and another for everyone else. Christie's delusional fairy tale flies in the face of facts that consistently prove tax cuts to the super-wealthy fail to create jobs, but instead merely create more wealth for the One Percent - many of whom are his campaign donors - to sit on.

Christie likes to say the debate now isn't whether to cut taxes or not, but which taxes to cut. Well... the question now isn't whether Christie's rosy revenue projections are off, but whether they are only insanely off by hundreds of millions like he now admits, or obscenely off by $1.3 billion, as OLS projects.

Christie wants to claim more money on the books, so he can bankroll unfair and unsustainable tax cuts benefiting the One Percent, while leaving the middle-class out in the cold. Yet, it is painfully clear that the state does not have the money needed to fund this scheme. And it is New Jersey's middle-class and municipalities who will be harmed if it comes to pass. By continuing to foolishly and blindly charge ahead and push tax cuts to multi-millionaires while lying about the numbers, Christie is simply delaying a genuine Jersey Comeback.

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One New Jersey is shining a light on politicians who act against the best interests of New Jersey’s residents and who seek to divide our state for their own political gain. It is giving voice to the important issues that affect our daily lives. One New Jersey will closely monitor policy positions and actions of elected officials and expose their records on the issues that matter. You can follow One New Jersey on Twitter (@OneNJ) or search for “One New Jersey” on Facebook.

CHRISTIE BELIES HIS “BIPARTISANSHIP”

For Immediate Release:
Monday, May 7th, 2012

In Speech to Right-Wing Think Tank, Christie Shows True Colors

(NEW JERSEY) – On Friday, Governor Chris Christie once again jetted off to speak to a fawning out-of-state audience in his incessant quest to bolster talk about being a potential vice-presidential pick. This time it was at an awards banquet in Washington, D.C. sponsored by The Cato Institute – a right-wing think tank.

The next time Christie tries to tell someone he is bipartisan and there is room on the big boulevard of ideas in New Jersey, just remember these words from his speech:

"I could sit down and negotiate with the Democratic leadership and the Democratically controlled legislature to try to come to an agreement on these cuts, or, thanks to New Jersey's unique Constitutional structure, cut spending through executive order. Now, for those of you who watched me over the past two and a half years, if you believe I chose the former, then it is now time for you to leave. You are note smart enough to be here at the Milton Friedman Dinner." – Governor Chris Christie (5/4/2012)

In Christie’s world, bipartisanship means others simply acquiescing to his desires both politically and policy-wise. The Christie definition of bipartisanship is dictating the policies and getting Democrats to vote for them. This is a stale retread of the “my way or the highway approach,” rather than his lip service of meeting others on the boulevard of ideas.

Here is just a small sampling of Christie’s “bipartisan” leadership:

• Demanding income tax cuts that overwhelmingly benefit the super-wealthy, rather than more equitable property tax cuts that help middle-class families
• Saying he had better things to do – like re-arrange his sock drawer – than debate a Democrat over New Jersey’s tax plans
• Refusing to even contemplate a millionaire’s tax
• Line-item-vetoing women’s health funding – which traditionally has bipartisan support in New Jersey
• Pushing an ALEC-approved raft of policy proposals
• Rolling back decades of environmental protections via the DEP Waiver Rules
• Pulling New Jersey out of the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI)
• Cancelling the long bipartisan-supported ARC Tunnel linking New Jersey to Manhattan
• Waging war on an independent judiciary
• Degrading defiant Democrats with name-calling – such as “jerk”, “numbnuts” and “liar”

** One more note from the Cato Institute speech that shows how Governor Christie plays fast and loose with the facts is when Bergen Record columnist Herb Jackson noted: “Christie stressed the importance of being honest with the public, but he also used exaggerated figures to make the deficits he closed and the tax cuts he’s enacted and proposed seem larger. For example, he cited the multiyear value of tax cuts.”

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One New Jersey is shining a light on politicians who act against the best interests of New Jersey’s residents and who seek to divide our state for their own political gain. It is giving voice to the important issues that affect our daily lives. One New Jersey will closely monitor policy positions and actions of elected officials and expose their records on the issues that matter. You can follow One New Jersey on Twitter (@OneNJ) or search for “One New Jersey” on Facebook.

CHRISTIE TAKES CARE OF HIS OWN

For Immediate Release:

 Springsteen Fanatic Warps Bruce’s Latest Song By Continuing To Take Care Of The 1%...While Aiming A Wrecking Ball At NJ’s Middle-Class

(NEW JERSEY) – With Governor Chris Christie set to deliver his annual Budget Address this afternoon, it’s obvious the self-professed Springsteen fanatic has severely misinterpreted the message behind Bruce’s latest song “We Take Care of Our Own.”

 Christie clearly takes this title to literal heart in taking care of his own friends – namely, corporate influences, the politically-connected and the One Percent. Apparently Governor Christie spends more time tapping his toes to Max Weinberg’s beat and Steve Van Zandt’s neat guitar riffs than actually listening to Springsteen’s lyrics.

 While Christie pays lip service to “shared sacrifice,” his priorities and policies consistently favor those at the very top of the economic scale. The governor pledges tight finances when it comes to short-shrifting New Jersey’s middle-class and working families. Yet, he miraculously finds funds in the budget couch cushions when it comes to taking care of his own and filling their pockets.

At the same time that special interests and the super-wealthy are reaping rewards, Christie has consistently delivered mean-spirited budget cuts and vetoes that hurt the middle-class and working families. In 2010, with the stroke of a pen, the governor maliciously eliminated a $7.4 million women’s health budget line that helped fund clinical breast exams and pap tests. Christie’s 2012 budget cut $55 million to higher education scholarships for low-income students and another $10 million in legal services for the poor. Last year’s budget also slashed $149 million to New Jersey’s struggling cities.

Christie has consistently showered the super-wealthy and corporate interests with hand-outs, bail-outs, tax subsidies and rule-changes. For example, right now, the Christie administration is attempting to allow corporations an end-run around long-standing environmental laws. Essentially, this sop to the bank vaults of Christie’s corporate friends would weaken over 100 necessary protection guidelines and poison New Jersey’s land, air and water.

Moreover, Christie is working on a dream if he thinks we can cut income taxes by more than $1 billion over the next three years while continuing to fund school aid and meet all of New Jersey’s other budgetary obligations. Even worse, his proposed cuts will not really help middle-class families in any meaningful way. A family earning $50,000 would save only $80.50. Those earning $100,000 would get back just $275. Yet, millionaires would receive a whopping $7,265. Once, again, Christie is taking care of his own.

While Christie’s “Jersey Comeback” sound bite might play well to D.C. beltway crowds and fawning right-wing rallies, the real story at home doesn’t match the rhetoric. Month in and month out, New Jersey continues to lag the rest of the nation when it comes to jobs. Property taxes continue to skyrocket, while residents receive diminished services. Tolls, bus fares and train tickets are all up. Commercial property foreclosures spiked 10% over the last year alone. And late mortgage payments jumped from 7.43% to 8.32% from 2011’s third to fourth quarter.

We all know that the governor is a self-professed Springsteen fan who has attended a boatload of E Street Band concerts. But obviously Christie only listens to the melodies, because he is missing the true meaning behind the words. In crafting a budget, a real leader should internalize Bruce Springsteen’s long-held mantra: Nobody Wins Unless Everybody Wins. Instead, Christie has consistently aimed a wrecking ball straight at the heart of New Jersey’s middle-class.

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