August 13, 2004
HIS TRUTH IS THAT HE'S TOAST:
N.J. Newspapers Opine: Resign Now, McGreevey (CNSNEWS.com, 8/13/04, Robert B. Bluey)
Most of the major newspapers in and around New Jersey editorialized Friday that Gov. James McGreevey should step down immediately rather than waiting until Nov. 15, the date he said was necessary to ensure a proper transition.Posted by Orrin Judd at August 13, 2004 10:15 PMThe Asbury Park Press put it bluntly in an editorial headlined, "The governor must leave now." While not all newspapers commented on McGreevey's Nov. 15 departure - the result of a homosexual extramarital affair - it was quickly becoming a hot topic one day later.
"McGreevey said Nov. 15 would provide 'a responsible transition,' " the Press opined. "In reality, he manipulated his exit date to ensure that a Democrat - not elected statewide - occupies what is considered the most powerful governor's office in the nation."
According to New Jersey law, McGreevey's decision to wait until November to resign prevents the state from holding a special election. It also ensures that State Senate President Richard J. Codey, a Democrat, will hold the office until January 2006.
In New Jersey's capital, the editorial in The Times of Trenton said politics were at work behind McGreevey's choice of Nov. 15. The newspaper dismissed the governor's claim that the November date would assure a "responsible transition" for the next administration.
"Baloney," the Times' editorial stated.
Yes, he's toast, but he sure is buttering his party's bread before he burns up.
Posted by: Just John at August 13, 2004 11:38 PMMaybe the pressure from liberal leaning papers will force him to leave early but I'm not counting on it. Ideal for the GOP would be for the special election to be held and Corzine to quit his senate seat to run for governor, giving the GOP a shot at the governorship, the senate seat, and senate seats around the country as Corzine's departure would be seen as a lack of faith in the Dem's retaking the US Senate.
Posted by: AWW at August 13, 2004 11:42 PMHe's toast, but this is the state that re-wrote its rules and allowed Frank Lautenberg to pinch-hit for the indicted Robert Torricelli in 2002. New Jersey isn't a state that insists on propriety where political power is concerned. I expect a protracted soul-searching that will last just long enough to keep the matter away from voters in November.
Posted by: Dave Sheridan at August 14, 2004 2:04 AM