It’s”game on” in the world of New Jersey politics as Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Barbara Buono made it official today, Feb. 2, 2013, in her kick off speech that she is challenging the incumbent Governor Chris Christie and wasted no time in comparing her ideas to that of the popular governor.
In a rally held in New Brunswick Buono said “We’re here today to put an end to a philosophy as tired as it is disproven, the notion that our economic problems can all be solved if only we ask the middle class and the working poor to sacrifice more so that the wealthy can become even richer.”
“After more than three years of this governor’s policies, millions of New Jersey families are suffering and struggling under an unemployment rate that hovers near ten percent; higher than it was a year ago and nearly two points higher than the nation’s. Educational opportunity is sliding, with so many of our public schools falling short and tuition costs spiraling out of control.”
Buono then aimed her comments on Christie’s republican roots and the GOP in general,” and while the Governor continues to pray at the altar of his Republican Party’s bedrock principle of tax cuts for millionaires, everyday homeowners in our state have seen their property taxes soar.”
“From Cape May to High Point, everyday New Jerseyeans are wondering the same thing: for all of this Governor’s “YouTube moments” and choreographed town halls, for all his national press appearances and magazine covers, what has he actually done to help my family lift itself from this economic morass?”
Buono then focused on her own ideas and the path that she feels the Garden State should follow, “our campaign for real change is fueled by a recognition that the only way to bring new values to Trenton is to build a grassroots organization that depends upon New Jersey’s forgotten families and neglected neighborhoods and reconnects with the values that make us great.”
“All along the way, I’ve never been afraid to stand up for what’s right, even at my own peril. Five years ago when I saw that our state pension system was at risk of collapsing under the weight of its debt, I spearheaded efforts to rein in those costs and proposed common sense reforms, to protect taxpayers from massive hikes, and help ensure that our hardworking teachers, police officers, and firefighters had the retirement security they had worked so hard to earn.”
“We must change business as usual, remake politics as usual, never mistaking name-calling for consensus-building, never confusing shouting and showmanship for strength and solutions.”
“It’s time for leadership that puts New Jersey first, that sees our state as more than just a steppingstone, that believes every child in every neighborhood deserves a state where they have the opportunity to achieve their full potential.”
“That’s the kind of Governor I will be.”
“Some say that the odds of beating this Governor are insurmountable; I say I’ve heard that my entire life and look where we are today right now!
I say that with the support of each and every one of you by my side, we will fight to take back our state we will show this Governor what it looks like when people rise together and fight for their future and we will win!”
Although, we are still in the primary stage, don’t look for anyone else to jump out of the shadows as a surprise candidate, the party bosses won’t allow it and a primary race will be costly and that is money the democrats can’t afford to waste having to fight a sitting governor whose job approval ratings are through the roof.
Instead of having to wait until June to see who his challenger would be in a normal primary, Christie has met his opponent six months early, but has he met his match?
Fasten your seatbelts and hold on, this will prove to be a wild ride.
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