NJ Dems Need to Stop Whining About Christie “Photo Ops” and Conduct Oversight
Christie’s Record of Denial & Dismantling Provides Strong Contrast With Buono Leadership
Herb Jackson’s Bergen Record column today finally put the issue on the table, see: Christie basks in bipartisanship, but photo ops starting to irk Democrats
Governor Christie’s second joint appearance in a week with a member of President Obama’s Cabinet was not as chummy as the first. Christie had to stand by uncomfortably on Monday as Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz spoke about his certainty that climate change is a factor in severe storms like Sandy. […]
“We are past the point of debating whether policy responses are needed,” Moniz said as Christie stood by silently. “If it looks like a duck and walks like a duck and talks like a duck, it’s probably a duck. We have a climate issue that we have to address.”
Climate change is an issue Christie would rather duck as he prepares for a potential run for the presidency in 2016.
The only thing Jackson missed is the issue of Legislative oversight, which was discussed in fellow Record columnist Charlie Stile’s last column. Stile suggested that NJ Legislative Democrats were contemplating oversight on at least the NJ Transit fiasco (see: Attack on Gordon may be prelude to seeing more of Christie in Bergen
In that sense, the Obama Administration’s high profile events with Governor Christie were particularly bad.
Both the timing and the subject matter could not have been worse.
Just as Governor Christie was becoming vulnerable to critical media coverage and legislative oversight – on his keystone issue, Sandy – the Obama HUD Secretary provided cover on Sandy rebuild and climate change and the Obama Energy Secretary provide cover on NJ Transit preparedness and climate change.
And then consider that Democratic Gubernatorial candidate Senator Buono has been a leader on climate change and the environment for her entire legislative career, offering strong contrast with Gov. Christie, who has mounted a sustained and systematic assault on environmental protections, denied a need to consider climate change, and dismantled climate programs.
That is phenomenal political incompetence and malpractice by Team Obama – way to go!
Throw Christie a life preserver just as your fellow State Dems are finally beginning to get some traction on the issue!
But, NJ Dems can’t just whine about this stuff.
They need to roll up their sleeves, use the powers they posses, and conduct formal legislative oversight of the Christie record – there’s plenty of low hanging fruit.
And not just on the NJ Transit fiasco – which is s symptom – but on much broader and significant policy and management failures on climate change, disaster planning and preparedness, and climate change adaptation planning.
My goodness, it’s so obvious, even the cartoonists get it!
