A quick clarification

CNN analysts are going on and on about the New Jersey governor's race, extrapolating what it means in the national scheme of things. One analyst talked about how big an indicator Chris Christie's election is... the fact that a Republican could win the governorship in a liberal state like New Jersey! One analyst even called it "shocking."

Friends, here are the governors of New Jersey since 1982:

1982-1990 - Tom Kean (Republican)
1990-1994 - Jim Florio (Democrat, lost in 1994 in a landslide)
1994-2001 - Christie Whitman (Republican)
2001-2002 - Don DiFrancesco (Republican)
2002-2004 - Jim McGreevey (Democrat, resigned)
2004-2006 - Richard Codey (Democrat)
2006-2010 - Jon Corzine (Democrat)

So, since 1982, in New Jersey, the "unlikely" party managed to hold the governor's office for only 16 years, with no democrat serving two terms.

If Christie winning tonight is "shocking," I can only assume the person - or anyone - saying it has never been to New Jersey.

Comments

Bill Lysse said…
Nothing that ever happens in New Jersey will EVER be an indicator of ANYTHING in the United States!! Jersey and South Carolina should merge and form their own country that no one will visit or care about!
November 4, 2009 at 2:18 PM
Sarie said…
Bill, if only that were true. A ton of commerce takes places in New Jersey, so as much as we might not like visiting there, unfortunately I don't think it's getting annexed anytime soon.
November 5, 2009 at 12:51 PM
Bill Lysse said…
Sarie, we do not need to annex NJ. We just need to merge it w/ South Carolina and build a bypass around it so we can avoid unless we really need to be there!
November 5, 2009 at 6:57 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Unapologetic rant against Counting Crows

Today, we're starting a new category of posts called "Making My Readers Mad." This is reserved for posts I think will incite the furor of some fraction of the small audience reading this fine blog. I hate Counting Crows. I have never liked Counting Crows. They came to being at a time in my life where if it didn't involve heavy guitars I hated it. Even today, when I love all kinds of rootsy bands - a little bit of just about everything, really - I cannot bear this band. Why? Let's review: They are vastly overrated. In my high school, when they first came out, every kid who loved them was an ass. And they went on and on about how great Counting Crows is. And how I just don't understand. And how the bands I like aren't nearly the musicians that the members of Counting Crows are. And, how that even though I saw Pink Floyd, Beck, an entire flipping Lollapalooza , R.E.M. and many more before graduation, I had not yet seen a "good" concert bec
Read more

Sounds of the Season 2016 - Indie Christmas & Holiday Songs You Can Live WIth

In 2007, I had just about had enough. North Carolina (which still fancied itself as the progressive spot of the South before it went and got crazy and Nashville and Austin were all "about that..." BUT I DIGRESS... where was I? Oh yes, North Carolina) local radio had stations switching to all-day Christmas music on November 1. Also, it was a year or two before that that awful flipping "Christmas Shoes" song was big. I wanted something better. Maybe something irreverent. And I succeeded!
Read more

The Best Albums of 2017

Lord. This is the only post I've made to the blog all year, which has a lot more to do with availability of time (and how free time is spent) than a lack of things to say. Several times, I've put fingers to keys only to back off... it's been a year of listening more than ranting, though, here's a one-line political blog for you, dear reader: There seem to be a lot more people interested in telling/trolling than listening. Anyway. The music. Weird flipping year. I've had about 18 hours with the new N.E.R.D. and Charli XCX albums/mixtapes/whatever-the-hell-we-call-40-minutes-of-music-in-one-place-anymores. One album below came out last year, because if you put something out on Christmas Day, it's not going on that year's list. Taylor Swift somehow managed to be simultaneously the most and least relevant musician of the year. Beck put out the perfect album for the summer of 2015, which, perhaps, makes it a candidate for one of this year's most disappoi
Read more