Why support someone if you don’t back his policies?
To the editor:
With the primary elections over, the governor’s race has officially begun, even though it has been going on for some time now.
Most likely, based off recent polling, Chris Christie is going to easily win with not many people knowing who Barbara Buono is. That is a big problem for Democrats in New Jersey who aren’t excited at all about the election. Christie is very popular right now and Democrats are actually afraid of him, which is causing a rift in the party.
New Jersey is a blue state that has Democrats who will not support their own candidate. Currently there are 14 Democratic mayors who have endorsed Christie instead of Buono. That does not sound good for Democrats at all and gives Christie an even bigger edge in possible further ambitions like the presidency. Maybe these mayors want to appear bipartisan, but they are doing so at the expense of their beliefs.
Recently in the Star-Ledger there was an article saying Christie is getting from donations from people who are traditionally liberal. Their reason is that they believe he is a good political leader but they also say they believe his stances on issues are wrong. That sounds wrong to me. Why would anyone support someone who they believe is implementing the wrong policies? It does not make a lot of sense when Buono while not as politically skilled as Christie at least matches your beliefs and needs the money.
The very least New Jersey Democrats can do is not endorse Christie or donate to him. That’s it. Many Democrats may not like Buono but she is the only choice they have.
As (Newark Mayor) Cory Booker recently said, just because the Democrats in office do not support her does not mean that the Democratic base shouldn’t. Although Democrats may be upset the (state Sen. Stephen) Sweeney or Booker decided not to challenge Christie, it does not mean they should attack Buono like they are. If things stay the way they are though, Christie is sure to have a big victory because of the current disunity in the Democratic Party.
Alex Wizna
Hillsborough