Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Baker to MA: “Go Jersey”

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Under Governor Patrick, Massachusetts won the Race to the Top competition, delivering millions to Massachusetts schools. We came in first place. New Jersey came in 11th, losing out on funds. And Chris Christie’s team has been roundly criticizing for bungling their application and blowing their chance.

And since Governor Christie took office the New Jersey economy is limping towards recovery, far behind ours. Check out this graph that compares the monthly unemployment numbers for the two states.

Are you ready to Go Jersey? I think I can speak for all of us by saying, “No thanks, Charlie.”

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  1. The Globe reports:

    MELROSE — With New Jersey Governor Christopher J. Christie cheerleading at his side, Republican Charles D. Baker brought 800 cheering supporters to their feet this morning with promises to challenge the Democratic Legislature to cut taxes and spending, as Christie has done in his state.

    In one of Baker’s most enthusiastic events to date, Christie regaled the crowd of partisans at Melrose City Memorial Hall with stories of his victory over an incumbent in a three-way race last year and the confrontations with the Democratic Legislature that followed, recounting it with all the gusto of a storyteller at a tavern. He playfully threatened the crowd to “go Jersey on you” and even offered an imitation of former Governor Jon Corzine at one point.

    “I’m here to show you a living, breathing example of what you’re going to see on Nov. 3,” Christie said, summing up his more serious message.

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    p>http://www.boston.com/news/loc…

    • He won against a very disliked Democratic governor who ran a nasty campaign – rather than on issues.  

  2. Wouldn’t it be easier for Charlie Baker to just move there?

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    p>Why on EARTH would he think that ANY Massachusetts resident would want Massachusetts to be more like New Jersey, for crying out loud?

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    p>These really are the sounds and sights of desperation that we see. Only a panic-stricken campaign in its death-throes would let its candidate go on the record with this kind of ridiculous foolishness.

  4. http://krugman.blogs.nytimes.c…

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    p>In what Krugman called one of the “worst” decisions ever made in NJ’s history of bad decisions, Christie cancelled a project which would have created thousands and thousands of jobs for New Jersey residents and would have helped enable the state to enjoy in the prosperity of NYC… throwing away hundreds of millions in federal funds, never mind the considerable amount of money that already went into the project.  

      • The federal government was going to give a giant portion of the entire thing to help make sure NJ’s budget wasn’t overwhelmed…

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        p>Seriously, this is something that could have been worked out, had Christie not been someone who was willing to plunge his state into the gutter in order to make some zealous partisan statement that will hurt millions of the citizens of his state.

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        p>Thankfully, he’s probably a 1 term governor…

      • and the project will do more to help NJ citizens than just about any other… after all, lots of folks in NJ work in NYC, and they’ll be able to get to and fro’ the city much more quickly, and more on time, once this project gets completed.

        • Construction in the New York Metro area  is amazingly expensive, and the State of New Jersey is on the hook for any overruns.  This doesn’t sound familiar does it ?

          • Some projects go over.  Others don’t.  Even in NYC.  That construction is expensive in NYC/NJ isn’t known only to you — they included prevailing wages and project negotiated wages and expenses into the bids and into the project.

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            p>At this time, there’s no evidence that there will be any overruns.  The Fed has paid $3B, the Port Authority $3B, and NJ is on for $2.7B plus overruns.  Do I think the Feds should cover more?  You betcha.  NJ pays lots in taxes and doesn’t get enough back.  This is green development, essential for the entire northeast rail corridor.

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            p>

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            p>Still, none of that has to do with your claim that the project “will run into huge cost overruns” merely because you say so.  Again, got any evidence?

            • When was the last time any government project in the NYC area came in on time and under budget?

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              p>The silly thing about all of these things is that “cost increases” are built in by deliberate under-estimation at the “sale” stage.

              • I didn’t make the claim that it would be over budget — roark did.  It’s on him to demonstrate that it will have cost overruns, not my job to prove that it won’t.

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                p>And CMD — got any evidence that NYC gov’t projects tend to be late or over budget, in general or relative to other major municipalities?

                • Run by the same guys as this proposed tunnel.

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                  p>How’s their new tower in lower Manhattan going?  It has been nine years, so they should be cutting the ribbon soon, right?

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                  p>I would add the $350 million, 2 mile railway connecting terminals with parking at Newark airport, and I believe there have been other similar improvements at the other airports.

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                  p>NY is sui generis:  it isn’t like other municipalities because the area covers three states, and so you need to navigate things like the Port Authority.  Also, EVERYTHING is more expensive in NY, why not construction?  (I do note that I was surprised once at the degree to which the cost of poured concrete differs from city to city, and NY was characteristically way up there.

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                  p>That doesn’t mean that these infrastructure projects are bad.  It just means that “overruns” are built into the model because if someone lays out the whole cost on day 1 there would be no political support to start in the first place.

          • “Millennium Park is considered to be the city’s most important project since the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893,[4][5] and it far exceeded its originally proposed budget of $150 million. The final cost of $475 million was borne by Chicago taxpayers and private donors. The city paid $270 million; private donors paid the rest,[6] and assumed roughly half of the financial responsibility for the cost overruns.[7] The construction delays and cost overruns were attributed to poor planning, many design changes, and cronyism. Many critics have praised the completed park.” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M…  

          • After the tax cuts the new incoming Republican Congress will pass, unemployment will certainly go down to 1% (that’s assuming we can believe Republican economists). But the transportation between NJ and New York City has gotten so bad that no one from NJ will be able to get to those jobs.

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            p>Gee, maybe it’ll be cheaper to relocate part of Manhattan to Hudson County? Is that your ideas?

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            p>Why it’s brilliant!!

  5. and never looked back.  NJ makes me nuts.

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    p>There are reasons why people prefer Massachusetts.

  6. Joan Venocchi in today’s Globe, “”Going Jersey,” Christie-style, also has its dark side. Christie called the head of the state’s teachers union a “greedy thug” who uses children as “drug mules”; in response, she describes him as a “bully” and a “liar.””

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    p>Also, many props to Sheriff Cabral for mocking Baker’s “Go Jersey” entreaty on Jim Braude immediately after the debate. Can anyone find a link to that?

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    p>Good stuff.  

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