September 2
...serving up your daily dish.
Montclair is good enough for the Sopranos and apparently the Corzine campaign likes it, too. Yesterday, driving by the park space of the Montclair Community Pre-K, something looked different. Kids were playing, but they looked more like middle schoolers, and the play almost seemed stage, with pretty, enthusiastic girls playing hand-clap games in small circles. It turned out the scene was indeed staged for an upcoming Jon Corzine commercial. As reported in the Star Ledger, Corzine selected the spot in Montclair after much scouting for a perfect locale and managed to secure it for a shoot last minute.
There was a cast of nearly 50 and bags of Blimpie sub sandwiches to nourish them. There was a crew of techies. And there was an undisclosed budget in what could become the most expensive New Jersey gubernatorial campaign ever -- given the millionaire would-be Statehouse stars.
"We invest what it takes to win," said Ivette Mendez, Corzine's spokeswoman. "We'll spend what we need to and not a dollar more."
Recruited for the noon film shoot was a large group of students from Team Academy, a Newark charter school, whose T-shirts carried the saying, "Work hard, be nice," and a similar number from an East Orange recreation department youth group called TAVE, for Teenagers Against Violence Everywhere.
Few knew much about the Goldman Sachs CEO-turned-U.S. senator-turned gubernatorial hopeful, but the fact that Corzine and his Republican opponent, Doug Forrester, are, well, rich wasn't much of a secret.
"We know that," said Natasha Edwards, 17, of TAVE.
Meanwhile, Conan the Grammarian passes on this interesting Forrester/Corzine tidbit
From the New York Times...
In West Windsor, N.J., Douglas R. Forrester, the Republican nominee for governor, held a news conference at a gas station to chastise his Democratic opponent, Senator Jon S. Corzine, for failing to join his pledge not to raise gas taxes. Mr. Forrester drove a Cadillac sport utility vehicle to the news conference.
September 2, 2005 in Major Dudes | Permalink
sounds like Corzine was really shattered by the hurrican---
Posted by: cstarling | Sep 2, 2005 1:15:45 PM
Uh, yeah, and Forester is very indearing and personable and not at all creepy.
Posted by: State Street Pete | Sep 2, 2005 2:50:57 PM
You're right, Pete...I don't either one of 'em. In fact, Democrat to Republican, I haven't liked any NJ politician for a very long time.
Posted by: Miss Martta | Sep 2, 2005 2:54:49 PM
Yeah, that's so true Martta....same goes for President for that matter. I guess I just don't like politicians period.
Posted by: State Street Pete | Sep 2, 2005 3:21:51 PM
I am sitting on the side-lines on this one...just watching two millionaires sling mud at each other.
Let me know when some really issues are discussed on the campiagn trail!
Posted by: Franklin | Sep 2, 2005 4:24:30 PM
The system we have for electing Presidents, Governors, etc. is horribly broken, that is why we continue to be offered candidates from both sides who will do little, if anything, to solve the major problem that exist.
The two parties have figured out that there is much more to go around if they just keep it between themselves...
And the media are an accomplice to all this. For example, as Franklin points out above, there is virtually no coverage or discussion of the issues in this year's gubernatorial race, the press is so addled by the thrill of even the potential of scandal that it is uninterested in covering or pursuing anything else. Ultimately, that is a poor reflection on their audience (that's us), because if we didn't lust after this crap, they wouldn't keep feeding it to us.
Bread and Circuses...
Posted by: bob | Sep 2, 2005 5:07:44 PM
Corzine is the guy who in the Montclair Times said that the County Gov system is crucial and he didn't support Montclair leaving Essex county.
Once again, those richies in Montclair, Glen Ridge, et. al. must continue to fund Sharpe James and the gang.
For that reason (and his buying of the dems so much so that Codey didn't even think of running.... And don't get me started about his purchase of the black clergy when he bought the senate seat), I will vote for the other guy....
Posted by: Profchriss | Sep 2, 2005 8:38:49 PM
