N.J. Governor A Role-Model For Candidates In 2010 And Beyond

Although he's indicated he's not interested in running for president, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has won accolades for the job he's doing and hopeful Republicans are trying to draft him for a 2012 run. A video of Mr. Christie dressing down a Star-Ledger reporter who critiqued his "confrontational tone" has gone viral, with more than 90% of the viewers agreeing with his response.

How unusual it is to hear an elected politician say, "I came here to govern, not to escape. I came here to govern, not to worry about getting reelected. I came here to do what people sent me here to do."

N.J. is lucky to have as its governor a man who refuses to kowtow to the media and instead warns them, "This is who I am." He further explains his mission as "less government, lower taxes and empowering local officials who are elected by their citizens to be able to fix their problems."

While the media may denounce his demeanor as confrontational and combative, we find it honest and refreshing and rare. The rise of the Tea Parties and their increasing influence in elections reflects a strong resentment against politics as usual and may signal a thirst for new blood and be a death knell to incumbents.

N.J. has the highest property taxes in the country. I remember speaking to a Jersey man who installed my garage doors who inquired about the prices of houses in my neighborhood. He bragged that his house only cost $259,000 and it was twice as big as the house that was selling nearby for $485,000. When I asked how much his taxes were, he was embarrassed to admit that they were five times what we pay in New York City. Of course, NYC has a very large tax-base, which keeps things reasonable. Nevertheless, N.J. property owners bear the brunt of the costs enacted by a spendthrift legislature.

N.J. also is broke, so what does the Democrat-controlled legislature do? It passes a millionaires tax. What did Mr. Christie do? He vetoed it. Kudos to Christie.

Mr. Christie is a most unlikely matinee idol, but more and more voters and conservative women are falling in love with him, myself included. His 2009 opponent, billionaire Governor John Corzine, tried to ridicule his appearance during the gubernatorial campaign by running an ad showing Mr. Christie in slow motion getting out of an SUV and a narrator saying that Mr. Christie "threw his weight around" to avoid getting traffic tickets.

The rotund governor has admitted that he has struggled with his weight since his teens and you know what? So has most of the country. It's heartening to see that voters don't always go for the superficial appearance of a candidate but will actually listen to what he has to say. Mr. Christie is doing exactly what he said he would.

In April, Mr. Christie ordered education cuts that embroiled him in a battle with the teachers union. He had requested a 1-year wage freeze and that a small percentage of pension costs be paid by the teachers. A poorly conceived joke was circulated via e-mail to Bergen County union members that prayed for Mr. Christie's death. One has to wonder what lessons these classless teachers are passing on to their students.

At a town hall meeting, Mr. Christie was confronted by a teacher who whined about her measly salary and that she had a Master's degree and wasn't getting paid what she was worth. Mr. Christie said to some applause: "Well, you know then that you don't have to do it."

He then told her that the cuts would not be necessary if the union had agreed to his requests. As it turns out, someone looked up the teacher's measly salary and found it was $86,389, according to the school district where she works. My daughter is a teacher in the parochial school system and even teachers there with Master's degrees and years of experience don't make anywhere near that figure. Yet their success rates in education far surpass any public school system, proving that it's not the salary but the dedication and competence in a teacher that works wonders.

The latest news is that Mr. Christie and the teachers union have reached an agreement without him caving in like the New York mayor did. As Mr. Christie tries to rein in a profligate legislature, New York State will be having a gubernatorial race that may elect a new governor. The much beleaguered incumbent, Governor David Paterson. will be challenged by State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in the Democrat primary.

New York State has been a political cesspool for years and many of the elected officials have been here for years and are up for reelection this November. State Assembly Leader Sheldon Silver, a Democrat, has been Speaker since 1994; Rep. Charles Rangel, a Democrat, has been in office since '71; Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat, has been there since '92, and Senior Senator Charles Schumer, a Democrat was elected in '98 but served in the House since '81. Considering the sad state of New York, one would think they'd feel threatened but instead they're superconfident about being reelected. What does that say about the intelligence of the average N.Y. voter?

The question is whether New York voters will be as wise as New Jerseyites who recognized that Chris Christie was a man of common sense and was determined to downsize the government. Unfortunately, the hierarchy of the New York State GOP seems to think that candidates have to be moderate Republicans to get elected in New York. The rumor is that the GOP will be running a former Democrat for governor.

Perhaps at one time that strategy worked, but it's obvious that the strong surge of the Tea Party organizations indicates that they believe that conservative values will fix the economic mess we're in. In my own congressional district, an excellent candidate, Michael Grimm, is running who fits the perfect profile: former Marine; combat veteran; ex-FBI agent, and businessman. You'd think he'd be a shoo-in for the GOP line, but he still has to survive a September primary.

Liberals are seeking reform through larger government. The truth is that we can't afford it. If Republicans want to take back the government, they need to use Chris Christie as their role model, now and for 2012.

That means substance over style should be their standard.

Alicia Colon resides in New York City and can be reached at aliciav.colon@gmail.com and at www.aliciacolon.com