Interesting Conflicting Interests? Or just plain Wankery?

We report you decide!

Already we see the lesser of two evils script being drafted by members of the NJ Press. First Doug was in trouble for skirting tax and election law liabilities by having the foresight to plant his company in DC rather than in Jersey, the place where Doug has personally made $50 million off of tax payers. Now the news arrives that Corzine has given his ex-lady friend some monetary help, a friend who happens to be the labor union boss for state workers. The gift was $470,000 and was used to help Carla Katz buy out her ex-husband's share of their home. This is an interesting part of the story. I mean this thing could have been hashed out in divorce court at a huge cost to the state, instead Corzine decides to put a quick end to it all. (I thought republicans were FOR tort reform). Anyway, Carla gets home, divorce made easier, life goes on.

Many of Forrester's minions in the press (like Mike Kelly, and the Asbury Park Press Editorial Board) continue to push the "conflict of interest" upon Corzine. For if he becomes King of the State he will have to deal with the union which represents his employees. The Union is currently headed by Carla Katz an ex-girlfriend of Corzine's. She's up for re-election in October so Mike Kelly calls for the two birds with one $470,000 stone. What a glorious victory it would be a for a pundit like Mike to have a wish like this granted.

Since little blogger dudes like me want to be like Mike (in the status sense, not in the wanker sense) let me give his editorial the snarkaranious treatment it deserves! He starts with a great opening:

SUPPOSE Jon Corzine was not a U.S. senator running for governor. Suppose he was still a hotshot corporate executive, in the running for a new job - say, CEO at General Electric.

What do you think GE shareholders might say if Corzine disclosed he had a romantic relationship with a female union boss representing thousands of GE workers? And what would shareholders say if Corzine also disclosed he gave this woman a cash "gift" of almost $500,000?

Right of the bat this becomes an anti-populist anti-worker, and I would argue ANTI-FREKIN-AMERICAN statment. Wankers like these would love for entire state governments to be totally frekin privatized and allow the corrupted not-so-free market to run the joint like a Super Wal-Mart. Yeah the state's workers are unionized, yes they are underpaid and who knows perhaps overworked. I never heard of people working for the state (politicians excluded of course) buying mansions, yachts, and a pony each for their kids! Their salaries just aren't good enough for this type of living. Add that to the cost of living in New Jersey (one of the highest on the eastern Seaboard) and you have state workers getting the shaft constantly. So, Mike Kelly is anti-labor. Golly-Gee Mike Kelly, if your attempting to pick off the labor base of the Democrats you are doing a fine job here! Keep on comming:

Remember how he gave money to the Black Ministers' Council when he ran for the U.S. Senate - then managed to get the council's endorsement? How about the $873,000 payout to South Jersey political boss George Norcross in return for his backing?

More recently, as Corzine lined up support to run for governor, he donated thousands to county Democratic clubs in return for endorsements. He even skirted campaign contribution rules by having his 89-year-old mother in Illinois give $37,000 the Bergen's Democrats.

But asking Corzine about any of these questionable donations is like confronting an alcoholic still in denial. Even Democratic leaders say they are met with either angry retorts, slick sidestepping or stony silence when they try to speak to Corzine about his spending.

Mike Kelly brings up the genious move to demonstrate that Corzine has made contributions from one Democrat to another as some kind of allegation. Call me a novice but I thought this was called basic politics. Something the punditocrisy should know a bit about! Besides if Doug Forrester is your man Mike, don't forget all millions in donations he has given to his own party mates within the state.

Also, when will pundits stop calling politicos names. Calling anyone an alcoholic is unbecomming at best and simply rude at worse. Alcoholism is a serious disease that deserves much more respect than this. This statement alone demonstrates the penchant for dillusions of grandeur Mike Kelly suffers from.

Who are these Democrat leaders Mike Kelly is talking to who are being sidestepped? I haven't heard of any of these.

Also why didn't an editor pick this one up:

Posing that question to him is a waste of time. Similar concerns about Corzine's spending have dogged him since her entered politics five years ago. But he has never seriously faced them

Some more goodies come from the Kellymeister:

By the way, the press conference was supposed to focus on Homeland Security and terrorism - important issues, right? But the small matter of Corzine's gift to Katz sidetracked things.

But hey, Corzine sees no conflict. When first asked, he blathered that he hoped voters would remember what a wonderful corporate reformer he was. It was like Robert Torricelli, in the midst of questions about his tawdry gift-taking, declaring that he was such a "fighter" for the little guy.

SO which is the lesser of the evils here? Gift Getting or Gift Taking? I thought gift getting was bad! Or is gift giving only bad when it is for girlfriends. Isn't gift giving in order to get state business bad? Pay-to-play or play-to-pay? Mike Kelly is obviously forgetting the cardinal rule of Republicanism: "STAY ON MESSAGE, NO MATTER WHAT!"

As for Katz, she doesn't see the problem either. Asked about Corzine's gift, she initially stonewalled. Then, she declared that she would fight for her workers just as strongly if her ex-boyfriend became governor.

Yeah, right. Does Carla Katz have any idea how serious professional women - women who would never take money from men they might have business dealings with - are laughing at her now? If she had any honor, Katz would resign from her union post and give Corzine's money back.

Her answer, though, speaks volumes about her: "It's private," she says.

Yes, Mike Kelly, now you are onto something. Smear a woman as anathema to feminism! Doomed forever in the sights of feminists who surely see not the forest of "woman championing worker's rights" for the forrest of the gift her boyfriend gave her! Strike two in trying to pick off another Democratic constituency!

To understand this hypocrisy, imagine what would happen if it was disclosed that a Republican gubernatorial candidate was found to have dumped $470,000 into the bank account of a union boss. The questions about Corzine's money are not new. But the public silence by so many Democratic leaders is numbing.

As the week ended, there was yet another revelation about Corzine's spending - and more hollow answers.

Barely a month before he announced he was running for governor, Corzine invested $7 million in a hedge fund with links to an Atlantic City casino. Such an investment would be a clear conflict for any governor, not to mention a violation of state ethics laws.

Finally the finish of this peristaltic column. If a republican gave a ton of money to a Union boss it would create a revolution of Republicanism anywhere in this country. It would make national headlines like "Long-Time Political Enemies Kiss and Make Up", or the more simpler "Republican Defies Party - Embraces Labor!"

If donating money to some corporation that just so happened to profit off of your decisions once you came to office we would be without at least one prominent man in American Politics (if not an entire national party leadership).

Let's make one final distinction here. Doug Forrester made his millions by siphoning tax payer dollars from New Jersey. He used many of these Tax dollars to pay off politicians to get MORE Tax Payer dollars.

Jon Corzine gave an ex-girlfriend some money to help her buy her home. His money was made the old fasioned way, he earned it. He was the CEO of and Investment Firm and was not in business to get business from the state. A true Capitalist. If you are going to criticize him for being a Capitalist where do you fall on the Socialist Doug Forrester? Corzine's voting record is far from corrupt and even further from being bad for New Jerseyans.

So to answer Kely's final question:

Do New Jersey's voters [have principles]?

I certainly hope so! At the very least they will see past the love story of Corzine and Katz and look at the candidate for what he has done for their state.

So without further ado I present today's New Jersey's own Wanker of the Day!