With Rasmussen Poll numbers at 57% favorable, and with multitudes of Republicans, Democrats and others full of hope for soon-to-be Governor Chris Christie and Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno to straighten out New Jersey, he goes into his inauguration with a lot of good will. But will it last?
Let's be real here. Once the festivities are over and the red, white and blue bunting gives way to green eyeshades, line-item veto pens and razor blades, reality will quickly set in. That reality is the forces of the left arrayed against our new governor doing anything they can to bring his popularity down and to make him fail.
Here are a few:
The media. Although Christie received endorsements from various newspapers in the state, others, like the Star-Ledger, maintain a strong Democratic Party bent. Indeed, the Star-Ledger operates almost as a Democratic house organ. With a general leftward bias in the journalistic world, and a strong "circle the wagons" mentality among Democrats and the left in general, expect trouble from the media. The attempt to criticize his Cabinet as "not diverse enough" is just the beginning.
Public employee unions. Well, their leaders, anyway, were among the Bozo-coiffed Gov. Corzine's most ardent supporters. The rank-and-file it seems may have been more split on who would best serve their needs. That having been said, it is the leaders who have the bully pulpit, and who will be most vocal. Once the time comes for tackling the budget, payroll and the pension system, expect the union bosses to pull out all the stops in their quest to maintain the status quo, including a full-blown media barrage.
Academia. Yes, I know, it sounds like a disease, but of course it's all the college professors and other so-called educators engaged in indoctrinating our youth. There is somewhat of an overlap here with the public employee unions. Professors are also consulted by the media as well when they need an "expert".
The Courts. One of the three independent branches of state government. Particularly on the Supreme Court level, it is also a branch that has in past years run amok, running roughshod over both the executive and legislative branches. The New Jersey Supreme Court is not only a hotbed of left-wing activism (the enforcement arm of the Democratic Party), it is also a national laughingstock since it is populated with political hacks light in appellate experience. Knowing that Christie may find himself filling some seats on this bench, and knowing that there is an expectation that he will attempt to drag the Court, kicking and screaming, to the center, expect some shenanigans from the "because I said so" court that brought you Mt. Laurel, Lautenberg and other messes.
ACORN (and like groups). The far left, "progressive" community views the Christie-Guadagno victory as an anomaly, a departure from the natural order. They do not view it as an electorate exercising its franchise; as government with the consent of the governed. I mean, we're talking an organization which thought it OK to help a pimp establish a brothel populated with underage, trafficked girls. Expect these types of groups to go into hyperdrive in attempting to return New Jersey to the "progressive" ranks. This could include voter registration drives in urban areas (ACORN has been known to "register" ficticious people) as well as among the illegal alien community in order to swell Democratic Party ranks.
The Democratic Party itself. Behind all the calls for bipartisanship and unity in working together, the New Jersey Democratic Party is a wounded animal, and that is when it is most dangerous. They just lost the source not only of patronage jobs, but of state aid (read, "Christmas tree") to cities controlled by entrenched Democratic Party machines. If you think they will go quietly on this issue, just try taking a bowl of Alpo® from a hungry Pit Bull and see what happens. We have already seen evidence of this with Corzine's binge of lame-duck appointments, some to agencies that he has neglected for the last four years.
The above are but a sampling of what Governor Christie faces when he takes office tomorrow. There are other factions to contend with as well, and they all work together at least part of the time. Of any Republican governor in recent memory, Christie is probably best suited to deal with these factions. He was a tough prosecutor, and his combative nature and plain-spokenness will serve him well in dealing with these forces, as will his ability to go straight to the people.
Expect the Democrats to attempt to "Bush-ize" the Governor. What I would ask the Dems is, "Do you feel lucky? Well, Do ya?"
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