Proft News Release -

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

http://www.proft2010.com/news-room/contentview.asp?c=189935

October 6, 2009

Andrzejewski for Corzine?

A Republican in Illinois Owes a Republican in New Jersey an Apology

Adam Andrzejewski owes the Republican gubernatorial nominee in New Jersey an apology. In an utterly bizarre email to his supporters yesterday, Adam criticizes so-called “New Jersey Republicans” for discounting his unoriginal demand that candidates release their personal financial information.

Specifically, Adam is angry at State Sen. Bill Brady for calling Adam’s mundane challenge for candidates to release their incomes tax returns a “gimmick."

Adam’s email then takes a weird and wholly unnecessary detour to insult and undermine Chris Christie, a reform Republican who is fighting the good fight to take the governor’s mansion back from a toxic Democrat political machine led by one of the most partisan, disreputable and well-financed Democrats in the country: Jon Corzine.

From Adam’s email:

"As for today's message, we'd like to share with you the dangers of nominating a 'New Jersey Republican.' Recent news from New Jersey - a state ravaged by the same bad policies put forth by Illinois Democrat political class over the last 10-15 years - illustrates what happens when the Republican candidate runs a content-free campaign of platitudes and warmed-over sound bites. A 14 point lead evaporates. … Nominating an Illinois version of a New Jersey-style 'Christie' candidacy isn't going to cut it."

What is the point of this outburst? How does this help our party?

The most peculiar aspect of his email is that Adam criticizes Christie for not proposing tax relief. Guess what? Neither does Adam. In fact, Adam recently said during a joint appearance that we shouldn’t cut taxes.

I am the only candidate, of either party, in this race who has proposed specific tax cuts (and permanent spending caps). So while I agree with the Wall Street Journal Editorial Board that Chris Christie would help himself by offering specific tax relief proposals, I am more concerned with the lack of similar proposals from my opponents in the Illinois governor’s race.

Adam is a novice in Illinois politics—and it shows. Even after announcing his candidacy for governor, he didn’t know what the breakdown between Republicans and Democrats was in the Illinois General Assembly. (Watch his interview with Public Affairs host Jeff Berkowitz with the relevant exchange beginning at 8:55.) This is an important detail for a potential governor who wants to actually move ideas through the legislative arena.

As a U.S. Attorney, Chris Christie won convictions or guilty pleas from 130 public officials, both Republican and Democrat, without losing a single case. His record frankly is more impressive than that of anyone in the Illinois race, including my own. He is now in the fight of his life against Gov. Corzine. So what good does it do for a fellow Republican, with no skin in the game, to hand ammunition to New Jersey Democrats to score points against fellow Republicans in Illinois? Ready. Fire. Aim.

Adam criticizes others in this race for lacking ideas, when he has exactly two of his own. The first, that we should all release our personal tax returns, is hardly ground-breaking. The second idea is that transparency is an end in and of itself, rather than a means to an end. California is one of the most transparent states in the union – and look how that’s working out.

I have been unsparing in my criticism of fellow candidates. I have no problem with spirited critiques rooted in policy choices or policy ideas. But I do it with my own thoughts and my own ideas, and I make sure that my criticism is well-founded. To go after Chris Christie, a man who has done more to clean up New Jersey politics and put more corrupt public officials in jail than almost anyone else, as someone bereft of ideas is just strange.

Chris Christie is running against Jon Corzine, one of the most odious Democrats from a vile political machine that rivals our own. I'm with Christie. Adam, who are you with?

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