By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
An interview with NJTV’s Michael Aron or a regional newspaper reporter usually represents the most that a legislator can hope for in terms of public exposure following a governor’s annual state of the state address.
By that measure, Save Jerseyans, Assembly Minority Leader and unannounced frontrunner for the 2014 NJ GOP U.S. Senate nomination Jon Bramnick hit the Bridgegate feeding frenzy jackpot on Tuesday afternoon.
The highlight of his day was undoubtedly a CNN interview with anchor Jake Tapper:
“I trust the governor’s word,” Bramnick told Tapper. “The last guy who is going to lie to the cameras, in my opinion, is Governor Chris Christie.”
Any national press is great press when you’re considering a campaign against noted Internet poet and snow removal expert Cory Booker (D-Twitter).
Thus far, should he form a committee, Bramnick’s only confirmed primary opponent is North Jersey businessman Brian Goldberg. Tom Kean, Jr., Jay Webber and other hypothetical candidates all took a pass for 2014; state Senator Mike Doherty is reportedly weighing a run.
The Assemblyman’s only low-light of the day?
During the legislature’s reorg at the War Memorial, Bramnick concluded his remarks by reminding his colleagues to discount blogs:
The media should not drive the policy debate, we should.
I understand it is not easy with the evolution of social media, where anonymous cyberspace critics taunt lawmakers’ every move and where the media demands instant reaction to each and every comment 24 hours a day.
That is not thoughtful debate about public policy and we should reject it.
Point taken, although somehow I don’t think Trenton functioned any better BEFORE PolitickerNJ/Save Jersey/MoreMonmouthMusings/Dan Cirucci/Blue Jersey, etc. ‘Cause I know it didn’t. Just sayin’.