Like Voters Nationally, New Jersey Taxpayers Still Worried About Spending… There’s Just Waiting for a Well-Articulated Alternative!
By Matt Rooney | The Save Jersey Blog
Don’t let Election 2012’s dismal results get you down, Save Jerseyans: the American people know there’s a problem. They’re simply not sure of the “what,” partly because the GOP is doing such a poor job of articulating it. God knows many Democrats are doing everything they can to obscure it.
Two close-to-home examples.
Last night in Mercer County, Lawrence Township became New Jersey’s first municipality to privatize its 911 dispatch. Council’s goal is to save $1.1 million for its taxpayers over the next several years.
Meanwhile, about an hour south, the residents of the affluent Camden County suburb Haddonfield narrowly defeated a $12.5 million bond referendum, 2387 against and 2136 in favor. “Against the backdrop of a stagnant economy, Haddonfield voters also recognized that now is not the time to further raise already high property taxes on seniors and other residents for a site that would be nice to have but is not essential for the school district to own,” said Haddonfield United founder Brian Kelly.
These aren’t “red” towns.
Haddonfield is hardly the bluest locale in deep blue Camden County, where Mitt Romney barely cracked 30% of the vote last November, but Barack Obama still carried Haddonfield by just shy of 800 votes out of approximately 7k ballots cast. Mitt didn’t even come close in Lawrence.
New Jersey voters in blue territory nevertheless worry about spending. They’re not alone; poll after poll shows super majorities of Americans opposed to current government spending levels. That makes it all the more mysterious why the GOP continues to lose the argument on issues like the whether to raise the debt ceiling. Mitt Romney likely agrees after exit polling showed battleground voters superiorly impressed with his economic credentials but unconvinced that he cared enough about them.
I don’t know if our country is “center-left” or “center-right,” but it’s still close to the center either way you choose to slice it. Polling data and anecdotal evidence proves the GOP can find ample fertile ground for its economic message if it’s spokespeople are sufficiently competent, creative and courageous. That’s the challenge, and we didn’t live up to it during Election 2012 and during the fiscal cliff/Sandy aid aftermath.
Here’s hoping someone is out there who can check all of the requisite boxes in time for 2014.
