Obama: Corzine is 'Our Wall Street Guy'

It's safe to say these two are joined at the hip, although the way the media is reporting the downfall of Jon Corzine's MF Global, you wouldn't even know Corzine's a Democrat, let alone one of Obama's top campaign honchos. So it's worth noting this story from July.

President Obama is desperately putting his Wall Street stock in an unlikely old buddy.

The beleaguered president has recruited former Goldman Sachs head honcho Jon Corzine to shore up re-election funds from the banking industry, which is furious over Obama's financial regulations.

Corzine, the former governor of New Jersey who was blasted out of office by Republican Chris Christie in 2009, has attended secret meetings with the president and has been working on Obama's 2012 campaign for months, The Post has learned.

The Democrat, who now leads Manhattan-based brokerage MF Global, has been tasked with scraping up the very little banking-industry support Obama can still get.

And, like any good executive, Corzine is looking out for his own bottom line.

Success could resuscitate his political career with a top post -- such as treasury secretary or a key ambassadorship -- if there is a second Obama term.

Obama campaigned heavily for Corzine in his failed re-election bid, calling him "our Wall Street guy."

Corzine's name popped up on an attendance list for a controversial and secret White House sit-down with leaders of New York's financial sector late last month. He has also aggressively worked the phone lines and the cocktail-party circuit.

And in the last few months, Corzine hosted a high-end fund-raiser at his Fifth Avenue home for Obama.

He even secretly organized a meet-and-greet at the Four Seasons for key finance-industry execs and Obama's new chief of staff, former banker Bill Daley.

Where are the good government types screaming from the rooftops about Obama's deep connections with this man facing, to put it mildly, a very uncertain future? Can you imagine if such a close pal and fundraiser for Bush was up to his neck in problems and whose company is under investigation after $700 million went missing? Where are those noble souls "occupying" media attention to demand a perp walk for Obama's good buddy?

Naturally, Corzine's former stenographers at the Star Ledger are crestfallen over the downfall of the guy they shamelessly supported while he was buying a Senate seat and later the governorship. Laughably, in his support they trot out corrupt former Senator Bob Torricelli, who was forced from office back in 2002.

Former U.S. Sen. Robert Torricelli, who was close with Corzine, said the former governor has had his share of troubles over the years.

"Jon has suffered a series of very difficult professional blows, and I know professional difficulties affect him deeply and personally,’’ he said. "The wound of being fired from Goldman Sachs never healed."

The defeat in politics, though, may have been easier for him to accept than the failure of MF Global, said Torricelli. Politics, he pointed out, was only an adopted avocation.

"In some ways this is probably more difficult," said Torricelli. "It’s a heart-breaking situation."

Actually, it seems more like a criminal situation, Bobby. You'd know all about that.

Report: Hundreds of Millions Missing From Corzine's MF Global Mess

Have they checked the coffers for the Obama re-election campaign? If anything, the ability to make hundreds of millions of dollars disappear certainly enhances Jon Corzine's shot at becoming Obama's next Treasury Secretary.

Federal regulators have discovered that hundreds of millions of dollars in customer money have gone missing from MF Global in recent days, prompting an investigation into the company’s operations as it filed for bankruptcy on Monday, according to several people briefed on the matter.

The revelation of the missing money scuttled an 11th hour deal for MF Global to sell a major part of itself to a rival brokerage firm. MF Global, the powerhouse commodities brokerage run by Jon S. Corzine, had staked its survival on completing the deal.

Now, the investigation threatens to tarnish the reputation of Mr. Corzine, the former New Jersey Governor and Goldman Sachs chief who oversaw MF Global’s demise, making it the first American victim of Europe’s debt crisis.

What began as nearly $1 billion missing had dropped to less than $700 million by late Monday. It is unclear where the money went, and some money is expected to trickle in over the coming days as the firm sorts through the bankruptcy process, the people said.

Worth noting there's one word is conspicuously missing from the story. See if you can guess.

Famed Member of the 1% and Obama Bundler Runs Brokerage Firm Into Bankruptcy

Looks like Jon Corzine has done for his firm what he did for the State of New Jersey.

Besieged broker MF Global is expected to file for bankruptcy today after a frantic effort over the weekend by CEO John Corzine to strike an out-of-bankruptcy appeared to come up came up short, The Post has learned.

The embattled broker dealer run by the former New Jersey governor is expected to sell some of the company’s assets in a complicated transaction to rival Interactive Brokers Group, a move that must receive the blessing of a bankruptcy judge, according to people familiar the situation.

It is expected that MF Global’s holding company will file for bankruptcy while other units, including one that clears fixed-income trades, will open its doors for business this morning, sources added. Early this morning, MF shares were halted in trading, with news pending.

A number of terms were still being hammered out early this morning and elements of the deal could still change.

The bankruptcy and planned sale to a rival would end one of the most harrowing weekends on Wall Street since Lehman Brothers on Sept. 15, 2008 imploded on worries that it was choking on toxic mortgage debt.

Three years later, Corzine — a former Goldman Sachs CEO — was pounding the phones this past weekend in an attempt to secure a white knight to purchase all or parts of MF Global after concerns about the broker-dealer’s exposures to some $6.3 billion in European sovereign debt decimated its shares in a wild week off trader for the firm that saw it lose three-quarters of its equity value.

Precisely how much Interactive Brokers Group would be shelling out to purchase parts of MF Global is unclear.

According to a Wall Street Journal report early this morning, it could be as much as $1 billion.

Whatever the number neither shareholders of IBG nor creditors are expected to be happy.

For Corzine, 64, a bankruptcy would be another knock on his reputation after choosing to dial up European risk at MF Global when other larger firms had grown weary.

Corzine is not expected to stay on at MF Global — an embarrassing outcome for a Wall Street titan who led Goldman Sachs before being ousted in 1999.

After that disaster he spent hundreds of millions to buy himself a Senate seat and then the governorship before being crushed by Chris Christie.

Remember, Barack Obama has been considering his for his next Treasury Secretary.

Corzine had occasionally been touted in the media as a possible Treasury Secretary in an Obama administration, perhaps replacing current incumbent Timothy Geithner, and following in the footsteps of his former Goldman rival Henry Paulson.

He's currently one of Obama's top fundraisers.

Update: Looks like Corzine will be getting a nice payday for destroying this company. Wall Street Occupiers were unavailable for comment.

DealBook reported that Corzine's severance package could allow him to walk away with around $12 million.

$12 million for joining a company and, in two years, flying it into a mountain.

Quick, someone go tell Occupy Wall Street.

Desperate Obama Now Using Corzine to Shake Down Wall Streeters

After years of bashing "the rich," it appears the greedy Barack Obama's bid to amass a billion dollars for his re-election has hit a snag. So now he's got failed former New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine trying to dupe Wall Street types to ignore his demonizing them and tart giving him some money.

I think the word we're looking for here is chutzpah.

President Obama is desperately putting his Wall Street stock in an unlikely old buddy.

The beleaguered president has recruited former Goldman Sachs head honcho Jon Corzine to shore up re-election funds from the banking industry, which is furious over Obama's financial regulations.

Corzine, the former governor of New Jersey who was blasted out of office by Republican Chris Christie in 2009, has attended secret meetings with the president and has been working on Obama's 2012 campaign for months, The Post has learned.

The Democrat, who now leads Manhattan-based brokerage MF Global, has been tasked with scraping up the very little banking-industry support Obama can still get.

And, like any good executive, Corzine is looking out for his own bottom line.

Success could resuscitate his political career with a top post -- such as treasury secretary or a key ambassadorship -- if there is a second Obama term.

Obama campaigned heavily for Corzine in his failed re-election bid, calling him "our Wall Street guy."

Corzine's name popped up on an attendance list for a controversial and secret White House sit-down with leaders of New York's financial sector late last month. He has also aggressively worked the phone lines and the cocktail-party circuit.

And in the last few months, Corzine hosted a high-end fund-raiser at his Fifth Avenue home for Obama.

He even secretly organized a meet-and-greet at the Four Seasons for key finance-industry execs and Obama's new chief of staff, former banker Bill Daley.

"We need our donors back," one Obama campaign official said. "It's a tough fight."

Many Wall Streeters are fuming over White House rhetoric painting them as "fat cats" who need to pay more taxes.

Top executives -- who contributed millions to Obama in 2008 -- have so far retaliated by closing their wallets to him.

Who can blame them? Every day these people are trashed by Obama and his far-left lapdogs. Heck, just last week he was there babbling on about corporate jets, all the while he and his wife are living lavishly and jet-setting around the globe on our dime. Anyone on Wall Street who gives this chump a nickel should have their head examined.

The GOP scoffed at the alliance.

"It is no surprise [Obama] is turning to surrogates like Gov. Corzine," said Republican National Committee spokesman Ryan Tronovitch.

"Unfortunately, our campaigner-in-chief has shown that his priority is keeping his job instead of putting forth serious policies that will get New Yorkers back to work."

Flashback: Commission Recommends Choppers For NJ Governors After Corzine's SUV Crash

Interesting little tidbit here pertaining to the idiotic Chris Christie Helicopter Kerfuffle, which CBS buries way down in the next-to-last paragraph:

A special commission recommended New Jersey governors use helicopters as a matter of safety after the 2007 car crash involving then Gov. Jon Corzine.

Oh, that's right.

Now, a more common-sense recommendation at the time might have been to, you know, drive in the vicinity of the speed limit and wear a seat belt. In other words, use your head. Obey the law. But, whatever. Helicopters.

For safety!

Added bonus: Helicopters, unlike SUVs, cost NJ taxpayers no additional money. Presumably, that is true no matter who is Governor.

Except I don't recall Corzine ever going the extra mile and actually reimbursing the state for the expense.

Cross-posted.

UPDATE: Silly me. I should have remembered that fat-cat gazillionaire Jon Corzine of course paid for his own helicopter rides.

My bad.

E-Mails Between Corzine and Union Leader Revealed

No wonder former New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine didn't want his e-mails with his former paramour and union boss revealed. He comes off looking like a blithering illiterate.

E-mails exchanged at the peak of the public controversy over Corzine’s history with Katz show the pair engaged in heated back-and-forth about the language they should use when describing their relationship in public. After having broken off their romance in 2004, Corzine told Katz in 2007 that he was consciously trying to downplay their continuing friendship.

"I was ttrying tonot usse the word romantic. That should have been obvios," he wrote on March 8, 2007. Less than five minutes later, he added: "I undwerstand angst but I am trying noyt to make news! Let’s try to calm this thing down."

Katz was not calm. Media scrutiny of her relationship with Corzine was intensifying after The Star-Ledger revealed on March 4 that the multimillionaire governor had given Katz far more in financial gifts than he previously disclosed.

At 8:05 p.m. that day, Katz sounded livid, sending Corzine a three-paragraph message that accused him of violating the terms of the deal they struck after breaking up. She said Corzine was hurting her children and implored him to consider people other than himself.

"We had a clear confidentiality agreement that youve now breached. Please stop. No more," Katz wrote. "As hard as it might be...you must say ‘some things are private’ … You have got to stop hurting me like this."

Katz grew furious over the way she had been described by the hosts and callers on New Jersey 101.5 FM radio.

"An you don’t understand my angst," she wrote at 2:53 p.m. on March 8. "You were not referred to as a SLUT-WHORE for hours at a time over the past three days."

Corzine, at 3:19 p.m., said he understood how she felt, in terms far out of character for a governor who was usually loath to display emotion or launch personal attacks in public.

"Those guys are scumam ihate what they say about you. Youa3e my friend but we need tocalm that down," he wrote.

Remember how much fun the media elites had when Sarah Palin had a typo in a Facebook post a couple of weeks ago? I can't wait to see how them scoff at one of their own.

All the emails and reaction can be found here.

Speaking of the elitist media, I recall the NY Daily News chuckling about Palin. Well, those dummies can't even get Corzine's first name right.

Figures: NJ Dems Snapped Up Springsteen, U2 Tickets While Bashing Ticket Brokers

Is anyone really surprised a sleazebag lowlife like Jon Corzine would be a shameless hypocrite? Of course not. Fortunately, Corzine is gone from office, but we're still left with plenty of pols with their greedy paws out.

Former New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine’s office got U2 and Bruce Springsteen seats the public couldn’t buy last year, at the same time the state was suing brokers over ticketing practices, according to documents showing 22 elected officials received special treatment.

Corzine’s office reserved 57 tickets for U2, Springsteen and the Jonas Brothers at Giants Stadium and IZOD Center from July to October 2009 through the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, agency records show. The documents, evidence in a state lawsuit against ticket Web sites, indicate more than 350 seats for 15 concerts were set aside for elected officials.

Officials got a jump on some of the season’s hottest shows by obtaining seats through the state agency, which operates the two venues. At the same time, New Jersey was suing online brokers over marketing tactics including taking orders before tickets are on sale. Tapping the agency for tickets may violate ethics rules that bar officials from taking “unwarranted privileges,” the head of the state ethics commission said.

“The means by which the tickets are secured has everything to do with undue access and using official position to secure an unfair advantage,” said Paula Franzese, chairwoman of the state Ethics Commission. “I would like to see an investigation.”

Are you listening, Governor Christie?

Fred Scalera, the deputy assembly speaker who drafted legislation to crack down on scalping, had 40 seats set aside for Springsteen, the Jonas Brothers, U2, AC/DC and Eric Clapton.

Scalera said the orders were for people who call his office and that he’s “never done it for myself or my office.”

The bill would require venues to disclose how many tickets are available to the public. Federal legislation introduced by U.S. Representative Bill Pascrell, a New Jersey Democrat, also would require the disclosure of how many tickets are available to the public.

Democrat Senator Paul Sarlo’s office reserved a total of 68 tickets, the most among elected officials.

Chris Eilert, Sarlo’s chief of staff, said he used tickets to see the Jonas Brothers and Springsteen. The senator also attended shows, Eilert said. To reserve tickets, state officials call the agency’s executive office and give them credit card information for the purchase, he said.

“This is something that has been happening since the authority opened,” said Eilert, who was listed to pick up 66 of the tickets.

The office of Senator Richard Codey, the former acting governor and president of the New Jersey Senate, received a total of 60 tickets, second-most on the list.

“Not me or anybody on my staff went to any of those concerts,” Codey said.

The 57 tickets reserved by Corzine’s office included three tickets to see the Jonas Brothers on July 14 that were held for Jennifer Velez, commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services.

Velez paid for the tickets to take her daughter and friend to see the Jonas Brothers, said Ellen Lovejoy, a spokeswoman. The seats were arranged through Corzine’s office, she said.

Foiled Again: NJ Senate Rejects Gay Marriage

I'm detecting a pattern here. A month after the Democrat-controlled New York State Senate rejected gay marriage, today the Democrat-controlled New Jersey State Senate followed suit.

The state Senate rejected a same-sex marriage bill today, a major victory for opponents who contend the measure would infringe on religious freedom and is not needed because the state already permits civil unions.

The 20-14 vote defeating the measure followed an hour and a half of public debate inside the packed Senate chamber. The nearly thousand supporters and opponents of the bill held rallies on the Statehouse steps.

Statewide polls have shown New Jersey residents closely divided on same-sex marriage, and leading up to today’s vote, indicators showed a majority of the senators opposing the measure.

Moments after the vote, hundreds of gay-rights supporters filled the sidewalk on West State Street in front of the Statehouse. Christi Surmont, 33, of Hamilton, was near tears.

"We were holding out hope that we'd be able to get married and have full citizenship," she said of her and her partner. "But now we'll have to settle for second-class citizenship. For now. We're not done fighting."

She said they would seek a civil union if the current effort failed in the courts.

Momentum for the bill grew after Gov. Jon Corzine lost the November election. He has promised to sign the measure before Gov.-elect Chris Christie takes office. Christie has said he opposes the bill.

After the vote, Corzine said he was appreciative the bill was publicly debated, but was "deeply disappointed by the final tally on this common-sense measure that would have assured equal rights for all New Jerseyans."

Now maybe Corzine will go away. In all likelihood into the Obama administration, of course.

Thirteen Democrats and one Republican voted in favor. Six Democrats voted against along with 14 Republicans. Three Democrats abstained with two Republicans absent.

Vote here.

This was a sneaky last-minute attempt by Corzine to leave some sort of "legacy" after an abysmal four years in office.

It's over, Jonny.

As for proponents, they complain civil union legislation enacted several years ago is flawed. Perhaps their focus should be working with the Senate and new Governor Chris Christie to improve that law. Carping and moaning over another defeat isn't going to help the cause.

Thanks to Drew at AoS for the link.

2009 Elections: GOP Sweeps Virginia; Polls Close in NJ; Update: Fox Projects Christie Win in NJ!

Update at 10:20: Fox projects Christie the winner in NJ! AP reporting it as well. A humiliating defeat for Corzine and a huge blow to his benefactor, the guy in the White House. Let the state-controlled media spin begin.

10 pm Update: Christie up by about 100,000 votes at 50-44% with 65% of the votes in. Live blog here. NY-23 results slow with Owens over Hoffman 50-45% so far. In one race we haven't mentioned--the NYC mayor's race--with 30% counted it's a virtual tie. Michael Bloomberg outspent Bill Thompson by 10-1. A Thompson win there would be unthinkable.

9 pm Update: Christie leading in NJ. He's up 52-41% with 18% reporting. More importantly, independents supposedly are breaking heavily for Christie, resulting in an Intrade collapse for Corzine. More here. Keep your fingers crossed. Meanwhile, you can follow NY-23 here and anything and everything here.

Polls are closing now in New Jersey, so you can follow this link for updates. We'll update as necessary. State-controlled media already spinning a possible Corzine loss as no sweat for The One. Except for the fact Obama took up residence here the past few weeks. It has nothing to do with him, and it's all about these angry people.

The GOP has won big in Virginia with Bob McDonnell blowing out Creigh Deeds, currently at 62-37% (follow for updates at that link). No wonder Obama threw this guy under the bus a couple weeks ago. So much for the GOP being a losing brand, eh?

NY-23 closes at 9 ET. Absolute hysteria from the left there today.

Plenty of updates throughout the night here with an open thread here.

For Democrats looking to grasp at straws, they're a near lock for the 10th Congressional District in California. They'll be in panic if that race is close and out on ledges if they lose.

Update on NJ Democrat Aide Drug Bust

When we noted this fellow Jason Shih Saturday the New Jersey Democrats denied he ever worked for him and pretended they had no idea who he was. Well, according to a local newspaper, he was in possession of a bunch of pay stubs from a county Democrat organization, tickets to a Jon Corzine-Obama event and a heck of a lot of ecstasy.

Still, most media have chosen to ignore the story.

Jason Shih, 25, was arrested and charged at 11:28 p.m. with possession of Ecstasy, possession of drugs with intent to distribute within 1,000 feet of a school, possession of drugs with the intent to distribute, talking on a cell phone while driving and possession of drugs in a car.

East Rutherford Police Officer Mark Mehegan, who was on patrol, stopped Shih after observing him talking on his cell phone while driving on Route 17 South near Riggin Memorial Field. Mehegan described Shih as extremely nervous and reported his hands were trembling as he reached into the glove box for his information.

During the motor vehicle stop, Mehegan said he observed 19 Ecstasy pills in the center console cup and $661 in cash folded up in the ashtray. Police also reported locating several hundred clear plastic bags commonly used to package drugs.

Throughout the course of the investigation, Shih said he was the assistant deputy director for Corzine and that the campaign rented the 2008 Toyota he was driving.

East Rutherford Police Lt. Paul Cece also responded to the scene and located several tickets for the Sunday, Nov. 1 event where President Barack Obama and Corzine were to appear.

Shih also reportedly had 10 paychecks from the Middlesex County Democratic Committee in his possession. One paycheck for $1,500 was payable to Shih from the MCDC, according to reports.

“Mr. Shih stated the vehicle he was operating was rented for him by the ‘Corzine for Governor’ camp to distribute tickets and paychecks for the Middlesex County Democratic Committee,” stated Cece.

H/T Libertarian Republican.

Christie Surging in New Jersey

Despite Barack Obama having virtually moved into New Jersey with repeated campaign stops for Jon Corzine, GOP challenger Chris Christie has opened a six-point lead heading into tomorrow's gubernatorial election, according to the latest PPP pol.

Chris Christie leads Jon Corzine 47-41 in PPP's final poll of the New Jersey Governor's race, with Chris Daggett at 11%.

Corzine had pulled to within a point of Christie on our poll three weeks ago after trailing by as many as 14 points over the summer, but his momentum has stalled since then and Christie's built his lead back up to 4 points last week and now 6.

Christie's advantage is due largely to his support from independents and because he has Republicans more unified around him than the Democrats are around Corzine. Christie leads Corzine 52-29 with indies, as Daggett's support with that group has declined to 16%. Christie is getting 82% of Republicans to Corzine's 72% of Democrats.

As the campaign concludes it seems like Daggett's presence in the race has actually ended up hurting Corzine more than Christie, contrary to the earlier conventional wisdom. 45% of Daggett voters say the incumbent is their second choice to 36% for the challenger. Daggett's backers report having voted for Barack Obama by a 67-23 margin last year.

On Sunday Obama made two appearances to try and prop up Corzine. Naturally the two of them accepted zero responsibility for anything.

Obama said the financial state of New Jersey was not Corzine's fault, saying it "didn't start under Jon's watch."

"I have something to report: We have the worst financial crisis since the great depression," he said. "By the way that didn't start under Jon's watch. That didn't start on my watch. I wasn't sworn in yet. We got a little bit of revisionist history, a little selective memory going on, a little amnesia about how we got into this mess."

Obama's amnesia apparently blocks out the fact Corzine has been governor for four years. The last time a Republican was governor in New Jersey was in 2001. I don't think it was George W. Bush who gave us the highest property taxes in the nation. Obama also rehashed his "mop" routine.

"If I got the mop and I'm cleaning up after that mess," he said, "the least these other folks can do is not stand there and say, 'You're not holding the mop the right way. You're not mopping fast enough. You're using a socialist mop.' Let me tell you something, just pick up a mop. Let's help clean up this country and make it work for ordinary people here in New Jersey."

He's going to need a bigger mop to clean up the mess Democrats will be in after Tuesday night.

The RCP average this morning has Christie up by of 1.2 points.

Corzine, for his part, played the Joe Wilson card.

Corzine tried to create a deep divide between himself and Christie, saying the Republican was campaigning with "extremist" U.S. Rep. Joe Wilson (R-S.C.)

"That's the South Carolina extremist who interrupted our president when he was talking about health care," he said. "That tells you all you need to know about where that candidate is, and where we are on this side of the aisle."

As Wilson might say, You Lie! Wilson was in New Jersey but did not appear with Christie, as Corzine asserted. But hey, when you're desperate, we expect you to just make things up.

Corzine Campaign Aide Busted on Drug Charges?

Well, I figure you have to be high on something to support Jon Corzine. But who knew his campaign aides were so heavy into the drugs?

A man who identified himself as an official with New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine's re-election campaign was arrested last night after cops found found ecstasy tablets wrapped and ready to be sold in his car, police said.

Jason Shih, 25, was pulled over by East Rutherford cops at about 11:30 p.m. last night because he was talking on his cell phone on Route 17, said Lt. Chris Conforti of the East Rutherford police.

Officers wound up finding 19 "blue star" ecstasy tablets in Shih's car, each wrapped in its own little plastic bag.

Shih -- who was stopped within 100 feet of Becton Regional High School -- also had had "several hundred" empty plastic bags in his car, Conforti said.

Maybe he was so whacked out he's spinning stories.

Corzine spokeswoman Elisabeth Smith said Shih is not on the payroll of the campaign or the New Jersey Democratic State Committee, and that the campaign doesn't know who he is.

Shih was charged with possession of drugs, possession of drugs in a school zone, intent to distribute drugs and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was also charged with two motor vehicle violations -- driving while using a cell phone and having drugs in his car.

ABC 7 in New York has this link but it's disabled.

Corzine campaign worker arrested

Interesting. For some reason no New Jersey papers that I can find have this story.

Update: NewsBusters noticed the WABC story was scrubbed but found a link where the story was captured.

Jason Shih, an Assistant Deputy Director to the campaign of NJ Gov. Jon Corzine was arrested last night on drug charges.

East Rutherford police say they pulled over the 25-year-old on Route 17 for driving while using a cell phone.

Police say they found 19 ecstasy pills and several hundred glassine envelopes.

He was charged with possession of a controlled narcotic and paraphernalia that is used for distribution.

Emphasis mine. An Assistant Deputy Director of his campaign? Now if that indeed is the case where did this information come from?

Update: A story is now up at nj.com.

A Paramus man claiming to work for Gov. Jon Corzine’s reelection campaign was arrested Friday night on drug charges after police found Ecstasy tablets in his car, authorities said.

A Corzine spokeswoman said the man does not work for either the governor’s campaign or the Democratic State Committee.

Jason Shih, 25, was pulled over on Route 17 by East Rutherford police at about 11:30 p.m. last night for talking on his cell phone. Police found 19 Ecstasy tablets and hundreds of small glassine bags used for distributing drugs, police spokesman Capt. William Schanel said.

Schanel said Shih told police he was an official in Corzine’s campaign, and several tickets to tomorrow’s rally with President Obama at Newark’s Prudential Center were found in his car.

“As he’s exiting the vehicle, he’s stating it’s not mine,” Schanel said. “He just said I’m assistant deputy director of Gov. Corzine’s campaign, and they rented this vehicle for my use.”

Schanel said the vehicle was rented, but said it is unclear who rented it. He said Shih is not suspected of being under the influence of drugs or alcohol -- just very nervous.

“His hands were shaking,” Schanel said.

Here's a cached version of the WABC story that disappeared earlier.

Linked at Instapundit. Thanks!

Update: Via Steve W from Ford in the comments, look what we've got here.

New Jersey Democratic State Cmte Expenditure Detail

Shih, Jason, Paramus, NJ $420 Field Consulting Services 11/03/06

Granted, this is three years old, but I have to assume it's the same Jason Shih, as searches turn up only one Jason Shih in Paramus. So at some point it appears he did some work for the New Jersey Democrats.

Update: Hmmm. The Post story now redirects here. The Star-Ledger story still exists. For now...

Rasmussen: Christie Up 46-43 in NJ

Well, so much for that dubious poll that had Jon Corzine leading Chris Christie by nine points. That poll, of course, led many to declare Corzine the winner already.

So how does that one show a 12-point difference from today's Rasmussen poll?

With just a week to go in New Jersey’s closely contested race for governor, Republican Chris Christie holds a three-point advantage over incumbent Democratic Governor Jon Corzine.

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey in New Jersey show Christie with 46% of the vote and Corzine with 43%. While the margin is little changed from a week ago and the week before, the biggest news may be that support for independent candidate Chris Daggett has dropped four points to seven percent (7%). The number of undecided voters is down to four percent (4%).

The decline in support for Daggett comes in a week when several state newspapers endorsed Christie or Corzine, but none followed The (Newark) Star-Ledger’s lead and came out in favor of the independent candidate. Additionally, Christie began a new ad campaign linking Corzine and Daggett.

Christie leads by eight points among those who are certain they will show up and vote. A week ago, he was up by five among that group. Christie’s supporters are also less likely to say they might consider voting for someone else.

Corzine does better among voters who might not make it to the polls. That's one reason President Obama, former President Bill Clinton and other Democratic Party luminaries are spending time in the Garden State in hopes of encouraging turnout.

So Christie's voters are more likely to show up? You know what this means, don't you? Expect a swarm of SEIU and ACORN thugs to fire up those buses to bring in all those needed votes.

Instapundit links. Thanks!

Corzine to Christie: Hey, Sorry About That Fat Ad

He's so remorseful it only took six weeks to figure out it may have been a bit insensitive.

Gov. Jon Corzine said tonight that it may have been a "good idea" to use different wording in a campaign commercial that spawned accusations he was calling Chris Christie overweight.

Corzine, speaking on CNN's "The Situation Room," defended the advertisement that said Christie "threw his weight around" to get out of traffic tickets while U.S. attorney. The ad, which showed unflattering images of Christie's girth, sparked a backlash against Corzine after it was written up in the New York Times.

Corzine said the word choice diverted attention from the real issue at hand, "the abuse of power in that office."

"How many people can abuse their power, abuse their office by flashing their credentials, throw their weight around, however you want to say it?" Corzine said.

Christie had criticized Corzine during an appearance on the same program last week, saying the governor was exploiting a decades-long battle with his weight.

"There's a lot of people out in New Jersey who have the same kind of struggles, and I think that kind of stuff is just beneath the office that the governor holds," Christie said.

Now that it appears sufficient damage has been done, Corzine can pretend he's sorry. What a sport. I'm dubious about that poll showing a nine-point lead after Corzine has been trailing for months and it may well be designed to depress turnout, but whatever the case, it may well be New Jersey voters prefer the corrupt Democrat machine. Consider six days ago a poll had it tied and last Thursday Christie was up a couple of points.

Meanwhile, some whispers about the surging independent candidate.

Stupid Campaign Tricks: Corzine Floats Increase in Gas Tax

You're three weeks from election day, locked in a virtual dead heat with your opponent, and what does a Democrat incumbent do?

Why, tell the voters they'll probably see a tax increase if they're dumb enough to re-elect you.

Governor Corzine said Monday he’ll consider raising the state’s gasoline tax during a second term or diverting money from other programs to keep the fund that pays for transportation projects afloat.

The second option, however, would force the state to find the money for road and mass transit projects that cost billions of dollars all while it tries to deal with a budget that could be as much as $8 billion short next year, Corzine said.

“I’m more than happy to do either one of them, not because I like doing it, but because it’s going to be necessary,” Corzine said during a meeting with The Record’s editorial board.

The governor’s position marks a change from statements he made last year when he called raising the 14.5-cent-per-gallon gas tax “a very, very last resort.” The tax rate is the fourth lowest in the nation.

He's more than happy to increase your taxes. Just remember that come election day.

Taxes are high enough across the board in this state, despite the fact we have a relatively low gas tax. But bet your last dollar this guy will punish the residents with every tax under the sun if they re-elect him.

Classy: Desperate Corzine Reduced to Poking Fun at Christie's Weight

He has no record of accomplishments, the state is in dire fiscal condition, we have the highest property taxes in the nation so what can Jon Corzine possibly use as campaign fodder? The fact his opponent is overweight.

You stay classy, Jonny the Beard.

It is about as subtle as a playground taunt: a television ad for Gov. Jon S. Corzine shows his challenger, Christopher J. Christie, stepping out of an S.U.V. in extreme slow motion, his extra girth moving, just as slowly, in several different directions at once.

In case viewers missed the point, a narrator snidely intones that Mr. Christie “threw his weight around” to avoid getting traffic tickets.

In the ugly New Jersey contest for governor, Mr. Corzine and Mr. Christie have traded all sorts of shots, over mothers and mammograms, loans and lying. But now, Mr. Corzine’s campaign is calling attention to his rival’s corpulence in increasingly overt ways.

Mr. Corzine’s television commercials and Web videos feature unattractive images of Mr. Christie, sometimes shot from the side or backside, highlighting his heft, jowls and double chin.

Meanwhile, Mr. Corzine, 62, is conspicuously running in 5- and 10-kilometer races almost every weekend, as he did last Saturday and Sunday, underscoring his athleticism and readiness for the physical demands of another term — and raising doubts about Mr. Christie’s.

Next, he and a fellow fitness buff, Mayor Cory A. Booker of Newark, will run through the streets of that city together next Tuesday.

The governor denies that he is deliberately ridiculing Mr. Christie’s weight, and tries to make light of such suggestions. “There isn’t a candidate in the world that likes how they’re depicted in their opponent’s ads,” Mr. Corzine said on Friday, smiling as he lamented that some have shown his bald pate. “Seems to be some sensitivity going on here.”

But the unflattering depictions of Mr. Christie, a Republican who has long struggled with his size, have been the talk of the political world in New Jersey, with Democrats snickering and Christie supporters privately complaining. The governor’s latest ad, which featured the “threw his weight around” line and was expected to be seen by some viewers as many as 10 times, brought sharp reaction, even from those who like Mr. Corzine.

“There’s no subtlety there,” said Bill Baroni, a Republican state senator from Hamilton who lost 130 pounds starting 15 years ago. “That’s not a randomly chosen phrase. It’s purposeful. And it’s offensive.”

Mr. Baroni said that Mr. Corzine risked a backlash from the “tens of thousands” of New Jerseyans who struggle with their weight. “It is a lifetime battle,” he said. “And it’s made harder when people that you expect better from make fun of you.”

Mr. Christie calls the ad “silly” and “stupid,” but there are signs that the images may be contributing to a more negative view of Mr. Christie.

In a recent survey conducted by Monmouth University, voters were asked to say the first thing that came to mind about Mr. Christie. “Fat” was one of the most frequent responses, said Patrick Murray, the director of the poll, who attributed the results to the Corzine ads.

Sure, Christie has struggled with his weight and he obviously aware it's a problem. But have we come to the point where Democrats are so desperate they're reduced to making fun of someone's appearance? I thought they were the party of tolerance and sensitivity? Maybe Christie should make jokes about Corzine being a crash-test dummy. Would everyone find that amusing?

It's one thing for pundits and bloggers to crack jokes. Lord knows we've heard endless jokes about Rush Limbaugh and Michael Moore, but they aren't politicians. But when you have a sitting governor injecting it in a campaign, it's just distasteful and insensitive.

Even some on the left find this out of bounds.

On the one hand, this seems like it couldn’t possibly work. Who’s going to be anything but repulsed from Corzine by these tactics? On the other, it does often seem that prejudice against the overweight is one of the last socially acceptable forms of prejudice. But this really looks to me like a (deserved) backlash waiting to happen.

Again, this is just a sign of desperation from a sitting governor who can't even get above 44% of the vote right now. I doubt if he were cruising to victory he'd be reduced to this childish stunt.

Update: From former FDA chief David Kessler:

"This ad reflects a total lack of understanding, empathy and tolerance. No one should be criticized for being overweight. We're all wired to respond to different stimuli -- sex, gambling, alcohol, illegal drugs -- and for many people it's food. I would rather have this problem than some of these other problems. Some of the world's greatest leaders, from Winston Churchill to Ted Kennedy, struggled with their weight. This struggle has nothing to do with leadership abilities. It doesn't translate into a lack of control in any other part of a person's life. In any case, voters identify with people who are honest and open about their struggles. To be cruel to someone because of this struggle is just unacceptable. It shows a lack of understanding about human nature, and about the environment in which we live."

Can you imagine if, say, an opponent of New York Democrat Jerrold Nadler poked fun at his girth? They'd call it a hate crime.

Corzine needs to man up and apologize.

Desperate Dems Still Running Against Bush: 'It Will Be a Failed Strategy'

Well, it's not as if they have any accomplishments of Obama's to point to and considering how they're losing both of these races, is it any surprise they're going back to the bash Bush playbook?

Sure, it reeks of desperation, but what else have they got?

Facing the increasing likelihood of losses in the 2010 midterm congressional and gubernatorial elections, President Obama and his fellow Democrats are returning to a tried-and-true campaign strategy — run against former President George W. Bush.

In speech after speech since taking office, Mr. Obama has pointed back to the problems he inherited from the Bush administration when he took office. And earlier this month, Democratic National Committee Chairman Tim Kaine catalogued a slew of perceived Bush failures to the delight of supporters.

Already, Democratic gubernatorial candidates in Virginia and New Jersey are testing the strategy — so far, however, unsuccessfully.

"It will be a failed strategy," said Karl Rove, former senior political adviser to Mr. Bush. "They have been doing that very intentionally in New Jersey and Virginia thus far, and both their candidates are behind."

As a New Jersey resident I cannot come up with a single significant accomplishment of Jon Corzine's outside of surviving his stint as a crash-test dummy a couple of years ago.

Corzine is already playing the abortion card, a tried-and-true staple in New Jersey, along with bashing gun owners. I expect those ads to be rolled out before long.

He has nothing else.

Joe Biden admitted yesterday it's game over if they lose big in 2010.

They're running scared.

Cue up the Democrat theme song:

Christie Maintains Big Lead on Corzine

As we approach the fall and opposition to Democrats and Barack Obama swells nationwide, all eyes will be focused on the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia. Here in New Jersey, despite a recent visit by Obama, GOP challenger Chris Christie continues to hold a solid lead on incumbent Democrat Jon Corzine, according to the Monmouth University poll.

Voters downcast about New Jersey's economic picture appear willing to take a chance on a gubernatorial candidate with limited background in fiscal management, according to a Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey statewide poll released today.

GOP hopeful Chris Christie widened his lead to 14 percentage points over Democratic Gov. Jon S. Corzine. Christie leads 50 percent to 36 percent among likely voters. Last month, the results were 45 percent to 37 percent. The election is Nov. 3.

Independent Chris Daggett weighed in at 4 percent.

Christie, the former U.S. attorney for New Jersey, led Corzine in areas of key concern, including property taxes and the state budget.

Likely voters polled said that the Republican, by a margin of 50 percent to 28 percent, would do a better job on property taxes than Corzine. Those polled also said Christie would do a better job managing the state budget, 50 percent to 30 percent.

Christie increased his support from some traditionally Democratic voters, including union workers. He now holds a 48 percent to 30 percent lead among registered voters over the governor in union households, including a 47 percent to 37 percent advantage among teachers.

Christie is drawing closer to Corzine for state government worker support, with 43 percent backing Corzine and 40 percent supporting the challenger.

"There's a general lack of enthusiasm for Jon Corzine," said Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute, West Long Branch. "The union workers are unhappy with the economic malaise here in New Jersey."

It's rather significant that a Republican holds such a sizable lead among union members and could bode well for the GOP nationwide as they seek to attract blue-collar Reagan Democrats.

Corzine, despite a massive onslaught of radio and television ads, just cannot gain any traction, although you can expect it to get even nastier than it's already been.

“The Corzine campaign strategy so far has been to go extremely negative on Christie in order to slowly chip away at the former U.S. Attorney’s reputation on ethics. Even in the wake of last week’s corruption busts, for which Christie can take some credit, this slow bleed on his unfavorable ratings has not abated,” said Murray. “However, the Republican has been able to make gains in voters’ choice because New Jerseyans have grown more negative about the job their current governor is doing.”

The poll shows that President Barack Obama’s visit last month helped bolster Corzine’s support from minority voters, bringing his black and Hispanic support to 65% from 50% last month. But Christie is making serious inroads in other crucial groups, leading 48% to 30% in union households, 47% to 37% among teachers and coming close – 40% to Corzine’s 43% -- among state government workers. Those are huge gains from Monmouth’s poll last month.

When it comes time for Christie's inevitable ad blitz, focusing on Democrat corruptions and tying it around Corzine's neck will no doubt help with independents and expect Republican turnout to be huge this year as dissatisfaction with Washington Democrats increases.

While the race here will likely tighten come the fall, it's looking like a GOP sweep in Virginia. It'll be rather amusing to see how Obama's media lackeys spin these potential losses, especially when you consider even Virginia Democrats are starting to bail.

'It's Not the Best Day Jon Corzine Ever Had'

Thursday was definitely not the best day New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine ever had. Sure, there have been worse, such as the day he failed to wear his seat-belt during a 90 MPH drive where he nearly lost his life. Yet as far as politics go, seeing many of his cronies arrested while in the midst of a gubernatorial race he trails by 15 points, it may have been his worst.

The sweeping corruption case that ensnared politicians across a swath of New Jersey may claim one more Democratic pol by default -- Gov. Jon Corzine, who is already on the ropes in his re-election bid.

Corzine is more than 10 percentage points behind Republican Chris Christie in the most recent polls -- and he won't be helped by the fact that his rival is the former federal prosecutor who launched the original corruption probe, experts and others said.

"I think it demonstrates that Jon Corzine had his opportunity to reform New Jersey and didn't succeed. I think that's the way it'll play out in the minds of voters," former Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a major Christie supporter, told The Post.

"A governor who was a reformer would have dealt with [this level of corruption] a long time ago."

At a minimum, it gives Christie -- who is getting battered by multimillionaire Corzine's negative ads -- something to combat the attacks with.

Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf, who has worked with New Jersey politicians, said dryly, "It's not the best day Jon Corzine ever had."

One New Jersey Democrat, who asked not to be identified, described the scandal as "surmountable, but it won't be easy."

The Democrat added that there were many problems for Corzine in the arrests, including some logistical ones -- such as some of the arrests taking place in Hudson County, one of the state's most Democratic, meaning that pieces of the party's get-out-the-vote machinery are hobbled.

More scandal details here, here and here.

Meanwhile, it appears New Jersey may have regained its title as the most corrupt state in the union. That sigh of relief you hear comes from corrupt officials in New York and Illinois.

New Jersey regained the title of America's most corrupt state yesterday, thanks to a massive takedown of public officials on the take.

New York prosecutors must be falling down on the job.

If they redouble their efforts, the Empire State would surely be back on top in a blink -- given the extent of the corruption driving Albany's political culture.

For now, though, give Jersey credit: The arrests yesterday were massive -- the outgrowth of a 10-year federal probe that's already chalked up 48 convictions.

Those swept up included mayors, state legislators, county and local officials -- all netted as part of an international money-laundering and payoff scheme involving tens of millions of dollars and even trafficking in human organs.

Among the political losers was Gov. Jon Corzine's commissioner of community affairs, Joseph Doria, who was not charged yesterday but whose office was raided by the IRS and FBI; he resigned hours later.

And that's likely not the last fallout Corzine will be feeling.

Much of the investigative work in this investigation was conducted on the watch of his GOP opponent, former US Attorney Chris Christie -- who surely won't hesitate to remind voters that he successfully prosecuted 130 corrupt officials without losing a single case.

Update: More from Lawhawk.

Grim News: Corzine Approval at 37%

Of course the news is only grim if you're Jonny the Beard.

Most New Jerseyans feel Governor Jon Corzine has no major accomplishments to point to as he asks voters to give him a second term in Trenton. The latest Monmouth University/Gannett New Jersey Poll also finds little movement in his report card grades in key performance areas, as he continues to average a “C–” from the New Jersey public.

Currently, only 37% of New Jersey residents approve of how their governor is handling his job, compared to 49% who disapprove. Among registered voters, his ratings stand at 38% approve to 51% disapprove. This is consistent with Corzine’s job rating since February.

Governor Corzine maintains net positive job ratings only among his fellow Democrats – 53% approve to 30% disapprove. He receives negative ratings from majorities of both independents (57% disapprove to 30% approve) and Republicans (74% disapprove to 21% approve).

Only 53% of Democrats approve? The guy must be asking himself why on earth he ever left the private sector. He's probably spent about $150 million buying a Senate seat and then the keys to Drumthwacket and he's barely got half his own party in the fold.

With only six months left in his term, few voters feel that Jon Corzine has accomplished much during his time in Trenton. Only 13% say that he has major accomplishments to point to, while 49% say he has minor accomplishments. Another 34% say that he has no real accomplishments. Even among his fellow Democrats, only 23% feel that Corzine has achieved major accomplishments as governor. They are joined by just 9% of Republicans and 7% of independents who feel the same.

“It’s pretty difficult to expect voters to return you to office when all they’ve seen are improvements around the edges. But this is exactly the position Corzine finds himself in,” commented Patrick Murray, director of the Monmouth University Polling Institute.

With four months to his contests against Chris Christie it's tough to find a silver lining for Corzine.

Oh well. And it doesn't look like Obama's visit last week is going to help, although you can expect the usual suspects from ACORN and the SEIU to flood the zone come the fall in a desperate attempt to help Corzine.

If it comes to pass, it will be amusing to see Obama and his media handlers explain a humiliating Democrat defeat in a solidly blue state.

More here.