NJ-Gov: Corzine Bucks Old Jersey Democratic Machines

by Scott Shields, Mon Sep 12, 2005 at 06:50:27 PM EDT

In a move that makes this reform-minded Jersey Democrat proud, Jon Corzine has endorsed Assemblywoman Loretta Weinberg for the state Senate seat recently vacated by Byron Baer. You're likely wondering why is this a big deal, if it even qualifies as a deal at all. Loretta Weinberg is not the candidate backed by Bergen County Democratic boss Joe Ferriero.

Ferriero (along with Byron Baer himself) is supporting former Hackensack police chief Ken Zisa for the seat, who stood down from challenging Baer in 2003 with the understanding that he would have Ferriero's backing whenever Baer retired. Now that the time has come to make good on his promise, Ferriero is unlikely to back down for Corzine. In fact, it's been reported that this weekend, Ferriero tried to broker a deal with Weinberg to make her Majority Leader of the Assembly. Assumably, with the announcement of Corzine's support, that's not going to happen.

The shift from Baer to Zisa is an interesting one. While Baer has a record of strongly supporting civil rights -- jailed as a Freedom Rider in Mississippi, helping to organize Dr. King's march from Selma to Montgomery, campaigning for the rights of migrant workers -- Zisa came under fire from Hackensack's minority communities, who allege that his department engaged in harassment.

Weinberg, on the other hand, is known as an extremely progressive legislator with an independent streak. In 2003, New Jersey Monthly named her the "Most Liberal" member of state legislature, crediting her with "skill and tenacity in getting her party and her Assembly colleagues to go along with her causes," which include civil rights, women's rights, healthcare, and anti-poverty legislation. Steve Kornacki has written that Weinberg "has demonstrated a prickly independence that sometimes puts her at odds with party leaders." One of her allies, Mayor Michael Wildes of Englewood, is openly hostile to Ferriero, saying that he'd like to see District 37 become "independent of party bossism." According to the endorsement, Weinberg's progressive, independent record is what Corzine finds so compelling about her.

Corzine is particularly fond of Weinberg because he sees her as the rare New Jersey politician who uses her leverage to advance her policy agenda-- not to secure jobs and contracts.

While this is likely something of a calculated move on Corzine's part, it's still not a perfectly safe move. The party committee meeting to be held this Thursday will see either Corzine's candidate or Ferriero's candidate fall. That means that Corzine either loses or embarrasses the Bergen County boss -- neither is an easy spot to be in under two months before an election. The important thing is that Corzine is demonstrating that he is more than willing to lock horns with the bosses if it means doing the right thing for the state.

Tags: Governor 2005-6 (all tags)

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He's going to have to do more than that

to get rid of a well oiled, well entrenched Democratic machine.

by bruh21 2005-09-12 08:34PM | 0 recs

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Re: He's going to have to do more than that

Thing is, Corzine's not likely to get rid of the machines. In fact, Ferriero's organization is going to be crucial in getting out the vote in Bergen County. But the state party has a serious image problem (that keeps being overlooked because we keep winning) as one giant, ineffective patronage machine. Eventually, grassroots progressives are going to have to push the machines out. That's not going to happen right this minute, but it seems at least that Corzine is on our side in the battle. This is a very early, yet important shot in that long war.

by Scott Shields 2005-09-12 08:49PM | 0 recs

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Re: He's going to have to do more than that

I live in Hudson County, it probably has one of the most corrupt political organizations in the state if not the country. Loads of intimidation, party paybacks and backdoor posturing. Too bad our Congressman Bob Menendez (No.3 Dem in the House) is the head of Hudson County Democratic Organization. I wish there was a credible primary challenge, but he brings loads of money to the district and is second to none in terms of constituent services. Then again this overwhelmingly Democratic city once elected right wing wackoo Schundler.

by NJDEM1 2005-09-12 10:06PM | 0 recs

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Shades of Woodrow Wilson

Who did something similar in his run for govenor of NJ:

In the spring of 1910, Col. George Harvey, editor of Harper's Weekly, persuaded James Smith of Newark, "boss" of the New Jersey Democratic Party, to support Wilson for the gubernatorial nomination. Wilson, who had recently lost an internal struggle at Princeton with one of his deans, agreed to accept the nomination if it were offered without conditions. Smith's well-oiled machine worked perfectly, but his plan to elect a dignified puppet soon went awry. Wilson accepted the Democratic state convention's nomination, aligned himself with the progressive forces that had been fighting Smith, and won in a landslide on Nov. 8, 1910. It was only the beginning of the revolution. Before his inauguration Wilson prevented Smith's election to the United States Senate by the state legislature.

Not that I would carry the comparison too far. Corzine is opposing the machine during his own election. Wilson double crossed the machine after his electon. James Chace cover this in his book 1912 : Wilson, Roosevelt, Taft and Debs -The Election that Changed the Country

by molly bloom 2005-09-13 04:41AM | 0 recs

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Let's be fair here.

You only link to Corzine's endorsement, and laud him for "bucking the machine," but the situation, as just a quick perusal of the main page of the politicsnj.com website indicates, is much less clear cut. This isn't a fight over reformers versus machine candidates, it's a fight over who gets to be boss here, Corzine or Ferriero; a fight over replacing one system of bosshood with another, an oligarchy of party chairs with a gubantorial dictatorship.

Power struggles are never pretty, nor, generally, are they easily distinguished in "good" and "bad" terms, and this is no different. Corzine wants his footsoldier in the office, Ferriero wants his. The question I'm asking is why the presumptive governor of the state with the most powerful executive branch in the nation feels he needs loyal footsoldiers in an Democratic state senate, and what other senate seats he's going to be gunning for once he has the power of incumbancy to use as leverage, as opposed to the presumptive power it's rumored he's using as pressure on the county committee members. He can't honestly believe his agenda's in trouble, can he?

by sucopsucoh 2005-09-13 09:12PM | 0 recs

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Re: Let's be fair here.

Excellent point. And I'm always leery of those who laud candidates who "buck the party machine". While I understand that Jersey and New York have entrenched party operations that often promote timid and moderate candidates, let me just say that that isn't always the case. My state party organization (MN DFL) uses an endorsement system that is often criticized for supporting candidates that are too progressive to be elected by the electorate at large. Independent candidates willing to buck the system here are more likely to be wealthy moderates who have no conception of party loyalty.
And I would give my eyeteeth to have some patronage to throw around. I'd love to have my own postmaster! Just a dream.

by Lokileague 2005-09-14 08:04AM | 0 recs

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Just a small correction about Jersey politics.

/While I understand that Jersey and New York have entrenched party operations that often promote timid and moderate candidates, let me just say that that isn't always the case./

I can't speak for New York (though the dynamics in many parts of that state are similar), the reason New Jersey machines, in some parts, produce more moderates is that New Jersey in generally a moderate state. It was, prior to the Republican Party's rightward lurch, a bastion of Rockefeller Republicanism. New Jersey voters tend to skew left socially, and be more moderate to conservative on financial issues such as taxes. Democratic gains in New Jersey, and the gradual liberalization of the New Jersey Congressional delegation (it wasn't until Rush Holt in 1998 that New Jersey Dems retook control of the Congressional delegation, despite the Republican Senatoral dryspell) is much more recent, and a result of both the rightward drift of the Republican Party, leaving behind the moderate suburban voters for the Dems to pick off, as well as migration of liberal Democratic voters from New York City into the outlying New Jersey suburbs and cities (particularly Monmouth, Bergen, and the Gold Coast of Jersey City, Hoboken, etc.).

Suburban machine candidates, however, are gradually moving leftward with the general character of the state. (The Essex machine, which includes Newark, has always remained much more liberal than the general political composure of the state.)

by sucopsucoh 2005-09-14 11:41AM | 0 recs

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If you reallly think...

...there's an equivalency between the Ferriero folks and the Weinberg folks, go read today's politicsnj.com front page. This is politics at its worst.

To answer a question posed above, I don't think Jon Corzine is worried that his agenda is in trouble, I think he's worried that his party is in trouble.

by Bill W 2005-09-15 05:19AM | 0 recs