In the politics of Jersey City, a way to say you are a true native is to say you were born in Margaret Hague Hospital, the legendary maternity ward. This separates you from all the New Yorkers that moved there to flee high rents, and later, the 9-11 aftermath. Well, though I live in Florida now, I was born in Margaret Hague, and grew up by the Hudson River. I grew up knowing that the Statue of Liberty was in New Jersey waters, and that while the Giants and Jets were "New York" teams, they all played in Jersey. I grew up knowing that we were proven to be the safest drivers in the nation, yet our Auto insurance rates were so high because of all the idiots driving to and from New York. I say this because I know I have defended my current state of Florida on this board a lot, often clashing with the folks that talk as if everyone south of the Mason-Dixon line should be exterminated, as if that would finally ensure the northeast could have a leftist utopia. I speak because if you read and go "Oh, this is just some redneck from Floor Id Uh" I will gladly call you out and say that yes, I DO know the state of my birth.
Like many Jersey expatriates, there were many times I pondered "what if I was still up North?" There were times I was wishing I was, especially when many of the Yahoos down here raised their ugly head and headed straight for the camera eye. However, last year, when Florida joined the proud company of Blue states, I knew that we were moving in the proper direction (as opposed to the right.) Yeah, the Yahoos were in force, but I had the pleasure of knowing we gave the death blow to McCain, and that my hometown elected an openly gay county commissioner.
Still, I would sometimes pine for the state of my Birth when I would read Corzine say quotes like: "we are for marriage equality. I want to be very clear on this. I don't call it gay marriage. I call it marriage equality because I believe that we ought to be treating people under the Constitution here in the state of New Jersey as determined by our courts." Nice, clear, blue sentiments that would wreck many careers elsewhere.
However, any pining for the home state is done now. Yes, Corzine could be an ass at times, but for a state that has benefited from being solidly blue to go and vote in a GOP member is disgusting. Let's start with Gay Marriage. Christie put out this flier
http://www.bilerico.com/2009/11/guess_who_just_played_the_gay_card.phpah yes, an amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman. Gee, how Dixie-like. However, I used to think that New Jersey types would see this and go "we can't vote for THIS guy." Apparently not.
"But Corzine, he was a scumbag! Our property taxes were too high! Corzine wrecked the budget!" Well, the Garden state just jumped from the frying pan into the fire. Folks, as a Floridian, I am an expert on high property taxes. They are used by legislatures who do not want to dare Tax the Rich their fair share, and instead want to put that burden on the Middle Class. You think you have high property taxes NOW, wait till the GOP tries to find ways to pamper the rich even more!, especially since many of the rich in New Jersey are people who consider themselves New Yorkers, you know, the ones that say "I practically live in Manhattan". If services have to be cut for the people who admit they live there, well, that won;t be any skin off the rich's nose.
As far as ruined state budgets go, as a Floridian, I know about those. Our states budget was so cut and hacked that to stay solvent,it needed several Billion from the Obama stimulus, which our governor is trying to deny he took, even though it was the only good thing he ever did. Of course, the GOP down here did not want to take that, saying that if we only cut schools more, we could be solvent. You think you know about wrecked state budgets, HA, you just put the GOP in power, the undisputed champions at wrecking state budgets and cutting services. Heck, California was a lot bluer than you once, and look what a GOP governor did for them.
Of course, there are those who will say "this was my way of saying I hated Obama!" It will come from the right, and even from the far left, as many posts here have already shown. I have already addressed the right wing/"independents", so let me focus on the people who think that by staying home, they showed those scumbags that did not reverse the Reagan Bush era in less than a year, fighting opposition of the "moderates" every step of the way. The GOP is not looking at this and thinking "wow, people want true leftists in power!", No, you just handed them the talking point that we will hear on Fox over and over, that the GOP is not dead, and that people are scared of Obama because he is to far left! You just handed Joe Lieberman ammo to say that even the liberal Northeast really is not so liberal, and that we better slow things down. The strategists are popping champagne, because we have seen the return of their beloved liberal circular firing squad, the one that really keeps the GOP in power. All they have to do is figure out how to keep it loaded, and the champagne will pour in 2010, and 2012!
I really do not want the Garden State to suffer, after all, it gets enough crap being New York's dumping ground. However, I will say, you have actually made me glad I left for the first time in a long time. I will also say that I will feel a lot less pity when the GOP breaks out their toolbox. They will say they are doing surgery, but out will come the hacksaw, blowtorch and pliers, and in a few years, you might not recognize yourselves in the mirror, just ask California how her surgery went.
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