Governor Christie has fired Bridget Anne Kelly, the deputy chief of staff who ordered the lane closure at the George Washington Bridge in September as political payback to the Fort Lee mayor who did not endorse the governor for re-election.
Christie also instructed his close advisor Bill Stepien to withdraw from pursuing state GOP chairmanship and his consultancy for the Republican Governor’s Association – the powerful group that Christie is leading in 2014.
At a packed news conference in Trenton where he announced the firing, Christie apologized “for my failure to understand the true nature of this problem sooner than I did.”
At a packed news conference in Trenton where he announced the firing, Christie apologized “for my failure to understand the true nature of this problem sooner than I did.”
He also said he had "no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or execution" and was stunned by the "abject stupidity that was shown." Nevertheless, he said, he was responsible for what happened.
He said it was “completely unacceptable and showed a lack of respect for the appropriate role of government and the people we're are trusted to serve.”
He also said he had "no knowledge or involvement in this issue, in its planning or execution" and was stunned by the "abject stupidity that was shown."
Nevertheless, he said, he was responsible for what happened.
He said it was “completely unacceptable and showed a lack of respect for the appropriate role of government and the people we're are trusted to serve.”
The governor said he has instructed his staff to cooperate with the General Assembly investigation, the Port Authority Inspector General Investigation and any law enforcement investigation.
“I have nothing to hide,” Christie said. “We have nothing to hide. My administration has nothing to hide.”
He said he plans to personally interview his staff to root out if others had knowledge of or were involved in the lane closures. He said that if anything else is discovered he will make it public.
Christie said he was "embarrassed and humiliated" by his staff, one day after emails and text messages revealed his administration may have closed highway lanes to exact political retribution.
He added he was firing Kelly, "because she lied to me."
Christie said he is going to Fort Lee later today to apologize to Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich and borough residents.
The mayor has said he does not want to meet with the governor, but Christie is traveling to Fort Lee anyway.
The Record and other media reported Wednesday that Kelly, one of Christie's deputy chiefs of staff, had sent an email to David Wildstein, a Christie appointee at the Port Authority, saying "It's time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."
While many believed the closures were retribution against Sokolich, a Democrat who did not join other members of his party in endorsing Christie, Christie said previously that his staff and campaign had no knowledge of what caused the days-long tragic jam in Fort Lee. He said he believed Bill Baroni, who he appointed as deputy executive director of the transportation agency, who said the traffic jams were caused by a traffic study.
Both Wildstein and Baroni have resigned.
Christie said he was “blindsided” by the news.
Christie said he first learned of the issue after he had finished his workout and was called by communications staff that the story had broken on The Record’s website: NorthJersey.com.
“This is not the tone I set over the last four years in this building,” Christie said.
After the documents revealed Christie's staff and campaign had knowledge of the lane closures and Kelly apparently ordered them, the governor cancelled a planned Superstorm Sandy recovery announcement Wednesday. Six hours later Christie released a statement saying he had been "misled" by a staff member and that "people will be held responsive for their actions."
Christie said he knew nothing about the lane closures until they were eventually reopened four days later.
“I first found out about it after it was over,” he said.
He said he isn’t a micro-manager and gives his subordinates — staff and cabinet — discretion to make decisions. Christie said he didn’t know his campaign was even trying to pursue Sokolich’s endorsement. “I didn’t see this as political retribution because I didn’t see him do anything to us,” Christie said of Sokolich.
Christie said has not spoken to Kelly since the e-mail came out and does not know why she ordered the lane closure. He said he spoke to Port Authority Chairman David Samson on Wednesday and was convinced he did not know about the lane closure scheme.
Christie also apologized for a flip remark he made at a previous news conference that he had arranged the traffic cones himself when asked about the closures.
“I would never have made that joke if I knew the facts that came out yesterday,” Christie.
Christie said Stepien, his campaign manager on his last year’s reelection, was asked to leave his organization at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
Kelly was fired at 9 a.m. today, Christie said.
He said Stepien had told him earlier that he had no involvement in the lane closures.
“I lost confidence in his judgment,” Christie said.
Can CHRIS CHRISTIE recover from his GW Bridge Scandal??
Or has his chances for a U.S. Pres bid in 2016 been completely ruined??
Gov CHRISTIE claims he wasn't aware of any wrongdoing regarding this "BRIDGEGATE" situation just as Pres OBAMA claims he wasn't aware of the IRS Targeting Innocent Citizens.
The Fort Lee traffic scandal, once dismissed by the governor as an exaggerated kerfuffle, has captivated the national blogosphere today.
Political pundits warn of two outcomes: First, the hardening of Gov. Chris Christie's reputation as a bully into indelible fact. And second, his presidential prospects in 2016, washed away in mere days.
Much of this depends on how Christie handles the fallout. After ducking the limelight today, he released a statement this evening saying he is "outraged" to learn that he was misled by a member of his staff, and that the culprits will be held responsible.
Is the governor being honest about his ignorance?
The real test will be whether he comes clean with all the evidence, without trying to invoke executive privilege to hide anything from the public.
In the meantime, the revelation that Christie's top officials paralyzed traffic in Fort Lee because its mayor failed to endorse him has breathed new life into what critics have long charged -- that Christie retaliates ruthlessly against those who dare to cross him.
At Slate, John Dickerson wonders, "Will Christie apologize?" Ultimately, that's what will determine the fate of his presidential campaign, he argues.
Ezra Klein at Wonkblog believes "Chris Christie's problem is that he's really, truly a bully" -- and a bully with power is a dangerous combination.
"It's hard to see how Christie recovers from this," says Jamelle Bouie, a columnist at the Daily Beast.
"Nixonian," a headline at Talking Points Memo cries.
Rachel Maddow told the Star-Ledger's Stephen Stirling that state reporters were right to keep the heat on Christie: "The national press owes the New Jersey papers a huge debt of gratitude."
And New York Magazine's Jonathan Chait seems to think it's all over for the golden governor, titling his piece, "Chris Christie 2016: A Bridge to Nowhere."
What do you think? Can Christie bounce back from Bridgegate?
Sources: AP, CBS News, CNN, NJ.com, Rawstory, Youtube
HILLARY CLINTON vs MITT ROMNEY IN 2016: WHAT DO YOU THINK??
It's pretty clear HILLARY CLINTON is going to campaign again for the Oval Office in 2016.
It's also pretty clear CHRIS CHRISTIE will be one of her Opponents.
But what about MITT ROMNEY throwing his hat in the ring again ??
I know his WIFE doesn't want him to but....
I would be stoked to see MITT ROMNEY Win the 2016 GOP Nomination and run against HILLARY CLINTON!
If MITT does decide to run again, I think MARCO RUBIO would make a GREAT GOP Vice-President pick. (just my opinion)
As for the Haters who reject MITT ROMNEY as a possible 2016 GOP U.S. Presidential Nominee, EAT ME!
Now please don't get it twisted.
I would absolutely LOVE....LOVE....LOVE to see HILLARY CLINTON become the First legally elected Woman U.S. President because I Strongly feel she would make a GREAT President, who will Fairly represent both MIDDLE CLASS & LOW INCOME Voters just as her husband former U.S. President BILL CLINTON did.
However......
I would also absolutely LOVE.....LOVE......LOVE to see MITT ROMNEY run again.
ROMNEY'S last campaign was very Well-Organized & I believe he learned a lesson or two from Pres OBAMA'S Election MACHINE.
I think ANN ROMNEY should re-consider the possibilities & allow MITT to run again.
PRAY about it ANN.
Like HILLARY, Gov ROMNEY definitely has a lot to offer Our Country.
The third time just might be a Charm for him!
HILLARY CLINTON vs MITT ROMNEY IN 2016: WHAT DO YOU THINK??
YES! This race was a Snapshot of November's Election.
YES! Many Pundits perceive this to be some sort of Referendum on Pres. Obama's Economic Policies. YES! Its time for Economic Reform in America. YES! Scott Walker won because even though Democrat Voters were Ticked off at Walker, many of them are still Unemployed, Broke, Busted & Disgusted thus they voted for Walker anyway. YES! Pres. Obama will still most likely eke out a Win against Mitt Romney, however he'll come in limping, Battered & Badly Bruised over the Finish line.
First-term Republican Gov. Scott Walker will win the Wisconsin recall election, CBS News estimates, beating back a labor-backed effort to unseat him and again handing defeat to his Democratic challenger, 58-year-old Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett.
With 56 percent of the expected vote in, Walker led Barrett 57 percent to 42 percent.
The recall fight, prompted by Walker's decision to strip Wisconsin public workers of their collective bargaining rights, has doubled as a proxy fight over whether Republicans can push through spending cuts and confront organized labor - and live to tell about it.
"Wisconsin has given their stamp of approval to Gov. Walker's successful reforms that balanced the budget, put people back to work, and put government back on the side of the people," Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus said Tuesday night.
Added Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney: "Governor Walker has demonstrated over the past year what sound fiscal policies can do to turn an economy around, and I believe that in November voters across the country will demonstrate that they want the same in Washington, D.C. Tonight's results will echo beyond the borders of Wisconsin."
According to the Center for Public Integrity, candidates and outside groups spent in excess of $63 million on the recall election - an enormous figure that easily breaks the previous record of $37.4 million (set in the 2010 gubernatorial contest) for spending in a Wisconsin election. According to the New York Times, Walker and his Republican allies spent $45.6 million on the race as of May 21, while Barrett and his allies have spent $17.9 million.
Turnout had been expected to exceed the 2010 election total, with an estimated 2.8 million people expected to cast ballots. Reports emerged from Wisconsin Tuesday of robocalls informing voters, falsely, they don't have to vote if they signed the recall petition, among other attempts to depress turnout among Barrett voters using false information. The Walker campaign said in response to the reports that "any accusation that our campaign is making those calls is categorically false and unfounded."
Early CBS News exit polls found that 51 percent of voters in Wisconsin approve of how Walker has handled the issue of collective bargaining, and 52 percent approve of how he has handled job creation. Fifty percent said they approved of the recent changes to state law that limits collective bargaining for government workers, while 48 percent disapproved of these changes.
Fifty-two percent of Wisconsin voters in the early exit polls said they have a favorable view of unions for government workers -- a group that largely backed the recall -- while 43 percent have an unfavorable opinion of these unions.
The early exit polls showed Barrett winning handily among union households, while Walker dominated among Tea Party voters. While independents backed Walker over Barrett by 14 points in 2010, the two effectively tied among independents this time around. The polls showed Walker winning with men and those making more than $50,000, and Barrett winning among women and those making less than $50,000 per year.
"I think most people are just happy to have the election over," Walker said as he cast his ballot in suburban Milwaukee Tuesday, the Associated Press reported. "I think most voters of the state want to have all the attack ads off. They want to have their TVs back. They want to have their lives back."
Walker, 44, defeated Barrett by nearly six points in the 2010 Wisconsin gubernatorial race.
Walker dominated Barrett in the money race this time around thanks in large part to donors from outside the state. As of campaign filings released on May 29, Walker had raised $30.5 million, with about two-thirds of that total coming from donors outside Wisconsin. Barrett had raised roughly $4 million, with about one-fourth coming from outside the state. Part of the disparity can be explained by the fact that Walker, as a sitting governor facing recall, is not subject to the state's legal limits on campaign contributions under Wisconsin law. Barrett, by contrast, was legally barred from accepting contributions in excess of $10,000 per person.
The rest of the spending in the race has been from outside ideological groups. The Tea Party-linked group Americans for Prosperity alone told CBS News it has spent $10 million on the race since January 2011 on what it says is education over the positive impact of Walker's budget reform efforts.
The effort to recall Walker effectively began last February. That's when the newly-elected governor, who had defeated Barrett in the 2010 election, released a budget plan that proposed elimination of most public employee bargaining rights.
Walker had suggested during his 2010 campaign that he would close the state's $3.6 billion budget shortfall in part through cuts to public employee pensions, but he said nothing about eliminating collective bargaining rights. His announcement in February galvanized many on the left, who began chanting "Recall Walker" at the Wisconsin statehouse as part of massive protests against the plan. Wisconsin Senate Democrats even temporarily fled the state in an ultimately futile effort to keep Walker's plan from being passed.
In January, Walker's opponents submitted more than 900,000 valid signatures to the state to trigger the recall election, far more than the 540,208 needed to do so. Barrett won the Democratic primary last month, beating organized labor's preferred candidate.
Sixty percent of Wisconsin voters said in early CBS News exit polls that recall elections are only appropriate for official misconduct. Twenty-eight percent said they think they are suitable for any reason, while nine percent think they are never appropriate.
President Obama did not campaign for Barrett, prompting grumbling from some Wisconsin Democrats and labor leaders. Among those who did was former President Bill Clinton, who said a Walker victory would prompt Republicans around the nation to conclude: "We're finally going to break every union in America. We're going to break every government in America. We're going to stop worrying about the middle class. We don't give a rip whether poor people will get to work their way into it. We've got our way now. We've got it all. Divide and conquer works."
Republicans called the race a test of whether they can push through the difficult reforms needed to deal with massive federal, state and local budget deficits.
"Governor Walker has shown that citizens and taxpayers can fight back - and prevail - against the runaway government costs imposed by labor bosses," Romney said Tuesday evening. "Tonight voters said 'no' to the tired, liberal ideas of yesterday, and 'yes' to fiscal responsibility and a new direction. I look forward to working with Governor Walker to help build a better, brighter future for all Americans."
Mr. Obama won Wisconsin by 14 points in 2008, but the recall fight has Republicans suggesting it may be within reach for Romney. The early exit polls found that Mr. Obama led Romney 51 percent to 45 percent among voters in the recall election.
In the exit polls, 53 percent of Barrett's supporters say their vote today was mainly for their candidate, while 45 percent say it was against his opponents. Among Walker's supporters, about nine in 10 describe their vote as mainly for Walker -- only 8 percent say their vote was mainly against his opponents.
While Republicans held a major advantage on the airwaves thanks to the massive spending by Walker and his backers, Democrats had a big advantage in organization on the ground, thanks in part to a get-out-the-vote effort backed by organized labor. Walker's victory suggests that the newly-legal unlimited spending by super PACs and other outside groups - which was unleashed by a pair of recent Supreme Court decisions, including Citizens United - can overcome the ground game Democrats have steadily built up around the nation in recent years.
While a loss may well have effectively ended Walker's political career, his victory will elevate him to superstar status among conservatives and likely prompt talk of a presidential run. It also feeds the notion that the influence of organized labor - which made the governor's defeat a top priority - continues to wane.
Also facing recall on Tuesday were the state's Republican lieutenant governor, Rebecca Kleefisch, and four Republican state senators. If Democrats successfully recall one of the GOP state senators, they will win a majority in the Wisconsin Senate and be able to block Walker's agenda even though he remains in office.
Senate Republicans have blocked a bill that calls for equal pay in the workplace.
As expected, the vote Tuesday fell short of the 60 votes needed to advance the legislation. President Obama and his Democratic allies argue that the legislation is needed to protect people who try to find out how their pay stacks up against their coworkers. Republicans said it puts too much burden on employers.
The vote was the latest effort by Democrats to protect their lead among critical women voters this presidential and congressional election year. Republicans are focusing on the No. 1 concern for all voters: jobs and the economy.
Obama strongly supports the bill. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has not taken a stand but his campaign says he favors pay equity in the workplace.
Abu Yahya al-Libi, the No. 2 man in al Qaeda and a longtime public face of the terror network, has been killed by a CIA drone strike in Pakistan launched Monday, U.S. officials said Tuesday.
One of the officials said multiples sources confirmed al-Libi's killing to the United States, but the official declined to provide details.
Al-Libi's death marks one of the most significant blows to al Qaeda since the U.S. military killed Osama bin Laden in a daring nighttime raid in Pakistan a year ago. Al-Libi was second-in-command behind al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahiri, who took the helm after bin Laden's death.
"There is no one who even comes close in terms of replacing the expertise (al Qaeda) has just lost," said the U.S. official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Al-Libi "played a critical role in the group's planning against the West, providing oversight of the external operations efforts," the official said.
"Zawahiri will be hard-pressed to find any one person who can readily step into Abu Yahya's shoes," the official said. "In addition to his gravitas as a longstanding member of AQ's leadership, Abu Yahya's religious credentials gave him the authority to issue fatwas, operational approvals and guidance to the core group in Pakistan and regional affiliates."
The Monday strike was the third such deadly attack in as many days and the 21st suspected U.S. drone strike in Pakistan this year. At least six missiles were fired at a militant compound near the town of Mir Ali in the North Waziristan region near the Afghanistan border.
Reports emerged a couple of years ago that al-Libi was slain, but they proved to be incorrect. Al Qaeda's leadership has been so thinned by the U.S. drone campaign in Pakistan that these men were the only two real leaders of the organization left, U.S.
counterterrorism officials said, according to CNN Security Analyst Peter Bergen. Al Qaeda offshoots in other parts of the world, such as the group's affiliate in Yemen, have meanwhile become more potent and worrisome to the United States.
An Islamic scholar and high-ranking member of the group, al-Libi frequently appeared in Internet videos. He gave many videotaped speeches praising al Qaeda leaders, urging resistance and trying to recruit new members.
"Al-Libi is a key motivator in the global jihadi movement and his messages convey a clear threat to U.S. persons or property worldwide," said a "Wanted" statement posted on the website of the U.S. State Department's "Rewards for Justice" program, which offers rewards for information about suspected terrorists.
"Al-Libi is believed to be in hiding in Afghanistan or Pakistan," said the website, which offered a reward of up to $1 million for the 49-year-old Libyan. Al-Libi purportedly was among al Qaeda leaders working in Libya since last year to establish a presence there.
In a video message to fellow Libyans distributed on jihadist forums in December, al-Libi said, "At this crossroads you have found yourselves: You either choose a secular regime that pleases the greedy crocodiles of the West and for them to use it as a means to fulfill their goals, or you take a strong position and establish the religion of Allah."
Al-Libi was captured in 2002 and imprisoned at Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, according to the U.S. government, but he escaped in 2005.
In 2008, a statement posted on radical Islamic websites known to carry messages from al Qaeda described how four "military leaders" including al-Libi escaped from the prison, but the statement said then that one of the escapees, Abu Abdallah al-Shami, had been killed in a U.S. airstrike.
The statement said that among those escaping with al-Shami was key al Qaeda figure Omar al-Faruq, who died in a British airstrike after the escape.
Another escapee, Abu Nasir al-Qahtani, was captured in Afghanistan in 2006. Al-Shami's death left al-Libi as the only remaining member of that escape who had not been killed or captured.
President Barack Obama's administration recently justified its use of unmanned drones to target suspected terrorists overseas in a rare public statement, with John Brennan, the president's top counterterrorism adviser, saying the strikes are conducted "in full accordance with the law."
The program uses unmanned aerial vehicles, often equipped with Hellfire missiles, to target suspected terrorists in remote locations overseas, with many such strikes occurring in Yemen and Pakistan, despite some internal opposition within the latter country.
Brennan said the United States "respects national sovereignty and international law" and is guided by the laws of war in ordering those attacks. The Pakistani border area is widely believed to be the operating base for the Haqqani network and other militant groups that have attacked international troops in neighboring Afghanistan.
I think Scott Walker will Win by a nose & due to the lingering High Unemployment Numbers, Walker's Victory will be viewed by many in the Political arena as a Referendum on Pres. Obama's Economic Policies.
Why?
Because even Hardcore Democrats want to WORK and Properly Provide for their Families. Are We Better Off Now Than We Were 4 Years Ago?
If You are a Wall Street Executive, Billionaire or Millionaire: YES!
But if you are a Middle Class or Low Income Citizen: NO! WORSE!
Republicans in Congress can't be blamed for all that Ails America's Stagnant Economy when Congressional Democrats were in Power for almost 2 Years (Both Chambers) and basically just sat on their hands!
So in essence the Wisconsin Recall race can be perceived as a Snapshot of this November's General Election.
Pres. Obama can still eke out a Win but he will cross the finish line Badly Bruised & Battered by Romney's camp.
The recall election will be over June 5, but its shadow could stretch for years.
Voters will have to decide whether to support Gov. Scott Walker or to dump him from office after less than a year and a half in favor of Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, the candidate they rejected for the job in 2010. On jobs, taxes, education, health care and unions, the candidates are already marking out positions that differ sharply.
Brett Healy, president of the conservative think tank the MacIver Institute, says the fundamental difference between the candidates is that Barrett hasn't said how he would have budgeted differently from Walker.
"It's a fundamental question that should be part of this debate," Healy said.
David Riemer, a former top administrative and budget officer for Democrats in both the state and the city of Milwaukee, said the difference is that Walker is focused on holding down or cutting taxes and helping corporations to the exclusion of all other concerns, such as the quality of public services.
"The basic difference is between someone who has a balanced approach to government and someone who has one thing to say," said Riemer, who also ran unsuccessfully against Walker while he was still county executive.
In his own words, Walker talks about the role of government by emphasizing limits on it.
"Government is there to do things that we can't do on our own," Walker said. "For the most part, it's supposed to stay out of our lives. It's why the state constitution here in our state says modesty and frugality in government leads to freedom and prosperity."
For his part, Barrett sees state government as also creating opportunities.
"Government is there to make sure we protect our liberties, that we have public safety, education . . . roads, transportation," Barrett said. "It's to make sure we have a civilized society where everyone has an opportunity and people are respected."
Here's a breakdown on the differences between the candidates:
JOBS
Walker passed a series of bills focused on the state's economic climate in January 2011, including a measure to limit liability lawsuits and another bill to turn the state Department of Commerce into the quasi-public Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
"We want to move forward because we've set the table for tremendous job growth and prosperity," Walker said. "Unfortunately, our opponents want to go exactly the opposite way."
Walker said he wants to hold down costs for businesses from taxes and regulations and promote skilled workers in the labor market and good infrastructure.
Walker campaigned on creating 250,000 jobs in his four-year term and so far, according to numbers released early by his administration, the state created 23,321 jobs in 2011. A separate set of numbers that is considered an inferior measure by economists shows the state lost jobs and ranked worst in the nation last year.
Barrett has said that Walker is failing on his jobs promise and has harmed the economic climate by stirring up political turmoil and by stifling growth in renewable energy such as the wind industry.
"By starting that ideological civil war, he took his eye off the goal, which was the creation of jobs," Barrett said.
The mayor has also criticized Walker for cutting the state's technical colleges; failing to pass a bill to promote venture capital funding; and turning down more than $800 million in federal funds for a passenger rail line between Madison and Milwaukee.
Barrett has said that he's been successful in promoting jobs in a poverty-stricken community through efforts such as the redevelopment of the Menomonee Valley. Walker has responded that Barrett has failed to create jobs in the city of Milwaukee, where the labor market ranks poorly compared with other large cities.
The mayor said that, though he would work immediately on economic development, he didn't expect to seek new legislation on jobs until the Legislature returns in 2013.
TAXES
On state taxes, Walker says that with lawmakers he managed to hold them in line while balancing a $3 billion budget shortfall over two years, largely with spending cuts. Walker touts the fact that local property taxes on the median-valued home in the state have also dropped just slightly under his watch because he and lawmakers put tight limits on local government levies.
Walker and the Legislature also approved tax decreases for businesses, including for multistate corporations, and another major decrease for certain manufacturers and farmers that will ramp up in the coming years. Going forward, Walker wants to cut the personal income tax, saying that it's too high and is stifling economic growth. He did not say where he would get the money to do that.
"I'd try to do it across the board. I think if you want to have relief, you want a cross section of consumers around the state so it would have the biggest impact," Walker said.
Barrett has said he doesn't want to raise taxes beyond the levels they were at when Walker took office. He said he would look at undoing some tax cuts passed by Walker, including the business tax cuts mentioned above, since he says they've been ineffective in creating jobs. He said he would consult with businesses to ensure the changes are not unduly harmful, but he has not said which taxes he might raise.
"I'm going to be very mindful of the cost of these because they explode in the out years," Barrett said of Walker's tax cuts.
Barrett has criticized Walker's property tax caps but has not said whether he would loosen them or by how much. The mayor wants to restore tax credits for low-income families that were eliminated by Walker and Republican lawmakers, saying the governor broke his no tax increase pledge to the neediest families.
He has not said where he would get the money to do that.
EDUCATION, LOCAL GOVERNMENTS
To balance the budget, Walker cut roughly $1.3 billion over two years in state money going to K-12 schools, the University of Wisconsin System, technical colleges and municipal governments.
The governor also repealed most collective bargaining for most public workers and then increased their health and pension contributions, effectively lowering their take-home pay. That saved the state and local governments more than $750 million.
In the next budget, Walker said he would like to see state aid to schools rise slightly if the state budget allows it.
"It certainly wouldn't go down, and it would probably have a slight increase," Walker said.
Barrett said that it would be unlikely that he would make changes in the current budget, which goes through June 2013. But if he succeeded in boosting the economy and tax revenue, he said he would try to increase funding for schools in the next two-year budget that he would submit in February 2013.
"We don't know the dollar amount. What we're going to do between June and January is create jobs in the state, and it's our hope in January we'll have a much better handle on what to do to reverse his cuts to education" and health programs, Barrett said last month.
Barrett said he would keep in place the higher employee contributions for health care and pension benefits that make up the bulk of the savings for taxpayers that Walker has touted. Barrett has achieved millions of dollars of savings of his own in Milwaukee by working to require city employees to make similar contributions, even if they weren't covered by Walker's union law.
HEALTH CARE
Walker provided about $1.2 billion more in state money over two years for the state's health care programs for the needy. But that wasn't enough to keep pace with rising costs, so the administration also made cuts to the BadgerCare Plus program taking effect July 1. Those cuts will lead to sharply higher premiums for tens of thousands of participants and more than 17,000 leaving the program or being turned away.
Barrett has said that he wants to undo those changes before they take effect. But said he doesn't yet know what changes that would take by lawmakers or where he would get the money.
On the federal health care law, Walker has suspended work on and returned a $38 million grant to plan for implementing an exchange in Wisconsin where consumers and small businesses could buy health insurance, in some cases with a federal subsidy. If Wisconsin doesn't have its own plan in place to do that by Jan. 1, 2013, the federal government could impose its own in 2014.
Barrett said he would restart the work on the exchange to make sure that Wisconsin is prepared to implement its own exchange and the state doesn't have a federal system imposed on it.
LABOR
Both Walker and Barrett said that going forward they didn't anticipate raising or lowering the increased amounts that public employees now pay for their pension and health care benefits.
Barrett has said he wants to restore union bargaining for public employees that was repealed by Walker and Republican lawmakers. He said he was focused on that and hadn't considered what to do about cases where the repeal of union bargaining has allowed the state to save on overtime costs or allowed schools to save money by bidding out their health insurance.
Walker has been adamant that those changes have been good for taxpayers.
Democrats have questioned whether Walker wants to make Wisconsin a right-to-work state in which employees in private companies could not be required to pay union dues. Walker has said he would do "everything in my power" to prevent a right-to-work bill from reaching his desk but has not said whether he would sign it.
Barrett has said he opposes right-to-work legislation and would veto it.
A group of Republican governors and party donors is currently meeting privately in Charlotte.
They are holding a policy summit on the same turf Democrats will use to nominate President Barack Obama for a second term.
The Republican governors did not allow any media access to their meetings Thursday.
When Democratic governors met in Charlotte recently, they locked out the media, too. But the Republican presence in Charlotte is a clear signal that the city will be ground zero in a tooth-and-nail battle for voters in North Carolina.
The governors were hidden away inside the luxury resort at Ballantyne, but rising star Bob McDonnell, the governor of Virginia and a potential vice-presidential choice, surfaced Thursday afternoon.
When he toured a Coca-Cola plant, it was with Pat McCrory, who was campaigning for governor.
“I’m here today to strongly endorse Pat McCrory for governor because I believe he’ll be a marvelous partner over these next couple of years,” McDonnell said.
Political experts said the endorsement for McCrory is part of a much larger strategy by Republicans to stamp their presence in Charlotte ahead of the Democratic National Convention.
Analyst Michael Bitzer said after losing the presidential race in North Carolina in 2008, it’s “game on” for Republicans.
“They read the tea leaves and they saw what happened when Obama came in with his grassroots and they’re making the claim early on, ‘This is going to be a competitive fight. Get ready for it,’” he said.
McCrory, who even lost his home town during the 2008 swell of support behind Obama, made it clear Thursday that he will not be caught off guard again. “The fact of the matter is, the Obama machine is going to be very, very powerful in North Carolina and I’m not going to underestimate them,” he said.
Bitzer said voters should get used to the attention from both parties.
“It’s going to be money; it’s going to be resources; it’s going to be appearances. Everything’s going to be coming into this state,” Bitzer said.
Virginia’s governor, who heads the Republican Governor’s Association, promised the party will raise and spend what it takes to help McCrory in a battleground state that will continue to have a high profile through November.
Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell became the latest high-profile GOP governor Thursday to boost Pat McCrory’s gubernatorial bid, saying North Carolina is “at the very top of the list” of states where Republicans stand a good chance of taking the governor’s mansion away from Democrats.
McDonnell, who appeared alongside McCrory at a Coca-Cola plant in Charlotte, follows New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. S.C. Gov. Nikki Haley, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. All of them have come to North Carolina to campaign or raise money for the former Charlotte mayor.
Like the others, McDonnell is likely to be considered when presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney picks his running mate.
But unlike the others, McDonnell heads the Republican Governors’ Association, which has already spent more than $800,000 on TV ads linking McCrory’s Democratic opponent, Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton, to unpopular Gov. Bev Perdue.
Surrounded by cases of Coke, Diet Coke and Sprite, McDonnell said the RGA will continue to pour dollars into the state to help McCrory. He leads Dalton in two polls released this week – by 6 percentage points in one (by Public Policy Polling) and by 9 in another (by Rasmussen).
“Whatever we need to do to help Pat win, we will do,” McDonnell told local reporters after he and McCrory got a tour of the soft drink plant. “We rank this as one of the absolute top races in the country.”
Asked how much the RGA was willing to spend in North Carolina, McDonnell answered: “I have an idea, but I can’t tell you. We believe in Pat. We will be in it for the long haul. The climate is right for us to win.”
McCrory, who lost a close race to Perdue in 2008, contrasted Virginia’s 5.6 percent unemployment – the lowest in the Southeast – with North Carolina’s jobless rate of 9.7 percent, one of the highest in the country.
“We need to change the culture of North Carolina government and make it more job-friendly,” McCrory said. “I’m convinced it’s going to take an outsider – someone from outside the (Raleigh) beltline – to fix the state government.”
He pledged to follow the example of next-door neighbor McDonnell by “unleashing the private sector” through tax cuts, a reduction in regulations and a pact with Virginia and South Carolina to develop energy resources off their coasts.
Meanwhile, an advocacy group funded by the Democratic Governors Association, whose vice chair is Perdue, is expected to start helping Dalton some with a $217,000 TV ad buy that will go after McCrory.
In other remarks Thursday, both McCrory and McDonnell acknowledged that their respective states are likely to be among the 10 or so Electoral College battlegrounds in this year’s presidential election.
As to why Thursday’s event was held at a Coke plant, here’s one possible explanation: Republican McCrory will be the honorary starter at this year’s Coca Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
The grand marshal will be West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, a Democrat.
“We usually try to have one (Democrat) and one (Republican) – to balance it out,” said Allison Patient, Coca-Cola Consolidated senior director of corporate affairs.
“I am proud to have Governor McDonnell’s endorsement,” said Pat McCrory. “There’s no better model for economic success and leadership at the state level than our neighbors to the North in Virginia. Under the Governor’s leadership, Virginia has added more than 110,000 net jobs and the unemployment rate has gone down more than 20 percent. That’s the kind of leadership I think we desperately need in North Carolina.“
“There is no gubernatorial race more important to the RGA this cycle than North Carolina,” said Governor McDonnell. “I know that with Pat McCrory’s leadership, North Carolina’s economy can get back on track. As Mayor of Charlotte, Pat saw the city add tens of thousands of jobs and as Governor, I know he will bring that same results-oriented leadership to Raleigh.”
The two leaders toured Coca-Cola Bottling Co. Consolidated’s Snyder Production Center in Charlotte before speaking with the press.
When Governor Bob McDonnell was sworn in as the 71st Governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia in January 2010, he inherited $6 billion in budget shortfalls. He brought Democrats and Republicans together to close the shortfall without a single tax increase, producing a $400 million surplus in the first fiscal year of his administration.
“Governor McDonnell has proven that government can work,” added Pat McCrory. “Both parties can work together to achieve real reform, promote economic growth while still making investments in key priorities like education.”
“The choice in this election is clear,” said McDonnell. ”North Carolina can elect someone who has been a part of North Carolina’s broken government for 16 years, or they can elect Pat McCrory – a leader who will bring an outsider’s perspective to Raleigh and fix North Carolina’s broken economy.”
On Monday, April 30, Former Florida Governor Jeb Bush endorsed Pat McCrory’s bid for North Carolina Governor at the historic Angus Barn restaurant in Raleigh
TRANSCRIPT:
Pat McCrory: I just want to let you know as I’ve not only got a chance to travel across this state, but I’ve also had the opportunity to meet a lot of Governors throughout the United States of America. There’s no doubt in my mind in observing Governor Christie, Governor Mitch Daniels and Governor Jindal and other Governors throughout the United States, it’s Governors who – I think – who are initiating policy which will help get our nation out of this very, very deep recession.
And North Carolina, of course, is feeling this recession with the fourth highest unemployment rate in the nation.
But, another Governor that has actually been a mentor to many of those existing Governors and a mentor of mine is Governor Jeb Bush of Florida. And I have been watching not only his leadership as a Governor but also his leadership since being Governor.
And he clearly understands many areas – especially two. And that is how to create jobs and also how to reform education.
And I am using his advice during this past year and I actually used it as Mayor of Charlotte also in getting his input on ideas on both economic development and education. And Jeb Bush has become very much of an expert in the area of reforming education and not accepting the incredible high dropout rates that we see in states throughout the United States of America.
Both Governor Bush and I clearly understand that we must reform and change education so we can get our kids to learn the basics and then get good quality higher education or vocational education in addition to getting a job. And right now so many of our kids who are graduating aren’t getting jobs and we have over 20% of our children who are clearly not even graduating from our high schools in North Carolina. And this is clearly unacceptable.
And that’s one of the reasons I have a great partnership and I appreciate Governor Bush’s endorsement of our candidacy because we both firmly believe in reforming education. And I’m going to take many ideas that he has initiated in Florida, both as a current Governor and a former Governor and bring them to North Carolina so we can improve the outcomes of our education and our major investments in education.
So with that, I welcome Governor Bush to say a few words and then we’ll answer a few questions. Thank you very much.
Governor Jeb Bush: Thank you, Mayor. It is a joy to be here, to endorse your candidacy, and to provide whatever support I can for that cause. Governor’s lead. It’s amazing to see what goes on in Washington these days, with the gridlock, where people kind of feel, correctly, that nothing can get done, but I can guarantee you that with your leadership here in North Carolina, you’ll hit the ground running, and develop, build on a good business climate, and make it a great one.
And build on an education an education system that should have no tolerance for failure, and sadly in our country we have way to much of it, and thank goodness there are reform minded governors across the country that are prepared to take on the status quo to improve things, and I know you’re one of those and I look forward to doing whatever I can to help you get elected, and as Governor, you count on me to provide whatever support that you need. God bless you and good luck.
The final weeks of statewide general elections in North Carolina are usually marked by perceived shadowy third-party groups spending big money to soak the airwaves with television commercials and campaigns suing or threatening to sue over an ad that strikes a nerve.
That all got a head start in 2012.
The governor's race didn't let up after the May 8 primary christened Democratic Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton and Republican Pat McCrory as nominees. National governors' groups already have been recognized for more than $1.4 million in TV ads designed to negatively portray the opposing candidate.
McCrory's campaign and political committees favoring Dalton filed competing lawsuits over one commercial last week. McCrory, the former Charlotte mayor, called the ad "garbage." Dalton, while pointing out the ad wasn't produced by his campaign, retorted the commercial "checks out by fact pretty well."
Add the millions of dollars in presidential ads already being dropped on North Carolina and loosened campaign finance restrictions nationwide, and the old political adage that Labor Day marks the beginning of the fall political season sounds old-fashioned.
Make that Memorial Day.
"In the past, there's been a little hiatus after the primaries," said Carter Wrenn, a Republican campaign consultant who worked for years with the late U.S. Sen. Jesse Helms' political organization. This year, he added, "they just put the pedal to the metal."
The early overall surge in television advertising in North Carolina is attributed to the state being considered competitive again in the presidential race. President Barack Obama narrowly won in North Carolina in 2008, ending a GOP winning streak dating to 1980. Holding the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte highlights Obama's interest in retaining North Carolina's 15 electoral votes.
Wrenn said North Carolina didn't become a battleground state until later in the 2008 election season. This time, he said, "we're kind of at a different status then we've ever been before."
North Carolina TV viewers already are hearing from the campaigns of Obama and presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney, as well as from a new kind of political action committee. The so-called "super PAC," born following a 2010 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, can receive unlimited amounts of money from corporations and individuals.
In May, the Obama campaign launched a $25 million ad buy running in North Carolina and six other states. The GOP-leading super PAC Crossroads GPS, which is advertising against Obama in North Carolina and nine other states, quickly matched that amount. The Romney campaign also said it was spending $1.3 million in four states, including North Carolina, on a TV ad.
The Supreme Court's "Citizens United" ruling will make TVs even more congested with political commercials than they would have been, said Gene Nichol, a professor at the University of North Carolina law school.
"We're all going to become so sick of watching TV and the commercials that spew forth that people will just beg for the election to be over," said Nichol, a former Democratic U.S. Senate candidate in Colorado.
Eight statewide or congressional primary runoffs set for July 17 will keep politics in the news. Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue's decision not to seek re-election also has intensified the campaign to succeed her.
The Republican Governors Association spent $5.6 million in 2008 working unsuccessfully for McCrory to defeat Perdue, but it didn't start spending that year until September. This year, it got on the air a week after the primary and began to label Dalton as Perdue's "right-hand man."
Two RGA ads have tried to join Dalton and Perdue at the hip and highlight their support for raising the sales tax by three-quarters of a cent. The sales tax revenue would go to public education.
As of last week, the RGA had spent $1.3 million in North Carolina, according to campaign finance reports. More than $1 million was for TV spots, RGA spokesman Mike Schrimpf said.
"North Carolina is one of our most important pickup opportunities," Schrimpf said Friday.
On the day the RGA ran its first ad, the Democratic Governors Association gave $1 million to North Carolina Citizens for Progress. The Raleigh-based independent political group spent more than $430,000 on commercials questioning McCrory's ethics. They suggest McCrory lobbied for Charlotte-based real estate and lending business Tree.com while mayor. McCrory is now on the Tree.com board and has received fees and stock options.
McCrory pounced on N.C. Citizens for Progress last week, and his lawyers sent letters asking TV stations to stop running a commercial they say is false. McCrory has never been a registered lobbyist for Tree.com, but N.C. Citizens for Progress says the ad is factual.
The DGA and N.C. Citizens sued McCrory and his campaign committee and threatened to depose McCrory before November. McCrory's campaign began litigation against DGA and N.C. Citizens.
Bob Hall, executive director of the campaign finance group Democracy North Carolina, said organizations such as the DGA, RGA and N.C. Citizens have more leeway since the Citizens United ruling to directly support or oppose candidates in television ads. They also have a greater pool of donors compared to 2008. The two candidates have no direct way to rein in the outside groups.
Hall said the early influx of ads is an early taste for voters until Election Day: "This is the harbinger of what's to come."
Pat McCrory's campaign and the political committees behind a television commercial McCrory says is false filed competing legal actions that raise the ante in North Carolina's gubernatorial race.
The Democratic Governors Association and the group North Carolina Citizens for Progress filed a complaint in Wake County court asking a judge to rule the commercial about McCrory's connections to a Charlotte-based business as true and constitutionally protected.
The complaint, which names McCrory and his campaign as defendants, was filed Thursday morning, hours before the Pat McCrory Committee initiated civil action against the two groups. It has until mid-June to file its complaint, according to the paperwork.
"I think they were bluffing. We're calling their bluff," Michael Weisel, attorney for N.C. Citizens for Progress, said Friday.
McCrory and his campaign also have been threatening lawsuits against TV stations that air the ad, which started last week, and asked the Federal Communications Commission to get involved. McCrory is most angry about an accusation that he lobbied for real estate and lending business Tree.com while mayor of Charlotte and three years before he joined the company's board.
"It's a total lie and misrepresentation of the facts. It is deceiving, it's deceptive," McCrory said. "We're going to challenge these ads that are unfactual and that are character assassinations."
Weisel suggested that he would seek to question McCrory under oath in the weeks before what's expected to be a competitive election with Democratic nominee Lt. Gov. Walter Dalton.
"The facts contained within the ad are absolutely accurate. We stand by them," he said. "There's a past history of perhaps making threats of lawsuits and then not actually doing so because it has its desired effect, which is to intimidate the press and your political opponents, their campaigns."
The competing litigation comes less than three weeks since Dalton and McCrory won their respective primaries. The DGA and the Republican Governors Association have spent more than $1.4 million combined on advertising since then.
The RGA began running another ad Friday, seeking to firm up Dalton's policy ties to Democratic Gov. Beverly Perdue, who isn't seeking re-election.
Perdue is the vice chairwoman of the DGA and is listed as a likely defendant in the McCrory's campaign lawsuit.
McCrory said he's never been a registered lobbyist for Tree.com. The 2006 letter McCrory wrote as mayor and cited in the ad asked the state commerce secretary to boost state economic incentives to discourage LendingTree, a Tree.com business, from going to South Carolina.
N.C. Citizens for Progress produced the ad but the Democratic Governors Association paid for it. Campaign finance reports show N.C. Citizens have spent more than $430,000 on its ad campaign. The commercial has been airing on Triangle, Triad and Down East television stations.
The group has made some changes to the attack ad, and the latest version clarifies the timeline of events. They said it makes the ad stronger, but the lawsuit still goes on.
McCrory's campaign said Friday the legal matters would be handled by the lawyers and that McCrory is focused on the economy and who is best prepared to be governor.
"We're not going to be sidetracked with a back and forth with a third-party group," campaign spokesman Brian Nick said.
Dalton's campaign lit into McCrory, saying his public pledge Thursday to run fair campaign ads this election rang hollow as the RGA ran another ad accusing Dalton of voting repeatedly for higher taxes while in the state Senate. The RGA has spent more $1 million on running a pair of anti-Dalton ads this month, RGA spokesman Mike Schrimpf said.
"For McCrory to stand before the media and call for a clean campaign on the same day that his political hatchet men launch yet another misleading attack is a new low," Dalton spokesman Ford Dalton said.
Nick said the RGA ads are based on voting records, not attacking someone's character.
Campaign rules prevent third-party groups from coordinating activities with candidate committees.
As the McCrory and Dalton campaigns blast away at each other, Libertarian candidate Barbara Howe planned to quietly launch her gubernatorial campaign on Saturday. The Granville County homemaker has run for governor twice before.
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