By Chief Political Correspondent Michael Aron
NJ Today
Barbara Buono came to the heart of Trenton for what her campaign called a kitchen-table talk about the economic plan she laid out this week.
“It is a plan that does not rely on the long discredited philosophy of supply-side trickle-down economics that this governor’s office has singularly relied upon to try and create jobs and as we all know, the unfortunate reality is that it has landed us at the bottom of the barrel,” Buono said.
Flanked by the two Democratic congressmen running for U.S. Senate, she said New Jersey needs a climate that creates more jobs for the new economy.
“And that starts with investing in our current workers and in our future workers. It starts with investing in our infrastructure, our long-neglected infrastructure, our schools. And it also begins by redirecting our scarce resources where they can be best utilized, have the most impact,” Buono said.
“Barbara’s vision is an optimistic vision and it says that the government can make a difference. I believe that the government can make a difference. And if we had a governor like her that was gonna work with the federal government, work with President Obama and us in Congress, to actually bring money back to the state of New Jersey and make those investments and work with the private sector, it could make all the difference in the world,” said Congressman Frank Pallone.
“There’s a big emphasis in her plan on science, math, engineering, technology,” Congressman Rush Holt said.
The event was held on a cul-de-sac of tidy row homes one block away from the Statehouse.
Travel one more block and you can see some serious urban blight.
Lillian Hicks has lived here nearly 40 years and says when Chris Christie comes on TV, she turns him off.
“He’s not for the poor people. He’s more for the rich people,” Hicks said.
“Trenton is a prime example of what happens when a governor doesn’t focus on the communities like this plan does,” said Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson Coleman, Buono’s campaign chairwoman.
“Y’know, his policies have focused on a winning strategy for Wall Street while leaving all the rest of us on our own to fend for ourselves and unfortunately this has left New Jersey in the state we’re in,” Buono said.
Twenty years ago, Christie Whitman’s economic plan closed a 20-point gap between her and Jim Florio in September. Buono would love to have a similar impact with her plan, but it does not include the 30 percent income tax cut that propelled Whitman to victory.