Republicans have been commenting all week on the happenings at the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte. Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-11), who attended the Republican National Convention as a delegate, told NJ Today Managing Editor Mike Schneider that while the format of the two conventions were similar, the messages are different. She said the majority of people have a negative connotation with the last four years so President Barack Obama and the Democrats may have a difficult time getting reelected.
Beck said she believed former President Bill Clinton, who spoke last night, started out in a non-partisan way, but ended on a very partisan note, which might not be what undecided voters want to hear. She said Clinton put the $5 trillion cuts that Mitt Romney proposed in a negative light. “I don’t think most Americans believe that cuts to government are a bad thing, especially in this economy,” she said.
Clinton’s talk about health care reform could’ve been an insider issue, according to Beck. “He’s a good public speaker, but I thought he ended on a partisan note and I’m not so sure that compels those undeclared voters their way,” she said.
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Many have said Obama’s job during his speech tonight is to convince voters that they’re better off now than they were four years ago. Beck said she doesn’t buy into that argument. “If you talk to the guy on the street about how they feel the last four years have been, they don’t have a positive reaction and by and large don’t feel they’re better off than where they were,” she said. “So I think keep repeating we are better doesn’t change the basic opinion that’s among the masses that they aren’t better off and that they’re pretty worried about the future.”
When asked if both parties share the blame for the problems the nation is facing, Beck acknowledged that neither side has been working together well. “I think people are tired of the bickering, especially when the stakes are so high. No question about it,” she said. “I thought Gov. Christie pointed to a lot of examples where he was able to lead and bring our parties together here in the state of New Jersey to accomplish some pretty big things — pension/health care reform, 2 percent cap on property taxes, etc. — and people want to see more of that.”
Beck said Romney was able to become the governor of Massachusetts, where only 13 percent of voters were Republicans, which shows he knows how to build connections with Democrats.
In New Jersey, Beck said lawmakers will have to work collaboratively to continue to make progress. “When we go back to Trenton, I think we have equally tough issues to deal with and I expect that we continue to work together as we have under the last three years of Gov. Christie,” she said.