Who Would You Want to Drive You to the Governor’s Mansion? Corzine Spokesperson Raises Driving Skills As Criteria for Office
jonathanturley
In an interesting twist to the usual negative political traditions in New Jersey, a spokeswoman for New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine has attacked Republican challenger Chris Christie’s driving record, denouncing him as “a complete menace to society on the highways of New Jersey” with 13 moving violations over the last two and a half decades. If you recall, Corzine had two speeding tickets going back to 1992, and most importantly a third ticket for failing to wear a seat belt in the car accident that nearly killed him in 2007.
There appears no question that Christie appears quite a lead foot. The former U.S. Attorney was found guilty on a total of 13 traffic tickets between 1985 and 2009, including seven for speeding. He also racked up six traffic accidents between 1989 and 2007. The question is whether this is a barrier to the governorship. After all, it would likely get him out of driving his own car which might make the streets immediately safer for pedestrians and small animals — a common pledge of every politicians.
The Corzine attack, however, has led to an intense debate as to which candidate is a better driver. Who would you want to drive you to the governor’s mansion?
Corzine campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith insists that the people’s chauffeur in chief: “Jon Corzine, like most drivers, has had an occasional infraction, and he paid the ticket. Chris Christie, on the other hand, has been a habitual offender and a complete menace to society on the highways of New Jersey.”
