Governor, on Democratic lawmakers: 'I don't need people who are going to be an automatic no on everything'
Gov. Chris Christie holds a town meeting at the Grounds for Sculpture before a crowd of about 250 people. The sign at left reads: Only 65 days left for the do-nothing Legislature to act.HAMILTON — Gov. Chris Christie was in a familiar fighting posture at a town hall meeting in Hamilton today, though this time he took on both the Legislature as well as the state Supreme Court.
The governor criticized the Legislature for not passing his proposals and gave lawmakers "incomplete grades" on what he called their report card. Christie presented eight proposals, including changing health and pension benefits for state employees, eliminating teacher tenure and the remaining "toolkit" pieces.
To enact those proposals, he insisted that he needed a Legislature that would support him.
"[If] you like what I'm doing and you want me to be able to finish the job then you have to send me people who are going to support me," Christie said. "I don't need people who are going to be an automatic no on everything. That's what Democrats, especially Democrats here in the 14th have been all about."
Assembly Democrats responded to the governor's charges, saying the governor has demonstrated a lack of leadership.
"The governor has been a repeated failure, whether it be his hiking property taxes, stalling job creation, denying women health care or attacking education," Assembly Democrats spokesman Tom Hester said in a statement. "He should be working with the people's representatives to solve problems rather than engaging in immature whining. This much is clear about this governor clearly panicking over his inability to lead -- he loves giving tax breaks to millionaires while hurting the working class, and the buck surely doesn't stop with him."
He also continued his criticism of the state Supreme Court, which is currently weighing a case challenging the governor's cuts to public education. The court could order to restore as much as $1.7 billion in cuts to education spending.
Once again, he sharply and by name criticized Justice Barry Albin, who in hearing the case last week questioned the governor's decision to veto a millionaire's tax to help make up the funding shortfall.
"Some people try to call me a dictator, are you kidding?" Christie said. "This guy sitting on the bench as a judge is telling me what taxes should be raised."
Christie, who said last week that defying the court was an option, told those in attendance that the case could have historical outcomes.
"Be paying attention," he warned, "because this is going to be a very important moment in the history of our state."
Star-Ledger Statehouse reporters on Twitter