Ken Berwitz

Earlier today I blogged about the huge New Jersey sting operation that has resulted in dozens of arrests.  Most of those arrests are politicians and almost all the politicians are Democrats, not Republicans.

Who initiated this hugely successful sting?  Jon Corzine's opponent for Governor, Chris Christie.  Under whose watch did these goings-on take place?  Chris Christies opponent for Governor, Jon Corzine.

It isn't hard to see who this benefits.

From today's New York Daily News:

Corruption arrests in N.J. hurt Gov. Corzine's re-election bid, thrill GOP

BY David Saltonstall
DAILY NEWS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT

     Saturday, July 25th 2009, 12:14 AM

New Jersey Republicans tried to hide their glee on Friday over a corruption probe that could send many Democrats to jail - and GOPer Chris Christie to the governor's office.

Christie, a former U.S. attorney running a strong challenge to Democratic Gov. Jon Corzine, wasted little time putting up a new TV ad touting his suddenly spot-on law-and-order background.

"I put corrupt public officials in jail - Republicans and Democrats," Christie said in the ad. "As governor, I'll make the same tough, independent decisions."

Left unmentioned was that Christie, who left his Justice Department post seven months ago, initiated the probe that led to bribery charges against dozens of political insiders, most of them Democrats.

The sweep is unquestionably bad news for Corzine, who was not implicated, but will have to explain how such wide-ranging corruption was allowed to flourish on his watch, experts said.

"It is huge," said Steve Adubato, Jr., a Jersey political analyst and co-host of a popular public affairs show, "Inside Trenton." "It now frames the governor's race very clearly around the issue of political corruption."

Yesterday, Corzine called on all implicated officials - among them three mayors and two state assemblymen - to resign their posts.

"I think the appearance, let alone the fact, means people ought to step aside," he said in Newark.

Corzine's comments came as allies leaked word that today he would name reformist state Sen. Loretta Weinberg, a 74-year-old, to run as his lieutenant governor on the ballot. Earlier, Corzine unleashed the biggest Democrat of all - President Obama, who wrote a letter in support of the ex-chairman of Wall St. powerhouse Goldman Sachs.

"I hope to work with him for years to come," Obama wrote.

Many saw the presidential missive as a clear signal that Corzine had no intention of stepping down.

Even before the arrests, Corzine was trailing Christie by 12 percentage points, the most recent Quinnipiac University poll showed.

That's led some nervous Dems to mull possible replacements, among them Newark Mayor Cory Booker, one insider told the Daily News. For now, even Republicans expect Corzine to fight on.

"Nobody questions Corzine's personal ethics," said one GOP strategist. "But I think people are starting to say he's done nothing to change the old rules of the game."

Wow. 

Corzine was in trouble anyway, because of the lousy situation New Jersey is right now.  But, given a combination of factors - he has unlimited personal resources, he has bought elections in the past and the Republican Party of New Jersey is beyond incompetent - I expected him to win anyway.

This changes the calculus completely.

What is Corzine going to do?  The best he can say is that he personally was not involved (which begs the issue of how it could happen while he was in charge). 

He can also say that the fact almost all politicians arrested were Democrats means Christie was engaged in a partisan witchhunt.  But that forces him to produce Republicans who should also have been arrested, which requires some kind of proof, doesn't it?  And it also keeps this issue right on the front page, exactly where Christie wants it to be.

Corzine, and the New Jersey Democratic Party, are in a very, very bad spot.

One other thing:  I take issue with one part of the Daily News' otherwise excellent article:  Jon Corzine's ethics most certainly have been questioned.  In another blog I will detail the sorry story of his personal relationship with Carla Katz, former President of local 1034 of the CWA (Communications Workers of America), and how much money he gave her to shut her up when it ended.