N.J. governor puts background to use
TRENTON, N.J. -- Gov. Jon Corzine apparently has yet to convince a lot of New Jersey residents that he has the financial expertise to fix the state's economic problems.
Despite his success as chief executive of global investment firm Goldman Sachs in the 1990s, a Monmouth University-Gannett statewide poll conducted Oct. 15-18 found 47% rated his financial expertise as either "poor" or "only fair."
Nevertheless, Corzine has been serving as an economic spokesman for Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama on national television programs and at campaign rallies.
He has been on NBC's Meet the Press and CNBC's Squawk Box in recent weeks and appeared on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart Thursday night.
He was part of Obama's July economic roundtable in Washington and campaigned for him in Florida last month, Philadelphia this month and at various rallies in New Jersey.
"He's a guy whose got a lot of experience in this stuff, who has a deep breadth of knowledge and can talk about it in a way that's pretty easy to understand for folks who aren't as knowledgeable about it as he is," says Andrew Poag, an Obama campaign spokesman on leave from Corzine's staff.
"He's certainly someone the campaign looks to for advice, but there's a number of people they talk to," Poag says.
According to the Tax Foundation, a tax research organization based in Washington, D.C., New Jersey residents pay 11.8% of their income for state and local taxes — the nation's highest rate. That number has not improved since Corzine took office in 2006, foundation figures show.
"It's funny how he's become an expert on CNBC and we heard references made during the Democratic convention to good things that are happening in New Jersey, which certainly comes as a surprise to many New Jerseyans," Monmouth University pollster Patrick Murray says.
"If Obama really looked into what little Jon Corzine has done for the state, to me, it makes Obama's judgment more suspect," says David Fisher, 53, of Manasquan, N.J., a registered Republican and professional planner.
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