Dr. Benjamin Dworkin, PhD, the Director of the Rowan Institute for Public Policy & Citizenship (RIPPAC) reminds us that New Jersey became of state of the United States on this day in 1789 when our predecessors ratified the U.S. Constitution.
In celebration of the anniversary and the holiday season, students of the Institute have prepared a message of hope that sounds a lot like Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
LAWRENCE — Former state treasurer Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff who resigned last July will be talking at Rider University next week about the budgetary challenges facing the state. “Andrew Sidamon-Eristoff has been a leading player inside the Christie administration for several years,” said Benjamin Dworkin, director of the school’s Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics, which is sponsoring… Read the rest of this entry »
Mary Pat Christie, Governor Chris Christie’s wife, has left her lucrative job at Wall Street hedge fund, Angelo, Gordon & Co, according to multiple media reports citing a statement from the Governor’s spokesman, Kevin Roberts.
photo via nj.gov
“Mrs. Christie has decided to take a hiatus from her work in the finance world to spend more time with her family and young children. She recently resigned her position as a Managing Director at Angelo Gordon.”
The Christies have four children. Two are in college and two…an 11 year old and 14 year old…at home.
Mrs. Christie has been the breadwinner in the family since Governor Christie started his government career as U.S. Attorney in 2002. In 2013 Mrs. Christie reported earnings of $510, 522. The Governor’s salary is $175,000.
Ben Dworkin, Director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics, introduces U.S. Senate candidate Steve Lonegan at a September 24, 2013 event.
Rider University’s Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics has cancelled its 2013 Campaign Managers Conference. The annual event is designed as a open discussion of the previous year’s general election featuring key players from each party.
The recent scandals over the George Washington Bridge lane closures and allegations that the Christie Administration has been dolling out federal Sandy relief money with political and economic strings attached is the reason for the cancellation of this year’s event which was schedule for Thursday, February 20th.
Benjamin Dworkin, Executive Director of the Institute issued the following statement:
The 2013 gubernatorial campaign in New Jersey was a fascinating race, and we had eagerly looked forward to focusing on this particular race during the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics’ Campaign Managers Conference – our annual look at how modern campaigns are run.
Unfortunately, due to recent controversies and ongoing investigations, it has become clear that a full discussion of the campaign is not possible at this time. Therefore, the Rebovich Institute has chosen to cancel the conference.
We want to thank all of our panelists, including Hon. Bonnie Watson Coleman, Hon. Bill Palatucci, Adam Geller, David Turner and Michael DuHaime for their willingness to participate. We look forward to a meaningful discussion of this campaign at some point in the future.
We apologize for any inconvenience to our panelists, supporters, and for all others planning to attend this event.
The next public event for the Rebovich Institute will be Leadership & Comedy: An Evening with Hon. Jon Bramnick, NJ Assembly Republican Leader, on Wednesday, March 5, 2014 at 7 p.m.
Ben Dworkin, Director of the Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics, introduces U.S. Senate candidate Steve Lonegan. September 24, 2013
GOP nominee for U.S. Senate Steve Lonegan took a break from bashing Newark Mayor Cory Booker and ObamaCare last night, and gently assaulted the psyches of the young Democratic students of Rider University in attendance at the University’s Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics Governing New Jersey presentation.
Lonegan’s personal story of raising a family and building a business in the 1980’s while going blind, was the context he set up to espouse his Libertarian philosophy and policies to the group of about 100 (mostly students) attending the event.
The Federal Reserve Bank’s quantitative easing policy of pumping $85 billion per month into the economy and keeping interest rates at record lows, was the focus of Lonegan’s remarks as he urged students to “play the hand you’re dealt” in life and avoid becoming dependent on government to solve their own, and society’s problems.
Lonegan shared how as a young man, he rejected a life of “being destined to the entitlement state”, of being sustained by disability benefits and food stamps, in order to build a successful life. “Interest rates were 10-12 percent in the 80’s, yet I was able to build a successful business and employ a lot of people, ” the candidate said, “I couldn’t do that with today’s regulations and economic policies.”
Monmouth University Polling Institute Director Patrick Murray is a “go to guy” for journalists looking for expert opinions and analysis on New Jersey politics.
Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Matt Katz called Murray to ask him why Christie’s approval numbers are so high when many voters used the pejoratives “bully” and “arrogant” when asked to use one word to describe the Governor and when Jersey mainstream media pundits so frequently criticise Christie’s manners. Katz mentioned The Star Ledger’s Tom Moran, Inquirer opinion writers, and the Courier-Post editorial board. He could have included most of the Statehouse press corp, save Gannett’s Bob Ingle and the Capitol Quckies crew.
Murray’s answer was Christieesque in its refreshing honesty: “Part of the issue is, voters of New Jersey are probably a little more savvy than reporters.”
Who talks to more reporters and voters in New Jersey than Murray? His is an expert opinion.
“Ouch,” wrote Katz, who often writes critically of Christie.
Credit Katz for including Murray’s quote in his article. If you start seeing Ben Dworkin’s name in The Star Ledger more than Murray’s, you’ll know Chrisite was right when he called famously called Moran, the editorial page editor, “the thinnest skinned guy and America.”
