Are The Democrats Having Second Thoughts

Looks like some Democrats aren’t so pleased with Jon Corzine as a candidate for New Jersey Governor - From the Star-Ledger article - Politics not going over easy:

"I would have liked a chance to see what those two guys were all about," said Cattano, a retired member of Painter's Union Local 1005. "But regular guys like us don't get a say. That's the way politics works in New Jersey."

Other Democrats asked about the Codey-Corzine tussle were a little less kind in their description, and they're seething about what they see as having been disenfranchised. "If we go to war to give Iraqis the vote, why can't I vote for my candidate of choice?" asked George Skorinko, a retired professor from Berkeley Heights. "Codey would have made a good governor."

"This is not a democracy anymore," Jeannette Myers said as she walked along the sidewalk of the Troy Hills Shopping Center in Parsippany. "With only one choice, I feel like we're under communism."

"For people who want participatory democracy, this is a terribly offensive process," said Ross Baker, a political science professor at Rutgers University. "But this is the way most politics are done in New Jersey. All of this is closed-door stuff."

Zukin and Baker said it's a little different on the Republican side, where the party structure isn't as rigid. It's easier for candidates outside the mainstream party establishment to gain the party's nomination.

The Democrats have always been more machine-dominated, the professors said. To the best of Baker's knowledge, the last candidate to run for governor without the full backing of the Democratic machine was in 1913, when Woodrow Wilson decided he didn't want to entangle himself with the Hudson County bosses.

When are the people of New Jersey going to wise up? Hopefully this November, we will send a loud and clear message from the voting booth - the days of party boss rule are gone, the days of corruption will no longer be tolerated, the days of taxing people to death are over!

The Third Estate posts this:

And on another issue, can I just say that I am becoming truly disgusted with the increasing importance of personal wealth in politics? It looks like the de facto wealth test for office is becoming an ever-higher bar to political participation. I don't have anything against Corzine personally, but this is ridiculous.

I think that any Democratic candidate who does not meet the following standard should face a strong negative presumption: a person who has had to do her own taxes, wash his own dishes, go the grocery store and cook his own meals. I want someone who has actually had to work for a living, who has really suffered, who knows what it is to struggle in this world. The only dynasts who need apply are those who have suffered severe physical or emotional trauma.

Do our liberal friends ever consider such mundane things as: qualifications for the office, accomplishments and voting record in other elected positions, the candidates stand on the issues, their ideas for governing and problem solving, and their ethics?

It would appear that The Third Estate just substitutes one wealth test for another. Oh yes, they do add a special circumstance clause – those with wealth may be considered for a Democrat nomination if they have been physically or emotionally traumatized.