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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Corzine camp seeing red over Plainfield campaign?




Corzine's signs project his 'brand'.


Word comes that the Corzine re-election campaign is having heartburn over a new campaign sign popping up around Plainfield in the past few days.

With an uphill slog facing the incumbent governor who, as Record columnist Charles Stile points out has sold his policies, but not himself (see here), it is easy to understand why the campaign might be anxious to control Corzine's 'brand'.

The new signs began popping up a few days ago (the first I saw was in front of the mayor's home).




Campaign signs in front of Mayor's home.


They are striking for their simplicity, their small size (compared to the oversized recycled 'Jerry' and 'Sharon' signs also popping up), and their color -- a bright, non-Democratic RED.




Closeup of the RED sign.


While I was told the campaign would like them to just go away, that doesn't seem likely, as the red signs are now beginning to appear like fairy rings after a rain storm.

This is not the first time that Plainfield's untethered campaigning style has given the Corzine camp dyspepsia.

During Sharon Robinson-Briggs' campaign for mayor in 2005, Corzine's signature was appropriated without his knowledge or permission and slapped on a jerry-rigged letter of endorsement of Robinson-Briggs under a faked US Senate letterhead.

While the tactic enraged Corzine campaign staffers, and there were whispers of illegality, the upshot was that Green and Robinson-Briggs got a pass.

Wondering who might possibly have paid for
a RED sign in a 'blue' town like Plainfield, I was intrigued, but not for long. A sign in the window of a Front Street photography shop was conveniently high enough to easily capture the mandatory 'paid for by' notice --




In a Front Street store window.





Paid for by ...


Will
Green and Robinson-Briggs get another pass, or will the red signs come down?

And will it really make a difference, one way or the other, for the embattled governor?


-- Dan Damon

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9 comments:

Anonymous said...

"Word comes" and "I was told"? I guess the fillings in your teeth are talking to you again.

Anonymous said...

Isn't the property from the sidewalk to the street considered City property? In my town, campaign signs are not allowed to be placed in that area like where your Mayor has placed the signs in front of her house.

Anonymous said...

Personally, when I think red, I think communism, not Republicans.

Speaking of a "power to the workers" mentality, It appears that Jerry Green's new signs are missing a union bug. Does Green's support for working-class citizens end when he's the one who's writing the checks?

Anonymous said...

Dan, Where's Linda Stender??? She is Jerry Green's running mate! Has she dropped out? Has she seen these signs? She must be pretty pissed off! Why would Jerry Green throw her under the bus like this? What's going on? Are they going to replace her? Has anyone asked Corzine what he thinks of Jerry Green not putting Stender on the sign? Remember that Linda Stender ALWAYS gets MORE VOTES THAN JERRY GREEN! What is Green doing, other than highlighting the fact that he will be LOSING Corzine votes by tying himself and the mayor to the Corzine campaign.

Anonymous said...

What about Assemblywoman Stender. Since Stender always gets more votes than Jerry, it seems a curious omission. He's gonna make Corzine hemorrhage votes--maybe that's the reason for the blood-red signs!

Anonymous said...

I saw the signs too and my first thought was has Gerry abandoned his running mate Linda Stender?

Anonymous said...

To answer your last question....NOT IN PLAINFIELD!

Anonymous said...

Does Stender know that she has been ERASED by her running mate, Green? Every other candidate is mentioned except her! Looking at that sign, I would think he's telling Democrats NOT to vote for her! What's up with this? Who gave him the go-ahead for this? The Republicans are going to have a field day! Jerry Green throwing his own running mate under the bus. What a charmer he is! Or do I mean "snake"?

Dan said...

WHERE'S LINDA?

Actually, she's there -- in the fine print on the big 'Jerry' sign. Haven't noticed whether there are any real Linda signs anywhere yet....

CITY PROPERTY?

Yes. Though your deed and survey show your property line is in the middle of the street, the portion from the middle of the street to your sidewalk is considered 'city' property. This is why political signs can be put there without the owner's permission (also For Sale signs). And the trees planted between the curb and sidewalk are also the town's responsibility -- unless, like me, you live on a county road. My (missing) curb has not been replaced by the County in 25 years...