Gov. John Corzine's Hypocrisy

Did you see New Jersey Governor John Corzine’s emotional statement to the press as he exited Cooper University Hospital in Camden yesterday?  In part of that statement he said, “I understand I set a very poor example for a lot of young people, a lot of people in general. I hope the state will forgive me.  I will work very hard to set the right kind of example.”  I thought, Well, at least he’s big enough to take that responsility and to admit, in so many words, that what he did was pretty stupid.

In case you’ve been living in a cave for the past three weeks, Gov. Corzine was seriously injured on April 12, when the SUV in which he was traveling—in the passenger seat—at 91 MPH and without a seatbelt—lost control and struck a guardrail on the Garden State Parkway in Galloway Township.  The governor was on his way from Atlantic City to the governor’s mansion to be present at a meeting between fired radio personality, Don Imus, and the Rutgers University women’s basketball team.

Anyway, as I was saying, I thought: Wow! I’m really glad to hear Mr. Corzine say that, about setting such a poor example and all.  I could learn to like this guy.  At the time it didn’t even dawn on me to consider whether he really meant it.  I just felt so sorry for him, his having been so traumatically injured and very nearly killed, I assumed he was quite serious when he said he will “work very hard to set the right kind of example,” and I thought that maybe something good can come out of this tragedy after all.

That was all before reading in the New York Times today that as the governor’s motorcade transported him to Drumthwacket it at times sustained speeds of up to 70 MPH, where the posted limits are 55 and 65.  This has to rank right up there among the most quickly broken promises made by any politician anywhere.  And if I may say so, it’s one of the stupidest, most assinine things I can recall anyone doing in a long, long time.  Working very hard, my eye!  Governor, if you had spent one tenth the effort at working to set the proper example in this instance as you do at building yourself up in the press, you might have really had a shot at making a bit of a difference.  As it is now, everyone sees you as the unabashed hypocrite that you are.