Murphy Vs Norcross. Republicans Probably Shouldn’t Get Too Excited

Gov. Phil Murphy - George Norcross

It’s an exciting time to be watching politics in South Jersey – insurgents are challenging the throne in Camden County and Governor Phil Murphy has decided to pick a fight with George Norcross.

All this appears to have the Norcross machine fighting a war on two fronts. South Jersey Republicans, especially the keyboard warrior types, are motivated. Rank-and file Republicans are motivated too. Over the weekend I chatted with a few GOP municipal chairs and other activist types who are helping some of the insurgent “progressive” Democrats.

Even soon-to-announce Republican congressional candidate in CD1, Josh Duvall, has met with at least one of the insurgent “progressive” Democrats.

I understand why Duvall would meet with Vida Neil, he has to try to find support where he can and Vida has been an outspoken critic of Congressman Donald Norcross.

What I don’t understand is why the keyboard warriors, a few municipal chairs and activists who actually go out and knock on doors for Republican candidates are lending a hand to these insurgent Democrats. It’s not like, win or lose, any of them are going to help Republicans come November. They proved that much last year in the special election for Assembly in LD5. Many of these insurgent “progressive” Democrats worked to ensure Camden residents could win the ability to elect their school board. The GOP candidate in that race, my father, Nick Kush, sided with them. Some of the same folks that are part of the insurgency made a point on social media to show they had the support of my father in their effort and being a good son I reached out to them on his behalf and every single one of them told me “I could never vote for a Republican.”

What makes Republicans think the insurgent Democrats will do things differently this time?

As to the other front Norcross is forced to fight on – the tax incentive issue, don’t get too excited. Norcross has the best lawyers money can buy. Does anyone honestly believe those lawyers allowed any laws to be broken to get those tax breaks? Sure, Norcross, or his people, may have walked up to the line, they might have even straddled it, but I’m sure those lawyers made certain not one single law was violated.

Some folks seem a little excited about a recent Star-Ledger opinion piece in which Norcross was referred to as “King George” in the headline:

I don’t understand the excitement. Here at the Bob & Steve Show we referred to Norcross as “the king of kings” in our first ever Naughty and Nice List (https://www.bobandsteve.com/blog/2018/12/25/2018-naughty-and-nice-list) and no one got excited:

At the end of the day nobody really knows how this whole tax incentive fight is going to work out, but my guess is it’s going to die because the budget needs to get done and no one wants a government shutdown. And the establishment Democrats aren’t going to lose any ground to the insurgents.

The only thing we know for sure is George Norcross never tried to steal $33 million from the state’s firefighters which makes Governor Murphy more evil than George Norcross.