Stomping Grounds: Senior Tax Cut, OPRA, Guns, Respect for the other party

New Jerseyans aren’t always civil, but it’s still possible for a liberal Democrat and a conservative Republican to have a rational and pleasant conversation about politics in the state.  Dan Bryan is a former senior advisor to Gov. Phil Murphy and is now the owner of his own public affairs firm, and Alex Wilkes is an attorney and former executive director of America Rising PAC who advises Republican candidates in New Jersey and across the nation.  Dan and Alex are both experienced strategists who are currently in the room where high-level decisions are made.  They will get together weekly with New Jersey Globe editor David Wildstein to discuss politics and issues.

New Jersey Globe: For a little while at least, it looked like a split between Governor Murphy and Democratic legislative leaders was real — but now there’s an agreement to pass Speaker Coughlin’s StayNJ senior citizen tax relief plan.  Was this a win for the governor or the Speaker, both — or neither?  And how will Republicans handle this issue?

Alex Wilkes: I don’t think anyone really won here because I have a very hard time believing there was an actual fight in the first place.

The Democrats have already pulled an election year stunt like this. Think back to the Governor’s school funding formula disaster in the spring that stripped schools from around the state of millions of dollars. Seemingly overnight, one of the Senate’s most vulnerable Democrats, Vin Gopal, proposed a multimillion dollar “patch” for his district that won instant approval from the Governor and accolades from the legacy press. Convenient.

Now, as they watch their polling become even more dismal, Coughlin and Scutari are looking to run the same play again. This time, the Governor put up more of a “fight,” setting himself up as the defender of corporate fat cats with his endangered legislative Democrats fighting valiantly for grandma.

In both cases, Democrats are setting up a deeply unpopular Governor with waning national aspirations to take on the role of the “bad guy” while the vulnerable Democrats get to rush in and look like the “heroes.”

Unfortunately for the Democrats, their theatrics were a little overdone this time. The “historic savings” take three years after the last ballot is cast to take effect? What a joke. I think Republicans can easily show voters of the blatant con job at work here, while having no problem at all reminding them of the very many ways Phil Murphy and his Democrats have made it completely unaffordable to live here.

Dan Bryan: The program is a win for the Governor, the Speaker, and more importantly, New Jersey’s seniors.

Through Governor Murphy’s leadership, and in partnership with Legislative leadership from Speaker Coughlin and Senate President Scutari, New Jersey is already the best state in America to grow up, to get a world-class public school education, to start your career, and to raise your family. But now with this program in place, we’ll take a run at making it a more affordable place in which to retire and spend your golden years.Trust me when I say that no one was happier to see a compromise deal struck than I was (trust me Alex, those weren’t theatrics). Democracy is, by design, messy. But I’m glad to once again see the Governor and the Legislature come together and get big things done for the people of New Jersey.

NJ Globe: Some guy named Joe Danielsen seems to want to gut New Jersey’s open public records law and he says voters don’t care.  The governor and legislators from both parties can’t possibly think that’s a good idea, could they?

Dan: I don’t know what they think, but here’s what I think. There’s no doubt that OPRA abuse exists, and if there are ways to fix that without compromising the potency of the OPRA law, we should do it.

But what we shouldn’t do is gut the law and make OPRA toothless. OPRA is an important tool for residents and members of the media to be able to access government information, products which were paid for with their tax dollars. Transparency and accountability in government are critical, and OPRA allows us to hold our elected officials to both.

If something does move forward, I hope to see the Legislature work together with advocates and open records experts to make sure that any potential legislation doesn’t adversely impact the potency of the OPRA law.

Alex: Democrats like Joe Danielson have made it so unbearably expensive to live here that he is probably right: the good taxpayers who pay his salary and for all his wasteful, ridiculous pet projects are so busy figuring out how they’re going to make ends meet that they don’t have the time to consider the nuances of our open public records laws.

Here’s what I’ll say in response to his hubris: if Democrats have gotten to the point where they are smugly blowing up OPRA and ELEC with impunity, how bad have they made life for voters in ways that they will recognize this November?

NJ Globe: The Third Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals sided with Governor Murphy on his bill to ban concealed weapons in certain public places.  Do rank-and-file New Jerseyans know about the bill and the court wranglings?  Will this be a campaign issue in the legislative midterms?

Dan: We know that gun safety is an issue that real voters care about, especially in New Jersey. So yes, I think real voters could (and should) care about this.

In yet another example of how far right the modern-day Republican party has drifted, it is nearly impossible to move even the simplest, most common sense piece of gun safety legislation. Something like 80% of Americans believe in background checks, but Republicans in DC have blocked it for years. Their agenda is completely out of touch with what the average American wants, so they spend their time on cultural issues and conspiracy theories. They will do anything to distract voters from what Republicans actually do when they take power: cut taxes for the rich, weaken worker’s rights, attack women’s healthcare, and strip away gun safety laws.

If Democrats are smart, they’ll point to that every time Republicans try to get them caught in the latest culture war.

Alex: I don’t know that the legal back-and-forth is top of mind for a majority of voters in the legislative midterms, but I think for the law-abiding gun owners of this state – who are more of an economically and racially diverse group than Democrats will ever acknowledge – the uncertainty will be something that matters a great deal to them. What we do know about the vast majority of gun owners is that they not only care deeply about firearm safety and compliance, but also that they are reliable voters. I think Governor Murphy and Attorney General Platkin’s repeated attempts to restrict the rights of lawful gun owners will be a top issue for this highly motivated group at the polls this year.

NJ Globe: You’ve both gotten to know men and women from the other party and some of them have undoubtedly impressed you.  Which members of the opposite party do you like the best?

Alex: I will honestly say Dan! We can sound tough all we want in these virtual column inches, but at the end of the day, we both know we’re just two people held hostage by slightly despotic tiny humans when we’re not here. If that sort of solidarity doesn’t transcend partisanship, I don’t know what will.

For this answer, I’ll give a compliment based on a recent news cycle to California Governor Gavin Newsom. I’m sure it goes without saying that I disagree with him on nearly everything, but it was impressive to see him go on Fox News to debate Sean Hannity in primetime. If you haven’t seen the interview, it’s well worth your time. In the exchange, the Governor knew where to double down, like on progressive touchstones such as green energy and where to be a little more self-effacing (e.g., his maskless dining during COVID and the state’s homeless problem). Above all, he demonstrated a communications competence that’s sure to infuriate the current President and scare off future challengers who aren’t nearly as adept.

Dan: I’d say Alex, but I’d be accused of sucking up…

I appreciate every Republican that stood up to President Trump, especially when it was unpopular to do so. And to go a step further, I appreciate those that stood up to him after January 6th, even if they accommodated him throughout his Presidency. There is no lower place in American history than the one for the Republicans that went along with the Big Lie about the 2020 election, and then simply turned their heads after an insurrection on our capital. Maybe it’s a low bar, but it’s good to see some national Republicans can still put country above party.

Alex: Ha! No sucking up intended.