Christie seals the Deal
Tablet canvasses voters in Deal’s Syrian Jewish community, and finds voters who were willing to forgive (or ignore) Chris Christie for his role, as U.S. Attorney, in the corruption sting that bagged a number of local rabbis as well as politicians across the state:
[V]oters emerging from Deal’s public elementary school—its sole polling place, only a short drive from the synagogues whose rabbis are currently facing criminal charges—didn’t make the link at all between Christie and the arrests, and few were willing to answer any questions about ongoing repercussions of the arrests. Instead, they offered a litany of explanations for supporting Christie: healthcare reform, the economy, the Obama administration’s apparent willingness to put pressure on Israel. Some said they considered themselves open-minded when it came to partisan issues—several recalled voting for John Kennedy—but tended to side with the Republicans when it came to state and national politics. Deal’s Syrian Jewish mayor, Harry Franco, who stopped by midmorning with his wife, offered a more straightforward explanation for Christie’s popularity in Deal. “Right now I think the main issue is property taxes,” Franco explained.
JustASC is written by Andrew Silow-Carroll, Editor-in-Chief of the 