First rule in politics is to make sure that you bring home the bacon. Second rule is that you make sure you bring home the bacon. Sen. Jon Corzine (and Sen. Lautenberg for that matter) failed to heed the rules of politics. This should cost them.
The GOP is seizing on the BRAC recommendation to close Fort Monmouth in the race for Governor. That's as it should be.
Now, it should be noted that the impact of the closure on the race has no bearing on whether it was right to close the facilities at Fort Monmouth. That's a separate argument, which will not be discussed in the race for Trenton. People only want to know that their base was saved, not that it was a good thing because it will save the Pentagon (and taxpayers) in the long run. People in the area know that the region lost a major jobs center, billions of dollars in ancilliaries over the next X years, and it will take time before any redevelopment will take hold.
Elsewhere, Sen. John Thune of MN successfully kept Ellsworth AFB open, despite a recommendation for closure from the DoD. Thune had run against Sen. Daschle claiming that he would do a better job of keeping Ellsworth off the chopping block. Thune's going to be in a great position next time he runs for election because he's going to be able to show that he brought home the bacon. Sen. Joe Lieberman is also in a great position because he was able to keep New London's sub base open. In a town already hit by Kelo, that's huge news. Big props to Joe.
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