Dems blast GOP remark on "basically strong" economy

Published April 19th, 2008 in Asbury Park Press
By: Kirk Moore

Third District congressional candidate Chris Myers' radio interview remark this week that the economy is "basically strong" drew fire from surrogates for his rival, state Sen. John H. Adler, D-Camden, who said the Republican's words show he's out of touch with the economic distress felt by working families.

Myers replied by reiterating a key theme in his campaign: that the Democratic control of the Statehouse has made New Jersey a hostile place for business and compounds economic difficulties.

"The role of government in the economy is not to increase taxes," Myers said in an interview on WPHT-AM radio in Philadelphia. "The last thing you need to do in this economy is tax people more."

Myers responded to a question from host Anthony Mazzarelli by first describing the economy as "basically strong," before adding that the federal government should be focused on job creation and setting ground conditions for more private investment.

In a prepared statement Wednesday, mayors Jason Varano of Berkeley and Randy Brown of Evesham said Myers' assessment of the economy is off-base.

"Myers' comments about the economy just show you how out of touch he is with reality and middle class families," said Varano, who suggested Myers doesn't feel the same level of uncertainty in his private-sector job as a vice president with defense contractor Lockheed Martin in Moorestown.

"It is painfully obvious that Myers will continue the failed economic policies of George Bush," Varano said.

In a response, the Myers campaign said the mayor and six-year member of Medford's Township Council "has been spurring economic growth by creating thousands of good, high-paying, private-sector jobs right here in South Jersey at Lockheed Martin."

In his interview, Myers took a swipe at Adler without naming him, saying, "we don't want to send people (to Congress) who have been in Trenton raising taxes."

Varano and Brown said Adler would help the middle class with tax cuts that make the child tax credit permanent and eliminate the marriage penalty for joint tax-return filers. He would also push for investments in alternative
energy sources to "lower the cost of gas and create new jobs," they said.

Casting Adler as a "tax-and-spend Democrat" is a central bit of rhetoric for Myers as he seeks the Republican nomination to succeed retiring Rep. Jim Saxton, who will step down at the end of the year after more than 24 years in Congress. Myers must first win over primary voters who are also considering Republican Ocean County Freeholder John P. Kelly and former Tabernacle Township Committee member Justin Murphy.