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PGlenn commented on Exit everyman: How the Jersey Democratic bosses destroyed Dick Codey and unleashed Chris Christie

Mr. Kornacki, this is an outstanding piece of journalism. The depth and quality of research, institutional knowledge, and analysis you demonstrate are unfortunately mostly lacking on the right side of the political spectrum, where my sympathies lie. On the other hand, when you momentarily step outside of "reporting" in the above article, you demonstrate a weakness that is all too prevalent on your side of the political spectrum: conflating good intentions with effective long-term policy results. It's not enough that the good-hearted Mr. Codey shared Hubert Humphrey's common humanity and that Codey "professed to be guided by Humphrey’s credo that 'the moral test of government is how it treats those who are in the dawn of life, the children; those who are in the twilight of life, the elderly; and those who are in the shadows of life, the sick, the needy and the handicapped.'" Or that Codey had a special interest in the mentally ill. The question is whether any of the policies that Codey supported and/or spearheaded effectively ameliorated any of the socioeconomic problems he intended to fix. Maybe they did help, but we have no reason to believe that was the case. I'm not especially familiar with New Jersey socioeconomic trends of the last twenty-odd years, but as far as I know those who are in the dawn of their lives are faring no better in New Jersey today than before Codey and other well-intended "progressives" had completed their legislative triumphs.

Posted on January 29th, 2013 4:30pm