Word: florio
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Every Governor in America last year could have recited the Jim Florio Rule of political survival: never mount an honest attack against a state deficit...
...tasks at their own peril. Big-name national figures learned they could not take local issues for granted while they pursued a national agenda. For all his stature as a potential presidential candidate, Bill Bradley very nearly fell victim to a local political battle over New Jersey Governor Jim Florio's detested $2.8 billion tax hike. Bradley tried to hide from voter wrath against Florio, but he was the only target in sight; in the end he squeezed into office with 51% of the vote, down from 64% six years ago. Florio heard the message as well: the next...
...Jersey, it is said that Bradley was punished by voters upset with Governor Jim Florio's $2.8 billion tax increase. That was part of it, but the main reason Bradley almost lost is that he threw away his ace. For 12 years Bradley was that rarest of breeds, a politician of decency, candor and intellect. "He looked at issues one at a time, voted as he thought right and never ducked," says G.O.P. consultant Roger Stone. Until this year. All of a sudden, the architect of the 1986 federal Tax Reform Act avoided taking a position on Florio's taxes...
...While Bradley suffered a Florio problem, Cuomo's meager showing represented a vote against Cuomo himself -- against his aloofness and his governance. "We must learn to do more with less," Cuomo said during his first term. But state spending has soared, New York's overall tax burden is in the stratosphere, the state's budget deficit is close to $1 billion, and Cuomo's massive spending programs are perceived as having had little if any impact on crime and poverty...
...Whitman greatly exceeded expectations despite a lack of money, advertising and name recognition. She had tied Bradley to Florio, another Democrat, and Bradley was lucky to squeak by with a victory...