A Tale of Two Jerseys

If you ask the average New Jersey resident what they think about their governor you are more than likely to get a favorable response. New Jersey has voted for the democratic presidential candidate in every presidential election since 1992. How can it be that such an aggressive politician who is republican can get the approval of a solidly democratic state? One factor that is certainly at play is the down-to-earth nature of the people of New Jersey. After living here several years, I have come to see that beneath the liberal platitudes that are readily dispensed from the mouth of the average Jerseyan there lies a deep practicality. Therefore, It makes sense that a record of success like Christie’s could win over some democrats. However, the state is not in full agreement about Christie’s record. In addition to the liberal concentration in Jersey’s inner cities the strongest bastions of liberaldom in the state: the universities. It is no surprise that the colleges and universities of a state are more liberal than its majority population, but what is surprising is the herculean immunity displayed towards the general positive view of Christie. If you drive through the townships and boroughs of Jersey and happen to come upon one of the many academic institutions of New Jersey, you can almost perceive the protective shield of progressive ideology that blocks any common sense from the outside. At my own college, calumnies against this popular governor are given at every available opportunity. There is a spirited minority of conservatism, but not on a sufficient level to meaningfully affect the larger university community. It is tragic that the miracle of liberal state like New Jersey choosing a republican governor is entirely absent in certain parts of that state. Academia, which should be the most open to new ideas and ways of considering politics, is the strongest resistor to the wisdom of the average people of their state.