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Bush plans N.J. visit for Schundler
Originally appeared in the Trenton Times on 10/12/01
Despite the military operation in Afghanistan, President Bush still plans to come to New Jersey and give a boost to Bret Schundler's campaign for governor.
During a campaign swing through Mercer County yesterday, Schundler said the Bush visit is still on though a date hasn't been set. Recent polls put the Republican nominee more than 10 points behind Democrat Jim McGreevey; polls also have shown the president's standing with New Jersey voters has skyrocketed in the wake of last month's terrorist attacks.
"We'll get very short notice when he comes, given the demands of his schedule and security issues," said Schundler, after a stop at a senior citizen housing development in Hamilton.
Schundler lambasted McGreevey as an intellectually dishonest slave to special interest groups, while addressing 100 people at the Evergreen clubhouse.
While his speech was dominated by what he called "common sense" measures to lower taxes and reform public education, it was his adamant opposition to abortion that generated audience applause.
Quoting former U.S. Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan, Schundler said "partial birth abortion is infanticide."
"It's disingenuous to raise the health of the mother, it never helps a woman's health to kill a baby that is alive outside a woman's body," he said.
He accused McGreevey of kowtowing to abortion rights groups, of calculating "that baby is expendable so I can get ahead in politics."
McGreevey's chief spokesman Richard McGrath said "that's a pretty crass interpretation of an important and sensitive issue."
He said McGreevey would support a ban on later-term abortions provided exceptions were made for when the mother's life is at risk or giving birth poses a "serious threat" to her health.
Later in the day, while speaking to veterans in Trenton, Schundler proposed the state spend almost $10 million more a year on medical care for those who have served in the military.
"It will cost less than $10 million, which is not a lot of dollars in a $23 billion state budget, but it is due," he said. The money would be used to build a new veterans health center in South Jersey, renovate the veterans nursing home in Vineland and to increase reimbursements to veterans who use private facilities.
Several leaders of veterans groups who spoke during the rally on the steps of the War Memorial lauded Schundler for long being a friend to veterans. In particular, they cited the former Jersey City mayor's efforts to have the state's Korean War Memorial built in that city.
McGrath called Schundler's goals "laudable," and said McGreevey's first priority would be to fully use the existing veterans facilities.
"First we have to fill the empty beds we now have because of staffing and support problems," he said.
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