New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie promises to spend the next several months hammering the Democrat-controlled legislature for not passing the tax cut he's been demanding.

Governor Chris Christie speaks in Mount Laurel, NJ (Governor's Office/Tim Larsen)
Governor Chris Christie speaks in Mount Laurel, NJ (Governor's Office/Tim Larsen)
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Democratic leaders say Christie can talk all he wants, but it won't make any difference because the state can't afford the tax cut. One political expert thinks voters will hear both messages and it's Christie who is in a virtually no lose situation.

"Most voters are probably going to be inclined to like the person who is saying, 'I want to cut your taxes,' more than the party that's saying, 'We want to too, but as good financial stewards we just don't have the money to do so,'" says Fairleigh Dickinson University political science professor Krista Jenkins. "People are certainly going to be paying more attention if it's an election year."

It is an election in New Jersey. Christie is running for another term and all 120 seats in the State legislature are in play this November too.

If the Governor stays true to his word he'll use every opportunity he's given to bash Democrats for blocking tax relief. With his high approval rating and pop culture status, Christie figures to get plenty of opportunities. Will his harping on the tax cut issue hurt him at all?

"Certainly not among his base and he's likely to pick up some Democrats," predicts Jenkins. "He has to make the case to voters about what he wants to do and then also have some degree of proof that he actually can do this."

The top Democrat in the Upper House had made his opinion on the tax cut issue very clear.

"It's not real," says Sen. President Steve Sweeney. "The money is not there. To be perfectly honest with you, we (Democrats) don't believe his (Christie's) budget. We don't believe his numbers. We think there's going to be a shortfall next year."

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