Democrats and Republicans are closing out 2014 by arguing over which party was more ineffective this year.  

NJ Legislature
New Jersey Legislature (Tim Larsen, Governor's Office)
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During a press conference on Thursday in Trenton, Assembly Republican Leader Jon Bramnick (R-Westfield) said top Democrats wasted 2014 trying to link Gov. Chris Christie to a scandal while ignoring the economy and the business community. But Assembly Democratic Leader Lou Greenwald (D-Voorhees) said Bramnick is wrong, and added that no one cares what Republicans in New Jersey have to say anyway.

"For the past year, the Democrats in my judgment have concentrated on the negative - Bridgegate. A year of Bridgegate hearings did anything but instill confidence in businesses in this state," Bramnick said.

For four days in September of 2013, access lanes in Fort Lee leading to the George Washington Bridge were closed without warning causing massive traffic jams. Many Democrats believe the lanes were shutdown as political retribution because Fort lee's Democratic mayor refused to endorse Christie's re-election campaign. Christie has denied any involvement and an internal probe cleared him, but the scandal is still dogging the governor as he mulls a run for president in 2016.

"Post January, all the Democrats were lining up either to run for governor or the alternative - find something bad about Chris Christie. Let us concentrate on making lives better in New Jersey, not on who was responsible for moving cones around on the bridge," Bramnick said.

The Select Committee on Investigation has been probing the Bridgegate scandal for months. Greenwald is a member of that panel and he has consistently said that there is no evidence to link Christie to Bridgegate.

Following Bramnick's press conference, Greenwald sat down for a one-on-one interview with Townsquare Media in his office.

"It's the Democratic Party that was the prime sponsors on economic stimulus this year that has led to probably the largest growth in the last decade and maybe in my 20 years here," Greenwald said.

Greenwald said Republicans have made themselves irrelevant.  "I think it's why they stand up and have press conferences, so that they can force someone to listen to what they're saying."

 

 

 

 

 

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