"Here's what governor Murphy did. It was brilliant."

Those aren't word you hear often on the Jim Gearhart Show podcast, available here as well on iTunes and Google Play.

But Jim was truly impressed when Gov. Phil Murphy not only hired a corrupt Passaic City Councilman who'd taken bribes from undercover FBI agents, but doubled down on the hire — even after his own attorney general said it legally never should have been able to happen.

"I've taken a lot of heat on this in the past couple of weeks and I'm glad to take that heat because this is a teaching moment. Folks are gonna have to understand that New Jersey will be the state that gives second chances," Murphy said.

You see, Jim says, politicians have long understood that if they can pander to one cohesive group or another, they don't have to try as hard to convince individual voters to support them. Maybe that's a voting block around a religion, or a race, or a language. Maybe it's about economic status.

And in Murphy's case?

"He pandered to the corrupt official community," Jim says.

And why's that so brilliant?

"In New Jersey, that's a hell of a lot of votes.
That's just part of what Jim and Bob Williams take on in the latest installment of his podcast. Check out the full episode to hear the rest. And email Jim at Jim@NJ1015.com.

The Jim Gearhart Podcast is available every week on New Jersey 101.5 and in the New Jersey 101.5 app. You can also subscribe with your favorite podcasting app for iPhones, Android devices or your computer:

Love Podcasts? This week, on Speaking Millennial, Bill, Jay, and Jessica are joined for a pre-show discussion by Gene Nagel, owner of the Comedy Cove in Springfield, New Jersey for a discussion about Artie Lange, stand-up comedy, and, of course, the problem with sham psychics who prey on the weak-minded for their own nefarious purposes.

And don't forget to check out Bill Spadea's New Jersey — your quick-hit of Bill's unique perspective, updated daily.

— Townsquare Media staff, with previous reporting by Sergio Bichao.

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