Dim Bulb: New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney

Published July 4, 2011 4:00am ET



WHAT: After the state’s Democratic legislators tried to restore spending cuts by Gov. Chris Christie, Sweeney said, “This is all about him being a bully and a punk. I wanted to punch him in his head” when the governor then imposed even more spending cuts. WHY IT’S DIM: When your state is fighting to avoid bankruptcy, you don’t try to restore spending programs.

CURE: Remember that the old rules of spending politics no longer apply.