Politics is not easy in a pandemic and that puts New Jersey Republicans in a bind.

There has been some partisan criticism of late of the governor’s “lockdown” edicts in the form of press statements, petitions and attempted protests, but you get the impression it’s not going very far.

A Monmouth poll arriving today puts Phil Murphy’s approval rating at a robust 71 percent. Clearly, and at least for the moment, a majority of residents are choosing public safety over a quick reopening of the
economy.

The poll results are really not surprising given the fact the governor is a daily presence with televised briefings. Murphy uses the forums to reveal the latest stats and to update the state’s response. And to
his credit, he patiently answers virtually every question coming from the press.

Still, we did see some reasonable criticism of the briefings the other day from Brian Bergen, a Republican assemblyman from District 25 in Morris County.

He thinks the briefings need more of an economic touch.

With job losses and unemployment claims skyrocketing, Bergen says the briefings need an “economic expert giving us a picture of what is happening economically throughout the state.”

Regulars normally joining the governor during briefings include health officials and the head of the state police, but there are periodic guests.

The governor was asked about Bergen’s argument at Monday’s briefing and gave the impression he wasn’t all that impressed with it.

“I’m here,” Murphy said, explaining that as governor, he is responsible for the state’s economy, and in this case, getting it back on track.

He also mentioned that over the last week or so, there have been guest appearances at the briefings by the commissioner of Labor and the head of the state’s Economic Development Authority.

Fair point, but you get the idea that with the next property tax deadline a week or so away on May 1, it may behoove the governor to bring more economic experts to his briefings. Many towns and school
districts are going to have a tough time coping with declining tax revenue.