The Truth about Chris Christie by (another) Jersey Guy

The Myth of Chris Christie as a Moderate Republican
Who is Good for New Jersey
by the Progressive Patriot 11.13.13​

Part 1 Introduction
Chris Christie has a lot of people-Democrats, Republicans and independents alike- duped into thinking that he is a moderate who has done a great job running New Jersey as evidenced by the recent election results. Here is my blue state of New Jersey, this Republican Governor just won reelection with 60% of the vote (although, with a 38% turnout that was heavily Republican, it was not exactly a resounding mandate) Yet at the same time, legislature remained solidly Democratic, and, let’s not forget that NJ went solidly for Obama, who got 70% of the vote just one year ago. Not only did Christie garner popular support from the general public, but also from Democratic elected officials and party bosses. I had to ask myself how this was possible.

I believe that part of the answer lies in his brash, in your face style which (some) people find refreshing but which masks the actual underling substance or lack thereof on the issues. In addition, he praised Obama for his response to hurricane Sandy and generally does not speak ill of him. And, he has demonstrated the ability to avoid giving the appearance of being obsessed with, or too extreme on the most contentious social issues.

Campaign financing and fundraising was another major factor, with Christie far out spending Bouno every step of the way The (Newark) Star-Ledger reports that his campaign has already raised more than $12.4 million, although New Jersey state law limits what gubernatorial candidates who accept matching funds can spend to $12.2 million. Source:
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/p...re_will_the_money_go.html#fOSBAhp09I2HMLuq.99 .

This is the kind of money that allowed Christie to spend $1.5M on TV adds saying that Chris tie, "working with both parties" achieved "four balanced budgets" and "no new taxes for anyone." –assertions that to varying degrees are questionable. There's also a reference to Hurricane Sandy at the end: "When tragedy struck, he was there every step of the way." Source:
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ss...different_tv_ads_barbara_buono_in_only_2.html

Again, with respect to Sandy, there are questions about the veracity of that assertion in that a year later, people are still homeless and awaiting assistance Source:
http://www.rollingstone.com/politic...r-10-places-that-are-still-suffering-20131101


However, his true talent really is his ability to walk a fine line of appealing to liberal NJ while playing to the more conservative national stage- a feat that allowed him to win reelection as a ‘moderate” governor. It didn’t hurt that people were just not paying close attention to the issues or the election which featured an unexciting opponent with weak backing that came three weeks after the hotly contested special election featuring two very different candidates-an election that Christie cleverly called to suppress the Democratic turnout in the general election.

It seems at times that it’s only the hard core tea party that thinks that he is not conservative enough. However, it’s important to note that there is a lot of daylight between Christie and the like of Ted Cruz, Mike Lee and Michelle Bachman. While he is not them, he is far from a centrist, yet he is perceived by many to be exactly that. Watch for part II

- - - Updated - - -

Part ll The Issues : Giving just enough to create the illusion

So, let’s look at what specifically has he done to give the appearance of being a moderate, or as some would say these days, a RINO, and why, on each issue he really is not:

Same Sex Marriage and other LGBTI issues: He did in fact sign legislation outlawing “reparative therapy” used to “cure” gay children, something that his tea party detractors would not approve of. However He vetoed the gay marriage bill passed by the state legislature, and fought against the ultimately successful court challenges to the same sex marriage ban. The fact the he dropped the appeal to the state supreme court does not in any way constitute a capitulation, despite the moans and charges of betrayal by conservatives. Rather, knowing full well how the court would rule, he made a strategic retreat. Now, marriage is legal only on the basis of the lower court ruling, which could more easily overturned. In addition the door is open for another appeal to the state high court at future time when that court-which he is trying to remake in his image- may be comprised of judges that will favor his position.

Women’s reproductive rights and family planning: He supports some exceptions to a ban on abortion such as in the case of rape, incest or if the mother’s life is at risk, another position that does not sit well with the most conservative elements of his party. However ,Christie basically opposes a woman’s right to choose. At a 2011 rally opposing the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Roe v. Wade decision, he said eliminating abortion was “an issue whose time has come.” He also cut state family planning funding to Planned Parenthood. Source:
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/11/06/2894261/chris-christies-moderation/

Gun Control: Christie signed 10 gun control measures into law in April, and later stated that he thinks gun control may be able to play a role in controlling violence but stressing that his focus in New Jersey is the mental health care system, because most of the perpetrators of mass shootings are "deeply disturbed (However, consider this in relation to the mental health issue below) Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/...un-control_n_4250341.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

However, he and then refused to sign a trio of stronger measures in May, including a ban on .50 sniper caliber rifles. “Christie fully rejected the ban on .50 caliber rifles, five-foot-long snipers that can be loaded with palm-length cartridges designed to penetrate heavy armor a mile away; and that are, according to Christie, necessary for “recreational pastimes.” While Christie proposed outlawing the sale of these weapons in April, he wrote to the General Assembly that banning them outright would “serve only to confuse law-abiding gun owners with the threat of imprisonment.” In fact, the law would give gun owners a year in which to register, and then legally keep, any .50 calibers currently in their possession” He could have used a conditional veto and sent it back for revisions. However, he just killed it outright. Source:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/...un-control_n_4250341.html?utm_hp_ref=politics

Mental Health In January 2013 Christie committed to "fully implementing" a mental health treatment law that had been signed into law by Jon Corzine in 2009 which had gotten off to a sluggish start, a problem that Christie blamed on a lack of interest by treatment providers. Known as the “involuntary outpatient commitment" law, it gives judges discretion to demand people take medication and go to therapy if they pose a danger to themselves or others in the "foreseeable future." If they fail to comply, they can be involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital. However Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex) criticized Christie for only dedicating $2 million to the law he sponsored to launch the program in six of the state's 21 counties. Codey said the law Gov. Jon Corzine enacted in 2009 was supposed to be operating in all 21 counties by now, with seven counties added every year starting in 2010. In addition, while Christie claimed that the program was fully funded in his first year as Governor, that statement was contradicted by his state Human Services Commissioner, Jennifer Velez, then-Deputy Commissioner Kevin Martone in August 2010. Velez and Martone's letter announced the law would be indefinitely delayed because it had been approved by the previous administration without any money to expand treatment programs. The state's finances were stretched too thin to afford it that year. Source:
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/01/christie_says_hes_committed_to.html
It would appear that Christie got on board with this only after a series of high profile shootings and mounting pressure to support gun control and generally ramping up the urgency to do something about the violence.

ACA and Health Care: He accepted Federal money to expand Medicare under A.C.A., a smart business decision to bring badly needed money into the state and shore up voter support. However Christie has been critical of the Affordable Care Act — also known as Obamacare — calling the law "a mistake" and "a failed policy. He, like many other Republicans has capitalized on the web site and policy cancellation issues and has failed to acknowledge the positive aspects of it or to offer any alternative other than to return to the status quo where the insurers are in full control. He refused to set up state run health care exchanges and in doing so left federal money on the table that could have been used to help enroll the uninsured (Star Ledger 9.15.13)

Update: Following the debacle of the canceled plans by the insurers, President Obama asked governors to require insurers in their states to preserve the policies that people were losing for one year. However, the Christie administration refused and gave the insurers the option to terminate the policies. (Star Ledger 11.27.13)

Environment Christie claims to believe climate change is real to the chagrin of hard core conservatives However, he pulled New Jersey out of a regional compact aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. He also refused to take a position on whether climate change contributed to Super Storm Sandy, though researchers see such a link. Source: http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/11/06/2894261/chris-christies-moderation/

Watch for Part III

 

Part III Issues where he makes no pretense about being a moderate or a centrist:

Property and Income Taxes : With respect to property and income taxes Christie has garnered some popular support, not by claiming to be a centrist, but by claiming to be the Governor who kept his promise not to raise taxes. However, while that is technically true, his actions-as we will see below- have in fact increase the tax burden on the middle class and the poor. It might seem that these actions would in fact tarnish his conservative pedigree. However, the truth is that too many conservatives care only about raising taxes on businesses and the wealthy

With respect to Property Taxes : Christie likes to crow about the fact that property tax increase have slowed from 2.4% to 1.4% on his watch. He does not like to talk so much about the fact that he also cut the property tax rebate intended to help the middle class and the elderly. In fact according to Politico ” One of Christie’s first actions as governor was to scale back tax breaks that effectively hiked property taxes on hundreds of thousands of residents, after he pledged to do the opposite. Source: The Star Ledger 9.25.13

The result has been an 18.8 % increase on a family earning a median income in a home of median value. It is primarily the wealthier home owners who were ineligible for the rebate to start with, who benefit from curbing the property tax increases. Levies on homes have risen at about the same rate as under his Democratic predecessor, keeping New Jersey the highest property tax state in the country.” Right from the conservative Republican playbook of screw the little guy….help the “job creators” Source:

http://www.politico.com/story/2013/11/chris-christie-potential-tax-dilemma-2016-99341.html

Regarding the income tax, Christie’s first budget scaled back the earned income tax credit that helps to lift low earning families out of poverty. Source:
http://point4counterpoint.wordpress.com/2013/11/10/gov-chris-christie-in-32011/

At the same time In 2012, Christie proposed an across the board 10% income tax cut that would disproportionally benefit the wealthy, as would any flat tax cut or increase. It was only after Democrats opposed that plan that he settled for a tax reduction that excluded those earning over $400K Source:

http://www.ontheissues.org/governor/Chris_Christie_Tax_Reform.htm

Millionaire’s Sur Tax: In 2009 – just before Christie took office – the Legislature let a surcharge on high earners expire. Ever since, Democratic legislators have been trying to get Christie, who says he is not interested in raising any taxes, to agree to bring it back. In 2010 and 2011, the governor vetoed the millionaire’s tax bills that lawmakers passed. Source: http://nypost.com/2012/07/02/christ...ase-tells-legislature-of-his-latest-tax-plan/

Aide to Corporations: NJ.com reported that “Christie signed into law the New Jersey Economic Opportunity Act of 2013 (A3680), which lifts limits on how much the state can give out in economic incentives to corporations and developers, and greatly expands the geographic areas where companies can qualify” and “Since 2010, the state has doled out $2.1 billion in incentives, according to the liberal think tank New Jersey Policy Perspective. By comparison, the state gave out $1.5 billion in incentives during the previous 10 years. Critics question whether the tax breaks have done anything to grow jobs in new Jersey.” Source: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ss...ill_to_expand_corporate_tax_breaks_in_nj.html

Medical Marijuana: Christie has repeatedly thrown down roadblocks to the implementation of the medical marijuana law passed prior to his administration. Gov. Chris Christie and the state health department have intentionally delayed New Jersey’s medical marijuana program in an effort to sabotage it, the CEO of one of the state’s six medical marijuana dispensaries claims in a letter sent this week to Christie’s office. Source: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2012/03/medicial_marijuana_boss_gov_ch.html

Most recently, he heartless delayed the availability for sick children. MSNBC reported “The fact remains, however, that while the governor now backs some new expansion of medical marijuana access, he’s still insisting the state legislature change the reforms to meet his specific demands. In this case, as an AP report explained, Christie will accept production of ingestible forms of pot at state-approved dispensaries and to allow dispensaries to grow more than three strains of the drug, but in order for sick children to quality, they would need approval from a psychiatrist and a pediatrician, and possibly a third doctor if one of the other two is not registered as part of the state program.” Source: http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/christie-vetoes-medical-marijuana-measur And, this was only after Brian Wilson, whose two-year-old daughter, Vivian, suffers from a potentially deadly form of epilepsy known as Dravet Syndrome said. “Please don’t let my daughter die, Governor,” to which the Governor replied…” These issues are complicated”

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/pol...cal-marijuana-article-1.1428172#ixzz2kI7gbnAP

Education the teachers union Christie’s policies put private and parochial schools ahead of public education. Christie has pushed for private school vouchers, which would take public education money and siphon it off to private and parochial schools. Source: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-...ers-are-needed-to-repair-poor-schools-2-.html

At the same time, he attacked public school teachers — individually and collectively.
On the morning of June 26, Chris Christie, jetted out to Colorado, delivered a keynote speech at Charles and David Koch's ultra-exclusive seminar at the Ritz-Carlton. Christie explained in a spoeach how he'd convinced the state's Democratic majority leaders, against the wishes of most of their caucus, to help him slash public-sector pensions and benefits. And he drew a bead on his next major target: public-school teachers and their union. "That's where we head next," Christie said. "We need to take on the teachers' union once and for all…….” David Koch, who introduced Gov. Christie as "my kind of guy."
Source: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/09/audio-chris-christie-koch-brothers-seminar

This, by the way is the same David Koch who ran as vice president on the 1980 Libertarian ticket, to the right of Ronald Reagan. According to New York Times columnist Frank Rich, “his campaign called for the abolition not just of Social Security, federal regulatory agencies and welfare but also of the FBI, the CIA, and public schools.” While , as far as we know, Christie does not harbor view that are quite that extreme, we also know that he does not mind rubbing elbows with those who do.

Minimum wage: Christie vetoed the minimum wage bill to raise that wage from $7.25 to 8.50 an hour with annual cost of living adjustments, that was ultimately passed as a constitutional amendment by referendum. “Today Governor Christie proved once again that his only real constituency is the state’s wealthiest," Executive Director Bill Holland said. "And once again he holds the livelihoods of the working poor hostage by making an end to his tax hike on low-income workers conditional on the Legislature’s acceptance of a bad deal." Source: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/01/christie_minimum_wage.html

Affordable Housing Christie crafted plan to gut the Council on affordable housing but it was blocked by the courts. The decision blocks Governor Christie’s efforts to prevent the construction of affordable homes in the state’s wealthiest communities,” said Frank Argote-Freyre, president of the affiliated Latino Action Network. “If you can build mansions in a community you can find space” for the poor. Source:
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-...-says-affordable-housing-limbo-needs-fix.html

And, a New York Times Opp Ed. Wrote: “Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey has tried to undermine the state’s commitment to affordable housing at every turn. In addition to trying to dismantle the independent state agency that oversees affordable housing development, he has sought to weaken the state law that prohibits local governments from using zoning to exclude housing for poor and working-class people. Source:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/22/opinion/mr-christie-vs-affordable-housing.html?_r=0

Senatorial Candidate Steve Lonegan: Christie said he was "proud" to back Lonegan because they share core beliefs about "lower taxes and limited government." Let’s remember that both Sarah Palin and Texas Governor Rick Perry also came to NJ to stump for Lonigan, who, like Palin and Perry, is an extremist who is out of touch with New Jersey and anyone that can be called a moderate. His positions include: Overturning Roe vs. Wade; Getting rid of the minimum wage altogether; allowing young people to be able to opt out of the Social Security system — which he has called a "Ponzi scheme; opposes marriage equality and even question the wisdom of allowing gays to adopt; applauded the House Republicans for shutting down the government and standing up to Obama, whom he calls a "tyrant."; opposes any new gun control measures ; questions global warming; opposes any path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. While you would expect any Republican Governor to endorse a candidate of his own party, Christie has gone all out for an unabashed tea party extremist without any attempt to distance himself on any of the issues. Source: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ss...er_and_steve_lonegan_stand_on_the_issues.html Watch for part IV

 

Part IV Conclusion

Aside from the question of where he falls on the political spectrum, there are other matters to consider:
The bully factor: Christy is not only a bully but also a misogynist. Days before his reelection, Chris Christie blew the lid off of his moderate Republican façade by blowing up at a public school teacher, and showing the rage filled bully that he can’t hide. Source: http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com/2013/11/video-chris-christies-problem-with-women.html This is just the latest example of his turning on a constituent who got on his wrong side

His NJ record In endorsing Christie, the Star Ledger editorial board stated “The surprise is that his achievements have been only modest. He signed an important reform to contain pension and health costs, but it was mostly done before he arrived. He signed a useful tenure reform last year, but it is a weak version that still protects bad teachers with seniority.” And…

“His reorganization of the higher education system is promising, but untested. Balance that against his measurable failures, and you have to conclude he is much better at politics than he is at governing. The property tax burden has grown sharply on his watch. He is hostile to low-income families, raising their tax burden and sabotaging efforts to build affordable housing. He’s been a catastrophe on the environment, draining $1 billion from clean energy funds and calling a cease-fire in the state’s fight against climate change.” They go on to say……

“The governor’s claim to have fixed the state’s budget is fraudulent. New Jersey’s credit rating has dropped during his term, reflecting Wall Street’s judgment that he has dug the hole even deeper. He has no plan to finance transit projects and open space purchases now that he has nearly drained the dedicated funds he inherited from Gov. Jon Corzine.” They stated outright that the reason for the endorsement was only because, in their view, his challenger was worse. Source:

http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2013/10/the_star-ledger_endorsement_ch.html


Even prior to that, the same newspaper, published another editorial with the tittle “ America’s Most Over Rated Governor” in which they also highlighted his failures including increased crime, police layoffs, the cancellation of a major and vital mass transit project , continuing high unemployment, and an underfunded state pension system. It concludes that he is a better politician than a governor and that his fame is based more on personality than performance Source: http://blog.nj.com/njv_tom_moran/2013/09/post_13.html

And although he is usually a pretty savvy politician, he can also ruffle feathers in a rather clumsy way …….when the likely 2016 presidential candidate maneuvered to dump Tom Kean Jr. as state Senate Republican leader two days later, he suffered a rare defeat — and alienated the lawmaker's father, Tom Kean Sr., a GOP elder statesman and popular former governor who gave Christie his political start.
"I'm as surprised as I've ever been in my life in politics," Kean, 78, told The Associated Press.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/16/chris-christie-tom-kean_n_4288362.html


Animal rights and the pork lobby: Christie has even managed to garner the ire of animal rights activists. He recently vetoed legislation passed by a large bi partisan majority in both houses of the legislature to ban the use of gestation cages for pregnant pigs-cages so small that the animals cannot turn around and they are kept that way for months. In his veto message, Christie stated the “we must balance the humane treatment of…… pigs” with the interest of farmers……..” However, speculation is the real reason was to please the National Pork Producer’s Council which is based in Iowa. Yes Iowa as in Iowa caucuses 2016. A poll found that 91% of the people of New Jersey oppose the practice and the Humane Society as deemed it cruel. An override of the veto is expected, a first for Christie. Source: Star No doubt as we get closer to 2106, he will be drawn out on these and other issues and be pulled to the right, as always happens in Republican primaries. So not only is it politics before people, its politics before pigs as well. Source: Ledger 11.12.13

On a few issues, Christie has said little or nothing: Immigration is one. He supports in state tuition rates for children of undocumented immigrants. However, He has been non-committal on issue of a path to citizenship and stated only that congress needs to fix the problem. In addition, he is hedging on a Senate bill to grant financial aid to those undocumented students. Voting Rights is another Christie he has said nothing about the Supreme Court’s decision gutting the voting rights act.

Lastly, there is the recently released book about the 2012 presidential race “ Double Down” which discusses the Romney campaigns vetting of Christie as a possible vice presidential candidate. Authors Heilemann and Halperin state that “…..Romney aides were stunned by the garish controversies lurking in the shadows of his (Christies) record” Among the concerns raised are his penchant for luxury travel accommodations at tax payers expense, His work as a lobbyist for a firm with ties to Bernie Madoff , the Ponzi scheme mastermind now in prison, and allegedly steering government contracts to donors and political allies. Source: Star Ledger 11.15.13

So, before Christie is anointed as the savior of the Republican Party, the one who can steer it back to a fiscally conservative and rational middle of the road, there is much to consider. The fact that he won big in New Jersey does not mean that he is a Republican that can carry the blue states in 2016. It’s very telling that despite the margin of victory, Republicans did not pick up a single seat in the senate or assembly despite a heavy Republican turnout. This is an indication that the electorate was not swayed by Republican values but rather the mystic of Chris Christie…..a mystic that is sure to unravel under the scrutiny of a presidential race. He will surely be pulled further to the right during the primaries and will come to be seen for what he really is. And, his record is sure to raise eyebrows among people all along the political spectrum, and also raise concerns about his integrity, and his electability for a variety of reasons. I predict that he will come out on top in the primaries and then, quickly suffer the same fate as the last Republican governor for a blue north east state who ran for president while trying to be a chameleon.

 

In sum, the guy is a politician, and so is whatever he needs to be in order to gain and maintain power.

 

Update on Immigration:

Oct 1, :2013: Immigrant-rights activists say New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie reversed himself Saturday and endorsed giving illegal immigrants in-state college tuition rates, and said he will try to get the issue through his legislature in a lame-duck session.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news...e-wants-state-tuition-illegals/#ixzz2mWQRnZgq

However on 12.2.13 Christie said he opposes part of the bill (S2479) that would make the students eligible for state-funded Tuition Aid Grants.

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/12/christie_immigrant_tuition_bill.html

Yet he denies having flip flopped on it…..right, only twice at least!

 

Update on Medical Marijuana

Christie continues to erect obstacles in the way of people of NJ getting medical marijuana. Now he fears that their ability to buy it out of state will be a “back door” to legalization. How I wonder
The latest bill to expand the medical marijuana program is only days old, but Gov. Chris Christie said he already knows he won't sign it.
The bill would allow registered medical marijuana patients in New Jersey to buy the drug in another state where it's legal and bring it home. Six of the 19 states and Washington D.C. that have medical marijuana programs have such reciprocity agreements by which they recognize patients outside of their own state.
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ss...new_medical_marijuana_program_expansions.html

 

Sandy Update 12/4/13

We all recall the high marks that Christie got for his initial response to hurricane Sandy including his ability and willingness to reach out to President Obama. It was that- in part -which fueled his popularity and helped his reelection. However a year later, the results are not what was expected:

Christie administration is blowing smoke on Sandy: Editorial http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2013/12/the_christie_administration_is.html#incart_maj-story-2


“As thousands of Hurricane Sandy victims desperately wait for word on whether or not they’ll get relief money to rebuild, the Christie administration continues to brush off the most basic questions about its grant programs.
So far, more than a year after the devastating storm, it’s distributed only 10 percent of its funds for rebuilding homes — the largest pot of the Sandy relief package — and many people have little clue where they stand in the process.”

“Now, we have an even more troubling report from Fair Share Housing, the nonprofit group that sued the state for information on its process. Apparently there were no clear guidelines in place for these grant programs until most of the eligibility decisions were already made.”

 

And I'm sure he had nothing to do with closing down the George Washington Bridge.

 

The story is not going away. It's in the local paper every day. No doubt that it was a prank and most likely politically motivated. The only real question is what did Christie know and when

 

You can bet he knows a lot.

 

This attempt to turn a traffic jam on a bridge into a huge scandal is just amazing. The left is willing to assume that Obama knows nothing about the IRS, NSA, CIA, Obamacare, what his own people are suing over in federal court, but then Christie is supposedly in on something as asinine as closing a lane or two on a bridge in his state that was supposedly done to get back at someone somewhere else. Because a traffic jam is totally an effective way to get back at someone for something.

 

Christie is a wise guy and a bully and this sort of thing is very much in keeping with his style. There is no question that this closure was unnecessary and stupid. There is no other motive to explain it. The only question is what did big guy know and when did he know it

 

The bridge closure goes beyond any questionable policy decision, or competence. It represents childlike behavior that would render him unfit to be governor leave alone president......except perhaps president of a middle school class.

 

Hillary Clinton must take some comfort in the fact the ONE guy the polls show has a good chance to beat her in 2016....

is HATED by a good portion of the GOP Base.....for nothing more than the fact, he was nice...once....to Barack Obama.

 

He's hated and distrusted by a lot of folks all along the political spectrum for a lot of reasons. The Obama think will prove to be the least of it

 

Chris Christie was the left-wing media's model republican because he didn't criticize Obama over Sandy response on the eve of the election. The same left wing folks who are upset that Christie "impeded" EMS ability to respond to calls didn't mind Obama's photo-op impeding EMS availability just after Sandy. He was and always has been an left wing strawman that they intended to build up so they could tear down. He has never been a realistic nominee for the GOP.

 

I don't know what this EMS stuff is but there is enough dirt on him to fill a landfill and anything having to do with Obama and Sandy will be the least of his troubles. Did you read the OP? For now I'm sticking with the prediction that he will get the nomination and be destroyed in the general

 

Paul Ryan will be the nominee. Christie has no legs outside the northeast.

 

Ryan carries the stench of Willard

 

'NJ Weedman' Edward Forchion Launches 'Say No To Chris Christie' Campaign

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/03/edward-forchion-chris-christie_n_4537912.html?ref=topbar


Perennial New Jersey political candidate and marijuana activist Edward Forchion, who goes by "NJWeedman,” has launched a “Just Say No To Governor Christie” ad campaign ahead of the New Jersey Republican's rumored 2016 presidential bid.

“Governor Christie made a political point to be opposed to the marijuana laws and cannabis laws and just taking a cue from the 'Just Say No' campaign I figured I would put out the ads nationally to oppose Governor Christie’s campaign for presidency,” Forchion told My9NJ on Thursday, a few weeks after launching the campaign.

 

What works politically in NJ won't work nationwide; at least not for the Republican party.

How many moderates do the Republicans have to nominate before it sinks in that moderate Republicans don't win. Does Ford 1976, Bush 1992, Dole 1996, McCain 2008, and Romney 2012 ring a bell to anyone? All moderates, and all losers. GWB won narrowly in 2000 and 2004 only because he was still perceived to be somewhat conservative. Though by 2006, he wasn't fooling anyone anymore.

When it comes to winning a national election for President, Christie has a big fat "L" stamped on his forehead. The quicker the Republicans figure that out, the quicker they can get on with nominating someone else, someone who has a chance.

 

I stand by everything that I said in my OP. He is not a moderate, and certainly no liberal. Yes he is hated by the base because he just is outwardly a crazy wing nut which is what they want. He will be perceived as the most electable, probably get the nomination if no real moderate steps up, and suffer the same fate as Willard.

 

Better yet, how long will it take to realize that they need to get off the extreme train and maybe actually have some commonsense back into the party?

 

I was stuck in traffic in California today and my first thought was: who is Jerry Brown out to hurt?

 

The GOP gloms on to deeply flawed candidates like Rudy Giuliani, and makes them front runners, and even skews their primaries to insure their nomination, by the time the primaries are around, the opposition research people have destroyed the early front runners. Leaving the Rube Goldberg nomination process in place.
So you have a crazy primary system, that over weights some states and under weights others, and lets face it, one of the shallowest pools of talent where a Herman Cain or a Michelle Bachman can lead, until the OR people focus, and the nominee is the one the OR people get to too late to make a difference, but early enough to destroy them for the general election.