In a lengthy piece on Chris Christie filled with winks and nods to the left and more than a few unsubstantiated jibes (Christie, we are told, was previously a “political hack,” and it’s just the “sane” wing of the GOP that likes him), Jason Zengerie of New York magazine nevertheless provides an interesting peek inside Christie’s political operation and just a sliver of hope to his fans that he might still be persuaded to make a 2012 presidential run.
Why the excitement?
These are strange days for Republicans. After their historic midterm victories, they are seemingly ascendant, with George Will hailing 2010 as “conservatism’s best year in 30 years—since the election of Ronald Reagan.” And yet there is no Reagan-like figure to lead them. In Congress, John Boehner and Mitch McConnell are Establishmentarians ill-suited to the fervor of the times. The Republicans who are currently angling to run for the White House in 2012—Mitch Daniels, Tim Pawlenty, Mitt Romney, John Thune, to name a few—inspire little enthusiasm. Sarah Palin, the one potential presidential candidate who does get Republican pulses racing, is such a polarizing figure that the party Establishment is terrified she’ll run. At the very moment that the GOP appears poised to return from its short sojourn in the political wilderness, the party is desperately searching for a leader. Which explains conservatives’ serious—and sudden—infatuation with Chris Christie.
That explains the search for someone, but why him?
He has set the tone, in part, by being “a strong governor who has opinions and is willing to express them,” he said. When I asked him about New Jersey senator Frank Lautenberg’s criticism of his decision to cancel the tunnel, Christie shot back, “All he knows how to do is blow hot air … so I don’t really care what Frank Lautenberg has to say about much of anything.” Anything? “I’m always willing to read something in the paper that he said, and if he makes sense, I’m happy to work with him on it. I haven’t found one yet.” Christie believes his aggressive approach sends a signal to everyone else in the state. “The tone I’m trying to set for New Jersey is: action. Less talk, more action. And I think that’s what I’m doing as governor, and I think we’ve gotten a lot of stuff done already because of that, because I’m pushing and pushing and pushing.” …
Christie’s combativeness has made him a popular figure with the tea party in a way that someone like Indiana governor Mitch Daniels—who’s fought some of the same fiscal battles in his state but with the mien of an accountant—can only dream of. More than anything, Christie fills the longing, currently felt in all corners of the GOP (and beyond), for a stern taskmaster. “People just want to be treated like adults,” Christie says. “They just want to be told the truth. They know we’re in tough times, and they’re willing to sacrifice. But they want shared sacrifice.”
Less well known is his ability to co-opt and work with key Democrats in the deep Blue State. (He’s ”cultivated strong relationships with the three most prominent Democratic power brokers currently not in jail.”)
The good news for Christie fans is that there are a few scraps suggesting that he hasn’t entirely closed the door on a 2012 run. (“Christie’s actions aren’t those of someone who has ruled out a presidential bid.”) His staff’s YouTube videos, the trip to Iowa, and some whispers from his political confidantes are encouraging those in the GOP who are searching for Mr. Right.
But the premise underlying the piece is a bit off. The reason Christie has become a “star” is not because he’s captured the imagination of the “sane” wing of the party but because he transcends the divide (which is part real and part media-driven hype) between Tea Partiers and establishment Republicans. He combines serious governance with political theater. He’s got undeniable stage presence, but he’s also a serious budget wonk. He has no patience with political insiders, yet he’s learned to handle his opponents. And he’s become a master at disarming the liberal media without personal acrimony or a sense of victimhood.
But your reading glasses would have to be exceptionally rosy to see real evidence of a 2012 stealth campaign. The most his supporters can hope for is that the field of current contenders will prove underwhelming and that a serious movement to draft Christie will develop. But if the governor resists the entreaties of his fans, Republicans should remember that he became an overnight success thanks to a bunch of irresistible YouTube moments. Who’s to say that someone else couldn’t do the same?
Ha ha! That’s IS consoling. But wait. You would think that maybe now, everthing that goes wrong will be blamed on the party in office, as was done in the past. Too much to hope for. Given the sentiments of the MSM, everything bad that happens in the next couple of years- or perhaps next four years- will be blamed on the PREVIOUS administration. Mr Olbermann will still have a lot to say, I’m afraid.
That is easy, John. He can rail against real or imagined Republican obstructionism.
frml: To make matters worse, everything that goes well will be Obama’s glory. Heads Obama wins, tails Republicans lose.
Of course he has a new move … he’ll just focus his rage on the few Republicans in Congress who will have to band together to try and obstruct the disastrous forthcoming legislation.
JP, if the MSM and Mr. Olbermann can excuse and overlook Obama’s associations with Ayers, Wright, Klonsky, Dohrn, Alinsky, the Daly machine and Chicago politics at its worst, do you think it will be difficult to overlook Obama’s mistakes in office? I don’t think so. Honestly, Keith should confine himself to Sunday Night Football and the company of another humble “expert” – Bob Costas. They deserve each other.
What the hell is this “has taken office”? Is The One moving in tomorrow? Overlooking the fact that there is no official declaration of a decision in the election (formalities shd be observed), we still have to endure immeasurable crap before 20 Jan., though that is far less than what the next four years will bring.
Perhaps Olbermann can perfect his Ben Afleck impression.
biggest loser McCain, second biggest loser Sarah Palin, third biggest loser conservative media for being totally out of touch with middle America
Looking at the Red/Blue map… isn’t this the same lineup as the Civil War? Looks hauntingly familiar.
Comment number 8 has that truly pure stupidity one can only fine with the most dedicated of moonbats.
Should the GOP really try to obstruct crazy Dem legislation over the next two years, or should they just state their disagreement, let the Dems ram it through, give the folks what they are apparently voting for tonight, and then ask voters in two years how they are liking their Euro style economy? I’m inclined to think that when people are determined to do something dumb, you should not try to save them from themselves. GOP should offer a sane, limited government alternative, but should not obstruct. Let the voters enjoy 2 years up close with “liberal” Euro socialism. Could save the GOP a lot of anguish over the next 20 years.
The conservative media ran an even worse campaign that McCain did. If conservative media had called McCain on his B.S. early, he would have stopped spewing it, maybe settled down and started actually pushing the issues in his ad campaigns instead of trying to campaign through guilt-by-extremely-tenuous-association, and he might have had a chance.
Approximately half of America will fall for the usual conservative BS and vote against their own economic interests. But apparently (and surprisingly, to me), *less* than half of America will fall for stupid 5-year-old Bill-Ayers-gave-him-cooties-by-standing-near-him logic.
Raise your game next time, conservatives, and your tone. You lost this fight with extremely poor showing and inability to argue with any clarity, both in the trenches and at the highest levels.
You don’t deserve this presidency. Not this time.
Earn it better next time.
And poor Frank Rich. What’s he going to write about now?
Last Thanksgiving I made a bet with my host–a six-pack of the Arber Brewing Co.’s wonderful Sacred Cow IPA that in any column Frank Rich wrote between then and this Thanksgiving, no matter what the topic was, he would bring in George Bush the way Mr. Dick used to bring in King Charles’s head in “David Copperfield.”
Unless something unusual happens between now and the end of the month, I win.
KO is good for at least a year’s worth of demanding war crimes tribunals for Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, and probably Petreus.
Oh, and btw DBL, by next time there won’t be a “conservative media.” Just some underground websites and small meetings held in back rooms with the curtains drawn.
One might disagree, Olberman’s rantings have been a huge success. The American people have rejected Bush overwhelmingly..even Bush knows this as he has stayed hidden for the past weeks. So far eight states that voted for Bush in 2004 have switched to blue and two more are still being tallied.
You mean Keith Doberman and his side-kick Rachel Madcow! Does anybody really listen to that crap?
Answer to Nanette#17.. NO.. Never.. and its no wonder that msnbc ratings are so low. I also hear that Doberman was below par as a sports commentator, too. I don’t have to watch or listen their unprofessional spews to know that he and his sidekick, Madcow, are Pathetic & Disgusting!