New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s temper tantrum about the temporary delay of action on the Hurricane Sandy relief bill earlier this week was depicted in some corners as an illustration of the disconnect between the Northeast and the southern and western base of the Republican Party. There was some truth in that. The bulk of the GOP caucus in the House doesn’t care much about the concerns of Northeast Republicans let alone those of anyone else in the region. That’s just one of many concerns that the GOP must confront as it starts thinking about how to win back the White House in 2016. But despite the party’s failings, Christie’s rant illustrates that the lack of communication is a two-way street.
Like his embrace of President Obama in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, Christie’s harangue about the failings of his party will play well in New Jersey. Indeed, the shift in recent months of the focus of the governor’s notoriously short temper from union bosses and liberals to right-wing Republicans—and the latter’s criticism of him—has been exactly what his re-election campaign needed. His approval ratings have reached the point where the most formidable Democrats in the state like Newark Mayor Cory Booker have abandoned the idea of running for governor. But if Christie is as serious about running for president in 2016 as many of his fans think he is, it’s time to realize that the conceit that he can be a moderate at home and a conservative in the rest of the country isn’t going to work.
Christie isn’t the first blue state governor to run into this conundrum. Mitt Romney, whose presidential candidacy was famously left out of most of Christie’s keynote speech at last year’s Republican convention thought that it was possible to run to the left while seeking the approval of the voters of Massachusetts and then tack hard right once he was running for the presidency. While he was able to capture the GOP nod on his second try, the tag of flip-flopper haunted his campaigns and undermined his efforts to win the support of both conservatives and centrists.
Christie’s case is admittedly quite different. He was elected to the governorship in 2009 without giving up his pro-life beliefs and became a cult favorite among conservatives after that via YouTube videos in which he told off liberals who had the temerity to challenge his positions.
But unlike Romney, Christie had no intention of being a one-term governor. Though it is possible that approval of his commonsense approach to budgetary matters might have earned him re-election anyway, it’s more than obvious that he decided that the only guarantee of victory is to create some distance between himself and elements of his party that are unpopular in New Jersey. While the hurricane incident could have been explained away as an extraordinary circumstance that was caused more the emergency than any political calculation, this latest example of Christie denouncing Republicans is part of his re-election strategy. The fact that Congress subsequently passed the bill will enhance his already strong position at home.
He will have little cause to regret his attacks on Republicans in 2013 and it’s likely that a smashing re-election victory this November will fuel more Christie for President talk among Republicans who hope his unique appeal is the GOP’s best hope for 2016.
But anyone who thinks his intemperate defense of a pork-laden bill and eagerness to separate himself from his party will be forgotten three years from now when Republicans are picking a presidential candidate is making assumptions that can’t be backed up. As Politico notes, conservatives are starting to realize that while it might have been amusing to watch Christie bully liberals, it isn’t so funny when they are the target. Every instance in which Christie attacks his party will provide fodder to primary opponents who will charge him with being exactly the opposite of his image: a two-faced politician who tailors his message to suit his audience’s tastes. The dynamic that leads Northeastern Republicans to run against their own party is something that is likely to haunt Christie if tries to follow in Romney’s footsteps.
what infuriates me is that the dopes leading the GOP in the house and Senate stood like wooden Indians, with their thumbs in a caudal impaction, saying NOTHING about the billions of unrelated pork and earmarks in the Sandy relief bill. what a bunch of ciphers!
Hard to see why Christie's tough stance to get his state and its people hurricane-related aid adds up to gratuitous attacks on his party or hostility to its right wing or an abandonment of principle like Romney's less than pro-life record or Romneycare.
Hard to see how the Fat Man justifies egregiously pork-laden bills for his own state when waddling about last year telling everyone in the the country they need to have the courage to cut spending. He's just another odious political hypocrite (and, sure, include Romney on that list of you want). n nIt's patently obvious he's playing a two-faced political game here. He may figure after the GOP nominated McCain and Romney, they'll nominate anyone no matter what stunts they pull and he could even be right. But if he has a halfway decent opponent in 2015-16, no way will he be the presidential nominee.
Northeast republicans are called liberals in the rest of the nation. SPEND ON US!!!! Oh yeah, they're "real" republicans up there.
I call them Rinos…
There really is no difference between the RINO's and the Democrats.
As much as some of the more abrasive in the political arena love Christie, he should stick to his corrupt New Jersey shore because he won’t play very well nationally. As this article points out, you can’t have it both ways and these Eastern politicians have to work it both ways to snag enough of the Democratic electorate to win elections, which usually means they have already compromised their Republican principles beyond repair. That lippy mouth and temper of Christie’s that so many seem to love won't get him very far on the national stage and I for one am grateful for that.
"…it’s time to realize that the conceit that he can be a moderate at home and a conservative in the rest of the country isn’t going to work." n nGlad to see the admission that there's nothing moderate about today's conservatism.
nAs a Midwesterner who cares what Christie has to say? The Guy is a Northeastern RINO and he needs the GOP more than we need him. I am "not" voting for a guy that is pro-gun control, cap and trade and for amnesty for Illegal Aliens. For the most part Republicans like Christie are dead to me. n nThat being said, the disaster relief should have been a clean bill and not filled with pork.
Never a truer word said, in anger or otherwise. Christie lost me when he embraced-oh-so enthusiastically!- Obama on that day of the visit! not only was it not necessary, it led to nowhere. Obama did not lift one finger to help Christie get that moeny-in spite of his pious word to cut red tape.They are both measly politicians who lie to us. There is not a chance in hell that the GOP nominates another Northeastern again in 2016. Remind me, when was the last time new jersey went republican? (reagan 1984-a long time ago!)
Even worse than Cristie being a soft touch on fiscal matters, he is a very soft touch when it comes to dealing with Islamists, particularly their American Muslim Brotherhood front CAIR, with whom he has excellent relations, even appointing one of their members to be a state judge.
The Republican Party has been playing partisan politics since their "Contract with America" publicity stunt. They have made it quite clear during the following years that they no longer represent the best interest of the people of this Country. Their late response to Hurricane Katrina was a complete lack of humanity and concern for the citizens of this Country. Like the war in the Middle East, there is no logical reason why the US Government hired, and paid unbelievable amounts of money to Halliburton in Katrina's clean up. Why Black water security had boots on the ground in New Orleans, and was paid $250,000.00 is beyond comprehension. The blatant screwing of the tax payers for enriching Halliburton in a natural disaster is sickening. If the Republicans were in the White House right now, Halliburton would be in the Northeast and blank checks would be pouring into Halliburton's hands. Kudos to Governor Christie. He has put the needs of the people above the Republican party partisan politics. To the rest of our Nation's populace that finds the Republican partisan politics as prudent accounting, shame on you all. The people of New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut have always provided more support and relief to every State in our Country in their time of need than any other State(s) in the US. I am currently in Europe, and whenever this topic of why hasn't our government helped these victims, I hang my head in disgust. I hope, and will support Governor Christie if he runs for President. But, I will never vote for another Republican candidate in my life.
One wonders why NJ was not better prepared and had money in reserve for Sandy. It was not a state secred it was headed to New Jersey. n nThe bill increased the borrowing authority of the National Flood Insurance Program from $20,725,000,000 to $30,425,000,000, about a 50% increase. n nThe program already owes taxpayers $18 billion in borrowed funds from the last bailout. Congress passed a bill in 2011 that was supposed to solve the very problems that we are dealing with now. n n
Let the fat tool take Jersey down along with the rest of the worthless NE Republicans.
Actually, Christe has a decent chance of winning the 2016 nomination. The GOP has modified the rules and all primaries are now winner take all as this was done to prevent another extended contest such as that between Romney and the others in 2012. That means Christe could run against a split conservative field including Marco Rubio, Paul Ryan, Rand Paul and others and win all of the delgates even though he only polled 28% or 30% of the vote. I'm not predicting that Christe has a lock on the nomination and Republicans, with their since of "noblesse oblige" may nominate Paul Ryan, but this new winner take all rule certainly alters the political landscape.