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It's Time Conservatives Show Christie the Door
Townhall.com ^ | August 14, 2013 | Bob Barr

Posted on 08/14/2013 12:48:24 PM PDT by Kaslin

While many conservatives still may be wondering what went wrong with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, for most of us, the handwriting has been on the wall for some time. He is a liberal masquerading as a conservative.

Christie rose to Republican super-stardom after handily defeating Democrat incumbent Governor Jon Corzine, breaking a streak of Democratic victories in a state where John McCain lost to Barack Obama by more than 15 percent. Christie seemed poised to become the GOP’s electoral savior, emerging from the northeast political wasteland to lead Republicans to the Promised Land.

It started as a love fest. Early in the 2012 primary season, Christie was the most prominent candidate conservatives were hoping would throw his hat into the ring. His brash, in-your-face style contrasted favorably with that of more traditional and cautious GOP establishment candidates, like Mitt Romney. Christie’s public battles with New Jersey’s teacher’s unions solidified his “street cred” with conservatives, as he excoriated union bosses. Many conservatives actually were disappointed when Christie decided to forgo the presidential race in 2012 to focus on New Jersey, and -- it was assumed -- to establish a foundation for a run in 2016.

But all was not well in Oz; there always was something troubling about Christie’s conservative conversion. “In the primary, Christie ran as a conservative, but ever since he's been lurching to the left,” New Jersey Star-Ledger columnist Paul Mulshine wrote in July 2009, a month after Christie won the Republican Primary. Christie is still lurching, if not racing in that direction.

Time, as it so often tends to do, has revealed a side to Christie that was well-observed by New Jersey politicos during the gubernatorial contest, but was largely hidden from outsiders until Christie was thrown onto the national stage. As Mulshine observed in 2009, Christie’s conservative credentials were nothing more than ambiguous sound bites, coupled with a masterful strategy of bobbing and weaving to deflect questions that would have forced him into articulating a conservative position on issues.

So today, we see a Christie more comfortable in the company of Barack Obama than in front of a crowd of grassroots conservative activists. For example, rather than recognize the shifting political landscape against unchecked government surveillance of U.S. citizens, Christie attacked Sen. Rand Paul with a vehemence more pronounced than Harry Reid would use – actually calling Paul’s mainstream concern about such policies “dangerous.” Christie’s embrace of the Surveillance State may be the final straw after a long string of conservative disappointments from the Guv, including his uncomfortably and continuing cozy relationship with Obama following Storm Sandy.

Christie now finds himself in the middle of a Second Amendment battle, where both gun control advocates and gun owners are closely watching his next move. Three bills sitting on his desk would have a significant and negative impact on Second Amendment rights in the Garden State. Considering Christie’s track record over the last year, conservatives have good reason to worry.

There is little doubt Christie is trying to lay a path to the White House in 2016 -- branding himself as a reformer not afraid to walk across the aisle to get things done. Cooperation, of course, can be a productive trait in a political arena paralyzed by partisanship. Ronald Reagan, the Great Communicator, had a knack for bringing together coalitions to win key legislative victories for conservatives. However, Reagan always remained firmly rooted in conservative principles, which gave him unassailable credibility with the conservative base.

With a pedigree resembling that of Richard Nixon, Christie is no Ronald Reagan.

What the GOP needs in 2016 is a leader who can be trusted to reverse the dangerous fiscal, social and national security policies of the Obama Administration. Christie has not exhibited any indication he is willing to do this; in fact, just the opposite.

There should be no room in the GOP for Christie’s nebulous, if not disingenuous, political games; and, it is time conservatives show him the door before his carefully self-nurtured image as the GOP “tough guy” -- able to take on all Democratic comers -- destroys any remaining semblance of the conservative GOP base first constructed by Reagan two generations ago. If Christie really wants to take on Hillary, let him do so in the arena far better suited for liberals and moderates like him – the Democrat Party.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections; US: New Jersey
KEYWORDS: democraticagenda; govchrischristie; liberalagenda
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To: Kaslin

Aaannnnnnnd of course, like clockwork, Christie says that he will not support the conservative nominee for senate, although we pretty much knew that anyway when he schedules a special senate election a month before his own, thereby denying any coattail effect.

I guess it’s beyond comprehension that a REPUBLICAN governor would help a REPUBLICAN senate candidate. But it’s the age old battle between the moderates and the conservatives. Conservatives are expected to support the moderate or liberal repulican nominee no matter what and refusing support or endorsement is outright blasphemy (remember Arlen Specter?) while moderate-liberals would rather have a democrat win than a conservative (remember Dede Scozzafava?)


21 posted on 08/14/2013 1:12:11 PM PDT by cotton1706
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To: FlingWingFlyer

I didn’t know he was in the conservative room. Your right, though, any door he goes through is going to have to be XXXL.


22 posted on 08/14/2013 1:12:47 PM PDT by PhiloBedo (You gotta roll with the punches and get with what's real.)
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To: Kaslin

Hear! Hear!

Go away Christie!


23 posted on 08/14/2013 1:13:18 PM PDT by Jewbacca (The residents of Iroquois territory may not determine whether Jews may live in Jerusalem.)
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To: FlingWingFlyer; Kaslin
It's Time Conservatives Show Christie the Door

Maybe even an Boing 747 hanger door

24 posted on 08/14/2013 1:14:37 PM PDT by SandRat (Duty - Honor - Country! What else needs said?)
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To: Nachum

” It’s Time Conservatives Show Christie the Door”

I don’t recall we ever opened one, Bob.


25 posted on 08/14/2013 1:14:38 PM PDT by stephenjohnbanker (The only people in the world who fear Obama are American citizens. KILL THE BILL!)
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To: A CA Guy

That will make ‘his Boss’ his idol, Bruce, happy.


26 posted on 08/14/2013 1:18:00 PM PDT by presently no screen name
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To: Kaslin
For a number of reasons, New Jersey has some very conservative politicians, just not ones that can be elected to statewide office. A good example might be Scott Garrett, who is one of the most conservative members of Congress. ("Garrett is considered the most conservative member of the New Jersey delegation, as he has received perfect 100 ratings from the American Conservative Union throughout his career" and "a 92% Rating from the National Rifle Association".)

Another NJ conservative would be former Bogota mayor Steve Lonegan who is running for Frank Lautenberg's Senate seat. Lonegan won the Republican nomination yesterday. Lonegan ran against Christie in the Republican gubernatorial primary in 2009.

Christie won that with 55 percent of the vote. Lonegan garnered 42 percent.

Christie pulled out all the stops for this special election. He scheduled an actual primary election, rather than leaving the choice of candidates to the two party's leadership in smoke-filled rooms. He scheduled a special election on October 16 -- which is a Wednesday, and just a few weeks before the Governor's election on November 5th.

If any election was ever designed to favor a conservative candidate in New Jersey, it's a special election on a Wednesday a few weeks before a general election. Only the core party voters are going to make it to the polls. Of course, Christie didn't do this because he wanted to help Lonegan. He did it because he didn't want to appear on the same ballot with Cory Booker.

So far the polling doesn't look too good for Lonegan.

But since the special election is on a Wednesday in October -- something that has never been done before in this state -- this is really sailing in uncharted waters. We will see what happens -- "in the fullness of time."

McCain and Romney probably had about as much appeal to swing voters in the half-dozen competitive states as was possible. Like Christie, they might be more liberal than I would like -- but either would have been much better than Obama.

27 posted on 08/14/2013 1:20:09 PM PDT by Sooth2222 ("Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of congress. But I repeat myself." M.Twain)
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To: stephenjohnbanker
I don’t recall we ever opened one, Bob.

It's open but he couldn't get through. He likes it where it is wide - where 'anything' goes.

28 posted on 08/14/2013 1:21:59 PM PDT by presently no screen name
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To: Standing Wolf

Christie is much more a champion for the Vichy faction than the Republican standard.

It once meant something to be a Republican, when the Tafts and the Everett Dirksens could at least provide some ballast to pull the party to a more nearly even keel. Now, we don’t even have that, as the “ballast” is regularly thrown overboard by the Establishment Republicans.


29 posted on 08/14/2013 1:23:01 PM PDT by alloysteel (Unattended children will be given a Red Bull and a free Kazoo. Reminds me of Congress...)
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To: Kaslin

Not Christie. This man’s ego is bigger than his brain.


30 posted on 08/14/2013 1:23:19 PM PDT by I want the USA back
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To: presently no screen name

: )


31 posted on 08/14/2013 1:23:56 PM PDT by stephenjohnbanker (The only people in the world who fear Obama are American citizens. KILL THE BILL!)
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To: FlingWingFlyer; SandRat; SWAMPSNIPER; Kaslin
I saw Christie on some morning faux-news show a couple of weeks ago saying that he was going to have lap band surgery. Had nothing to do with 2016, he claimed, it was all about his health and for him family.
32 posted on 08/14/2013 1:24:14 PM PDT by workerbee (The President of the United States is DOMESTIC ENEMY #1)
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To: workerbee

him family = HIS family


33 posted on 08/14/2013 1:25:13 PM PDT by workerbee (The President of the United States is DOMESTIC ENEMY #1)
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To: Kaslin

i TOLD you so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A LONG time ago!!!!


34 posted on 08/14/2013 2:05:15 PM PDT by ZULU ((See: http://gatesofvienna.net/) Obama, do you hear me?)
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To: Nachum
Christie is the East Coast lib version of a Republican.- Basically a liberal who got elected with an ‘R’ next to their name.

Which explains Ann Coulter's infatuation with the guy.

35 posted on 08/14/2013 2:05:47 PM PDT by Windflier (To anger a conservative, tell him a lie. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.)
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To: Kaslin

It is time?

Many of us did that last fall when he hugged Obama. We had his number by then.

Where have you been, Mr. Barr?


36 posted on 08/14/2013 2:16:09 PM PDT by TomGuy (.)
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To: Kaslin

All one needs to deflate the NJ turd.

37 posted on 08/14/2013 3:01:05 PM PDT by VRWC For Truth (Roberts has perverted the Constitution)
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To: Kaslin

I think we already did. But the media keeps sneaking him back in.


38 posted on 08/14/2013 3:51:59 PM PDT by Right Wing Assault (Dick Obama is more inexperienced now than he was before he was elected.)
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To: jmacusa

Took the words right outta my mouth. Got nothing but disdain for the Fat Fascist Christie


39 posted on 08/14/2013 4:30:55 PM PDT by iopscusa (El Vaquero. (SC Lowcountry Cowboy))
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