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 GOPs 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. Christies public battles with New Jerseys teachers 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 Christies 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, Christies 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 Pauls mainstream concern about such policies dangerous. Christies 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 Christies 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 Christies 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.
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?)
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.
Hear! Hear!
Go away Christie!
Maybe even an Boing 747 hanger door
” It’s Time Conservatives Show Christie the Door”
I don’t recall we ever opened one, Bob.
That will make ‘his Boss’ his idol, Bruce, happy.
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.
It's open but he couldn't get through. He likes it where it is wide - where 'anything' goes.
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.
Not Christie. This man’s ego is bigger than his brain.
: )
him family = HIS family
i TOLD you so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A LONG time ago!!!!
Which explains Ann Coulter's infatuation with the guy.
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?
All one needs to deflate the NJ turd.
I think we already did. But the media keeps sneaking him back in.
Took the words right outta my mouth. Got nothing but disdain for the Fat Fascist Christie
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