Chris Christie's Lautenberg Dilemma Is 2013-as-2016 All Over Again

The Atlantic Wire ^ | June 3, 2013 | ELSPETH REEVE

[Hojczyk]

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie can name a successor for Frank Lautenberg, who died at the age of 89 on Monday, becoming the 299th Senator to pass away in office. But it's yet another moment when what's good for Christie in 2013 might not be good for him in 2016. Christie, after all, is a Republican running a state that voted for President Obama by almost 18 points.

"Replacing a Democrat with a Democrat and then saying the voters should decide what happens next in November would no doubt be very well-received by Democrats and moderates," The Washington Post's Sean Sullivan writes. But that would mean Republicans who are already annoyed with Christie and his Obama-hugging antics would disown him

To understand the difficult position Christie's in, look at these two tweets: "What lucky Democrat will Democrat Chris Christie appoint to Sen. Frank Lautenberg's seat?" conservative thriller author Brad Thor asks. Salon's Joan Walsh adds: "Hey Dem donors giving to Chris Christie: will you rethink if he picks a Republican to replace Lautenberg?"

[MEGoody]

I’m never going to vote for Christie anyway.

I don't plan to either.

[Colonel_Flagg]

I’d be curious to know why it would be wrong for Christie to appoint a Republican. He’s entitled to appoint whomever he chooses, and from what I’ve read of state statute as posted elsewhere, he is under no legal requirement to choose a replacement from the same political party as the deceased.

It’s his choice. If the voters disagree with that choice, they have appropriate recourse through the ballot box.

[MEGoody]

I’d be curious to know why it would be wrong for Christie to appoint a Republican.

Because the people elected a Democrat.

I'm not talking legal requirements. I'm talking fairness to the voters.

[MEGoody]

That is a perverted thought. The voters voted for Christie a Republican. To be fair to the voter he has no choice but to select a Republican.

Christie isn't replacing himself. He's replacing Loutenberg, who was a Democrat.

Now, if Christie were replacing himself (can that even happen?), then yes, select a Republican.

[Dr. Sivana]

Maybe not, but do you honestly think the voters of NJ, if given the opportunity to pick the replacement would now pick a Republican?

They picked Christie, in the not too distant past they put in 3/4s Republicans when Jim Flim-Flam Florio crammed through a massive tax bill that included a toilet paper tax. Of course, the Republicans punted when given a veto-proof majority to get anything useful done.

We can make NO assumptions about who we THINK people would vote for. Christie makes the call, and if he is way off he will pay for it. That's how it is supposed to be in NJ. I would HATE the Kansas system where I live in Illinois, where the powers selected a new party head who gave mainly to Dems. If the party can be co-opted, then true reform is next to impossible.

The United States Constitution does not recognize parties. I am grieved that state and local governments, as well as congressional rules, do. The Founding Fathers were generally wary of them.

[FroggyTheGremlim]

I predict - he’ll appoint Christine Todd Whitman

[nascarnation]

The obvious choice is Hillary Clinton.
America needs her back in Washington.

/s/s/s/s

[Popman]

I fail to see this as a problem for Christi.... he will nominate a Rino....

You think he has any hope of support from the RNC in 2016 he he picks a democrat....?

He may have gotten a stomach lapban but it isn’ t wrapped around his head...

[MEGoody]

We can make NO assumptions about who we THINK people would vote for.

We know they voted for a Dem for this particular office. That's not an assumption.

[Colonel_Flagg]

They also elected Christie, who is at least ostensibly a Republican, and did so more recently than they elected Lautenberg.

Would it not be fair to those same voters who entrusted their state to him to let him choose someone from his own political party?

[Dr. Sivana]

Because the people elected a Democrat.

I'm not talking legal requirements. I'm talking fairness to the voters.

I will accept the fact that some pretty serious people are sympathetic to your argument. Phil Gramm was a Dem Congressman who resigned his seat after switching parties, running for his still warm old seat in a special election as a Republican, winning rather handily. On the one hand, you could say he ram to see if the formerly heavily Dem district would support a Republican. On the other hand, the fact that he won big shows that they wanted Phil Gramm, regardless of party.

[EQAndyBuzz]

Is Forrester still alive? He should pick him.

[kevinm13]

Christie is a Governor and can select anybody who he chooses, which means he should NOT select a Democrat.

[Sirius Lee]

I’m never going to vote for Christie anyway.

There is one way I could be persuaded: If he selects Sarah Palin. But other than that, no way will I ever pull the lever for him.

[Dr. Sivana]

We know they voted for a Dem for this particular office. That's not an assumption.

And unless they have a fresh clone of Lautenberg, it makes no difference. On that basis you could put in a Zell Miller or George Wallace of Glenn Poshard Dem, and that would be okay, even though Chrostine Todd-Whitman has more in common with Lautenberg.

I voted for Dem Lieberman over Lowell Weicker in CT. If Lieberman died, I sure wouldn't want another Dem to take his place. Legally, morally, party is irrelevant.

[Repeal The 17th]

Now we will see if El Gordo has any cajones.

[CityCenter]

He can pick whomever he wants. Fairness really isn’t an issue either way.

[House Atreides]

“Fairness” is the bullsh*t excuse the collectivist NJ State Suprmeme Court argued when it violated NJ election law to permit Lautenberg to come out of retirement to replace Robert Torricelli when Doug Forrester was way ahead of RT in the polls. To hell with “fairness.”
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Plus 10 trillion!!

[Blackyce]

Christie’s not in a difficult position at all. The only way he’ll find himself in a difficult position is if he appoints one of his DEM or RINO allies to the senate. He can just go ahead and switch parties in that case.

[novemberslady]

Bkmk