Asked about the national debt ceiling deal — which DeSantis has warned will do nothing to prevent economic problems — Christie admonished his rival for what he said was a failure to understand the need for political compromise.
“When did compromise become such a dirty word?” Christie said. “Gov. DeSantis never had to compromise. When he was in the House of Representatives he was in the Freedom Caucus and he just said either ‘hell yes’ or ‘hell no.’ And as governor of Florida you've got a Republican Legislature who will do whatever he wants.”
If I'm reading this correctly, Christie is arguing here that DeSantis is too inflexible and doesn't understand the importance of compromise.
Ok, you can make that argument. There are times when leadership requires striking a deal. But here he seems to be criticizing DeSantis for standing firm when he has a Republican legislature in Florida to back him up. Which is Homer Simpson level dumb.
What exactly is Christie's argument here? Is it that DeSantis should stop talking about our continuing slide towards bankruptcy because conservative leaders should just cave on federal spending? Is it that DeSantis should make unilateral concessions to the Groomer Company because folding with a winning hand is what conservative leaders should do?
Yes, I think that is exactly what Christie is arguing. Cave without a fight and fold with a winning hand, because conservative "leaders" should strive to not ruffle feathers, so the objective is always to lose a little bit more slowly.
You can’t compromise with rabid dogs, or Nazis.