I must admit that there was once a time that I was a pretty big fan of the rotund governor of New Jersey. I even went out of my to make sure I was able to tune in to watch his speech given at the 2012 Republican Convention, that now seems so long ago. But, as they say, times change, and with them opinions that were once held. Because back then I would have thought that Christie would have been smart enough to realize just how important the last election was, and yet he failed to come through when he could have made difference.
And Christie, the current head of the Republican Governor’s Association, as well as the guy touted by many in the state-controlled media as being a GOP front-runner for 2016, has demonstrated once again that he’s not a much of a team player and in do doing may have done irreparable damage to his chances for a 2016 presidential bid. What was that Christie did? Well, he recently went well out of his way to publicly praise Democrat, New York Gov. Andy Cuomo instead of coming out and supporting Andy’s GOP challenger.
And Christie proceeded to take things a step further by refusing to commit to any fundraising events on behalf of Andy's GOP challenger, Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino. In what I guess an attempt to justify his behavior, Christie said, "The job of myself and Gov. Cuomo, as we see it, is to lead and make sure that the appropriate amount of intensity is being brought to the task of protecting our region." I hate to have to correct the governor, but neither of these two, but Cuomo maybe more so than Christie, are what I would call leaders
Christie went on to say, "I thank the governor for, like this and many other issues, our partnership over the last number of years in making sure that we're doing our jobs for the people of this very interconnected region in a way that's going to keep us safe." These comments have raised plenty of eyebrows among those whose job it is to comment on such things. And it has been said that his positioning could hurt his chances if he makes a bid for the White House in 2016. Duh, ya think? I’m officially done with this guy.
Rick Shaftan, who is, I guess, a Republican strategist of some type, said, "How could that not turn Republicans off for both Astorino's campaign and for Christie?" He went on to suggest that the George Washington Bridge scandal has put Christie in a position where he can't campaign against Cuomo, as the governors share control of the agency which operates the bridge. Christie is now damaged goods, and if he thinks that many of out here will vote for him, should he try running for president, he’s more of an imbecile than even I thought he was.
Monmouth University pollster Patrick Murray, however, suggested that Christie's appearances with Cuomo and other leading Democrats earlier in the day Monday could have some upsides for his presidential chances. It was Murray who said, "Assuming he runs for president, he's got to win a Republican nomination process, but at the same time he has to position himself for a general election. He carefully chooses those issues on which he's willing to appear at a bipartisan venue." No offense to Mr. Murray, but I think he’s nuts.
And let’s not forget that it was earlier this summer that Christie angered the party faithful by declaring that the RGA does not "invest" in campaigns that are seen as "lost causes." Last month former New York Gov. George Pataki also expressed anger at Christie's refusal to support Astorino. Christie has since tried to mend fences, publicly declaring last week that Astorino was "the best candidate to lead the state forward." but it was a rather limp-wristed attempt besides being way too little and way too late.
Look, if this pathetic loser decides to throw his hat into the presidential ring as 2016 edges ever closer, we would be very wise if we were to convince him very early on that he has very little chance of becoming our candidate. We need to dump him fast and focus on those conservative candidates who more closely exemplify the values that we all hold dear. We simply cannot afford to waste our time on someone like Christie, and we should learn from our past mistakes of Dole, McCain and Romney. We MUST be smarter this time around.
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