Chris Christie: big things
I happened to catch about fifteen minutes of NJ Governor Christie’s address to the American Enterprise Institute this afternoon. I haven’t seen any articles reporting on it yet, just advance notice such as this, saying that the title of his speech is “It’s Time to Do the Big Things.”
Christie himself is a very big thing. I say that not only because—well, let’s face it, there’s no other way to say it—the guy is fat, especially for a politician (a fact I happen to find refreshing and part of his rough charm), but also because he is a potentially big force in the Republican Party and in the country as a whole.
Listening to his speech, which was about solving fiscal problems, I could not help but wish that he would run in 2012. Maybe it would be premature, but hardly as premature as the candidacy of our current president. Christie says that New Jersey needs him and he will not run, and I believe him, so it’s probably moot. But I have seen no politician since Paul Tsongas who has the same desirable qualities of straight but articulate talk and common sense coupled with sincerity and humor.
I don’t detect a pandering bone in his huge body. And he’s somehow figured out how to stay comfortable in his skin while on a mission to slash and cut. The best in the country right now, hands down.
I gotta like him because he reminds me of Larry David’s manager Jeff in “Curb.”
Why should he face Obama when he’s young enough to just wait for 2016?
To hell with what Christie wants. His country needs him, both to slash Federal spending and to send the Indonesian Imposter packing.
IT: to keep the country from going into the toilet.
We’d do well to take up a collection to make New Jersey solvent before 2012.
Notice how national media except for Fox doesn’t really cover this guy? I think they’re simply trying to wish his existence away. Or either they have no idea at all how to make a giant teddy bear into a demon to be hated.
Coulter said the same thing Occam on the Hannity show.
She said that Christie needs to run regardless of whether he wants to or not because the country needs him.
I’d almost agree.
I’m torn because I want him to finish his term in NJ.
How about Tom Selleck?
I still remember Tsongas telling his fellow Democrats, “You can’t be pro-jobs and anti-business.” RIP.
gs,
He was a good man.
There is no way he would’ve remained a Democrat given that the party has left him.
That’s just my belief.
The House should throw caution to the wind and refuse to continue deficit spending until the President and the Senate agree to major entitlement reform that will fix the long term spending problem. It is a conversation that needs to happen now, not 2 years from now. Even if Republicans are thrown out of office in the next election, they can succeed in preventing another $3 trillion from being added to the national debt.
What do people here think about CC’s support of Shariah law interpretations of some laws given a single judicial appointment?
Can you elaborate Ymar?
I know some have doubts about Christie with regard to his position on some issues.
But we’ve got to keep our eye on the ball. Much like Bush re terrorism, Christie gets the big current issue – fiscal responsibility – right.
Everything else is secondary, and must be subordinated to the big issue.
Chris Christy is needed too much by his New Jersey constituents to run for president; John Kasich says the same regarding his Ohio constituents. I admire both men’s sense of responsibility, but ONE of these guys has to realize the nation needs him more than his home state, and he can help his home state by serving the nation. F
I’m not sure America is ready for Christie. Wasn’t there a recent poll where 35 percent of registered Republicans ‘never heard’ of him? If even that many members of his own party can’t identify him then he may be wise to concentrate on New Jersey. Then again, I can’t see anyone else better qualified or likely to win.
Hong, I suspect the MSM have largely ignored him, hoping he will go away, but if he runs they can’t ignore him anymore. Then they’ll try to Palin him, but that ain’t gonna be easy.
Let’s face it, he’s devastating in front of a crowd. His ability easily and naturally to connect with Americans stands in stark contrast with the Messiah’s inability to do so, or indeed to connect with anyone who isn’t a CPUSA member.
In a debate, and more especially in a town hall meeting, Christie would mop the floor with Obama, who must wet himself at the prospect of facing Christie with a live audience of (non-hand-picked) Americans, and no teleprompter. Must be a nightmare scenario for him.
Every time I see Christie speak – I just watched the AEI speech and a video of him addressing a mother’s concern with not getting help from the Newark schools for his dyslexia – I have a feeling of exultation followed by a sinking depression.
Why the depression? Because we need him, and he is not going to run, and I fear Ann Coulter is right – without Christie, we will lose 2012.
To beat Obama – this is my steadfast eeyore-ish opinion – we will need someone who can do what OB said: “mop the floor” with Obama in debates and especially townhall meetings. And from what I’ve seen, no one can do that except Christie.
And really, I keep reading that “it’s early” and we don’t know who will emerge, but who is there? Palin. Thune. Daniels. Gingrich. Giuliani. Perry. Barbour. Romney. Pawlenty. Rubio is not going to run. West is not going to run.
Who in that crowd could mop the floor with Obama and withstand the all-out savaging that the MSM will unleash? Maybe Daniels. Maybe Perry. Maybe Pawlenty (who does get better as time goes on). But those, in my view, are big, big Maybes.
I guess it’s just that Christie is so obviously, clearly, plainly The Guy, that it can’t but hurt to know that we’ll be getting at best a runner-up.
He really should reconsider. He certainly won’t.
The last five minutes of Christie’s talk were real thunderstrikes. It contained a light slap at Rush Limbaugh but mostly hard foot stomps on Obama’s ‘budget’.
He’s paved the way for all fiscal conservatives. Apply common sense, humor and a determination not to be intimidated by the bullying unions. It’s not rocket science. He cannot possibly be the only Republican capable of this. I infer that’s his message to us: that any of us can speak ‘truth to power’ and win elections and maintain popularity.
Remember Mitch Daniels? He made a good point in a recent speech that we regard the debt crisis similarly to how the red menace was regarded, that is, as a threat to our survival that requires a national effort to successfully combat.
Since Chrisite is out for 2012 I figure he is the best of the lot.
1. Occam’s Beard Says: I know some have doubts about Christie with regard to his position on some issues. But we’ve got to keep our eye on the ball.
Yes.
I’d vote for a yellow dog that would veto unbalanced budgets.
2. If, heaven forbid, Instapundit’s concerns about WMD terrorism prove out on top of the fiscal crisis, that would be the most serious near-term threat to the nation since the Civil War.
(3. Baklava, while I disagreed with Tsongas’ liberalism, I wouldn’t have expected him to wreck the country had he become President.)
Two things cause me much concern about Christie: 1) his appointment of Sohail Mohammed as a Superior Court judge; and 2) his lack of a true conservative credential.
For No. 1, see:
http://sultanknish.blogspot.com/2011/01/governor-christies-dirty-islamist-ties.html
Regarding No. 2: Reliable and conservative actions don’t exist without a coherent philosophy. What is Christie’s?
I think Christie is his own philosophy and in that way looks like old Gingrich.
I would trust Christie to win. I wouldn’t trust him with the win. With Sarah Palin, it’s the opposite. Oh tragic world!
Christie is fun to watch. He is straightforward, fast on his feet — despite his bulk, and as Occam noted, focused like a bull dog on the single most important issue: fiscal responsibility. I also like what I’ve seen/heard from Herman Cain at CPAC. Both men are more than capable of handling themselves in an intelligent, spontaneous manner.
I think a Cain/Palin ticket would drive the MSM around the bend and the debates between Cain & Obama and Palin & Biden would be real rope a dope affairs.
There’s also a kind of defeatist way of looking at why electing Christie would be a mistake: There’s only one way finances are going to come round: collapse.
The dollar is gone, and what is really needed is not financial resolution but moral character. It’s going to take that and Christie doesn’t have that. So he’s made a big show and he’s been our hero when we’ve had none. But he endorsed Mike Castle, remember? He’s just another good ole boy politician in love with himself and as far as the Islamic issue, not even on our side.
Parker:
I’m still hoping for Palin/West. It’s been obvious since September 2008 that Obama fears Palin, and can you imagine West vs. Biden in a debate? Supermarket shelves across America would be cleaned out of popcorn.
Hey Art, I just used “gleichschaltung” in a comment at Ticker Forum.
4. Otoh, I value experience and (per Curtis) a track record, especially after the Obama fiasco. It’s impossible to be prepared for the Presidency, but it’s possible to assess who is unprepared.
5. I withdrew my support from Romney when he refused to seek a second term as governor, and from Palin when she resigned halfway through her first term. It follows that I should be skeptical about Christie 2012. Right now two contradictory attitudes are coexisting in my head.
Curtis Says:
February 16th, 2011 at 7:41 pm
I’m afraid you’re right. Like an alcoholic or junkie, it’s about gotten to the point where America has to hit bottom in order to sober up.
The danger is that the government will use the crisis to seize even more power.
Just saw this piece by Noemie Emery:
http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/2011/02/2012-gops-best-hope-may-be-losing
Her last line is well-said, and I can see the logic of her position, but one thing keeps getting in my way: Obamacare. It needs to be repealed, and if Obama wins in 2012, the chances of that happening drop precipitously. As long as that law is on the books, I cannot accept that there is a net strategic advantage to losing in 2012. (And weren’t several conservatives saying the same thing about losing in 2008? Particularly libertarians, alas).
One more thing – re: rickl and curtis – I think the idea that a moral stiffening will be required is right, but it will also be important to convey an understanding of what Arnold Kling and Nick Schultz call “Economics 2.0.” The most valuable stuff being said about the current interregnum in political economy is by Kling, with his notion of Patterns of Sustainable Specialization and Trade (PSST, as he calls it), and Walter Russell Mead, and his detailing of the collapse of what he calls the “Blue” social model.
The general point is that collapse or no collapse, we’ll grind to a halt without updating our thinking about macroeconomics and mobility/employment in a post-industrial economy. Conservatives like Christie are intuitively onto this – unions need to be severely curtailed and revised, productivity and value are going to be conveyed and experienced in ways that “iron and steel” based GDP numbers can’t measure, and a new individual-centered focus of public services ought to revolutionize everything from social security to housing to education (which are all related to the grand problem of “Indebtedness”).
All of which is to say that a moral revival will need to be subtended by a proper understanding of the world we live in. It isn’t quite enough to say that we should get back to the old virtues, if those are understood in the context of the current institutional dysfunction. Hence, we’ll need someone who can articulate that moral revival implies tearing out the old Blue models of institutions at the roots, and bringing the personal virtues required of republican citizens into line with incentives to save and economize.
Not disagreeing with you guys, just adding another reason why the absence of Christie in 2012 will be particularly painful.
Cart before horse, kolnai, cart before horse.
People aren’t merely rational creatures. Or hasn’t the 20th century taught us anything. I’m not referring to deconstructionism but to the bath of blood that has been experienced. Germany! Austria! Remember! The most cultured nation perpetrated the Holocaust.
The moral revival, so called, will need to incorporate a proper understanding of the world we live in–but who has got that. Who ever has? Especially today when technology moves faster than the speeding studying sociologist.
If there is any hope, it does not lie with human wisdom. The Bible and its commandments contain what we need to know about human nature.
More word on Christie:
“Afterward Christie tapped McKenna to head New Jersey’s Department of Homeland Security. McKenna had spent a good deal of time on Muslim “outreach” and made numerous statements echoing their talking points.
The pioneering terrorism researcher, Steve Emerson called it, “a disgrace and an act of pure political corruption”. He stated, “I know for certain that Christie and the FBI SAC had access to information about Qatanani’s background, involvement with and support of Hamas.” Defending Qatanani required Christie to pit himself against the Department of Homeland Security, which wanted him deported. But the Department of Homeland Security wasn’t running for office in New Jersey. Christie was.”
http://www.uncoverage.net/2011/01/gov-chris-christies-ties-to-radical-islam-deal-breaker/
Curtis,
I am by nature skeptical, but I am not defeatist. I think we both agree the public is going to be shocked once they come face to face with the consequences of our monetary policy and our refusal to drastically reduce the federal budget (a 25% reduction is just a starting point as far as I’m concerned). I’m sure you are aware the rest of the world is uneasy (to put it mildly) with allowing the dollar to remain the reserve currency and will demand a change, soon. I’m also positive you have thought about what it will mean to everyday people once commodities are no longer pegged to the dollar.
And, I would guess that we both agree that all bubbles must be allowed to burst no matter how much pain is involved. Postponing the collapse of a bubble only makes the inevitable deflation of the bubble all the more painful. But, to me this is just common sense; to me it is not a moral dilemma as much as it is a practical problem: how do we get to where we want to be?
I’m not welded at the hip to any political party. Fiscally, I’m extremely conservative. Socially, I don’t care what people do in their private lives as long as it involves consenting adults. (Note: Abortion does not solely involve consenting adults.) I am in the camp that believes government that governs least governs best. If Christie, or any other politico, is a member of that camp I count them as an ally.
Except something is needed to govern? The Founding Fathers agreed it was religion. The bill of rights protected from government, not religion. So, what fills the vacuum if religion is gone?
Rickl,
The left does fear Palin, and I do like West. Any combination of Palin, West, or Cain looks good to me; although I do like the idea of a Cain or a West debating Obama one on one which is why I would prefer Palin in the VP slot. I think heads will explode if a black conservative man gets a place before the national microphone and quickly takes the narrative away from Obama.
What I like about Cain is that he has a lot of up front personal force, he’s got the ability to steal the scene from the other actors. West is good, but he is more of a nice guy who seems (to me) willing to give his opponent the benefit of the doubt. Cain seems ready to go for the jugular at the first ring of the bell which is how fights are often won.
I watched “A Beautiful Mind,” yesterday and saw it through older eyes. Am I right in being suspicious that the movie was more about deprecating Adam Smith and traditional classical political economy than it was a testament to human courage? Wish I had time to do a further study.
Parker:
I guess I haven’t seen the Cain videos you have and you haven’t seen the West videos I have. 🙂
From what I’ve seen, West takes no prisoners. And he has no illusions whatsoever about the threat of Islam.
I don’t know whether Palin intends to run for President or not, but I can’t see her taking the VP slot again.
“What fills the vacuum… ?”
Good philosophical question. I can only answer for myself. In my personal case, my answer may not assuage your doubts, but my answer is this: I have a sense of my role as a free individual within a larger community. I’m polite to others; I help my neighbors if I deem they are worthy of assistance; I support my family and friends without reservation; I go my own way without any concern for the direction of the crowd; I’m ever ready to slit the throat of anyone SOB who is a real, personal threat to me and mine; and in general I live my life according to my personal creed because I was taught to be that kind of person. I don’t need a god or gods or a government to tell me what is right and what is wrong. All I need to know is what does my common sense and my heart tell me.
That you obviously place your religion as your guiding light does not bother me in the least, more power to you. I simply judge people by their actions, period. Your creed is your business, not mine as long as you do not harm me or others in general. I expect the same respect from you that you ask of me. I don’t ‘preach’ acceptance of others, but I do demand that we tolerate each other as long as we each do not step over certain boundaries.
I am with ya. I dearly wish Christie would run in 2012, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. This is a guy who means what he says and says what he means. And he sure sounds definite when people ask him about this.
Still, wouldn’t it be entertaining to see Christie move in to replace the food police now occupying the WH?
Wonder how long that garden would last?!
Curtis –
I really am with you on the centrality of Biblical morality to any resurgence. I also am every bit as skeptical about the likelihood of wisdom winning the day as you are.
Let me try to be clearer: Obama and any challenger will appeal to a certain view of America and a certain view of morality. Obama was able to win partly because of the way he integrated his account of America with his account of morality. For many reasons, most of them bad (as we would expect), people found his “narrative” compelling.
What Kling and Mead are getting at may be obvious to us, but it really isn’t to most people, at least in an overt and conscious way – namely, the America of the post-World War II, “Blue” type has no future. It is doomed, and is in the process of being replaced. A compelling challenger will have to bring a “narrative” that challenges Obama on both grounds (account of America and account of morality), and show how this Moral America is better than Obama’s.
It really isn’t about a philosopher king showing the people the Good, the True, and the Beautiful. It’s just about rhetoric that is basically honest and doesn’t fight Obama on the ground he wants to fight on (the premises of the Blue social model). Make him fight on our premises. Make him seem regressive. Make him seem outmoded. That is what Christie does so well.
As for his blind-spot for Islamism, that’s nothing a John Bolton as VP or NSA couldn’t solve. If I begin to see a pattern of Christie being soft on Islamism, then ok, I’ll join in the worry. Not yet though. And in any case, it’s all moot because he isn’t running.
Reagan and Thatcher won over their people by presenting a vision of their countries that fit within a traditional morality without being wedded to socialist and progressive premises. All I’m saying is that we require that kind of thing to beat Obama.
Christie is a pro gun control. That costs him a lot of support in fly-over country.
Christie is too close to radical Muslims for my taste.
http://wyblog.us/blog/election/sorry-ann-coulter-wrong-on-christie.html
And, while he talks the talk, he has yet to walk the walk. How much has he actually achieved in getting his state’s financial house in order?
He is not ready for prime time yet. Ditto Allen West (who gave a great speech at CPAC, just love the guy). 2016 or 2020 maybe.
He is not ready for prime time yet. Ditto Allen West (who gave a great speech at CPAC, just love the guy). 2016 or 2020 maybe.
Pat, we don’t have that kind of time.
We need to fix the fiscal problems … yesterday. Christie may not be ideal re gun control, or even radical Muslims, but he has the leadership ability to fix the salient, impending crisis, which is financial.
We can elect successors to deal with the other issues. But financial collapse threatens the existence of the country, and would render moot all other issues. Avoiding the Weimar Republic’s fate is the prime directive. All other issues (even terrorism) are subordinate to it.
kolnai Says:
February 16th, 2011 at 8:22 pm
I just read that article. Good Lord. I left a polite and respectful comment, but I had to fight back the urge to call her an idiot.
kolnai Says: …I had to fight back the urge to call her an idiot.
Noemie Emery may be competing with Peggy Noonan and Kathleen Parker for market share.
@Occam’s Beard
I’m sticking with Palin. She has walked the walk on fiscal responsibility.
Her position on energy and its relationship to national security will stand in stark contrast to Obama’s terrible record, especially as gas prices head towards $5 and ME turmoil continues. Drill, baby, drill is going to make a lot of sense.
The left demonized and destroyed Gingrich, De Lay, Ford, Bush II, amongst others. They have done far worse to her, and her family, and she still stands tall.
Whoever gets the GOP nod will have to face a fresh onslaught from the left. Look how they trashed McCain and his wife in 2008. Palin has been through it and won.
Pat,
It’s not like the Right didn’t demonize and try to destroy Bill Clinton and now Barack Obama (He’s! Des!!Troy!ing! America!1!1!).
The opposition trying to sell the American public on the demonic nature of the sitting president is now boilerplate politics.
Whether public buys is or not is another matter.
Given Obama’s high approval rating it looks like no sale this time around.
As a NJ state resident I hope that Christie finishes the job here in NJ before turning national. The fiscal situation in NJ is even more dire than on the federal level. If he sticks it out and turns things around he can change the momentum towards fiscal sanity for a generation. If he leaves before he’s done we could fall back into old (bad) habits.
My hope is that a few good governors (and their staffs) can set the example for the federal level and provide candidates for the federals in the future.
Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin is setting a fine example in dealing with the teacher’s union.
Anyone who called in sick in order to attend the protest should be fired, period.
the more i watch the more i think i am accidentally in a repeat of the john ritter movie where they ahve a telethon to get the money to save America.
i would put up the vid link except that every link either did endless commercials, or played scenes from other movies..
http://www.debbieschlussel.com/31739/fan-of-chris-christie-check-out-his-hamas-judge-pick-other-islamo-pandering/
This is the incident I am referring to.