That's a stinking plateu which we now have under siege.
Frowning takes 68 muscles.
Smiling takes 6.
Pulling this trigger takes 2.
I'm lazy.
Posted on 10/05/2010 3:08:36 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
There's a better chance of seeing Governor Christie mingling with President Obama at the private dinner reception in Cresskill on Wednesday than finding him on stage with Sarah Palin or any other Tea Party gathering, for that matter.
The pugnacious, rant-and-ramble governor may sound like a Tea Party activist from time to time, and Glen Beck may be smitten with a severe case of political man-love, but in reality Christie wants as little to do with them as possible. He prefers the high ground of the GOP establishment, perched at a safe distance from the roiling Tea Party tide.
That preference was made clear Monday, when a Christie spokesman signaled that the administration will probably not file a lawsuit to block Obama's health care reforms, a top Tea Party priority. Attorneys general in 20 other states have already done so.
"Litigation is not always the best course," said Michael Drewniak, Christie's press secretary. "We want to do what's in the best interests of New Jersey residents. That is not to say that, if conditions or circumstances warrant, we would not resort to litigation."
That answer doesn't come as a complete shock — Christie showed little enthusiasm for jumping into the anti-Obamacare scrum after the president signed the historic reforms into law in March. Christie said he would calmly dispatch his attorney general and Health Department commissioner to sift through the law and wait for their recommendation.
But it was clear from his body language and tone Christie was stalling. He was letting the hot air slowly fizzle out of the Tea Party Express tires, which have had limited traction on the New Jersey landscape, anyway.
Critics, such as Steve Lonegan, president of Americans for Prosperity, the conservative group that pressed Christie to join the lawsuit with a petition signed by 10,000 people, said he was "very disappointed" and said it belies Christie's reputation as a "conservative icon." Jeffrey Weingarten, a leading Tea Party activist from Clifton, said he was "mystified," given Christie's other high-profile steps to rein in government spending.
"It is a very unpopular law," Weingarten said. "People, even now, are realizing that this is not going to drive down insurance policies."
But that fact is, the decision is consistent with Christie's avoidance of the loose-knit coalition Tea Party activists. As a candidate last year, Christie publicly disinvited Palin from joining him on the campaign trail. His warning to the GOP officials not to "paint all of Islam" with the broad brush of terrorism in their opposition to a proposed Islamic center and mosque near Ground Zero struck a careful, centrist departure from Palin and Newt Gingrich.
Christie and his surrogates also backed Delaware Senate candidate Rep. Mike Castle, the moderate Republican who was clobbered by Tea Party challenger Christine O'Donnell.
There are exceptions. Christie did headline a fund-raiser for Anna Little, the Tea Party-backed upstart who captured the GOP nomination for the 6th Congressional District contest, stunning wealthy publisher Diane Gooch in a razor-thin primary victory. Little's campaign website includes a picture of Little standing next to Christie. And Christie has also thrown a few high-profile sops to the party's right wing — his cutting of $7.5 million in funding for family planning centers and other health care programs, a move cheered by antiabortion groups.
But Christie also knows that Jersey is a state whose heart beats at a moderate, tolerant rhythm and Christie is well aware that it would be politically untenable to stand in the way of a law providing the promised benefits from health reform — especially when they are not being paid out of the state treasury.
The first installment of Obama's health care took effect in August, when $141 million was made available for some 21,000 people in New Jersey who have preexisting health problems like cancer or diabetes. While New Jersey law mandates coverage for these conditions, the cost can be prohibitive. Obama's reforms could stake New Jersey to increased Medicaid funding, money that any governor managing a cash-starved budget is not likely to casually dismiss.
His decision also reflects fear that the unruly, quasi-libertarian Tea Party will become the identity of the GOP establishment, or as in Castle's case, prevent the establishment-backed candidates from winning.
In that view, the Tea Party is a threat to the GOP's return to national dominance. And there is no advantage in getting too chummy with a fringe group if Christie does indeed harbor ambitions for national office.
The better play is to co-opt their anger and donor lists without committing to their cause. Dissolve their tentative structure by absorbing their anger.
Rail against public employee unions, throw politically acceptable sops their way, and bask in the glow of Glenn Beck's tributes — just don't sign onto their lawsuits.
Where does this dope think the money is coming from? A magical chest?
Unfortunatly you have to do this to surivive in politics. Jersey is still too liberal to be tea party stronghold. It may come around in ten years but until then in order to maintain his seat he has to pander to liberals from time to time.
Look, something has got to give in the Northeast. How long will people accept liberalism disguised as moderation and as long as it's being promoted by Republicans?
“Fringe group” No, no bias there. /s
Oh well. Another Northeast RINO, what can you do?
oh right, stay away from the NE
I live here and the answer is until the system breaks down and the rest of the country is swarmed with them trying to find work. They’ll set up shop elsewhere in the country and still not learn.
He’s starting to resemble one of Sarah’s bendy straws.
I love his fierce voice on the teacher’s unions and the public employee’s unions, but sheesh, he’s not for repealing obamacare?
Another Rockefeller Republican, like Giuliani or Romney.
I have been jumping up and down trying to tell people this only to get flamed time after time.....folks wake up...
CHRISTIE IS NOT A CONSERVATIVE!
He endorsed Castle in Delaware.
I think sometimes you have to pick your battles. Of course I am disappointed in the choice made, but I am not going to condemn completely someone for lack of action. Especially when there is no promise that action would be fruitful.
It’s New Jersey. Christie is simply the (R) wing of the mafia party.
He rode the tea party wave just like Scott brown. He really shouldn’t insult the people who elected him.
That's right! We need to toss him out on his ear and bring back Corzine. That's the ticket.
Never said that. Just don’t call him wait his is not. It will serve to further confuse.
wait = what...
If you’re in politics and want to actually get things done you pick your battles and don’t get diverted into side issues. Reagan did. And now Christie’s trying to do the same. He’s never going to satisfy some people, but he may end up being a good governor for his state.
What a dumb article. Christie has already proven himself a conservative as he tries to reign in spending in New Jersey.
fyi
So spending is the only issue? There have been liberals that weren’t for big spending, but they still weren’t conservatives.
No, just calling him out for what he is doesn’t mean he should be tossed out. Just call a spade a spade. Steve Lonegan was the “conservative who couldn’t win” in the GOP primary, Christie the “moderate”. There is some good , some bad. With Corzine it was all bad.
Not in this day and age.
That's a stinking plateu which we now have under siege.
Just keep jumping up and down, rightwingextremist.
Gov. Christie tells it like it is.
He is the real deal ... possibly the ONLY politician on the planet who speaks the truth 100% of the time.
Sorry if your radical template is not matched exactly.
my question is this..... why should Christie fight that battle? many other states are involved in lawsuit that will inevitably go to the scotus. there, obamacare will be declared unconstitutional and it will go away. or the new republican congress will repeal it. christie is slugging away at the big labor unions that have nearly destroyed NJ and he is making progress. why stop that momentum by opposing something that many voters in his deep blue state support when it will ultimately be deleted from law by the federal level?
He is also shakey on second amendment issues (Especially CCW) so even though he’s a darn sight better than the alternative he’s not a 100% conservative to me.
I'm glad the word is getting out......but I hear rumblings that CC will be the RINO alternative if Romney falters against SP......but her recent alliance with Steele may have co-opted her left flank.....Christy is a tough talking RINO who sounds conservative but he is not delivering the goods....He is in office to SAVE the welfare state, not END it...plus he is pro-illegal immigration....... but thanks for the ping !!
AND BTW...WHEN ARE GOING ON FACEBOOK....OUR GIRL IS ON AND WE ARE FRIENDS......AND I COULD USE SOME HELP !! :))
I like Christie quite a bit. He’s far and away better than Corzine and the best thing to hit New Jersey politics in a long, long time. I think we could use a couple hundred more guys (and gals) in politics with the stones Chris Christie has.
That said, I’ve held few illusions about his stances on some issues. Aside from his position on health care reform, he’s not a hardliner on immigration, and he’s very status quo with the stringent NJ gun control laws.
Does that make him a RINO? I don’t happen to think so. I see him as a pragmatic, NE Republican governing in a very blue state. I think there’s room at the table for a guy like that. Like Rudy Giuliani, Christie would be a tremendous asset to any administration in the right role. I’d make him my OMB Director in a heartbeat, for example. I just don’t personally think he (or Rudy G, for that matter) is the guy to run at the top of a presidential ticket.
All just MHO, of course.
There are a lot of people who simply do not want to hear that. They want political purity on ever issue and will throw someone under the bus the minute they compromise or choose not to fight on some particular front.
“There are a lot of people who simply do not want to hear that. They want political purity on ever issue and will throw someone under the bus the minute they compromise or choose not to fight on some particular front.”
Exactly. I am not a slave to the Tea Party any more than I am a slave to the Establishment Pubs, but but one has to make room for both in the Republican Party which is the only current vehicle we have to accomplish our conservative ends. I don’t like the Libertarian part of the Tea Party movement because I am not a Libertarian. Therefore, should I not espouse the rest of the ideals of the Tea Party movement? Well I do, minus the libertarian bent of many Tea Partiers. There is lots of room for Christie in the Pub Party (he needs lots of room), as his fiscal policies are dead on, in fact most of his policies are good ones. You just can’t keep dumping people over if they don’t think EXACTLY like you do. It will be the death knell for our side winning any election if we go as hardcore as the crazy leftists. Think, you purists, think of the damage you yourselves can be doing to our attempts to restore sanity to our government.
The first time was the Revolutionary War period. The purity test then was "Independence". After the shooting started anyone who called for compromise with the British was considered an enemy. Their property was confiscated, they were sometimes tar and feathered, and in some cases killed as loyalists.
The other was the Civil War period.....then the purity test was "Union". Each side punished with death anyone who disagreed with that litmus test.
I don't know what the word will be this time.....but one is coming. There can never be a peaceful compromise between men who believe in constitutional limitations on federal power and those who believe the constitution is a living document and can be interpreted according to modern standards. A final clash is enevitable. You see the hardening of positions everyday. Neither side wants to compromise because each side belives the other side is wrong AND EVIL
Just like during the Revolution and the Civil War, everybody will have to chose a side.
Don’t you know 80% is fringe? LOL!
See my post 34. It was also supposed to be addressed to you also. Sorry.
Steve Lonegan and his hard-core fans react to the fact that the "RINO" who beat them in the primary is now a national conservative icon:
No, he's not perfect, but it's clear the die-hard Lonegan followers are going to accuse the guy of being a "Giuliani/Whitman type RINO" regardless of what he does. They're STILL actively spreading a whisper campaign on FR that "Christie is pro-abortion and not a social conservaive in any way", even after he's proudly publicly said he's pro-life a million times AND single-handily shut down NJ Planned Parenthood. You can't honestly say the "Christie is pro-abortion" crowd is still "accidentially" portraying him as pro-abortion because they don't know the facts. Christie has proven he's a social conservative on 80% of the issues on numerous occassions. They just choose to ignore it and lie about him because his actual positions don't fit their tired "Whitman/Giuliani RINO" sterotype they've been slinging since the primary.
The jury' still out on whether Christie is presidential material, and his position on guns and immigration need improvement, but the verdict is in on 4-time loser Steve Lonegan: He is a bitter, vicious loser and in hindsight Christie is 10X the leader Lonegan is.
I'd gladly take Christie over real RINOs abortion loving, Obama-suckup socialists like Ahnuld or Crist. Hell, I'd even take him over "conservatives" like McDonnell. We need more GOP governors with balls.
I heart you!
I agree entirely with everything you say here. People simply have to understand that politics as we know it have not changed for much of the population of this nation. Much, perhaps most, of the American public is still sympathetic to the social welfare state. We will not be able to reverse this trend over night. Our fights must be within the confines of the Republican party, and we really need to nominate the most conservative candidate that CAN actually win. This will mean that sometimes political purity must be sacrificed with the bigger picture in mind.
You do make an interesting point here. I presume you are asserting we are entering something of a pre-revolutionary period. I agree, this is possible, but I am not by any means sold on it. As of now, most of the zeal for change is really only on the right. Yes, much of the public is angry or disappointed, but there just isn't any real evidence they have turned against the social welfare state. Far too many conservatives spend a bit too much time in the "echo chamber" and overestimate the power of the energized right/Tea Party, and badly underestimate, quite frankly, how far gone much of the American public really is. Perhaps a majority now are wedded to big government and it will be a long process turning this around in my opinion. You'd be right if the entire system as we know it is about to collapse, but I really don't see that in the cards. Then again, who knows...
Great post!
Christie is simply awesome so far. Nominating candidates is not as simple as just going through a check list trying to find political purity. Someone like Christie has the ability to actually lead, actually get things done, actually push back against the left/unions. Christie may not be perfect on every issue, but he was the right nominee and has emerged as a very bright light for the conservative/Republican movement!
No Christie is not a onservative, but it’s still refreshing to see a Republican with some guts (I started to say testicles but that would exclude Jan Brewer who is also refreshing).
When will the rest of them learn that truth trumps lies and spin every time?
Bingo !! Very astute observation.....because that is my premise exactly. Our present welfare state is out of money and will collapse. And the failed attempts to save it are what is driving the coming revolution.
Great historical events just don't happen because people see a better way or make some intellectual determination. They happen because the existing paradigm changes. And people demand a massive shift in the way society is structured.
The mass of people in 1760 America were quite happy being British subjects. But in 15 yrs the equilibrium was changed as the British went broke from it's wars and tried to raise revenue in the colonies. And the colonists said no.
In 1850 nobody wanted Civil War but in 10 yrs the equilibrium changed when the slave states wanted to expand slavery in the new states. And the North said no.
Most Americans 5 yrs ago never questioned the existence of the safety net welfare state put into place by FDR and subsequent presidents. But in order to try to save it the equilibrium as been changed with huge spending and take overs of private businesses. And more and more Americans are saying no. The sides are being drawn up as pro and anti doing business as usual or refusing to save a dying system.
My father is a retired school teacher in New Jersey ...and he thinks Christie is plenty conservative Republican....and he isn’t happy......
I’m not sure the people calling others RINO have much sense......
I love the fact that we got someone like that as governor of a dark blue Northeastern state. It’s as good as it’s gonna get. But president? Nope!
Well, if the system is collapsing as you suggest, then you will certainly be right - and those who recognized it first will have the advantage. I just have my doubts we are really at that point yet.
And more and more Americans are saying no.
See, this is where I disagree. I do not see any fundamental shift yet in American's attitudes towards the social welfare state. I think we can look at places like CA, IL, NY and see that people are actually ferociously trying to hold on to it. I think you may fail to take into account the demographic shifts and just how powerful the Latino block is for the left. I agree white voters will increasingly shift towards the right, but quite frankly, there just aren't enough of them to overcome the minority and victim groups.
Still, you make very good points. You could be right too.
Cheers!
His lawyer is a close family friend....
Anyway, we will know soon enough !!
I've seen enough of him, especially his courageous stand on unions and pensions in a state like NJ, to conclude that anybody that claim's he's no conservative has a few screws loose; to put it mildly.
The defense of fundamental constitutional principles is not a
“side issue.”
I had a feeling this guy was going to be a disappointment.
I’m with you.
But to certain deranged candidates (Lonegan in NJ, Oberweis in IL) and the cult of personality they try to build up around themselves, facts do not matter.
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