Posted on 11/16/2013 10:47:22 AM PST by Olog-hai
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie seldom makes a political miscalculation, as even his adversaries acknowledged after the incumbent Republican rolled to 60 percent of the vote to win re-election in a heavily Democratic state.
But when the likely 2016 presidential candidate maneuvered to dump Tom Kean Jr. as state Senate Republican leader two days later, he suffered a rare defeat—and alienated the lawmaker’s father, Tom Kean Sr., a GOP elder statesman and popular former governor who gave Christie his political start.
“I’m as surprised as I’ve ever been in my life in politics,” Kean, 78, told The Associated Press.
Christie has abruptly severed ties before—he fired his first education commissioner over mistakes on a federal grant application, for example. But, a week after Kean Jr. rallied enough Senate Republicans to easily rebuff the governor, Kean Sr. still seemed stung. …
(Excerpt) Read more at hosted.ap.org ...
Christie is about Christie. He’s a party of one and all his actions seem to suggest he intends to stay that way. He had a real opportunity to help win a Senate seat which he went out of his way to absolutely blow. He also had an opportunity to lift Romney after Sandy and during the convention and all he did was lift himself and Obama. Romney for all his faults did go out of his way to support Tea Party candidates. Christie isn’t willing to spend one ounce of his influence helping either so called moderates or conservatives which is puzzling. You would think someone who clearly wants to run for the White House would be doing more to mend fences and unite his party instead he is positioning himself in such a way its almost as if he is looking for some other avenue but the Republican party to the Presidency.
Which makes him the shoe-in GOPe candidate for 2016.
He runs
He does very well in the early primaries
All other comers drop out one by one
The GOPe remains silent, but can’t help but tip its hand
The man who won 60% in New Jersey is the got to guy
Liberals and minorities love him
The GOPe is at least 50% of that...
Give ‘em time, they’ll make inroads on the other 50% in their leadership
I blame the Democrats who didn’t run a viable candidate against Christie, and they didn’t support the one they had. All that just to strap the GOP to this political mutt.
Could that have been the Dems’ plan all along?
Guarantee a Christie win, so it would launch him as the 2016 frontrunner/nominee, only to be wiped out but Hillary easier than a REAL opponent like Cruz would be?
The Democrats are already pushing Christie to be the candidate. NJ will go for a Tony Soprano clone but the mainstream voters won’t.
Sadly there are “conservative” back bencher talk radio hosts who’ll defend everything Christie does. Its like they can’t see he is Mccain’s twin.
Christie is another megalomaniac who cares about power. His “principles” are shifting sands and situational-based.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.