Chris McCristie yelling again.
President Christie? Don’t worry. It’s not going to happen. His golden boy buzz has already died off in favor of a new golden boy: Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the next rising star with another stupid plan that will undoubtedly be unpopular. Christie’s fallen stature is underscored by a new Rutgers-Eagleton Poll that finds 2/3 of his constituents opposed to him running for president.
Yet Christie still holds some commanding weight, no pun intended, in the political arena. He didn’t over reach like Walker did. The status of unions in his state, home of the Sopranos, is very different from Wisconsin, home of labor rights and he’s getting a bit of credit in the radical right circle for being the first to attack Medicare and Medicaid.
The polls had him hovering under 50% before he made such a statement, the last being in January in the 46% approve / 44% disapprove area, so it’s difficult to see if his recent attempts to go after the teachers unions more and offer up Medicare and Medicaid on the chopping block have hurt him, yet I seriously doubt that they will help him very much. If that turns out to be true, that would leave Christie with an approval rating that really isn’t that impressive for a presidential challenge. So why is this guy even considered a contender?
The only real successful action Christie has taken that would garner Tea Bagger praise is the refusal of federal funds to build a new tunnel across the Hudson River for various transportation uses. It was a huge project with big national bucks to the tune of $8.7 billion and was damn near shovel ready. He turned it down, citing a personal study that claims it would cost another $5 billion. The loss of jobs and impact on the local economy was tremendous. Yet, Christie had his tough-guy moment, looking like someone who tore up a check in their bosses face. He looked tough on Uncle Sam for a minute there, until he came crying for federal dough a few months later. Also, since the project already cost US taxpayers $271 million, money he needed to pay back, it cut into his credit, so he simply refused to pay it back. I thought conservatives hated pointless lawsuits.
The rest of the hot air that fills Christie’s ballon is talk. Much like many heated blowhards on the right, big talk about a fantasy utopia they wish would exist where the corporations run everything and the government is weak. News flash connies, it did exist, it was called The Gilded Age America! Well these guys never study their history and assume that anything printed in a book by someone with a college education is all a liberal conspiracy to destroy… I dunno, something, God I guess, so they backed Christie’s rhetoric about busting unions and cutting entitlements, two things he will undoubtedly fail to achieve.
Yet I can see why the connies like this guy. He’s from the North and after Bush, a Southern Republican will find it very hard to win the Presidency, he’s a tough guy, sporting a look that could land him as a crooked politician on the Sopranos or even a low end thug, who makes a living bumping off guys who failed to pay their bookies. He always reminded me of Mike Starr, a great actor who has made a living playing everything from low ranking mafia associates to crooked cops. I loved him in Goodfellas. Capicola, provolone, and vinegar pepper sandwiches aside, Christie appeals well to this “I’m mad as hell” faction in this country that seemingly has no where to put their anger but up at the government, who they perceive as being the most powerful. So they seek to hand the power over to the very people who screwed everything up, the corporations and Wall St. Ironic isn’t it? The problem is, it’s all talk.
Yet Christie, who is no longer on the cutting edge of bagger crazy, as idiots like Scott, Daniels, Le Paige and Walker leave his once radical ideas behind as the Right accelerates its path off the cliff. With present circumstance, Christie comes off a bit like a diet version of Scott Walker, again no pun intended.
Anne Coulter once called Christie “my love” and said he was the only hope for the GOP in 2012, yet that was a few months ago. Since then, Walker is floundering, and his “blame the teachers for everything” argument has become unpopular, even among GOP govs who realize it’s the surest way to galvanize the opposition. Instead of a docile enemy they ignited the ire and anger of the middle-class left who are now so fired up and eager to vote these guys out of power, they’re getting recall movements started. Gov. Scott of Florida, among many others, who would love nothing more to see the unions go, since it is the last power base of the Democratic party, are shying away from a prolonged union battle and trying to go the quiet route. Little do they know that once the fire is ignited, you can’t just pour a little gasoline on the floor and expect it to be OK. The unions are fired up and the public is becoming increasingly aware of what the Right wants to achieve… The Gilded Age II.
Christie now seems like yesterday’s news, just another governor who has been ineffective in pushing forward an agenda with nothing but right-wing fantasies. The praise has gone to guys like Ryan now and the Bagger’s have moved on to Trump. It’s important to note that when Christie made his mark, Sarah Palin was the undisputed star of the Right. Today? Well, let me just say that things can change very fast in politics, especially when your base is a bunch of lunatic fringe idiots who are angry at everything and seem to think that cutting spending can equal jobs. That makes as much sense as cutting taxes for the rich expecting them to spend more, oh wait, they believe that too. Hmmm, that makes as much sense as letting the fox guard the hen house, OH WAIT! They believe that too! It’s called privatization and deregulation. I’m not very good at this. Let’s just say it’s pure fantasy.
As these fantasies become known to the public, the less they like them. Tax-cuts for the rich? Blaming the teachers, fire-fighters and police? Less schools? More prisons? Handing over towns to corporations (see Michigan)? Refusing to build better transportation and repair aging bridges? Giant contracts to corporations to build planes we never use (see F-22).
All the while talking about how horrible things are in the country?
If that is your idea of an American Dream, you can shove it!