Governor Christie, revisited

Back in 2012, I thought Chris Christie had shot himself in the political foot. He hadn't, as it turned out, but his aim has improved since then.

Back in 2012, just before the election, I published an article that both condemned New Jersey governor Chris Christie for his campaign-related dishonesty and praised him for setting his pre-election electioneering aside in the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. (My least favorite Republican. And my favorite. Same guy., November 3, 2012.) I still stand behind both of these opinions about Christie; in his efforts to get Mitt Romney elected, he showed a flagrant disregard for reality and truth, but when Sandy hit he all of a sudden became what he was elected to be, the Governor of New Jersey, and would work with Barack Obama if that was what was in the best interest of the people of New Jersey. Electioneering be damned.

This was admirable behavior from Christie, and he deserved praise for it. (Still does, in fact.) But his recent troubles over the George Washington Bridge fiasco show a return to the disingenuousness of the past. If, indeed, it was ever really gone.

Now, I could write a lengthy history of the GWB lane closures (in fact, I just did, and deleted the lot) but that would only be of value to someone who has been living in a cave without TV or perhaps watching Fox news. (There's a good article on Wikipedia about the scandal, and if you need background I suggest that you read it.) My point here is that the bridge scandal has done nothing to alter my original opinion of Christie, that he was a disingenuous clown, or my opinion that after Hurricane Sandy he acted in a way that could almost redeem him in my eyes. But his behavior since has only reinforced my original views; in fact, said behavior has set them in concrete.

But in going over my previous article, one point needs clarification. I was writing about how Christie had apparently shot himself in the foot with regard to his future ambitions for higher office, and in that I was quite wrong; Christie was the early frontrunner for the GOP nomination in 2016, as much as a lead this far in advance of the election means anything (it doesn't mean much). But with regard to what I wrote at the time, my meaning might have been a bit murky. I wrote:

"Christie has shown little desire for either the Presidency or the Vice Presidency. He seems to have no strong ambitions beyond being the governor of New Jersey."

I was referring to the lack of regard he had apparently shown by choosing his elected role as New Jersey Governor rather than his more recent position as Mitt Romney's campaign surrogate, but I don't think I made that clear.

But in truth, that hardly matters now. Regardless of how much of the currently-thrown muck sticks to Chris Christie, I think his chances of securing the Republican nomination in 2016, while never all that good, are now about nill.

The quote from Christie that I used to close that article in 2012 still works, only now it drips with irony:

"I don't give a damn about Election Day. Let the politicians who are on the ballot worry about Election Day. It's not my problem."

No, Governor, it's not. And I don't think it ever will be.

The Blues Viking
The opinions here expressed are mine and if you don't like them you can get your own damn blog.