Chris Christie, Don’t Buy What He is Selling Part 4

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Richard Zuendt

Back in another lifetime, when I lived in the socialist State of New Jersey, I was one of the founders of a website called “Conservative New Jersey.”  I will reprint a series of articles we did on Christie, hoping it will convince the good people of the Free Republic of South Carolina to say NO to him.

Here is Part 4 of the series we published about the Stay-Puff Marshmellow Man and the myth that he intended to endorse true Reagan Republicans.  I apologize if most of the links are now broken.  With time, everything changes.

As you will see, he endorsed anyone he felt would pick up the dinner tab, in my humble opinion.

Myth #4:  Gov. Christie endorses and stumps for Republican candidates who are Reagan conservatives.

Here are the facts: Governor Christie’s reputation as a tough-talking, take-no-prisoners Reagan conservative quickly assumed a life of its own – thanks in no small part to the wonder of YouTube – and within months of taking office, Republican candidates nationwide began clamoring for the pugnacious Governor to stump for them in their states or districts.

And so it came to pass that in September, Gov. Chris Christie embarked on a remarkable fifteen state whirlwind tour that would have him stumping for more than twenty GOP candidates in a variety of races and raising nearly $9 million in the process:

  • California: gubernatorial nominee Meg Whitman
  • New Mexico: gubernatorial nominee Susana Martinez
  • Ohio: gubernatorial nominee John Kasich
  • Iowa: gubernatorial nominee Terry Branstad
  • Illinois: gubernatorial nominee Bill Brady
  • Wisconsin: gubernatorial nominee Scott Walker
  • Michigan: gubernatorial nominee Rick Snyder
  • Connecticut: gubernatorial nominee Tom Foley and Senate nominee Linda McMahon
  • Pennsylvania: gubernatorial nominee Tom Corbett, House nominees Pat Meehan and Mike Fitzpatrick, incumbent Representatives Charlie Dent and Jim Gerlach
  • Maryland: gubernatorial nominee Bob Ehrlich
  • Massachusetts: gubernatorial nominee Charlie Baker
  • Minnesota: gubernatorial nominee Tom Emmer
  • Oregon: gubernatorial nominee Chris Dudley
  • Florida: Senate nominee Marco Rubio
  • New Jersey: House nominees Jon Runyan, Anna Little, Scott Sipprelle and Roland Straten.

These valiant GOP warriors are all stalwart Reagan conservatives, right?

Um…no…not all of them.

Meg Whitman might just as well have been Arnold Schwarzenegger in drag. Linda McMahon talked a good fiscal ballgame, but struck out on issues that are dear to the hearts of Reaganites (she was definitely pro-abortion). John Kasich was instrumental in securing passage of the Assault Weapon Ban during the Clinton years and appears to suffer from an allergy to the Second Amendment.

Terry Branstad is regarded by many conservatives in Ohio as the quintessential RINO. Ditto for Rick Snyder, Mike Fitzpatrick, Charlie Baker, and Chris Dudley,

We can certainly understand the political calculus that governs endorsements of GOP candidates – especially in an election year as critical as this one. There are occasions when a highly influential conservative Republican is obliged by the byzantine intricacies of politics to do what his political conscience would otherwise forbid: bite the bullet and endorse the RINO.

But what about Sharron Angle in Nevada and Christine O’Donnell in Delaware? Both are endorsed and supported by the Tea Party movement. The former battled Harry Reid for his Senate seat; the latter engaged in mortal political combat with Chris Coons for Joe Biden’s old Senate seat. Both were, for all practical purposes, abandoned by the GOP establishment after winning their respective primaries, leaving them woefully bereft of resources.

An appearance by the proclaimed “rock star” of conservatism possibly might have made the difference between victory and defeat. Surely, Gov. Christie could have made a brief stop in Nevada to support Angle after appearing in California to support Whitman. Delaware is just across the river from both New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The Governor could very easily have traveled to Delaware on behalf of Mrs. O’Donnell and yet did not do so.

The reason is no mystery: here are his exact words in a recent interview with David Gregory on Meet the Press:

Christie: I endorsed Mike Castle in the primary because I felt he was the best person.

Gregory: Do you agree with Lindsey Graham from South Carolina or Jim DeMint from South Carolina that Delaware is a wake-up call for Republicans?

Christie: I think Delaware was a missed opportunity to have a really good United States Senator in Mike Castle and that’s why I endorsed him in the primary.

And Castle’s voting record in the House? Heh…read and weep.

American Conservative Union: Most conservatives start any analysis of voting records by studying the member’s score from the ACU. Castle receives a dismal 52% lifetime average with the ACU.

Club for Growth: Castle scores a horrendous 43% from CFG for 2009. Again, since his announced Senate bid he has been much more conservative than previous years. In 07 and 08 he earned a 35% and 26% respectively. In every year, Castle has had the most liberal voting record of any member of the 175+ Republican caucus. So in 2008, when Arlen Specter scored a 44%, Mike Castle scored a 26%! The CFG ratings give us more of an idea of how much of a statist the member is than the ACU.

Guns: Castle garners an F from the NRA and Gun Owners of America. In fact, he hasn’t earned anything but a 0, F, or F- from a pro 2nd amendment group since the early 90’s. Nuff’ said.

Life: Castle has consistently earned a 0 from the National Right to Life, while usually scoring a perfect 100% from NARAL and Planned Parenthood.

Castle would have been an excellent Senator, alright…for the Democrats. After losing the primary to Christine O’Donnell, Castle refused to endorse her or support her run against Chris “The Bearded Marxist” Coons.

We would not be as bothered by Gov. Christie’s failure to endorse O’Donnell if he had not endorsed Castle. But if a nationally-known Republican is going to interject himself into political contest, he has a duty to support Republican nominees, not sandbag them – which is precisely what he did to Christine O’Donnell. By failing to condemn Mr. Castle for his spiteful gesture, Mr. Christie and other prominent Republicans defaulted on their leadership roles.

But fear not: Gov. Christie made sure to stump the Jersey sod for GOP upstarts Jon Runyan, Anna Little, Scott Sipprelle, and Roland Straten. However, it’s the Anna Little campaign that draws our attention because of the intrigue that underlies the Governor’s visit.

Apparently, the fact that Mr. Christie and the GOP establishment did everything they could to crush Anna Little during the District 6 Republican primary was water under the bridge: on September 8 the Governor gave the keynote speech at a fundraiser for Mrs. Little in Point Pleasant.

Something changed shortly thereafter: when Sharron Angle – Nevada’s Tea Party candidate for U.S. Senate – arrived in New Jersey on September 15 to endorse Anna Little, the campaign abruptly and inexplicably shut out the media, effectively blacking out coverage of the event.

Two days later the Little campaign issued a press release announcing that Anna Little was a “Chris Christie Republican.”

My supporters are Chris Christie’s supporters. They believe in me as they believe in him. I am proud to be associated with this trailblazer who has laid the foundation for the grass roots campaign I run today.

As a matter of fact, the “trailblazer” who laid the foundation for Anna Little’s grassroots campaign was not Chris Christie (who always enjoyed the full support of the GOP establishment) but Steve Lonegan – who was forced to take his campaign to the grassroots of the Garden State in 2009.

Not long afterward, literature issued by the Little campaign trumpeted the candidate as a “Chris Christie Republican” and the Governor made another appearance for Mrs. Little at a rally in Piscataway on Sunday, October 17.

In the days leading up to October 31 the Tea Party Express organization announced that Sarah Palin would be making a surprise visit to a rally in Toms River, NJ on Sunday, October 31. We promptly contacted the organizers of the event for press passes after hearing that Anna Little had also been invited.

As it turned out, although La Palin appeared with Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday in New York City, she did not appear at the Toms River rally  – for that matter, neither did Anna Little. Palin also did not appear at a similar rally in Delaware. We found it difficult to believe that the Tea Party Express would lie outright about an appearance from the Arctic Fox, so we contacted the Little campaign to determine what REALLY happened behind the scenes.

According to a source close to Mrs. Little, the price for Gov. Christie’s endorsement back in September was conspicuous distance from Sarah Palin or “any of the conservative big guns” which certainly would have included Tea Party darling Sharron Angle, whose visit was likely scheduled long in advance. Since canceling the appearance would have been rudely inappropriate and would have raised more questions than could be answered, the only other option would be keeping the visit as low key as possible. Hence the media blackout.

And who exacted this price? According to our source, it was Governor Christie himself in a direct conversation with the candidate.

While a little over half of the candidates endorsed by Gov. Christie won their respective races, his coat-tails weren’t very effective in his home state: with the exception of Jon Runyan, none of the Christie-sponsored Republican challengers emerged victorious. Even then, Runyan barely won against freshman incumbent John Adler in a Republican-leaning district – thanks in large part to a scandal that erupted after so-called Tea Party candidate Peter DeStefano was discovered to be a stalking horse sponsored by Adler.

So what was the point of Gov. Christie’s fifteen state whistle-stop tour on behalf of Republican candidates? Ostensibly, it was to promote the conservative Republican brand, but given the Governor’s political history, we suspect an ulterior motive. What could it be?

According to a New York-based Democratic strategist the answer is plain as day:

Christie “has built up a fair amount of political capital, and he’s spending it consistently and constructively,” said Dan Gerstein… “It’s another sign that he’s a smart politician, and his success is no accident.”

Gerstein added, “First off, it shows he is a player beyond New Jersey. Second, it adds to his juice. He’s in demand, which will make more people want him, and more people listen to him.”

[…]

“The Republican Party will need moderate, independent-thinking leaders like Christie who can win in blue states, if they’re going to compete on a level playing field,” said Gerstein. “The Republican Party needs an antidote to Palinism.”

“An antidote to Palinism.” And what is “Palinism” but the putative face of the Tea Party movement that calls for limited government, lower taxes and restrained spending?

Fascinating. Perhaps Mr. Gerstein is able to discern what so many “Christienistas” cannot: Gov. Christie is a RINO in an ill-fitting Reagan suit who can see the 2013 White House from his porch.

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In Part 5 we will examine the myth that Gov. Christie opposes Cap & Trade because of the havoc it will wreak on the state economy.

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Your Morning Cup of Ramirez

Posted on November 29, 2023 by Richard Zuendt

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Chris Christie, Don’t Buy What He is Selling Part 3

Posted on November 28, 2023 by Richard Zuendt

Back in another lifetime, when I lived in the socialist State of New Jersey, I was one of the founders of a website called “Conservative New Jersey.”  I will reprint a series of articles we did on Christie, hoping it will convince the good people of the Free Republic of South Carolina to say NO to him.

Here is Part 3 of the series we published about the New Jersey Bathhouse Towel Boy and the myth that he intended to appoint only conservative judges and cabinet members.  I apologize if most of the links are now broken.  With time, everything changes.

One thing that really pisses me off about a politician is when they promise to do something to get elected and do the exact opposite when in office.  This is why I spent an enormous amount of time in the bathroom when the beached whale was governor.

Myth #3: Gov. Christie has ensured that his cabinet appointments and judicial nominees share a conservative world view.

Here are the facts: It is true that when the time came to decide whether or not to re-appoint uber-liberal NJ Supreme Court Justice John Wallace for lifetime tenure, Gov. Christie declined to do so and instead nominated Anne M. Patterson – who has yet to be confirmed by the Democrat-dominated legislature.

The Governor was forthright about his reason for refusing to extend tenure to Wallace:

“The court over the course of the last three decades has gotten out of control,” Christie said during a press conference in Trenton. “It inappropriately invaded the executive and legislative constitutional functions. It’s not for the court to set some of the policies that I believe that they’ve set. And I’ve talked all during the campaign about changing the court. The only way to change the court is to change its members.”

All good and well and we would be disingenuous if we did not laud Mr. Christie for making a well-considered decision. On the other hand, the Governor has been mostly silent since August about state Senate President’s Stephen Sweeney’s adamant refusal to conduct a confirmation hearing until 2012 – the year Wallace would have had to retire. Nor has he been vocal about objecting to Chief Justice Rabner’s decision to replace Wallace with a temporary Justice – another reliable liberal named Edwin Stern.

We are left wondering what happened to Mr. Christie’s trademark take-no-prisoners bellicosity that made him a YouTube sensation and the darling of Reagan-starved conservatives nationwide. Here is yet another missed opportunity to publicly rub the Democrats’ collective nose in a pile of political excrement by excoriating them at weekly press conferences.

Moreover, his other cabinet appointments leave us scratching our heads wondering what Mr. Christie is thinking, what his overall strategy could be or if there is an ulterior motive behind the decision. Perhaps his selection of Paula Dow to be the Attorney-General of New Jersey will shed some light.

Paula Dow

In December of 2009 – several weeks before he was sworn into office – Governor-elect Christie announced that he chose Essex County Prosecutor Paula Dow as his nominee for Attorney-General of New Jersey. The decision stunned conservative observers: Paula Dow is a liberal Democrat whose inclinations are anything but conservative. However, Dow did work with with Christie when he was the U.S. Attorney for New Jersey and that could explain his decision.

How is this relevant with Gov. Christie’s refusal to re-appoint Justice John Wallace? Once again, Paul Mulshine connects the dots with input from conservative Assemblyman Michael Patrick Carroll:

“The attorney general is, in effect, the administration’s constitutional lawyer,” said Carroll. “And the administration is free to disagree with the Supreme Court on what the constitution requires.”

The only way to make this state affordable again is to take on the Supreme Court on a number of issues on which Dow and Christie might disagree, said Carroll. At the top of the list is the court’s takeover of education funding in its endless series of decisions in the Abbott case. The schools in Essex County get a hugely disproportionate amount of state aid thanks to the court. So Dow’s views on that topic might differ from those of the type of conservative Christie purports to be.

Similarly, the court’s decisions on affordable housing have also created an urban-suburban divide. Christie has promised to “gut” the state Council on Affordable Housing, but once Dow is safely sworn in, she is free to oppose that view. And then there’s the old standby, abortion. Christie campaigned as a pro-lifer, but Dow’s views are unknown.

This sort of thing is not just academic, Carroll noted. Back in the Whitman administration, the Legislature passed a parental-notification law concerning abortion over Whitman’s veto. When the law was challenged in court, Whitman’s attorney general, Peter Verniero, declined to defend it. The legislators then had to hire their own attorney to do the job the AG should have been doing.

By securing a constructionist Supreme Court AND a liberal Attorney-General, Gov. Christie gets the best of both worlds and a no-lose political strategy: when liberal policies are challenged, the Attorney-General will vigorously defend them. If those policies are struck down by the Court, the Governor can take a victory lap. If they prevail, the Governor can always throw the Attorney-General under the bus.

On the other hand, when conservative policies are challenged, odds are she will employ the Verniero Gambit and decline to defend them. If the conservative policy prevails, the Governor can claim victory; if the policy is struck down by the Court, the Governor can save face with his cheerleaders by throwing Dow under the bus.

Other noteworthy appointments include:

  • Bob Martin as Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Protection – which embraces whole-heartedly the myth of anthropogenic climate change;
  • Poonam Alaigh, MD as Commissioner of the Department of Health and Senior Services. She is on record as a supporter of Obamacare and a generous donor to the campaign coffers of Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ-06) – a liberal who brags about authoring the Obamacare bill;
  • Janet Rosenzweig as  Director of the Department of Children and Families. Gov. Christie abruptly withdrew his nomination of Dr. Rosenzweig after it was discovered that she was the acting executive director of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sexuality, a decidedly Kinseyan outfit of dubious integrity.

There was at least one bright light in the Cabinet firmament, but it ended up being a shooting star: in March of 2010 Gov. Christie nominated Brett Schundler as the Commissioner of Education.

Schundler, former two-term Republican Mayor of the Democrat stronghold known as Jersey City, became famous in the 1990s for his Reaganesque governing style. During his time in office the crime rate dropped and property taxes were lowered as tax receipts and property values increased. Medical savings accounts were created for city employees and the water utility was privatized. As such, Schundler had the singular distinction of being the only true conservative among Gov. Christie’s appointees and the dubious distinction of getting fired just five months later in the wake of the Race to the Top debacle.

Race to the Top is a $4.35 billion federal program funded by the Stimulus Bill that is designed to spur reforms in state and local district K through 12 education. States are eligible for block grants raging from $20 million to $700 million depending on their share of the federal population of children between the ages of 5-17 (New Jersey was eligible for a grant of $400 million). The state applications are scored on the basis of six primary criteria for a maximum of 500 points. States with the highest scores are given the grants.

After the NJ Department of Education made its pitch in Washington, DC, the federal panel discovered an error: instead of using 2008/2009 data requested by the feds, the DOE used 2011 budget data. When called out on the mistake, Schundler and company were caught flat-footed and unable to provide the correct information. The mistake cost points and New Jersey ultimately lost the grant. It’s just as well: according to the conditions attached to it, the recipient state would be prohibited from cutting its education budget once the funds were depleted.

A furious Gov. Christie held a press conference in which

he blasted “bureaucrats in Washington,” saying New Jersey tried to furnish the missing data during the presentation in the Capitol, but officials refused to accept it. The next day the U.S. Department of Education released a video of the presentation showing Schundler and the New Jersey team made no attempt to provide the data. It was a flat contradiction to what Christie said at his press conference.

At that point a humiliated Gov. Christie turned his wrath on Schundler and essentially labeled Schundler a liar when he claimed the latter knowingly misled him by saying he tried to correct the data at that meeting.  The Governor demanded Schundler’s resignation.

Schundler…said he never told the Governor he tried to add new information to the state’s application — which would have been against the rules. But he said he told a reviewer the state would have met the application’s requirements had the correct information been included.

Schundler said Christie knew this but got carried away in his press conference.

Schundler was fired on August 27, 2010 for blowing an opportunity to grab yet another fistful of Stimulus cash that Governor Christie promised he would not accept.

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In Part 4 we will examine the myth that Gov. Christie endorses and stumps for Republican candidates who are Reagan conservatives.

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