When New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie hosts a town hall meeting, attendees can count on two things: flaring tempers and off-color language.
At a town hall in May, the Republican Governor defended post-Superstorm Sandy measures to build protective sand dunes along the Jersey shore. While most homeowners accepted government compensation for portions of their land, others refused, fearing that under government control, tourist traps—not protective dunes—would arise. What did Christie think of their accusations?
“I have no interest in taking your property,” Christie responded. “I have no interest in building anything other than a dune…Any knucklehead neighbor of yours that says: ‘Oh, Christie comes in, there’s going to be showers, a bathroom, a hot dog stand.’ Bull****! That’s what it is!”
In a state where citizens have a reputation for brash behavior, it seems fitting that on Tuesday, Christie won re-election by a resounding 22.3 percent. Many in the national GOP establishment are now speculating that Christie’s feisty rhetoric, bipartisan legislative efforts, and sustained popularity will enable him to unite their fractured party by topping the 2016 presidential ticket. But there is one fundamental flaw with this theory: America is not New Jersey. These polls are making the faulty assumption that what works in the Jersey Shore will work in the Sun Belt, Western Plains, and Great Lakes states. For this reason, Christie should not be the Republican presidential nominee for 2016.
Christie’s Republican-red politics are faux-bold when held next to the blue of New Jersey. During his re-election campaign against state Sen. Barbara Buono, Christie supported a minimum wage increase of $1 implemented over three years. This government interference with private enterprise violates the primary principles of the free market and the Republican Party. Christie’s infraction, however, appears less invasive when compared to Buono’s support for a ballot initiative affecting an immediate increase, with automatic future increases tied to inflation.
With eyes toward a run at the presidency, Christie has long engaged in national political discourses. Christie’s passion-driven rhetoric and progressive-lite policies led him into a public tussle with Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul. Breaking Ronald Reagan’s 11th commandment (thou shalt not speak ill of any fellow Republican), Christie called Paul’s national-security policies “esoteric” and “dangerous.” During the recent government shutdown, Christie publicly decried GOP leaders, saying, “get the government reopened, stop monkeying around, and get back to work…I’m out there in the field, people have no patience for this stuff. None.”
Presidential candidates must be likeable — just ask Mitt Romney. Christie’s verbal harpoons like “arrogant SOB,” “idiot,” and “crazies” are ready for the next political opponent, reporter, or citizen who raises his ire. This combative approach appeals to citizens of New Jersey, whom Christie describes as “angry, nasty people.” It will not, however, motivate the average Midwestern soccermom to pull the lever. And his liberal use of “god” simply to add gravity to a statement won’t fly in the Bible belt.
The Governor, as he dubbed himself in campaign materials, does, admittedly, have an upstanding record on taxes. He promised during the 2009 election not to raise taxes. Unlike the panoply of politicians who have promised the same, Christie delivered. Not only did he keep taxes at the same rate, he decreased overall spending, and maintained a balanced budget for three years. But the GOP should know that strong economic policy is not enough to win the Oval Office.
Many arguments for Christie’s nomination are recycled claims that were used last election cycle to propel Mitt Romney to the forefront. We tried the single-track message of fiscal sanity and it failed. We tried running an East Coast Republican governor boasting a record of bipartisanship with a Democrat-controlled legislature and it failed. We tried nominating a candidate with a disposition for government-sponsored healthcare and that too failed. The Republican Party cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of 2012.
Christie is right for New Jersey, but he is the wrong GOP presidential nominee in 2016.
