Chris Christie: A Bound Man
With apologies to Shelby Steele (from whom I've cribbed the subtitle of this post), I can't think of a better way to describe the still-percolating prospect of a Chris Christie presidential bid. As John Fund writes over at The Corner:
... There are signs the governor may be privately reconsidering. Paul Gigot, editor of the Wall Street Journal, told Fox News Sunday that according to his sources Christie is “very carefully” rethinking his opposition to running for president. “There are enough people who have gone to him now and said, ‘Look, this field is weak, and none of them may be able to beat the president . . . Now is your moment . . . ’” A top Republican donor to Christie told me he is convinced the man has already decided to run. A prominent New York political figure is equally certain he will enter the race.
Later on, I think Fund gets to the nub of the issue with precision:
But perhaps the biggest obstacle to a Christie candidacy is his repeated protestations that after less than two years as governor he simply isn’t ready to be president — yet. Back in January he told Chris Wallace of Fox News that he was “not arrogant” enough to believe he was prepared for the presidency. “You have to believe in your heart that you’re personally ready to be president and I’m not there,” he said. He has repeated that sentiment enough times, accompanied by warnings that Barack Obama shows what happens when a president is not experienced enough, that his opponents could splice together quite a juicy commercial with such sound bites.
The only problem with this argument is that it doesn't go far enough. The problem for Christie isn't simply the political fact that this could be used against him on the campaign trail. It's that reversing course and jumping into the race would upend the most salient factor that endears him to so many of us: his well-deserved reputation for candor.
Christie has gone well beyond saying the time is simply not right for him. He has said that -- at least at this point in the career -- he doesn't believe he has the core competencies for the job. He may well be mistaken in that judgment, but he lost any meaningful right to retract it when he made the pronouncement publicly and frequently.
If the knock of opportunity is enough to get Christie to abandon that sense of honest introspection, he goes forward as just another politician. His erstwhile self-effacement may have been in error. But it's an error he now has to live with.
- Comment (22)
- · Quote
- · UnfollowFollow (1)
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
- Pages:
- 1
- 2
Comments :
Nov '10
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
I don't think its an insurmountable challenge. Voters are clamoring to throw their lot in with someone they can believe in. And as long as he speaks with his trademark candor, the one exception in his profile that makes him exceptional, he will always be different from the stereotypical politician. That voice may be what is needed most to get us over the top in dealing with the big and important things.
Dec '10
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
I'm torn on Christie. He's a NE conservative which essentially means he's most likely fiscally conservative, possibly a defense conservative, but probably not a social conservative. However, the guy has a spine of steel and other bits made of hardened metal.
Nov '10
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
I like this guy a lot, but I hope he doesn't change his mind.
Right now we're in danger of electing our own Obama, somebody who talks the right way and gets the based excited, and whose brief voting record is encouraging, but who just doesn't have the resume for the job. That's what the Dems did in 2008, and they're suffering for it now with a president who's a nonstop disappointment to them.
The conservatives have an excellent farm team right now. Let Christie stay in the minors a couple more years, until he's seasoned a little more.
Aug '10
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
Christie is my governor, and I like him. But I share the concern that he may be somewhat of a squish on certain issues. One thing you can say about him with confidence: He is a fighter. Politicians are always saying they'll "fight" for this and "fight" for that, but Christie actually does it. A lot of his attractiveness derives from his plain-spoken candor. He doesn't talk like a politician, and he's not afraid to mix it up with cranky constituents. His prickly-ness and habit of "telling it like it is" reminds me of a less-polished Donald Rumsfeld. Like a good conservative, he recognizes the world for what it is, rather than trying to bend it to his will through a combination of brute force and magical thinking.
Mar '11
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
He is bound more by his belief in man-made global warming.
I'm rather more interested in whether Mrs Palin will run - it is looking more likely that she will :-)
Oct '10
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
Christie aside, the overall field seems to offer little at this stage.
The Classic Dark Horse entry might captivate the public, if there is one of substance and real meaning.
One Trojan Horse has been enough... Simple, Yes ?
Apr '11
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
Christie has done a lot of things right and overall
I like him.
I hate to be a single issue guy but I have an
problem with Christie on 2nd amendment issues. He's
not anti-gun but he's not pro-gun either. This wouldn't
be a problem for me if he were governor of a pro-gun state
and was willing to go along with pro-gun laws. The problem
is that NJ has some of the most draconian laws in the
country and they are enforced aggressively against otherwise
law-abiding citizens who seem to have missed some
technicality and he doesn't seem to be bothered by it.
I know the governor doesn't make the law but it's not
clear that he has a disagreement with NJ's laws. Giving
him the benefit of the doubt he's probably just focussing
on issues that immediately effect a wider range of the
electorate.
May '10
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
I am agnostic on whether Christie is good or ready. He is certainly attractive for his talk and his backbone. But, contra the opening post, I'd suggest that his disclaimer may be his biggest qualification. Consider: We presently have an incompetent who was sure he was capable. With a job like the Presidency it may be that the best qualification is a recognition that one may not be ready. It suggests an ego under control -- ah, pleasant change from the present occupant of the office. And this may be all the more true if the man senses his disqualification but those who know him well consideer him ready.
Just a thought from a different perspective.
Sep '10
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
I don't understand the the calls to draft Christie. He isn't conservative and he doesn't seem to have much vision other than calling out what is obvious to everyone who remains sane in this crazy spending spree we've been on.
And if he does run he might make an initial splash, ahem, but those words will come back to haunt him. And by the way, I saw a picture of him recently and he was looking more corpulent than ever. I'm not sure how he's gonna look on the debate stage with the other candidates
May '10
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
I first read the title as Chris Christie: A Round Man.
Oct '10
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
David Williamson: He is bound more by his belief in man-made global warming.
I'm rather more interested in whether Mrs Palin will run - it is looking more likely that she will :-) · Sep 20 at 9:51pm
I suspect Sarah Palin made the decision early that she would rather be a highly compensated media figure than a chief executive. It's a reasonable decision and she seems to be having fun with her present role. If she really wanted to be president, she would have taken another path that what we're seeing.
Christie, on the other hand, does seem very serious about being a chief executive as a career and has done a fine job running the US Attorney's Office in NJ and his early efforts as governor of NJ have been strong. Give him some more time and he could very well be a presidential contender. Let's not make the mistake of plucking him from the vine before he's ready for a national campaign and the job President of the United States. Obama wasn't ready and look how poorly he's done.
Feb '11
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
Franco: I don't understand the the calls to draft Christie. He isn't conservative and he doesn't seem to have much vision other than calling out what is obvious to everyone who remains sane in this crazy spending spree we've been on.
And if he does run he might make an initial splash, ahem, but those words will come back to haunt him. And by the way, I saw a picture of him recently and he was looking more corpulent than ever. I'm not sure how he's gonna look on the debate stage with the other candidates · Sep 21 at 4:49am
How is his corpulence relevant to running for president?
Jul '10
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
Ed G.
Franco: I don't understand the the calls to draft Christie. He isn't conservative and he doesn't seem to have much vision other than calling out what is obvious to everyone who remains sane in this crazy spending spree we've been on.
And if he does run he might make an initial splash, ahem, but those words will come back to haunt him. And by the way, I saw a picture of him recently and he was looking more corpulent than ever. I'm not sure how he's gonna look on the debate stage with the other candidates · Sep 21 at 4:49am
How is his corpulence relevant to running for president? · Sep 21 at 6:20am
Ask John Engler or Spence Abraham.
Mar '11
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
I don't think changing his mind would hurt his reputation for candor.
But I still don't want him in the race. He is too liberal, and too pro-Islamic. We can elect a conservative this time around.
Jul '11
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
my emphasis below:
If only this were true ... many independents do not fully appreciate how bad the spending spree is - otherwise polls wouldn't be showing such support for "balanced" approaches to the deficit. I'm not on the Christie wagon, but I can't imagine a better spokesman for laying out the case that our current spending must be cut.
Sep '10
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
Cobalt Blue: my emphasis below:
If only this were true ... many independents do not fully appreciate how bad the spending spree is - otherwise polls wouldn't be showing such support for "balanced" approaches to the deficit. I'm not on the Christie wagon, but I can't imagine a better spokesman for laying out the case that our current spending must be cut. · Sep 21 at 8:13am
Those independents don't fit my definition of sanity then. Being "independent" is more often than not a way to avoid revealing complete ignorance of history and politics. Christie can fight back well, but if these folks don't get it now, Chris Christie isn't going to change their minds.
Sep '10
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
What does appearance have to do with anything? I know when I don't shave for a couple of days, I am treated differently. It's just a fact.
Feb '11
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
Palaeologus
Ed G.
Franco: I don't understand the the calls to draft Christie. He isn't conservative and he doesn't seem to have much vision other than calling out what is obvious to everyone who remains sane in this crazy spending spree we've been on.
And if he does run he might make an initial splash, ahem, but those words will come back to haunt him. And by the way, I saw a picture of him recently and he was looking more corpulent than ever. I'm not sure how he's gonna look on the debate stage with the other candidates · Sep 21 at 4:49am
How is his corpulence relevant to running for president? · Sep 21 at 6:20am
Ask John Engler or Spence Abraham. · Sep 21 at 6:27am
I'm asking anyone here who will respond. I don't know enough about John Engler or Spence Abraham to divine your meaning; so what is it that you're trying to say?
Feb '11
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
So are you saying that carrying "extra" body weight is comparable to looking haggard after not shaving or grooming properly? What conclusions do you think that people draw from either pudginess or poor grooming? Are pudginess or poor grooming relevant to the job of the presidency in your opinion?
Sep '10
Re: Chris Christie: A Bound Man
Ed G.
So are you saying that carrying "extra" body weight is comparable to looking haggard after not shaving or grooming properly? What conclusions do you think that people draw from either pudginess or poor grooming? Are pudginess or poor grooming relevant to the job of the presidency in your opinion? · Sep 21 at 2:22pm
Funny you put "extra" in quotes but not "haggard" or "poor grooming". Who sets those grooming standards, you?