Robert Costa
Christie backers still eyeing 2016 for some reason
Ken Langone, the billionaire Home Depot founder and influential Christie donor, and Tom Kean, the former New Jersey governor and longtime Christie mentor, remain bullish on his political future. In interviews with National Review Online, both men say Christie remains a leading contender for the Republican nomination.
“If the governor can expand Medicaid without disrupting his budget and without raising taxes, then I don’t have a problem,” Langone says. “To the critics, I say, ‘give me a break.’ If conservatives are going to criticize him for doing what’s right for his state, then we’re on our way to becoming a minority party.”
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This is the first time I’ve said this, but if he somehow gets the nomination, I won’t be voting for president. Thankfully, I see that as a very low probability.
Othniel on February 27, 2013 at 12:04 PM
If he’s the nominee, I hope there’s a conservative 3rd party to split the vote, and I’ve never said that. I don’t see him being the nominee either, but predicting the future is hard.
Fenris on February 27, 2013 at 12:10 PM
The GOP is becoming awfully intolerant of discussions and differences of opinion and policy.
The Big Tent Party – is becoming the Limited Membership Party.
It won’t work.
jake-the-goose on February 27, 2013 at 12:19 PM
Well, with Krauthammer, MSNBC, CNN, NBC, ABC, CBS, NPR and the DNC pushing the idea that Christie is wildly popular and a viable choice for the Republican nomination, he’s a shoo-in. (wink-wink)
Pork-Chop on February 27, 2013 at 12:22 PM
And I suppose your solution is to just agree with the Democrats on everything? That’s mostly what the Republicans are doing now, how’s that working out?
Fenris on February 27, 2013 at 12:23 PM
No no – certainly I do not mean to imply that – I simply wish we Republicans could agree to disagree – without calling one another names of impugning motives.
Example: When I was a kid – I heard my Grandfather call a black man a “coon” – I was horrified and told my Grandfather he was wrong – I went to school with blacks and had no such prejudice. I was right – his generation was wrong – right?
So today my daughter has no prejudice against gays – and thinks my generation is full of idiots who do.
For what it’s worth – I think my daughter and her generation are right.
Time to move along. Just one example
jake-the-goose on February 27, 2013 at 12:29 PM
They should worry more about getting him reelected. I don’t care what his approval rating is at. It’s still New Jersey.
Rocks on February 27, 2013 at 12:33 PM
And we should just”move along” on gun control, abortion, immigration, government health care and big government in general too. Right?
Comparing racism (which Republicans were at the forefront of fighting by the way) to any other issue is ridiculous. The Democrats picked the opportune moment, when they decided they couldn’t block civil rights any longer, and then took credit. It’s the greatest scam pulled off by the Democrats of the last century. Equal rights for all races lives up to the ideals of our Founding Fathers, it just took way too long to get there.
Fenris on February 27, 2013 at 12:37 PM
gun control – Never – we fight that forever
abortion – This is winning minds and souls – not law
immigration – Remember what Ronald Reagan did about immigration?
government health care – Fight it every step – but only time with undo this mess.
big government – the good night that never ends – or goes anywhere
jake-the-goose on February 27, 2013 at 12:42 PM
Gee, they have no problemo vilifying the TEA party but we should ignore that. FU, no effing way!
Lonetown on February 27, 2013 at 12:45 PM
This is well said.
My only argument is this – the right has to come to grips with gay rights.
jake-the-goose on February 27, 2013 at 12:45 PM
What you’re saying in your last post does not agree with your previous post complaining about the lack of a big tent.
Yes, I remember what Reagan did about immigration. He was scammed by the Democrats. We’re still waiting for the promised enforcement measures. I don’t care how many years ago it was, I still hold the Democrats responsible to fulfill that bargain, and there should be no new immigration ‘reform’ until they do.
Fenris on February 27, 2013 at 12:48 PM
Gun control: correct
Abortion: like slavery, right? After all, we never changed the law on that complete injustice regarding the rights of human beings. We only went for minds and souls like Charlie Crist did. Good grief.
Immigration: yeah, Reagan gave us our current mess by passing amnesty. Only a fool doesn’t learn from past mistakes.
Big government: errr, okay, whatever that means.
Stoic Patriot on February 27, 2013 at 12:51 PM
Thank you for that. As long as “gay rights” means people are free to do whatever they want, then I don’t care. If it means special rights then I say: no way. With the increasing intrusion of government into our lives it almost inevitably means the latter.
For example, nanny Bloomberg has a point. If the government is going to pay for your health care, your food, your housing, then of course the government has a vested interest in controlling your diet. The government must get a good return on investment in it’s subjects, after all.
Fenris on February 27, 2013 at 12:52 PM
No – Reagan was not scammed by the Democrats on immigration – that is not true.
Reagan was also for gay rights.
Immigration has always been a tough issue – and yet since the nation was founded – we have always opened our arms. This issue is illegal immigration – which I suspect you would agree. We lose sight of that in the arguments.
National ID cards – and a citizens database – so simply but made to sound so intrusive – and yet we have not issues with Credit Cards – Driver Licenses – SS Cards – etc.
I appreciate the dialog with you.
jake-the-goose on February 27, 2013 at 12:55 PM
Well said again – no argument – and thank you – again
jake-the-goose on February 27, 2013 at 12:56 PM
Part of the ‘deal’ was that the government would implement a system that would let employers verify that employees were legal, and make sure that it was used. Scam.
Everything else we can pretty much agree on, except I think you’re buying into the Democrat propaganda that Republicans are against a big tent.
Fenris on February 27, 2013 at 1:01 PM
Christie/Crist, or
Christie/Bloomberg
Schadenfreude on February 27, 2013 at 1:02 PM
Well Jake then you WON’T be supporting Christie what was the point of that whole big tent argument? Because your tent ain’t much beigger than my tent….and I call him a RINO.
JFKY on February 27, 2013 at 1:03 PM
I think he’s one of those people who is incessantly polite. Not always a bad thing. Ask anybody I know: I’m an ahole.
Fenris on February 27, 2013 at 1:23 PM
Christie may run on the Dem side …. remember he and Cuomo see eye to eye
on most things.
conservative tarheel on February 27, 2013 at 1:31 PM
“Good grief, what are you, 12? Maybe they should just give their money to the nympho-Nazi Quitter chillbilly then??? ” — Marcus, aka Bradky Jr.
ddrintn on February 27, 2013 at 1:53 PM
He is -
jake-the-goose on February 27, 2013 at 1:56 PM
Ok – so I will be more of prick – and you less of one.
Good fun – I learned something today – always a good thing
jake-the-goose on February 27, 2013 at 1:56 PM
What?
As his future weight?
Dr. Carlo Lombardi on February 27, 2013 at 2:15 PM
There is always a real reason
Some of the backers really like the guy’s politiks:
Unless Christie has a national following outside the base, this is wishful thinking.
However, wishful thinkers become useful bankrollers of the strategists. In other words, I smell triangulation
This is how the Club gets its boy with a base that hates the nominee: Do not woo the base. Split the base into niche groups, and run a bunch of nich candidates winner take all. Niche boys hand their delegates to the Club so you don’t even have to take a vote at the convention
Giuliani and Fred gave their delegates to McCain before the convention
Ron Paul worked the debates to blow up the soc cons while soft balling Romney. Huntsman can’t conjure a credible reason for running. Perry was a Party boy too, although he was promoted as Tea Party boy, until he pulled the plug with his amnesty ‘faux pas’ in the debate, after which he ran a press conference to make sure everyone heard it loud and clear
Just like the McCain convention, for the Romney convention the votes were traded before the convention started.
So far, Rubio, and Christie are being positioned by the Club. They need at least one more new-con candidate to look natural. A nice fight over inviting/not inviting Christie to CPAC helps make it all look spontaneous. If Christie ends up at CPAC he helps create on camera impression the GOP is moving away from the washed up old conservatism to new-con
New-con conservatiism, created by proxy, without a base
Meanwhile, remember McCain saying he was through with amnesty? Now, he needs to be back. Rubio put out the new amnesty. Rand, Son of Paul, backed Rubio. The Club is cranking. Come down, McCain the coast is clear
Yep, run new-con Christie in a liberal state. Heck, he will get DEMs to vote for him. Then, he will donate his delegates to the Club. This kind of game was used by Bush to re elect Arlen Specter for the Bush amnesty push.
You can win nomination by manipulation, but you cannot force obedience in the general election
entagor on February 27, 2013 at 2:17 PM