We knew Chris Christie could reach across the aisle, but who would have guessed he could turn the liberal commentariat into free-market libertarians?

The secret: enforcing regulations that get between rich New York-area consumers and their luxury electric cars. …

This law is bad, and it basically only benefits car dealers, who are politically active. But it’s the law. When Tesla begged New Jersey for mercy, Christie said, to the applause of the car dealer lobby: Get the legislature to change the law. On March 11, the MVC finalized the rule, effectively outlawing Tesla’s showrooms.

Opprobrium poured onto Christie from all directions — notably from the Left. Liberal MSNBC host Chris Hayes is a friend of mine who has had me on his show a dozen times. After the New Jersey vote, I felt like I was finally getting through to him:

“Why is the head of the Republican Governors Association using the heavy hand of the state to strangle free enterprise?” Hayes asked on his show. “The Christie administration sided with regulation over free-market progress and innovation.”