Did Chris Christie Slip Jennifer Rubin A Roofie?
Good heavens. This Jennifer Rubin column on Chris Christie is embarrassing, not only for her mindless slobbering over Christie, but for it's ignorance of the GOP's conservative base. Clearly, Rubin isn't qualified to speak for it. I imagine that would be a bridge too far for the Washington Post, which has no problems employing columnists from the far-Left. They are as guilty of trying to move the nation to the Left, as are the Democrats.
If Rubin ever interviews Christie, I hope she has the good sense to get a room. This deserves to be taken apart piece-by-piece. To begin with, Christie rarely, if ever, takes the toughest positions. He didn't sue on ObamaCare, is weak on illegal-immigration, appointed an Islamist-connected judge to a high court and isn't good on the 2nd Amendment, or environmental issues, either. He clearly doesn't even take the toughest position as regards public unions. Consequently, Rubin's assertion that he makes the toughest positions sound like "common sense" is, in a word, nonsense.
He is — no doubt a consequence of his years as a prosecutor — entirely fluid in his delivery. He maintains good cheer even when dismantling the question. And he makes even the toughest position sound like nothing more than common sense.
Then there's this bit below where she quotes Christie, while ignoring his tap dancing, mischaracterizing him as being candid.
But aren't collective bargaining rights inviolate? Christie, a former U.S. attorney, reminds us:
Now listen. All these rights are legislatively created. They didn't come down from tablets at the top of a mountain. And so, political things change and go back and forth. And every state is going to make their own determination on that. Wisconsin is in the middle of making that determination. As you know, Bob, there are plenty of states in America where that right doesn't exist. And so, each state has to make their own determination on that.
But it's not the legal precision of the answer that is exceptional. What stands out is his utter candor. I frankly can't imagine another politician debunking the notion that public employees have a God-given right to collectively bargain.
Utter candor? Sure, he's candid for saying public unions aren't writ in stone. Big deal! But to what effect? Because what he's actually doing is not being candid at all by plainly stating he evidently isn't going to take them on, certainly not to the extent Walker and others, including Kasich, I believe, are. Far from being candid and strong, he's actually relatively weak in terms of where the debate is right now and he avoids answering the question clearly as regards his plans for New Jersey.
Below, the man has not only repeatedly demonized teachers, but public workers, as well. He's done it to create YouTube moments in which he has used his pulpit as Governor, including when visiting other states such as California, to go after individuals who happened to be at a public meeting. Those people who served Christie's PR purposes so well were not union heads, they were simply pawns.
But his best answer was in response to the accusation that he is "demonizing teachers." In his unflappable and cheery way, he essentially told Schieffer that was nuts:
Listen, I think that the teachers in New Jersey, and there's thousands and thousands of great ones deserve a union as good as they are and they don't have it. And, I disagree with the premise of your question, which is that everybody agrees there should be education reform. It's everybody, but the teachers union who believes that everything is fine. If you listen to them in New Jersey, they'll tell you everything is fine.
Since we can assume Christie isn't going to take on the public unions as Walker is doing and he wants teachers to have a "good" union, I find myself asking just what kind of solutions he ultimately brings to the table. I hear a lot of demagoguery. Are these unions simply going to disarm and de-fang themselves because Christie wants them to?
When you drill down through Christie's education reform plan, it's mostly boilerplate and nothing we haven't seen and heard before. If I'm not mistaken, it doesn't even include vouchers and the NJEA is waging war on the plan. Also, as union members are certain to control the evaluation process, the key to his plan, it's more than possible that far more will be said than done in the end. Point being, sure, Christie talks a good game but has accomplished very little so far. Even his budget reforms relied on several tricks to appear more significant than it was.
Much of this plan hinges on how to accurately and fairly judge who is a skilled teacher and who isn't. That's a key debate, and given the poisonous atmosphere between the Christie administration and the teachers union, it's a debate that's tougher to have.
Frankly, I believe the American people are ready for more substance, than form; I don't get that impression from Rubin. For the most part, Walker, Kasich, Perry, Jindal, McDonnell and others have kept their sleeves rolled-up while working on serious reforms in their states - in some cases more significant than Christie's, and on whole they are better on several other issues key to the GOP base. Call me a cynic, but I want something more than great YouTube traffic before I pronouce someone ready to "take Washington by storm."
The reality Rubin ignores is this: Christie is proposing moderate reforms in a deeply blue state but is to the Left of many Republicans in red states on several critical issues. That isn't the description of someone who can move America in the Right direction as President. It's someone who would get to Washington and end up embracing the status quo. He also knows better than any one that serious reform in New Jersey will take years. Given that he invests so much time and money creating the impression he's the guy to bring it, possibly at the national level, suggests to me his real plan may be to do a lot of talking but not be around in NJ when the real crap hits the fan.
Lastly, here's something for you to think about, Jennifer. If you look into the actual record, say what you will about Palin, in some ways she accomplished more in Alaska by taking on the oil consortium in her two years, than Christie has so far in NJ.
And those who think he doesn't show restraint should think again. Is Sarah Palin ready for president? "She's got to make that judgment herself."
He, of course, insists he isn't running for president. But here's the deal (a Christie-ism): if he racks up another big win in the budget fights, the GOP field continues to shrink and disappoint and the economy is still in the doldrums, don't you think Christie might just decide to take the ball and run with it? And with his reputation and name identification, he could make that decision in November. By then, the Republican electorate should be desperate for a candidate who can not only beat Obama but take Washington by storm.
Not classy, Dan.
You can be better.
I’ve no idea what you mean, Rags. It’s hardly over the top. Read her piece if you haven’t, she does indeed slobber all over him.
You, Tammy Bruce and Mark Levin were way ahead of the curve on this one. Christie is just another Northeast lawyer with a fetish for YouTube moments and Cheescake Factory entrees. He’s had a year now and as far as I can tell, Scott Walker has done more for the cause in one month than Christie has done in more than a year of bluster. And Jennifer Rubin was very good at Commentary; then she seemed to discover that she could get ahead by sacrificing Sarah Palin at the altar of Big Media.
The slug line’s a little over the top, Dan, but you’re concerns are on point.
Eh, it’s obviously just snark. People use “get a room” as a jab all the time. As for the header, how else to explain what amounted to a certain mindlessness to her piece? Clearly she is smitten with him as a political all-star. Let’s see how he’s doing after several years as the NJ Gov. I’m not interested in a flash in the pan who came to the national stage a year ago and is suddenly being portrayed as “all that,” despite not having accomplished very much. Anyone can talk about change. It has to be sold. I also wonder how vulnerable he’ll be in NJ if he keeps dancing on the national stage. He should be head down in NJ, given the sad state of that state. Instead, he spends a significant portion of his time playing political games and getting in front of the cameras.
Everybody forgets a potentially game-changing dark horse candidate. I would not at all be surprised if David Petraeus threw his hat in the ring upon his return from Afghanistan…
As for Christie being less than perfect: sure, I want the “purest” candidate that can still be elected. Even a Christie as flawed as you portray him is way to be preferred over another 4 years of BHOzo and his Insane Clown Posse.
I totally agree that an establishment RINO is a sure loser in this election cycle. But so are the likes of L. Ron Paul and Mike Huckabee, just for different reasons.
Christie is a lifelong cog in NJ corrupt machine-he can’t run.
Good post Dan.
Christie’s 15 mins are about up. He should have refrained form attacking conservatives and instead invested his time attacking the dems and Obama.
I’m still waiting for someone to link chrisite’s bullying in CA to Meg Whitmans tanking in the polls. She was doing ok in the polls then Chrisite choose to “defend” her from the “mean” heckler and her polls when down like the titanic. Christie showed the voters of CA that Meg wasn’t strong enough to handle the job. He more than anything else IMO caused the loss of Meg in Ca and also hurt Carly by extention.
Scott Walker is superior to Christie in that he isn’t looting a fradulent Tax and Cap program (RGGI) to help balance the budget.
Superbully Christie supports Cap and Tax fraud, gun-control, illegal immigration, radical Islam, the sanctity of life only when it is convenient to get elected and he is an over-bloatedly arrogant snob.
How is Christie that much different from Obama?
Dan, no quarrel with the content.
But the allusion to a rape is out-of-line.
It isn’t at all the same as “get a room”, which would have been OK (not good, just OK).
Rubin is a serious lady, an excellent writer, a very keen analyst, and sometimes just plain wrong, as here.
You could have made your points (you did make your points) without going where you did.
I don’t know, Rags, your reaction seems a little much. i didn’t say anything about an actual rape. she didn’t even interact with, or interview Christie. The implication is she seems smitten to the point of being mindless. Actually, it’s probably just her being somewhere between a Neo-Con and a GOP establishment type that causes him to float her boat so high. No way do I see him having the legs to win the nomination. He’d need some red states. Good heavens, look at where he is on critical issues – gun control, environmental regs, illegal immigration, ObamaCare.
Try explaining all the fuss over him taking those things into consideration. Clearly she didn’t. And I don’t feel the need to play overly nice with people who ignore genuine conservatism in their platforms at major media outlets. Do you not mind being undermined like that? I do.
Roofies are ONLY about drug-assisted rape, Dan. That is their only context here.
Again, no argument with the crux of your criticism.
Just a word to the wise.
Dan, don’t you know that it is not PC to imply that Sarah Palin might be an intelligent, savvy politician who really does know what she is doing? It’s kind of like when Bush was president and it wasn’t okay to say you approved unless you qualified it by saying you didn’t like everything he did. Palin is as close to a pure conservative thinker as anyone considering running without the holier than thou attitude of Huckabee, the pretentious pomposity of Gingrich, the antisemitic ravings of Paul, the wishywashy social policies of Daniels, the overly slick Mitt – have I missed anybody? Her energy policies are exactly what this country needs to turn this horrible economy around and start producing jobs that will pour money into government coffers. Why do people dismiss her and praise these others? I just don’t get it.
Roofie? Yeesh. Let’s all thank God or Aqua Buddha or whomever that Dan doesn’t have a wife and kids. All fellow misogynists should follow his lead.
“For the most part, Walker, Kasich, Perry, Jindal, McDonnell and others have kept their sleeves rolled-up while working on serious reforms in their states – in some cases more significant than Christie’s, and on whole they are better on several other issues key to the GOP base.”
This is the meat and bone of my problem with the Christie groupie mania that seems to be gripping so many. To be clear I have no problem with Christie at all, but this need by some in d punditry to overstate what Christie is saying or achieving, will ultimately end up sullying conservatism as whole.
Christie has said time and again that he’s not going to run for POTUS – that he’ll stick to the job NJ elected him to do. While I appreciate that some are willing to take anyone they think can beat Obama, Christie may be far less conservative than many would be happy with as POTUS.
Gov. Christie said he is not running for President in 2012. I don’t want to see Palin run for President. I am a Republican conservative. Very disppointed with Palin and her background. I found some information about her when she was about to pick as John McCain’s VP. It came from Mudflats blog. Thank you for Mudflats. As the Mayor and Governor of Alaska, Palin raised high taxes, she used to smoked pot, and she is for the gays. When she goes out and make speeches, she is polarizing. She is not telling the truth about what issues does she stand for. Palin’s poll is not doing very good in NC, SC, Iowa, and other states. One reason is because she quit her job as the Governor of Alaska and didn’t finished out her term. Does anyone know why did Palin quit? That show right there she does have a ‘lack’ of inexperience and leadership.
Dan:
I think that Christie is going to have a much harder time releasing the NJ taxpayers from the unions than some other states. Granted it all started in WI, but the governor there has a republican legislator. Christie does not. That itself is a big difference that you may be underestimating.
Now, he may not have gone after them if he could, but we don’t know. It is all guessing at this point.
I like much of what Christie has tried to do in NJ. I grew up in New England and being a republican in that part of the country is hard and more than a bit lonely. Christie is a fiscal conservative, I don’t think anyone can really question that. The whole cap and tax thing, yeah he is using the money to balance his budget. Would he do it on a national level? I can’t find public statements on it, so again, we don’t really know.
Oh, I thought the title was funny. Didn’t take it as rape.
Gov. Christie is better at deftly handling the media, simplifying complex concepts, and connecting with regular Americans than any politician in either party in a generation. I do not know how anyone who actually saw his appearance on CBS Sunday and witnessed his calm evisceration of Bob Scheiffer would not be thankful he is on “our” side. I come here often to lurk but comment only very occasionally. I had to speak today. This post is beneath you, Dan, both from an intellectual and a “class” standpoint. Neither Christie or Jennifer Rubin deserved this. Yes, it’s your blog, and I am not the word police. But it is difficult to understand what gain there might be in shooting at respected messengers who are making sense. Especially when their perches are at the top of a populous blue state and on the pages of the WaPo.
Palin had to quit because she was being maliciously sued by her political enemies to the point where she could not function in her role as governor and she was rapidly going broke. Her enemies accomplished exactly what they set out to do. Instead of focusing on her private life, look at the policies she promulgated. No one is a perfect human being and those that profess to be such are the worst hypocrites.
m – while you are entitled to not support Palin politically you minimize your reasons when you use Mudflats as a source for facts. That blog ranks right up there with the other vitrolic anti-Palin blogs run by pathetic bitter Alaskans purely to trash Palin.
Since you seem to be so knowledgeable regarding Palin I don’t understand how you wouldn’t know the reason she cited for quitting the governorship. Unless of course you prefer the PDS version that she never explained it.
“Gov. Christie is better at deftly handling the media”
THis is exactly what what was said about John McCain before he received the nomination after which they tore into him for being an old white man who is just another extension of Bushie.
When State-run Media is your enemy then deftly handling will cause defeat.
I am astonished so many American do not see what’s going down.
Malcolm X said it best (I’m paraphrasing due to lack of time to pull up exact quote):
‘BEWARE THE NEWS, THEY’LL HAVE YOU LOVING THE ONES DOING THE OPPRESSION AND HATING THE ONES BEING OPPRESSED’
m, you threw all credibility out the window with the mention of Mudflats. Stick a fork in your opinion, your done.
Christie is a bully and a blowhard. I too was taken with his frenetic outbursts at first but he has shown himself to be much less than his words implied.
What I find fascinating is the guy calling for “unscripted moments” is a guy DODGING Mark Levin.
When the fat boy was running, he couldn’t do enough conservative talk radio.
But now that he’s refused to challenge Obamacare, endorsed the 9/11 mosque, installed mohammadens on New Jersey’s Supreme Court, and otherwise demonstrated that other than taking on teacher unions he really hasn’t a clue, ————– now he’s calling on the one woman who has spoken up, spoken out and taken the lead, he’s calling on her to subject herself to the likes of a David Gregory, just so that he can piss all over her, as if allowing herself to be pissed on is the sine qua non to high office.
The guy is a trip.
But we know why Jennifer is supporting him, ——————- it’s all about certain ethnicities deluding themselves that the GOP has to have the Northeast otherwise we’re shut off from the cultural mainstream.
We don’t need the Northeast, can win without it, HAVE WON without it and don’t need the support of the Christies, the Rubins, et all.
I continue to find it amazing that Gov Palin is the only politican to “quit” her office. All other politicans have “resigned”.
Imagine that.
Didn’t Obama quit his office after only 2 years in the Senate? His only experience was as a state senator(representing a minuscule amount of people) before obtaining that office. Did anyone in the MSM complain that he quit only 2 years into the job and the amazing hubris that displayed? Did he have any foreign policy experience? All these complaints about Palin pale in comparison to what was fully accepted about the Obama campaign.
Posted by: Sharon R.
No he and every other politican in history has “resigned” only Palin has “quit”. funny that isn’t it.
unseen…that’s what we have been saying all along..Sarah was over $500,000 in debt($900,000 in total defense costs) to her law firm and the State of Alaska had spen 2.5 million in defense of our Governor.
..this would never happen now….Alaska changed the law to protect the Governor from this type of lawfare….
“The whole cap and tax thing, yeah he is using the money to balance his budget. Would he do it on a national level? I can’t find public statements on it, so again, we don’t really know. ”
Christie’s campaign support and endorsement of Mike Castle and Meg Whitman is not a loud enough public statement on what he would do on the national level?
Warning friend; unlike the tobacco tax scam, the cap and tax scam denies the consumer free market access to purchasing their energy needs.
Tobacco tax scam lost revenue, the consumer could travel across state and international lines or purchase at the local Indian reservation.
Cap and Tax scam,the consumer has no choice but to pay a heftly tax to heat their homes, cook their food, use their computers/tvs
The fact that Christie did not dismantle NJ RGGI is reason enough for me to keep him out of national office.
this would never happen now….Alaska changed the law to protect the Governor from this type of lawfare….
Posted by: Dave in Alaska
Yes they did. I don’t have a problem with her resignation. I agree with it. I have a problem with people using the word the leftist branded her with. The left would not call her resignation a resignation. they used the term “quit” because 1) it brings up a more nasty image and 2) it makes her non politcal.
And I wish her supporters would not fall for the left’s game even in this little point. The left set the meme and the narrative about her resignation. We should not accept even this little premise. words mean things and certain words that kind of mean the same thing have totally different images and connotations attached to them.
Apropos of Christie the Irresistible listened to Ingraham interview of Noem this AM. Most tounge-lashing moment for the young starlet “Kristi I love ya but you’re not answering the question.”
Even let the Ethanol inebriant pass on “Energy is my bailiwick” without a guffaw or snigger.
Cantor was eviscerated in absentia, the quarry Noem, his fledgling confidant, suffered lightly, but came off as barely sapient.
Now anyone care to offer the Christie half-life in an Ingraham interview? Anyone?
Jennifer Rubin–Respected messenger? Hunh?
Christie doesn’t have a chance.
I would never vote for him and if the propagandists in the old media are for him, that is all the more reason to stay away. Anyone they support is the wrong choice.
4 words describe Christie, “hard ass bean counter”
Laura Ingraham is in love too. I canceled my membership to her site because of all the slobbering. I can understand Jennifer Rubin in a way – she’s had a major hate on for Palin for a long time – but I thought Laura was better than this. Boy was I wrong.
Thanks Dan for keeping the heat on the unelectable Chris Christie and the ever more repulsive faux conservative Jennifer Rubin. Rubin has finally been able to reveal her leftist bend as a WaPo kept ‘conservative’ and has gone full time Frum! I’d noticed she was nothing but a shill when she was the mouthpiece @ Commentary and one of the reasons I don’t bother with the site now.