Chris Christie

[FA_Q2]

Which begs the question as to how many suits could you make for Obama out of one of Christie's?

Aside from his weight, being a bully and being completely tone deaf as to how he comes across he has some good points. If the GOP fails to nominate him in 2016 it will be their loss as he is by far the best candidate they currently have.

I like how you libs always encourage us to nominate the squishy rinos who always lose. Good strategy. Dole, McCain, Romney...

The Dems nominate squishy DINOs who sometimes lose too but mostly they win because they understand that pandering to the extreme fringe of their party is a sure fire way to lose an election. Dole, Romney and McCain found that out the hard way. Christie is smart enough to know that he needs the extreme Tea Party nutters if he wants the nomination but then he is going to swing back to the center because that is the only way he can actually win the election. Ignoring the extreme base is the smart move for both sides because they will always vote in lockstep along party lines regardless of who the candidate might be. Romney and McCain couldn't even find the center and when they occasionally stumbled across it they didn't know how to connect with the voters in the middle because all of their talking points were geared towards pandering to the loony right fringe.

If Republicans want to start winning they need to figure out who the independents are and what are they looking for in a candidate. Since more then 50% of them are women it makes no sense to alienate them with ignorant nonsense about "legitimate rape". Another huge sector is Latinos. Demanding that they "self deport" is a sure fire way to drive them away. Likewise treating all Blacks as though they are on welfare just makes you look like ignorant bigots. Antagonizing the LBGT community by passing legislation that essentially marginalizes them costs you not only their votes but the votes of their families and friends too.

So yes, you do need to nominate "squishy RINOs" but at least try and find one with enough brains to know who is going to be voting and why. That way you might stand a chance. If you nominate Paul Ryan or any of the other whackjobs you can kiss the whole 2016 election goodbye. If you nominate Christie you stand a fighting chance.

Well, I would disagree. The republicans do not need a ‘centrist’ to win. That is a misnomer. If you nominate someone that is not a republican for the nomination, he is not going to win the general. Squishy centrists do not take the votes, people with convictions do.

The problem is that the republicans have lost their real convictions. R’s are supposed to stand for smaller government. Greater freedom and personal responsibility. They lost that with the socal issues that have nothing to do with actual core republican values. Now every candidate is beat over the head with abortion, gay marriage and other issues like that. Republicans do not need a centrist, they need a republican that is not going to cave into the bullshit social issues that no one really want to hear about. A real republican.

 

[mudwhistle]

Christie came through for New Jersey in a massive disaster. He states his mind, and devil take the consequences.

I personally would like to see a contest between him and Hillary Clinton. Then I would have two people running for whom I could vote for comfortably on their past records. And the contest would be about what their plans are for the direction of this nation.

Yup. He came through. And now thanks partially thanks to him we have to put up with four more years of that dickwad Obama.

 

[Sallow]

Yeah...I wouldn't be terribly upset with Christie. I think the health thing is overblown. He's fat....deal with it....he's also fairly young...it's not like he's a 65 year old fat guy.

I'm firmly in the Democratic camp, but if Christie would get the nod, I'd call him my President.

Another reason not to vote for him.

Yes, because you folks have to find something so vile and disgusting only a Super Right Wing White Christian fundamentalist could love em.

 

[Sallow]

Christie came through for New Jersey in a massive disaster. He states his mind, and devil take the consequences.

I personally would like to see a contest between him and Hillary Clinton. Then I would have two people running for whom I could vote for comfortably on their past records. And the contest would be about what their plans are for the direction of this nation.

Yup. He came through. And now thanks partially thanks to him we have to put up with four more years of that dickwad Obama.

There was no way Romney was going to win.

 

[Dugdale_Jukes]

As a NJ resident I can tell you he is your typical corrupt politician.

He awarded a overpriced contract for Sandy cleanup to the politically connected AshBritt inc who then proceeded to pad their bills by using longer routes to the Ocean County landfill to charge a higher rate. The company charges $21.25 per cubic yard for debris driven 15 miles or less and $30 per cubic yard for waste driven 16 to 30 miles. The Bergen Record found hundreds of instances where the number of miles AshBritt’s subcontractors said they drove was longer than the distance estimated by Google Maps or recorded by a reporter who drove the shortest available route. The difference between the two mileage tiers amount to $235 for a filled truck carrying 25 tons of debris. That added up to $512,000 over two months for the trips in question to the Ocean County Landfill.

He had his wife set up a Sandy relief fund that was supposed to help rebuild houses that were totaled in the storm. She collected over 36 million and spent 1.2 million rebuilding 11 homes in Union Beach, which lost 200 homes. She spent 25 million on a TV campaign featuring her hubby in a campaign year promoting coming to the shore this summer. That 25 million could have rebuilt all 200 homes destroyed in Union Beach. Christie turned Sandy relief into a campaign slush fund.

http://www.mycentraljersey.com/arti...304020011/True-costs-AshBritt-deal-could-grow

Gov. Chris Christie says a lot of the right things about how government should be run efficiently and responsibly.

But, like most any other politician, he doesn't always lead by example.

The governor has, for instance, railed against New Jersey's plentiful authorities and agencies that past administrations have turned into patronage pits. Yet he's been more than willing to push people with minimal credentials into jobs at the Port Authority, arguing among other things that because he had already gotten rid of so many more unqualified people there that it's all good. Well, no, it isn't.

The stench of the AshBritt debris removal deal also isn't going away. After superstorm Sandy ripped through the state, Christie quickly signed on with AshBritt, "piggybacking" onto a Connecticut contract with the same company, which is another way of saying that New Jersey simply adopted the Connecticut deal without bothering to negotiate one of its own.

It was a no-bid operation, in other words, the kind Christie in the past has often found so offensive. The administration spin is that since the deal was the product of competitive bidding in Connecticut, that was good enough. The state was also operating with a sense of great urgency given the overwhelming storm damage, suggesting speed was of the essence.

But was it that important to get a deal in place that quickly? Several Shore towns chose to bypass AshBritt and strike separate deals on their own, reportedly at lower costs and without any great concerns about inferior work or delays. It also doesn't help that Christie is friendly with former Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour, who advised Christie to sign up AshBritt because of that company's work along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina. Barbour, however, just happens to be the founding partner of a lobbying firm that represents AshBritt. The chairman of that firm held a fund-raiser for Christie's re-election in Virginia in February. Christie would frown on such cozy relationships if they involved other lawmakers and businesses.

Very interesting.

Been following his wife's management of the relief fund. It had been my belief he appointed her to that position. Looks like she earned it the old fashioned way: using hubster's support network to get around campaign law. That could be a weak spot later on.

 

[JakeStarkey]

edthecynic, those talking points won't float any better now than then.

 

[edthecynic]

edthecynic, those talking points won't float any better now than then.

What a difference competitive bidding makes! AshBritt is a big donor to the Republican Governors Association headed by the corrupt former governor of Mississippi, Haley Barbour.

http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/...8/This-time-N-J-has-contracts-signed-cleanups

This time, N.J. has contracts signed for cleanups

For collecting vegetative debris and hauling it less than 15 miles, AshBritt would charge $21.25 per cubic yard. Crowder Gulf charges $16.90, Ceres Environmental Services charges $10.35 and T.F.R. Enterprises charges $8.72.Those prices escalate from there the farther the debris gets hauled — except for T.F.R., which would continue charging $8.72.

Head of lobbying firm hired by AshBritt will host Christie fundraiser | NJ.com

A Washington lobbyist whose firm represents the Florida company that won the lion’s share of New Jersey’s debris removal work after Hurricane Sandy will host a fundraiser for Gov. Chris Christie’s re-election later this month.

The event will take place at the Virginia mansion of Ed Rogers, chairman of BGR Group, which lobbies members of Congress on behalf of AshBritt Inc. — a firm that has come under scrutiny because of a lucrative no-bid emergency contract it was awarded in the days after the hurricane .

The lobbying company was co-founded by Republican Haley Barbour, the former Mississippi governor who helped shepherd Christie’s career and was one of the people who recommended the state use AshBritt.

Two government watchdog groups said today that the fundraiser flies in the face of state law intended to prevent companies from making campaign contributions in exchange for contracts — an assertion disputed by the Christie campaign.

"The fundraising event by Haley Barbour’s (firm) not only violates the spirit of the pay-to-play law, it’s outrageous to think that a government contractor can hire a lobbying firm to represent itself and then do fundraising for the same candidate who awards the contract," said Craig Holman, a campaign finance lobbyist with the Washington, D.C.-based Public Citizen. "I think this could cross the threshold of actually violating the law itself."

snip/

The Feb. 28 fundraiser will be held at Surry Hill, the sprawling McLean, Va., home of Rogers and his wife, Patti, according to an invitation first reported by the Center for Public Integrity. Tickets cost $3,800, the maximum campaign contribution allowed under New Jersey law.

Barbour does not plan to attend, BGR Group said today.

As chairman of the Republican Governors Association, Barbour directed $7.5 million in spending to Christie’s 2009 election campaign.

"If it wasn’t for Haley Barbour, I wouldn’t be governor of New Jersey," Christie said in an interview last year. "A guy like that who was with you when not only wasn’t there anybody on the bandwagon, there wasn’t a bandwagon, you remain incredibly indebted to somebody like that."

Barbour was one of the people who recommended that Christie hire AshBritt, based in Pompano Beach, Fla., to handle post-Sandy cleanup.

 

[JakeStarkey]

edthecynic, your talking points don't matter.

 

[S.J.]

It doesn't matter WHO the Republicans nominate. Between voter fraud and the parasites, the Democrats will win the next election (IF there is another election).

 

[aaronleland]

Judging by your rhetoric, I highly doubt you ever supported Ron Paul. I think him and Rand are outstanding and I would vote for Rand in a heartbeat for president. I am a limited government type of person, so are they. Chris Christie, pffffff.....no way would I vote for him. I am not so sure why you dislike Hillary so much. You like Chris Christie, who is very busy getting on his knee pads for Barack Obama.

And I bet you voted for Romney...

 

[Derideo_Te]

It doesn't matter WHO the Republicans nominate. Between voter fraud and the parasites, the Democrats will win the next election (IF there is another election).

No offense but you sound as paranoid as Glen Beck.

 

[Derideo_Te]

I like how you libs always encourage us to nominate the squishy rinos who always lose. Good strategy. Dole, McCain, Romney...

The Dems nominate squishy DINOs who sometimes lose too but mostly they win because they understand that pandering to the extreme fringe of their party is a sure fire way to lose an election. Dole, Romney and McCain found that out the hard way. Christie is smart enough to know that he needs the extreme Tea Party nutters if he wants the nomination but then he is going to swing back to the center because that is the only way he can actually win the election. Ignoring the extreme base is the smart move for both sides because they will always vote in lockstep along party lines regardless of who the candidate might be. Romney and McCain couldn't even find the center and when they occasionally stumbled across it they didn't know how to connect with the voters in the middle because all of their talking points were geared towards pandering to the loony right fringe.

If Republicans want to start winning they need to figure out who the independents are and what are they looking for in a candidate. Since more then 50% of them are women it makes no sense to alienate them with ignorant nonsense about "legitimate rape". Another huge sector is Latinos. Demanding that they "self deport" is a sure fire way to drive them away. Likewise treating all Blacks as though they are on welfare just makes you look like ignorant bigots. Antagonizing the LBGT community by passing legislation that essentially marginalizes them costs you not only their votes but the votes of their families and friends too.

So yes, you do need to nominate "squishy RINOs" but at least try and find one with enough brains to know who is going to be voting and why. That way you might stand a chance. If you nominate Paul Ryan or any of the other whackjobs you can kiss the whole 2016 election goodbye. If you nominate Christie you stand a fighting chance.

Well, I would disagree. The republicans do not need a ‘centrist’ to win. That is a misnomer. If you nominate someone that is not a republican for the nomination, he is not going to win the general. Squishy centrists do not take the votes, people with convictions do.

The problem is that the republicans have lost their real convictions. R’s are supposed to stand for smaller government. Greater freedom and personal responsibility. They lost that with the socal issues that have nothing to do with actual core republican values. Now every candidate is beat over the head with abortion, gay marriage and other issues like that. Republicans do not need a centrist, they need a republican that is not going to cave into the bullshit social issues that no one really want to hear about. A real republican.

I think we agree but it is just the terminology that needs to be clarified. It isn't that the nominee of either party needs to be a centrist. All they need to do is to move to the center in order to win the election. It was the failure to appeal to the independents that cost both McCain and Romney their elections. Both of them were "real" republicans. Both of them supported what was important to registered republican voters like small government. But in order to win they must appeal to more than just their base. That is why Christie has a better shot than Paul Ryan. Besides the experience of being a governor and embracing core republican principles he is pragmatic enough to know that he can't win if he alienates the independents. Ryan and the rest of the Tea Party don't understand that basic principle of election math. Christie does.

 

[JakeStarkey]

(IF there is another election).

Alert. Alert. The Constitution is in peril. Tune in to the Glenn Beck show for more details.

 

[edthecynic]

edthecynic, your talking points don't matter.

I don't know if you are from the Jersey Shore like me, but this is STILL a very big thing here because The Federal Emergency Management Agency warned the Christie administration just days after Hurricane Sandy that its decision to award a no-bid contract to a politically connected firm to haul away debris could jeopardize maximum federal reimbursement for towns. That means that WE local taxpayers will have to pay the difference between what FEMA pays and AshBritt charges!!!!!!!!! If you don't think our paying for Christie's political kickbacks doesn't matter, then you have never paid property taxes in NJ.

 

[JakeStarkey]

You have to prove the political kickback on the no bid from AshBritt to the governor's office.

You can't.

 

[edthecynic]

You have to prove the political kickback on the no bid from AshBritt to the governor's office.

You can't.

No, all we need is to get stuck for the difference between what AshBritt charges and FEMA pays for Christie's name being mud in this state!
Like I said, you can't be paying property taxes in NJ if you think this doesn't matter here!

 

[S.J.]

It doesn't matter WHO the Republicans nominate. Between voter fraud and the parasites, the Democrats will win the next election (IF there is another election).

No offense but you sound as paranoid as Glen Beck.

And you sound like the German people who remained complacent during Hitler's rise to tyranny.

 

[Caroljo]

Can't stand the man.....he lowers flags for people like Whitney Houston, when it should be reserved for hero's.....she was not any type of hero. He's more liberal than I like.....

 

[Derideo_Te]

It doesn't matter WHO the Republicans nominate. Between voter fraud and the parasites, the Democrats will win the next election (IF there is another election).

No offense but you sound as paranoid as Glen Beck.

And you sound like the German people who remained complacent during Hitler's rise to tyranny.

This thread doesn't even have 100 posts yet but already you are invoking Godwin's Law? Perhaps you might be happier on the Freeper message boards.

 

[blackhawk]

What are your thoughts on him?

I like the fact he will speak his mind and get into someone's face when he feels it's necessary but still need to find out more about his ideology and positions on the issues. I feel he could reenergize the Republican party much like Reagan did or he could be Mitt Romney with more personality it's to early to say.