I am having the time of my life watching Chris Christie climb the Republican presidential ladder.
Now listen: I know, I know. New Jersey hates him, but New Jersey hates all their outgoing governors. Outside of the state, I don’t think people have a sense memory of him. So I don’t even care about that.
And yeah, Bridgegate is a stain we all feel, but again: Does a voter in New Hampshire give a rat’s toot about that? I doubt it.
And sure, Christie’s chances of getting the Republican nomination hinge on too many factors to count — including Trump deciding (or it being decided for him) that he’s not going to run, but in the meantime: Time of my life.
And frankly, I don’t understand why more people aren’t as jazzed.
Consider: Are you a Teddy Roosevelt fan? Like ‘em big and tough? Well check this out: “Talking of fighting, if you and Trump got in the ring — he loves his UFC and stuff like that, right? — if you got in the octagon, you and him, who would win?” Piers Morgan asked him on Fox last week.
“Come on,” Christie said. “I’d kick his ass.”
So that’s settled.
He’s also economically conservative, and he’s anti-abortion, though he’s against any laws at the federal level.
But … he also signed “bump stock” gun legislation while New Jersey governor, showing he’s not in the pocket of the NRA, believes climate change is man-made (I mean, how could you not?), considers the matter of gay marriage “settled” in New Jersey, which probably means he thinks it’s a state issue.
And he’s really bucking the GOP trend of late, saying … well, saying this, on CNN: “I don’t think that the government should ever be stepping into the place of the parents in helping to move their children through a process where those children are confused or concerned about their gender. The parents are the people who are best positioned to make these judgments.”
Oh, and of course, he thinks QAnon and election deniers are out of their gourds.
In short: Christie is a candidate that “regular” Republicans can get behind, and he’s a candidate that “regular” Democrats could stomach.
Seriously: Take his name away, make him “John Smith,” and his spiel would be very attractive to a wide swath of Americans.
Some politicians suffer because they don’t have enough name recognition; Christie might be suffering because he has too much.
Listen: We, as humans, are flawed creatures, Christie is no exception. But of all the candidates on the Republican side of the ledger, he — along with South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott — are the only candidates who could peel off Democrats in 2024 and actually put the White House in Republican hands.
But what do I know.