As for the outrage by Rush and
company, it seems at best, misguided. After having endured a treacherous run of epic
political ineptitude from Romney, you'd think that Limbaugh and other Christie
critics would be convulsed in rapture over the actual political brilliance of Christie's bi-partisan
post-disaster gambit. In the short run,
it's the kind of bi-partisan grandstanding that is likely to assure that blue
state New Jersey will remain controlled by a GOP governor.
But more importantly, Christie's
maneuvering could eventually provide what Limbaugh and all the rest of those
calling for Christie's scalp today been craving for since the nomination
process began several months ago -- a Republican in the White House in 2016. Because let's face it; at the time of this
writing, Election Day was just 48 hours away and it seemed clear that Romney was
not going to win the presidency. But even if he has somehow finagled his way
into the White House the fact remains that Mitt is exceedingly unpopular
among his fellow Republicans therefore lacks much of a
buffer against a 2016 party challenge from within by the likes of Bush, Marco
Rubio, Pawlenty and yes, Chris Christie.
Mitt's unpopularity among fellow
Republicans could mean that even if elected, traditional political protocol may
be tossed out the window in 2016. Mitt's
unpopularity could certainly remove any deterrent against challenges for the
nomination by a fellow Republican. That's
a likelihood that could increase if Republicans develop enough insecurity about
Romney's prospects for re-election; something that could emerge if a Democrat
as formidable as Hillary Clinton decides to run.
I think Christie realizes all
this and simply decided that Hurricane Sandy was as fortuitous a time as any to
begin campaigning for both re-election as Governor and for the 2016 GOP
presidential nomination. Does he care
that by looking ahead to 2016 today he's helping to dash Mitt and the GOP's
nearer-term 2012 hopes? Probably not,
especially if he believes that Mitt's going to lose anyway or if he believes
that a Romney victory would in fact leave the GOP vulnerable in the near-term as well as jeopardize its long-term
future.
Millionaires
and suckers
It has long been obvious that
for many voters, particularly Romney partisans, the term caveat emptor has no relevance.
Rather than buyer beware it's buyer's
remorse that seems to characterize
the outcomes of those who live their lives -- both personally and politically --
within what's been described as "the comfort
of a lie ." It is from within
this comfort zone where the distinctive characteristic of many Republicans to both
rage and vote against their own
interests lay. It speaks to the premise that
there are only two kinds of Republicans -- millionaires and suckers.
Sometimes the millionaires and
the suckers are one in the same. Right
off the bat, I'm thinking folks like Donald Trump, Sheldon Adelson, and Limbaugh. Today, each of those millionaires is probably
hopping mad at what Chris Christie said and did in the immediate aftermath of
Hurricane Sandy. But tomorrow's another
day. We won't find out how mad they are
at Christie or, if the Governor suckered that specific cluster of old fools --
along with others like Karl Rove or the Koch brothers -- until probably around
2015. That's when Christie will be in
the thick of the race for the GOP nomination.
Taking into account past
behaviors, I predict that by then Rush will be sitting as squarely on the Chris
Christie bandwagon as he was just before Sandy struck; Trump will probably be
trumpeting the virtues of Christie's over someone like, say, Jeb Bush or Colin
Powell. Meanwhile benefactors like
Adelson and the Koch brothers will still
be playing sugar daddy, only this time, on behalf of the Jersey governor.
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