Posts Tagged → Chris Christie
Signs of a Christie run?
While New Jersey governor Chris Christie has recently said he doesn’t see himself as being ready to be president yet, his former law partner and current adviser has admitted he’s considering forming a PAC to investigate the viability of a Christie run, because it’s like “leaving money on the table” if it’s not done.
Could this be the first signs that Christie might actually reconsider a 2012 run? Christie admits he recognizes the opportunity. As a red governor in a very blue state, Christie’s example has inspired folks like Wisconsin’s Scott Walker and Ohio’s John Kasich to be bold in cutting the fat from their state budgets without apology.
Christie’s in-your-face, unapologetic fiscal conservatism is a huge antidote to the bloated “compassionate conservatism” of the Bush years. And while the New Jersey governor may be in need of fat burners personally, he’s proven he can make even a liberal east coast state go on a budgetary diet.
Skills and leadership like that are rare, and that’s what’s really behind the interest in Christie as a White House antidote to four years of Barak Obama.
Perry new head of RGA
Texas Governor Rick Perry has been selected as the new head of the Republican Governors Association. He succeeds Haley Barbour, and will strike the most conservative take on the organization in years, a welcome reform. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty was among the RGA’s leadership in recent years, typical of the watered-down nature of the group.
No longer. Joining Perry are Louisiana governor and Reaganite conservative Bobby Jindal, as well as New Jersey’s Chris Christie, Nikki Haley and Susanna Martinez. Overall, it’s the most conservative board of leaders to serve as heads of the RGA in years – possibly decades. While Dems concern themselves with apidexin reviews, let’s hope that Perry and company eye a much more important prize: continued conservative victories across governors mansions and statehouses throughout the US.
Palin hints she will run
Sarah Palin has made it clear that she is considering a presidential bid in 2012, and that if she runs, she believes she could score a knockout punch to the Obama Administration. Despite her personal convictions, though, some in her party remain unconvinced, preferring long-time party loyalists like Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and others.
The landscape has changed somewhat since Palin ran as the lifesaver of the doomed McCain ticket, making the race closer than it otherwise would have been. One such change is that Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal’s stock has dropped without much explanation, while New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s stock is soaring due to his tax-cutting, budget-slashing, plain-spoken ways in a largely blue state.
The main problem is that party loyalists types like Romney still control the party, despite the advances made by Tea Party activists like Palin. If Tea Party support were key, though, Texas Governor Rick Perry would likely top the list over Palin, despite the fact that he has never indicated interest in a demotion from being Texas Governor to being US President.
So ultimately, Palin’s blatant water-testing is interesting, but much remains to be seen. If forces like Christie, Perry or Jindal enter the race, Palin would likely fade as a favorite. But if compromising John McCain types like Romney, Huckabee and Gingrich remain her stiffest competition, Palin could easily become the next GOP presidential nominee, just due to a lack of other energizing conservatives on the scene.
But it’s early; one’s time is better spent on designer furniture shopping than prognosticating 2012 political results.
New Jersey Gov: Freeze worked!
Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie announced that New Jersey residents can relax, if only a bit; his budget freeze has worked and no tax hikes will be necessary to cover the $800 million shortfall between the budget and projected income to the financially-strapped state.
The savings from merely keeping all increases out of the budget, merely keeping funding level, was enough to accomplish this; it’s a common GOP tactic for fixing budget deficits, and it has historically worked nearly every time it has been tried. Sadly, few since Reagan have tried it and the tactic is often undermined by Democrats who find way to balloon the budget anyway.
Still, Christie has pulled it off in New Jersey despite Democratic opposition. That’s not just the saving from “green energy-saving methods” like furnace filters, but real, honest-to-bankbook savings.
Well done, Gov. Christie! You can be sure “draconian” and other typical liberal sobriquets are sure to appear next to his name from now on!
