Chris Christie is wasting voters’ time
Jim Gilmore
Video Embed
You wouldn’t know it, but former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is running for president … of the United States.
I’ll pause here for some giggles.
HAMAS TELLS CIVILIANS TO IGNORE ISRAEL’S EVACUATION WARNING
On paper, he is a credible candidate. He was once governor of the Garden State and, before that, a federal prosecutor.
He also allowed his subordinates to abuse the power of his office by closing down the George Washington Bridge to New York as a way to stick it to a Democratic mayor of a small town in northern New Jersey. Some of his aides were convicted over this scandal.
This is petty and vindictive behavior for someone who wants to be called “Mr. President.”
“A president’s job is to say yes and no,” President Harry Truman once said, “but mostly no.” Truman was wise. Christie should have been paying closer attention and should have nipped this in the bud.
And then there was “Beachgate.” During the COVID-19 pandemic, the New Jersey beaches were closed, but that wasn’t good enough for Christie. While everybody else in New Jersey was abiding by the law and staying away from the beaches, Lord Christie opened the beaches — but just for himself and his family. We’ve all seen the pictures of him and his family enjoying themselves all alone on a New Jersey beach. Noblesse oblige indeed.
Today, Christie is a constant presence in the news for one reason: he is happy to gratuitously rip the Republican front-runner, Donald Trump. The liberal media loves to bash Trump, using Christie as a proxy.
In the last week, Christie asked aloud if the GOP wanted a “convicted felon” as its nominee. In addition, he blamed Trump for the cancellation of the Fox debate between himself and Vivek Ramaswamy.
Having run statewide campaigns and headed the Republican National Committee, I can say that the GOP needs to be unified behind a candidate and a platform that is for something rather than against something. Christie articulates none of this. He has one plank in his platform, and that is anti-Trump vitriol.
The tragic eruption of war in the Middle East this past weekend is the kind of test for which the next president must be ready. The next president must use the bully pulpit to persuade the public of the best course of action for dealing with the country’s most hostile enemies. Heckling and vitriol will not get the job done.
As if managing international affairs is not difficult enough, the next president must develop a plan to revive the economy, stanch the flow of illegal immigration, combat crime in major cities, and reduce unemployment.
Chris Christie has stated he will not support Trump. If Christie cannot support a potential nominee of the party and cannot articulate a coherent platform, it is unclear what his endgame is.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
According to a recent poll of New Hampshire voters, 41% said that Christie should drop out of the race.
With so many candidates in the race, each has to make a unique presentation. Unfortunately, Chris Christie is wasting his small opportunity and the Republican Party’s time. Once he is out of the race, he will become a sad footnote in history.
James S. Gilmore is a former governor of Virginia and former chairman of the Republican National Committee.