The Briefing Room
General Category => Editorial/Opinion/Blogs => Topic started by: mystery-ak on April 28, 2014, 12:55:13 am
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http://www.creators.com/opinion/david-harsanyi/why-christie-s-persona-will-play-well-in-the-rest-of-america.html (http://www.creators.com/opinion/david-harsanyi/why-christie-s-persona-will-play-well-in-the-rest-of-america.html)
David Harsanyi
Why Christie's Persona Will Play Well in the Rest of America
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Forget the acceptance speech. If you want an example of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's imposing political IQ, watch the nine-minute impromptu speech he delivered in Sea Bright a few days before the election. The impeccable populist instincts that make Christie such a formidable politician were all in play — authenticity, empathy, combativeness.
It's the latter that is the most widely discussed aspect of Christie's political persona. It involves the gruff New York-area politico with the disposition of a Teamster. This is a guy who will look you in the eyes when he calls you on your BS. It's the guy who reacts to Warren Buffett's pleas for higher tax rates by saying, "Yeah, well, he should just write a check and shut up." It's the guy who tells a pestering liberal law student that he's an "idiot." ("I mean, damn, man, I'm governor. Could you shut up for a minute?") The guy who calls a former White House doctor, the one who suggested that he lose weight, a "hack" and, yes, tells her to just "shut up."
Christie wants a lot of people to shut up. The right people, usually.
Will the bluntness work on the national stage? That's the question a lot of people are asking. When he runs for president, will the average Minnesotan or Coloradan find this character refreshing? Boorish? Exotic?
Growing up in the NYC area, I am certainly familiar with the Christie type. And those with a similar upbringing will also recognize the cadence, the mannerisms and demeanor. Christie is the counter guy at the local deli who acts as if he's doing you a favor — "Hey, guy, what do you need?" He's busy. He's got important things to do — or at least a lot more important than whatever you're whining about. Attack is his default position when challenged.
The flipside is his gregarious nature. And as often as we hear about Christie's yelling at some union mouthpiece, he's less famously engaging voters in an earnest way.
So what happens when Christie starts telling Midwesterners — people who live in states where they smile at you for no particular reason or say hi to you on the street even if they've never met you — to shut their pie holes?
There are many reasons Christie may never be president, but his manner is not one of them. One liberal columnist claimed that Americans will be turned off by Christie's "famous bullying of ordinary citizens." This was exactly what liberals were telling us would happen in New Jersey. It never did. Maybe that's because what he's really famous for is confronting political adversaries as an ordinary citizen would — or wishes he or she could. Certainly, that's part of his appeal. Maybe it's refreshing. It's the frankness that validates the authenticity. Anyway, how likely is it that voters in Arizona or Virginia will be more appalled by Christie's conduct than the voters (more than 55 percent of them women) in Democratic Party-heavy New Jersey, who've seen him up close for years?
There are few things an elected official works harder at than pretending to be a "real" person. Christie is comfortable playing himself. It doesn't feel as if he's reaching for a mental cue card with talking points every time he answers a question. And when he doesn't want to answer a question, Christie tells you, "It's none of your business." Lawyer, lobbyist, governor, perhaps, but the perception is that he is as real as real gets in major league politics. Even when you disagree with him, you rarely dislike him. That kind of public currency goes a long way.
He may not be what conservatives want, but he may be what they need.
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The rehabilitation begins.
But, of course, let us remember this scene RIGHT BEFORE THE ELECTION:
(http://newsbusters.org/sites/default/files/thumbnail_photos/2013/November/Obama%20and%20Christie.jpg?1383688368)
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The rehabilitation begins.
But, of course, let us remember this scene RIGHT BEFORE THE ELECTION:
(http://newsbusters.org/sites/default/files/thumbnail_photos/2013/November/Obama%20and%20Christie.jpg?1383688368)
No doubt that he's shot himself in the foot. Before that absurd display, he was almost as much of a likely nominee as Hillary is. Things change and while he's certainly a viable candidate, he has an uphill climb in the early primaries.
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The rehabilitation begins.
But, of course, let us remember this scene RIGHT BEFORE THE ELECTION:
(http://newsbusters.org/sites/default/files/thumbnail_photos/2013/November/Obama%20and%20Christie.jpg?1383688368)
I like the holding hands one:
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTs25PF0FC0tT8tcdb-V3bcg_xYAX0QikY7jFIPonq_ZBE59fCf)
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Christie will not play well, other than to liberals who, in the end, won't vote for him any ways because he's a republican, not a democrat. And then there's the stain of that bridge corruption investigation, which has gone criminal now.
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I like the holding hands one:
(https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTs25PF0FC0tT8tcdb-V3bcg_xYAX0QikY7jFIPonq_ZBE59fCf)
These pictures make my blood boil now just like they did on the day they were published and cost us the Presidency. :#@$%:
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These pictures make my blood boil now just like they did on the day they were published and cost us the Presidency. :#@$%:
Yep. Christie's behaviour before the election and his speech at the convention were certainly self-serving. I don't trust him.
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Christie will not play well, other than to liberals who, in the end, won't vote for him any ways because he's a republican, not a democrat. And then there's the stain of that bridge corruption investigation, which has gone criminal now.
Yeah, the only chance I see for him is if the Republicans go back into a circular firing squad as they did during the 2012 campaign and he ducks.
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Christie may be a good choice for governor for a state like NJ but as POTUS, nope. We could start with his gunphobic ways and go from there. Personally, I will never support anyone that doesn't believe in the most basic concept that people have a right to defend themselves.
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The media is going to try and pick our candidate for us AGAIN!
And why shouldn't they? After all we have let them do it so often in the past!
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Why not? They're smarter than us /s
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I've never done this before, but if Christie is the nominee, I'm staying home. That's a promise.
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The media is going to try and pick our candidate for us AGAIN!
And why shouldn't they? After all we have let them do it so often in the past!
Media plays a big role. But they don't vote; we do. What we get is what we vote for.
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I've never done this before, but if Christie is the nominee, I'm staying home. That's a promise.
Hillary hopes you do.
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Hillary hopes you do.
I'd much rather have a Democrat grab my gun than a pseudo Republican.
There is only one thing that you can say for certain about that fat tub of lard, he will do whatever is in his own best interest, to Hell with everything and everyone else.
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I'd much rather have a Democrat grab my gun than a pseudo Republican.
There is only one thing that you can say for certain about that fat tub of lard, he will do whatever is in his own best interest, to Hell with everything and everyone else.
A lot of folks said the same thing about McCain and Romney. Looking back over the past 5 years, I can't envision a scenario where either would have been worse than what we have today.
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A lot of folks said the same thing about McCain and Romney. Looking back over the past 5 years, I can't envision a scenario where either would have been worse than what we have today.
I held my nose and voted McCain. I honestly don't know if he would have been better than Obama I. It's close.
I was enthusiastic about Romney. I thought he was a capable administrator, who would govern to the middle, and bring us together, so we could all dislike him. I'm half kidding, but governing in the middle will irritate everyone at some point. And I'm ok with that.
Christie is a loud mouth bully who seems like Obama in a different form. No thanks. Not now, not ever, never.
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I don't find anything appealing or exciting about him. :shrug:
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I don't find anything appealing or exciting about him. :shrug:
Which is part of his problem with Republicans in general right now. Add to that his issues in New Jersey that are dogging him, and he's got to be a long shot at this point.