My local paper, the Hackensack Chronicle, ran an article this week on Chris Christie’s entrance into the Governor’s race (Note: I’m trying to remember the same type of front page article on Steve Lonegan…oops, nope they didn’t have one. But I digress). Anyway, I read with interest as I am continually looking for more evidence that Mr. Christie is a conservative Republican and not a moderate.
Unfortunately, though, the more I read the more I am worried that Chris Christie is just another Republican in the mold of Christie Whitman (you can just hear him being referred to as ‘Chris Christie Whitman’ soon enough).
Here are some examples I find troubling:
Today our problems are not Republican or Democrat problems, so our solution must rise above partisan politics as well.
What kind of utter mush is this? Certainly, all Jerseyans are effected by the problems that we are now having, but these problems have been mostly the responsibility of Corzine and the Democratic machine in Trenton. For the past decade they have run the state into the ground and this is all he can muster up as the supposed leading Republican candidate?
The article also mentions some of Christie’s broader positions:
Regarding, New Jersey’s problems, Christie stated that if elected, he would push a four-year plan designed to cut state spending, reprioritize budget issues, lower income and business taxes, improve the state’s regulatory environment and supplant a divisive state affordable housing problem.
Now, I have already registered my dissatisfaction with Mr. Christie’s stance on COHA (See here). I’ve heard words like “gut” and “supplant” now, but what I don’t hear is “kill” or “abolish.” So, I have no reason to believe at this point that Mr. Christie is committed to getting rid of this destructive policy that is bankrupting the state.
Another issue that I had yet to hear from Mr. Christie on also caught my attention: consolidation of New Jersey’s smaller towns and municipalities.
Christie said that he would encourage town consolidation or shared services, but would not “force consolidation.”
Now, I’ve also previously detailed by staunch opposition to consolidating towns (See here). In my view, these just leads to more government and less democracy. It’s not a solution; it’s a band-aid that doesn’t address the real problem, which is too much spending in Trenton.
Yet, here Mr. Christie makes it plain that he does not support ‘home rule.’ Nor does he seem to grasp that it is not the real solution. If he were truly committed to cutting state government and spending we would not to start going down this road of consolidation.
Lastly, Mr. Christie had some things to say about being able to overcome partisanship and special interests.
I will be strong enough to say ‘no’ to the entrenched partisan interests and open-minded to listen to new solutions…And I promise you that I will put aside the divisiveness and bitterness of old-style politics to open a new day of trust.
Considering that Christie is the darling of the Republican establishment in New Jersey, one wonders how he will stand up to them. And it’s great to be open-minded to solutions, but it would be nice if with less than 4 months until primary day that he’d start being a bit more specific about his own solutions.
As my friend Michal Illions points out at Conservatives with Attitude!, it would also be nice for Mr. Christie to agree to start debating the issues against his Republican rivals, Steve Lonegan, Richard Merkt and Biran Levine.
The voters deserve to hear all the candidates so that they can make an informed and wise decision. They shouldn’t be subjected to a candidate that is evasive and is only being propped up by the party’s establishment because they think he is most electable.
Cross-posted at Red County.
