Christie for President! Wait... What?

Now, if you are an independent-minded voter in the U.S. and a fiscally conservative-leaning type like me, you may hope to see John McCain rise from the dead, or Liz Chaney announce her candidacy, but the truth is that the soul of the Republican Party in the U.S. is buried right next to John. And through its actions against Liz, have shown its willingness to stay there.

Most all the current (July 2023) GOP candidates for the 2024 nomination are pandering cowards that fear alienating the berating imbecile Donny Trump’s cult members. All except one: Chris Christie. 

Let’s get this straight, I’m not a huge fan of Christie’s politics. He’s too far right for me on abortion and gun control. But he does understand how to attack deficit spending - and he’s intellectually a Rhodes Scholar compared to Trump.  He also shows some ability to distinguish between right and wrong.

He has been in the role of never-Trumper attack dog since he entered the race. Focusing on telling it like it really is on Trump. For all his efforts he is not popular with the cult.  

“The people in the Republican Party, and quite broadly across America, are tired of having political candidates who are snake oil salesmen who just don’t tell them the truth, who tell them whatever they think they want to hear at the moment,” Christie - on Fox News.

Boy, he nailed that one. 

Christie is polling at only about 2.5% among likely GOP voters, but he has raised some serious cash. Those that bankroll him are likely more interested in his ability to make Trump lose focus on the issues than they are in seeing Christie get nominated. Myself included.

To secure a spot in the Republican primary debates starting in August, the GOP candidates will have to get 40,000 contributor donations and poll above 1% in either three national polls or two national polls and one state poll. He is likely to make the cut.

That’s the next test for me. Can Christie play hardball with Trump standing next to him? Trump has no problem bullying, ridiculing, and demeaning an opponent to their face. He has no sense of ‘fair play’ or common rules of conduct. He’s a loudmouth that some people just love to hear no matter what he says. They love the boasting, childish name-calling, and venom he displays. It helps them digest their beer, I guess. To the cultists, he’s just a party animal. In the White House he is a danger to all we hold dear.

So, let’s ensure Chris gets his chance to go where other candidates fear to tread. The first GOP debate is on August 24th, 2023 in Milwaukee. The second will be in Simi Valley - date TBD. 

There’s already some rumbling that Trump may be a no-show for the first debate. If it's for fear of Christie… I would not be surprised. I would also give Chris the credit for his absence. Nothing could make Trump more upset. Which is exactly the point.