The worst President of the modern era truly is the gift that keeps on giving:
After months of hedging, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is giving serious thought to jumping into the ring for a GOP presidential run — and could make his decision next week, The Post has learned.
The announcement may come as soon as Monday, said sources familiar with Christie’s thinking.
The renewed consideration about a White House run came after prodding this week from some Republicans he idolizes, including former First Lady Nancy Reagan, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and former President George W. Bush, sources said.
When you’ve got Henry Kissinger and George W. Bush on your side, you know you must be doing something morally bankrupt right!
If the New York Post article is correct, however, it seems that it isn’t only the pleading and ego-stroking of disgraced former denizens of the White House that’s got Christie close to taking the plunge, but the ostentatious display of hero-worship the Governor enjoyed in the Q&A following his speech this week:
Christie pals said the pol’s “mind-blowing” experience at the Reagan library in California Tuesday changed his thinking.
“We need you. Your country needs you to run for president,” one woman pleaded after Christie’s moving speech there.Yet when the governor first arrived at the Reagan library, he was still telling his inner circle he was a definite “no” for a presidential run — and planned to make that clear in his appearance.
Something changed that night, sources said.
The article goes on to note that Christie’s wife has been assured by Laura Barbara Bush* that a campaign for President really isn’t quite the bubonic-plague-like destroyer of a family that she’d been lead to believe. That’s good to hear—after all, what is the Bush clan if not the epitome of a healthy, functional, sane family?
I’m still somewhat skeptical Christie is going to actually do this, partially because I don’t take anything the Post writes at face value and in no small part see the raft of Christie-to-run stories its published lately as attempting to create reality, as it were. After all, Christie’s A-number-1 fan is Roger Ailes; and while Ailes doesn’t technically run the Post, you’re kidding yourself if you don’t think he’s got major influence over it.
However, I do think it’s more likely now that Christie will actually do it. For one, these people are all enormously insecure and egomaniacal (an awesome combination) and I’ve no doubt that this tidal wave of adulation has reduced Christie’s ability to resist considerably.
What’s more, he’s gotta know that his chances of winning reelection in New Jersey are very slim—he’s managed to piss off basically every major constituency that a Republican needs to at least placate to win in a state that liberal. And, if he runs, he’ll probably not have to do too much with the experience problem—at least not until the general election—since the Obama precedent takes the wind out of those sails somewhat (never mind the cognitive dissonance of backing an inexperienced candidate in order to undo the damage wrought by…an unexperienced candidate).
But while my sense of whether or not he’s going to actually do this has changed, by belief that it would be a major mistake remains unchanged. There’s a long list of reasons why Christie shouldn’t do this—almost as long as the list of his idols’ failures.
*[h/t to MarkZ in the comments for catching this mistake]
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