Chris Christie
(→See also) |
(→External links) |
||
| Line 30: | Line 30: | ||
===In summary=== | ===In summary=== | ||
He's an East Coast "big city" conservative cut from the same cloth as [[Rudy Giuliani]] and Ed Koch — big on [[national security]] and economic issues, but moderate-to-liberal on social issues and the environment, and while he has a reputation for being a boisterous, hot-headed "Jersey guy," in terms of his actual governance he's not nearly as confrontational as the [[Tea Party]] right. While he's still a Republican, he's one of the sane ones, which ''of course'' makes him a RINO. | He's an East Coast "big city" conservative cut from the same cloth as [[Rudy Giuliani]] and Ed Koch — big on [[national security]] and economic issues, but moderate-to-liberal on social issues and the environment, and while he has a reputation for being a boisterous, hot-headed "Jersey guy," in terms of his actual governance he's not nearly as confrontational as the [[Tea Party]] right. While he's still a Republican, he's one of the sane ones, which ''of course'' makes him a RINO. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | *[[Jon Huntsman]] | ||
==External links== | ==External links== | ||
Revision as of 14:09, 23 October 2013
Christopher James "Chris" Christie (b. 1962) is the current Republican governor of New Jersey. He attended college at the University of Delaware and Seton Hall University School of Law before becoming a partner in a law firm.[1] In 2002 Christie was appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of New Jersey by George W. Bush where he earned a reputation for cracking down on corruption and later went on to become governor of the state in 2010.[1]
Despite saying that he wouldn't run, there were many Republicans who wished to see the moderately conservative Christie run for their party's nomination for the 2012 election. Christie endorsed Mitt Romney for President, and gave the keynote speech at the Republican National Convention (the speech turned to be a plug for himself, somehow). There are currently rumours that he might try in 2016.
Contents |
Positions
The bad
Christie is pro-life and believes marriage should only be between one man and one woman,[2] vetoing a New Jersey same-sex marriage bill using the "public referendum" canard.[3] The state courts were in a wrestling match with him on this and he eventually had the decency to end his appeal.[4]
Like Scott Walker in Wisconsin, Christie believes that the way to improve public services, particularly education, is to smash the (already nearly dead) public sector unions. In this, he has an unusual ally — Stephen Sweeney, the Democratic leader of the state Senate and the head of a local ironworkers' union. So much for labor solidarity.
He supports lowering taxes farther than the record-low levels that they are now, and raising the retirement age for Social Security.[1]
He has staunchly defended the NSA's surveillance of American citizens, invoking 9/11 as his chief argument and claiming that the (civil) libertarianism of Rand Paul et al. was "a very dangerous thought."[5]
The so-so
Christie's environmental record is mixed. On one hand, he tried to weaken the state's Department of Environmental Protection on the grounds that it was killing businesses, and withdrew the state from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI).[6] On the other, he believes in green, renewable energy instead of offshore drilling, supporting tax credits for offshore wind farms and allowing the construction of solar arrays on farmland.[1] Yes, a Republican who believes in global warming, as hard as that may be to believe.
His drug policy is also a mixed bag. While he opposes medical marijuana and the liberalization of drug laws, he does support sending non-violent offenders to rehab rather than prison.
The good
Despite being a Republican, Christie isn't disturbed by others' religions and has thus earned respect from some liberals.[7]
Christie, as a New Jerseyan and a half-Italian American, has trashed the makers of Jersey Shore and blocked them from receiving $420,000 worth of tax credits to film in the state,[8] meaning that all production costs now have to come out of MTV's pocket. Sure, this may be keeping jobs out of the state, but do you really want to have anything associated with Jersey Shore on your resumé?
In the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy destroying the Jersey Shore, Christie put partisan politics aside and praised Barack Obama's handling of the recovery (on Fox News, no less), to the point where some felt that he was throwing Mitt Romney, who he had previously endorsed, under the bus.[9][10] He has now been effectively declared a RINO.[11]
While he opposes gay marriage (and even then, not enough to oppose a court ruling legalizing it in the state[12]), he otherwise has a decent track record on gay rights, including supporting civil unions and making New Jersey the second state (after California) to outlaw the use of reparative therapy on minors.[13]
In summary
He's an East Coast "big city" conservative cut from the same cloth as Rudy Giuliani and Ed Koch — big on national security and economic issues, but moderate-to-liberal on social issues and the environment, and while he has a reputation for being a boisterous, hot-headed "Jersey guy," in terms of his actual governance he's not nearly as confrontational as the Tea Party right. While he's still a Republican, he's one of the sane ones, which of course makes him a RINO.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 State of New Jersey: Governor Christie
- ↑ On the Issues: Chris Christie
- ↑ CNN: N.J. governor vetoes same-sex marriage bill
- ↑ As Gays Wed in New Jersey, Christie Ends Court Fight, The New York Times
- ↑ Cushing, Tim. "NJ Gov. Chris Christie: Opposing NSA Surveillance Is A 'Strain Of Very Dangerous Thought'." Techdirt, 31 July 2013.
- ↑ A program among all the Northeastern states (except Pennsylvania and, now, NJ) to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through a cap and trade program. Pennsylvania acted as an observer, as did the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick. More information here
- ↑ Christie on appointing a Muslim to a superior court. (Don't read the comments section if you want to maintain your faith in humanity.)
- ↑ "Governor vetoes tax break for 'Jersey Shore'." Reuters, 27 September 2011.
- ↑ Yahoo! News. "Hurricane Sandy: Is Chris Christie Throwing Romney Under the Bus?"
- ↑ Cassidy, John. "Romney Has a Christie Problem and a FEMA Problem." The New Yorker, 30 October 2012.
- ↑ Murdoch calls the whambulance
- ↑ Steve Peoples and Thomas Beaumont. "Chris Christie gay marriage move stirs GOP." Associated Press, 22 October 2013.
- ↑ Delli Santi, Angela."Chris Christie signs ban on gay conversion therapy." The Huffington Post, 19 August 2013.