We have reached the latest nadir in the GOP race. Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey has endorsed The Donald for president. I say that it's only the latest low point because it seems that there seems to be no basement of the depths into which we are continually descending. I guess that the true, lowest point of our fortunes would be Trump's inauguration, but the situation would almost certainly worsen after that.
Do you remember how we all enjoyed Christie's roasting of Senator Rubio at the debate? We laughed heartily at the junior senator's misfortunes. The joke has now taken an unfortunate turn for the GOP establishment as Christie has added insult to injury by bombing out of the race, taking their last, best hope with him, and then endorsing their worst nightmare.
At their news conference on Friday, Trump and Christie took turns blasting Rubio for his "losing campaign." They painted him as a desperate candidate, trying his hardest to sustain the shape of his collapsing, mashed potato-volcano of a campaign. They expressed their mutual adoration and laughed at Rubio in equal measure.
This is a dramatic departure from Christie's previous rhetoric, in which he attempted to carry himself as the "tell it like it is" candidate. In January, Christie said of Trump, “Showtime is over. We are not electing an entertainer-in-chief. Showmanship is fun, but it is not the kind of leadership that will truly change America.”
Today, he said that Trump “will do exactly what needs to be done to make America a leader around the world again.” He was "proud" to endorse Trump, and thinks him "the best person to beat Hillary Clinton in November."
This sort of political flip-flopping is not, in my mind, the business of the once "no-nonsense candidate." Surely, he will profit from Trump's ascendance. Why else would he changing his stance so unabashedly? However, he says he has no plans to join the Trump administration. Christie said he plans to finish his term as governor, and then "go into private life and make money like Trump.”
Oh.
Christie's behavior begs the question: is he trying to burn the building down on his way out?
We can only wait and see.
How will Christie's endorsement affect the results of the upcoming Super Tuesday?
What is Christie's endgame?
Which are the most coveted remaining endorsements? Can they sway the popular support to anyone other than Trump?
http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2016/02/26/chris-christie-endorses-donald-trump/
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-trump-idUSKCN0VZ2I7
http://time.com/4239215/chris-christie-donald-trump-endorsement-twitter/
7 comments:
In my opinion I do not think Christie's endorsement will have considerable effect on the results of the upcoming Super Tuesday. Christie had some support but not enough to make too much a difference. Also, it looks like Trump would do unfortunately well with or without Christie's endorsement, as he has been winning in states by a considerable amount. The only benefit this endorsement may bring is some East Coast approval but, for the most part, all it will do is add fuel to the fire of inappropriate insults that have erupted between candidates. As rubytuesday mentioned, Trump and Christie have teamed up to insult Rubio's campaign, feeding off of each others immature jabs at Rubio's weaknesses like school children. The actions of these two will only further contribute to the showman-like appearance of Trump and his campaign. As for Christie's endgame, I think he's in it for the money. He sees his supporting Trump as an opportunity to gain support of all the people who are already supporting Donald as well as a chance to profit, both in political standings and financial. As for what endorsements are left, the only person I can think of who may sway some votes is Obama. If Obama goes public to express his discontent of Trump or preference in Cruz or Rubio we may see Trump loose some supporters, but then again maybe not because Republicans may not take a democrat's opinion into much consideration. Ultimately only time will tell what happens because as of now Trump's lead is (somehow) strong enough that he may be the one to face off Clinton or Sanders in November.
http://time.com/4239215/chris-christie-donald-trump-endorsement-twitter/
I agree with Mia in that Chris Christie's endorsement to Trump should not have considerable effect on the results of the upcoming Super Tuesday. However I consider his endorsement rather a wake up call to people who have doubted the legitimacy of Trump's run for the presidency. It seems that just months ago, Donald Trump's announcement that he would "Make America Great Again" was a joke to us all, however we now hear that phrase like a siren in our ears. Trump's campaign is more than legitimate and little by little we are realizing this. Chris Christie has done just that. A candidate that recently dropped out, with interest in the government, has placed full trust and reliance toward Trump's plans for this country. This has proved to the American people that significant trust by a person involved in government has been placed in Trump's hands. Which raises the question to the people; does this make him a reliable candidate? Mia also discussed that Trump unfortunately will do well no matter if Chris Christie announced his support of his campaign or not. Trump’s success thus far has been a shock to many, and to those who underestimated this have become more familiar with how real Trump’s run is with Christie’s endorsement. As rubytuesday mentioned, the teaming up of Christie and Trump against Marco Rubio however may have an impact on Super Tuesday. If a candidate effectively insults a candidate, with support of others, it may make the candidate, such as Rubio, appear weak and defenseless. This is really the only way I see Christie’s endorsement affecting the polls. Otherwise I believe his announcement in supporting Trump’s campaign has done nothing but effectively shown the public that people in the government are supporting him and unfortunately, his campaign is nothing short of legitimate.
Ever since Governor Chris Christie declared his bid for presidency, most people knew he would not come close to winning the Republican nomination. That being said, Christie made some noise at some of the debates but was unable to ever really gain momentum. Furthermore, it was no surprise when Christie dropped out of the race, given the fact that he was receiving less than 5% in the polls. That being said, it is highly likely that most of the people who supported Chris Christie will wind up voting for Donald Trump. This comes as no surprise really, and Christie's endgame is he is a contributor to the Donald Trump campaign for presidency. Although Christie is a great public speaker, most Americans know he is not the right man for the job. The remaining big name Republican candidates are Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, and Ben Carson.
I agree with mia and Caroline 8, that Christie's endorsement of Trump will have a very minimal affect on the upcoming primaries. Although many of Christie's supporters may end up voting for Trump, he did not have a very strong support so this will not have a big affect on the results. In addition, it is likely that his supporters would have already jumped on the Trump train as they have shown similarities in some of the debates as brutally honest speakers. I honestly think that Christie does not truly favor any of the Republican candidates, but he thinks Trump is the only one with a chance of defeating Hillary, who he does not want elected. This is a fair point for anti-Clinton voters, as much of the Republican support is divided among the numerous candidates. None have the widespread support that Clinton splits with just one other Democratic candidate. Now that Christie is out of the race, he is simply interested in choosing the candidate that will bring him the most money.
I agree with everyone else when I say that Christie's endorsement will literally mean nothing. If a popular candidate such as Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio were to drop out and subsequently advocate their support for Trump, this would have a much greater effect because these candidates were popular among GOP voters and their opinions would be quite influential. However, Christie was never a popular candidate, constantly polling in the single digits, and so unlike when he jumps into a swimming pool, Christie's endorsement will not have a dramatic impact. Many argue that Christie's announcement may sway the opinions of his home state of New Jersey or other East Coast states, but I believe that that is unlikely; Christie's approval rating as governor was found to be a mere 33% at the end of January, and so it is not likely that his constituents will be more inclined to vote for Trump because of his endorsement. Republicans across the country are voting for Trump because they feel betrayed by their party, and Christie is exactly the kind of establishment politician that has alienated conservatives.
Although he claims that he wants to leave politics after his governorship has ended, I can't help but feel that Christie wants something in return from Trump. He was an attorney prior to entering politics, and so he may be hoping that an endorsement could give him a leg up in say, a nomination for Attorney General under (dare I say) President Trump. That's just my take on it, though.
While Christie's endorsement means nothing to most GOP voters, there are many high-profile Republican leaders whose endorsements could sway the electorate. Speaker of the House Paul Ryan, for example, has been popular among many Republicans, and his endorsement of a candidate could very well have an effect on the outcome of the race, especially since he has been vocal in his dissatisfaction with Donald Trump. Likewise, other prominent Congressional Republicans such as Orin Hatch could also make an impact through their announcements but perhaps the most coveted endorsements of all would come from George W. Bush and Richard Cheney, the former president and vice president of the United States.
Source for my previous comment:
http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/24/politics/chris-christie-approval-ratings-new-jersey/
Ruby,
I think Christie's end-game is clear. He is a political mercenary, and he sees Trump as a potential winner and is trying to position himself for a potential high office or cabinet position. All in all, it makes sense that Christie is endorsing Trump since they share the same "biggest voice in the room" and "tell it like it is" mantra. I don't really think this made much of a difference in Trump's dominant showing on Tuesday, but I think that it is note-worthy that long-tenured politicians are now all aboard the Trump Train. However, I believe with KittyCat's above comment that endorsements from party hierarchy members such as Ryan and McConnell will matter more in the long run. I believe that they will end up endorsing loyal, foundational party members such as Rubio or Cruz (whichever of them is still alive).
According to a recent New York Times article, the image of Christie pledging fealty to the King has not sat over well with the American people. In the article, it says that the media and internet ha "skewered" him, referring to him as a "doorman," or a "panting dog" standing by Trump, his owner.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/03/us/politics/chris-christie-donald-trump.html?_r=0
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