Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Many consider Chris Christie's Reputation Ruined


Many of Chris Christie's supporters are jumping ship after his support of fellow Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump. He recently decided to support the controversial candidate, and it has done nothing but hurt his career and make him look worse. A poll conducted has shown that his support has already dropped 6%, and probably more to come. And since his endorsement of Trump, he has been humiliated in a viral video being ordered by Trump, condemned by people around the nation, and had a disastrous interview. He has also been criticized for his complete 180, after spending a majority of his presidential campaign trashing Trump to suddenly being his errand boy. That does not reflect well on someone's political career. His supporting Trump has become somewhat of a joke on the internet now too, with people taking a picture of Christie and putting the caption "What have I done." Many who supported Christie are disappointed that he would support someone who is considered racist and ignorant. Maybe he thought if he joined the crew, he would be guaranteed a position in the cabinet or even V.P. if Trump were to get elected, but now many wouldn't support him 

What do you think? Is Christie done for? Is his political career ruined? Or will he ride Trump's wake right to the white house?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2016/02/29/chris-christie-is-now-ruined/
http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/02/politics/chris-christie-donald-trump-backlash/index.html


14 comments:

Ally said...

I think that Christie's decision to endorse Trump was a poor choice. Since the announcement, his job approval rate in the state is at 27 percent which is an all-time low. His once supporters and financiers are both confused and disappointed in this decision. Meg Whitman, the he national finance co-chair for his campaign, called his endorsement "an astonishing display of political opportunism." She is just one of the many who see this move as one of crass self-interest. It's easy to see through this as a means of achieving the vice presidential position on Trump's potential ticket. However, Trump is known to be unpredictable, and I can easily see him selecting a different VP. As seen in the now viral pictures of a stony-faced Christie behind Trump, he does not look happy or supportive. Once enemies, it still doesn't seem like the two are still not friends. For example, in a now viral video, Trump is seen telling Christie to “Get on the plane and go home” in an extremely awkward exchange. Many New Jersey citizens are fed up with their absentee governor who spent months attacking Trump yet now offered his endorsement. The Asbury Park Network called for his resignation or for the citizens of New Jersey to initiate a recall. I definitely think that his transparent, selfish, and opportunistic decision will not prove beneficial for his political career.

http://www.npr.org/2016/03/02/468875131/christie-stands-by-trump-as-new-jersey-supporters-wonder-why
http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/271074-trump-tells-christie-get-in-the-plane-and-go-home
http://www.app.com/story/opinion/editorials/2016/03/01/chris-christie-resign-recall/81162824/

Unknown said...

While I do not support or agree with Christie's decision to endorse Trump, I do see several reasons for why he ultimately decided to do so. First and foremost, Christie, along with the majority of Republicans would rather have Trump, who is most likely going to be the Republican nominee, in the White House as opposed Hillary Clinton. Therefore I think Christie saw this endorsement as helping to bolster Trump's already thriving campaign, with the hope of his support aiding in the general election next November. Additionally, while I would not say Christie and Trump are friends, they do have several ties to one another, especially in regards to the business Trump has in New Jersey. I see Christie making this move as an attempt to keep good relations between the two. Further, as Ally and Matt brought up, Christie very well did this in an attempt to secure the VP post. That said though I don't think that Trump will choose Christie for the VP position, especially given their less than pleasant past with one another, as well as the fact that Christie would not serve as a benefit to Trump's ticket.

Ultimately, I think Christie's endorsement will only serve to hurt his future political career, where we have already seen drops in his approval ratings and talk of recalling him as Governor.

http://fivethirtyeight.com/features/christies-endorsement-of-trump-totally-makes-sense/

Kyle said...

I agree with Ally. Once Christie saw that there was no chance he would become president, he dropped out of the race, but like a power-hungry leach, Christie is now trying to latch himself onto Trump in hopes that he might slither his way into a spot in the Cabinet if not the VP. It is okay to be ambitious as a politician, it's part of the job description, but when you start following around the big guy like his lap dog you show that you are week and selfish. Christie has definitely lost my respect and I would not be shocked if, as Ally said, the people of New Jersey recall Christie.

Anonymous said...

As Ally mentions, this all comes down to political opportunism. Christie is simply accepting what seems to be inevitable. Newspapers and press in Christie's home state are calling for his resignation, and he isn't doing very well in the polls. If he wants to preserve some scrap of political career, he's going to have to do something drastic. Ergo, Christie is going to have to brown nose Trump for favors. Christie might just ride Trump's coattails into the vice presidency or a cabinet position, possibly attorney general. He's just a desperate slime mold trying to secure a future for himself. It certainly isn't surprising, after all, this is politics.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2016/02/26/4-reasons-why-chris-christie-endorsed-donald-trump/
http://www.npr.org/2016/03/02/468875131/christie-stands-by-trump-as-new-jersey-supporters-wonder-why

Gursimar said...

Christie may justify his endorsement by saying Trump is the only Republican candidate who has a change against Hillary Clinton, but there’s no denying that Christie’s decision has cost him many supporters. The fact that he is supporting Trump after attacking him during his campaign seems staged—an opportunity to gain a position as Vice President. The governor said he didn’t even talk to Trump about being VP or U.S. attorney general if he won the election. Though Christie doesn’t agree with all of Mr. Trump’s stances, he does agree with his positions in terms of taxes, creating jobs and strengthening American leadership in the world. Christie said that part of his role is “to help the political novice to see his point of view”, and that Trump listens to him—after all, they’ve had a good personal relationship for the past 14 years. “I am the highest level endorser that Donald Trump has had. I’m the person with the most experience in governing that is in his circle,” Christie said on his New Jersey radio program. But no one is buying it. Based on a Fairleigh Dickinson University PublicMind Poll released today, 61 percent of New Jersey voters disapprove of the job Christie's doing as governor, and only 30 percent indicate that they approve of his job performance. Christie will definitely suffer from his decision to endorse Trump and unfortunately, it is unlikely that Trump will choose him as VP anyhow.

http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/03/christies_trump_endorsement_doesnt_sit_well_with_n.html
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2016/02/29/chris-christie-shrugs-off-trump-endorsement-blowback/

Unknown said...

I agree with Ally and Gursimar that Christie has lost many supporters by endorsing Trump and that this is likely bad news for his political career. Trump has been winning elections and Christie may have seen this as an opportunity to swoop in and take the Vice President position. However, he already upset the public with his Bridge Gate scandal last year and I highly doubt that Trump (if nominated) would select a person to be Vice President who has little public approval. Trump and Christie have never been close companions, especially when they ran against one another, and even though Trump can be unexpected it would be a true shock if he chose Christie as a cabinet member or Vice President. The vice president should help the candidate pull in demographics that might otherwise have been left on the fringe and Christie is unlikely to bring in a new demographic for Trump who already has the angry white male population covered. While Christie may not have completely sabotaged his political career, things are certainly not looking to good for him right now. He has become a target of public ridicule and is continually and consistently losing support from the public. Political scandals can be recovered from, but when the entire public begins to see a political figure as a joke and disliked person it is hard to change their mind. Overall, I see Christie as being in a bit of rough spot for his political career and unlikely to bounce back as Vice President or a member of Trump's cabinet (although lets hope that won't even be a possibility). #voteanyoneotherthantrump2016
http://www.npr.org/2016/03/02/468875131/christie-stands-by-trump-as-new-jersey-supporters-wonder-why

Unknown said...

Gwen, Ally and others have expressed that Chris Christie's Trump endorsement has lost him many support, as I agree with this I also believe that Chris Christie’s political reputation was ruined long ago. A man of several scandals, he has already lost his respect from numerous groups of people. He has continuously displayed immature behavior, for one, in 2013 when he colluded to create traffic jams on the upper level of the George Washington Bridge in what is now known as the Fort Lee Lane closure scandal. Christie had this ordered to give retribution to Fort Lee’s mayor, Mark Sokolich who didn’t endorse Christie in a 2013 election. Okay, so now with an understanding of his childish demeanor and lack of immaturity it’s difficult to comprehend he still has supporters. When Christie decided to endorse Trump I almost felt bad for him. To me, Trump is most likely using Christie as a tool in a political stunt to gain votes. I can guarantee he would would not have Christie in the White House, but is rather dragging him along his campaign trail for his own benefit. This in itself is awful, and I think serves as a representation of the disgraceful manner of this presidential race. I think it’s disturbing and disgusting that such a lack of dignity exists in a race to be the leader of one of the most respectable countries in the world. I fear for the day Trump stands on the podium and opens his mouth of bigotry and hatred, only to drown the voices of our freedoms that our founding fathers so greatly wanted to protect. And it is saddest to see that men and women, such as Chris Christie and Sarah Palin are openly supporting a man who advocates prejudice and hatred. I hope that such a leader will not take over a country like ours, dragging puppets like Christie along the floor with him.
http://abcnews.go.com/topics/news/chris-christie-bridge.htm

Anonymous said...

I think that it was a mistake of Christie’s to jump on the Trump ship because it was going from being more of a central republican than a radical conservative. By publicly supporting Trump like this, he not only shows the people that he contradicted himself but also that his ideals align with a very controversial candidate. This will probably hurt his ratings in his house state of New Jersey because it is a mainly Democratic state and him showing his radical support for a Conservative is going to make people reconsider before re-electing him into office. If he does ride Trump’s wake into the white house his political standings will not being same and he will never regain the same support from the community of followers that he has and the reputation he is trying to uphold as governor and a political position holder.

Anonymous said...

I definitely agree with Ally in her statement that Christie's decision to support Trump was poor. Furthermore, I do not think Christie realized how badly his support of Trump would affect his popularity. The fact that he has already dropped 6% in the polls is crazy! That number is only going to keep increasing as the presidential election drags on. I personally believe that Christie supporting Trump will do him more harm then good as he is already starting to receive humiliation over the internet. I agree with Amanda G and her thought that Christie did this in an attempt to secure the VP post. But, also agreeing with Amanda, I do not think that Trump will choose Christie as Vice President because of their past and the fact that Christie would not add balance or appeal to the Trump ticket. Therefore, I strongly believe that it is waste for Christie to publicize his support for Trump as it is only hurting his image and he is not likely to become his Vice President. It is a lose lose situation.

Anonymous said...

I also agree with Ally and Margot in saying that Chris Christie's decision to support Trump was not wise, and I do think it will impact his political career. Trump support has already fallen substantially, and if Christie is linked the Trump, it's only safe to say that he will drag him down with him. What I think is Christie's worse offense, however, is how his views on Trump completely flipped. Consistency is SO important when it comes to politicians, and it looks really bad on Chrisite's part to bad-mouth Trump for so long and no suddenly be his biggest fan. Christie may be doing all of this to secure the VP spot, but I have little faith that Trump would ever select him for the position. In summation, I think this was one of Christie's worst political moves and I do not think that he will benefit from this in the way he thinks he will. I would not go as far as saying his political career is ruined, because we see people bounce back from these things all of the time, but it was definitely not wise.

Unknown said...

I believe that Chris Christie's decision to endorse and support Trump was a terrible mistake because he looks like idiot now since about 2 weeks ago Christie was attacking Trump about his foreign policies and the background from which Trump came from. I believe that this will have severe consequences for Christie and will probably be the reason that his political career will go down the drain. By endorsing Trump, Christie exhibited the inconsistence that politicians should not show if he/she wants to have a lengthy and prominent political career. In addition, this kinda shows how desperate Christie looks since has always been wanting to move up in the ranks even if it destroys his reputation. I don't believe that Christie will get the nod to become the next Vice President, even if he tries doing everything and being a suck up for Donald Trump. Overall, I believe that this was a terrible political mistake that will haunt Christie's political career and will make some people think twice before reelecting him when it comes time for reelection.

Unknown said...

After Christ Christie dropped out of the Presidential Campaign about two weeks ago, he decided to endorse the frontrunner for the Republican party, Donald Trump. This doesn't come as much of a surprise, however a video surfaced of Trump and Christie meeting before one of Trump's victory speeches, and you can clearly hear Donald Trump say "Go home, the plane is over there". This was not taken as a token of friendship from Trump to Christie, but more as an insult. Furthermore, yesterday Christie was seen standing behind Trump, and had a facial expression as if he was reconsidering every decision he's ever made in his life. I think that Christie is shell-shocked from the effects of the campaign, and I think he is starting to realize that by endorsing Trump, it basically was the end of his political career. I also don't believe that Trump will consider Christie as a viable VP candidate.

maybesarah said...

As all of the other commenters have said, I definitely this was a career move for Christie rather than an ideological one. Also, Christie has always presented himself as a "shoot-from-the-hip" candidate and it's definitely possible to spin his Trump support to be him backing another person that is equally as loud-mouthed and opinionated. Christie has a bit of a strange reputation in general, even before his presidential bid. The incident with the bridge in 2013 came across as fueled by emotion and opportunism rather than sound, logical politics. I don't think that Christie could possibly have predicted the backlash that he received in his home state. I mean, all he had to do was drop out of the race and go home, but he chose to endorse a wildly and controversially popular candidate and, as a result, has rained calls for his resignation on his head. As my source says, "Christie's endorsement was supposed to return him to the national spotlight after he ended his presidential campaign much earlier than he had hoped. But it's instead turned into another embarrassment for a politician who was once a leading Republican at home and across the country." It's unlikely that Christie will ever recover from this embarrassment politically, unless something completely unexpected happens to Trump. For his sake, I hope Trump does reward him somehow for his support, otherwise I think he might just be done for. It's almost impossible to appear dignified while standing next to Trump, and even more impossible when you've previously disparaged him every chance that you've gotten.

http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-03-02/christie-s-approval-in-new-jersey-drops-after-trump-endorsement

King Pash said...

I agree with a majority of the users on this thread, in that Christie endorsing Trump turned out to be rather disappointing for the New Jersey governor. At first sight, I think Christie, as with anyone in the Republican party, was in fear of Donald Trump running away with the Republican vote. Thus, Christie took a 'if you can't beat em', join em' approach', in order to try and get ahead of the game and possibly earn some patronage points. However, in light of recent events, most profoundly Christie's blank gaze on Super Tuesday after multiple Trump wins, he is starting to realize he may have gotten a bit ahead of himself. I personally think that Governor Christie got caught in the glory of Trump's politcal domination and jumped right on the bandwagon. However, Christie clearly did not think of any implications. He definitely should have realized that he would lose out with much of the moderate Republican party, but he also should have known that he'd lose out in his generally liberal state. I believe his reputation, which was not notoriously great to begin with, has been further tarnished.


http://www.aljazeera.com/blogs/americas/2016/03/stages-republicans-grief-donald-trump-160303141355278.html