Whoever wins independents wins elections

Prominent nj democrats who endorsed him should be ashamed of themselves

First, even if they had endorsed his opponent or remained silent, Christie was going to win big. Second, that Christie is a vengeful bastard and they didn't want to get into a situation where they had extra hoops to jump through as they rebuilt their cities and towns from Sandy damage.

doesn't that mean they sold out then?

NJ politics have always been more tactical than strategic and more practical than pure.

Love it or hate it, it's the way things get done here. Party purity (GOP or DEM) will get you and your constituents nowhere and nothing.

Just saying.

I think the Democrats throwing the Democratic candidate under the bus in NJ was appalling and it speaks volumes about the Democratic leadership.

and has every right to be upset and outraged at her treatment by NJ Democratic Party Elders.

i think everyone gave up the governorship as a lost cause long before she even declared.

NJ can be and has been reliably blue, but it seems no one had the stomach for this fight for some reason.

as if he were some middle of the road savior. I hope you are correct in your analysis. I'm afraid we created another W.

to moderate Democrats and the few non whack job republicans left in the country. The hope is that Christie get taken out in a primary or is such damaged goods coming out of a primary that he will be a sitting duck in the general. Matthews recognizes that Christie is smart and paints a good, but incorrect image of himself - stating that is ass kissing to some people but just a statement of a reality that Democrats must have an answer for to other people, including Matthews.

And boy, a tongue bath from Tweety is a thing to behold.

Spectacular owl, but poor little chicky.

"This is the same ghastly strategy that aided and abetted the rise of C-Plus Augustus in Texas. It was their one opportunity to bloody him up, to wound him with ridicule until he (predictably) explodes, before the tingle rises up Chris Matthews's leg. That was worth anything they could have spent. And what campaigns, precisely, elsewhere in the country, was the Democratic party spending its money on that were so important that they took precedence over blowing out at least one tire on the Christie bandwagon? If you can't learn from the mistakes you made that helped elect George W. Bush, an intervention is clearly called for."
http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/The_Lessons_Of_The_Past_Forgotten

See this DU thread http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023983979

these people demonstrate time and time again they do whatever they are told to do. These are the same people that in the 1990s push Romney care solutions for health insurance and in the 2010s fear Obamacare. Why, because they are told to. They don't think, they fear, and they do as they are told.

The only question is if the small deep pockets of Republican money will all back Christie or will you get a three way split like last election. Each money man pushing their collective idiot and trashing the other. Those are the people Republican party people worry about. The average likely Republican voter... not so much.

The thing Democrats worry about is the Christie seems to be attracting moderate voters votes. These are people that have nothing to gain from Christie but appear to be buying into his image.

Well stated, indeed.

And if Limbaugh loathes him.... The ditto heads won't vote for him.

While they may loathe him today, they'll love him if he's their candidate.

This happens over and over and over again.

Most recently, Romney - Loathed in the primary, loved once he won the primary, then loathed again when he lost.

These people do not have political positions as such. They just hate liberals, and will go whatever route they think will hurt liberals.

Look at the Alabama Congressional primary … a solid red district was given the choice between a very conservative establishment candidate (where Christie will position himself) and an equally conservative tea-party guy (where christie’s primary opposition will be) … the tea party guy lost by 4 (4,000 out of 70,000+ votes). This was/is a close enough loss for the tea party to maintain the illusion of relevancy. And I actually heard this morning (on right-wing drive radio) that Young’s problem was that he did not distinguish himself as being the true conservative … IOW, he was not crazy enough!

Add to this: beck and the lunatic right have been selling “defund the gop”, “vote your principles” narrative for months and it’s resonating with the tea party. To illustrate this, a recent beck broadcast found ann coulter and beck arguing opposite strategies, with beck calling for the tea party (and “true conservatives”) to with-hold their votes for any and all establishment, non-cruz like candidates, across the board; while coulter was arguing for the right to “hold their nose” and vote for the republican nominee, especially in competitive/vulnerable areas, in order to win elections. {I was disheartened to witness these exact same arguments on DU, but I digress …}

And the callers ran 5 to 1 (my estimate) for beck’s “Purity of Principle” position … but then, it was beck’s show.

If Christie wins, he will be such damaged goods that anything but a asleep Democrat will dismantle him in the general. Don't expect the likes of Santorum, Cruz, Rubio and several of the other republican rightwing knuckleheads to stand down for Christie.

-- differently but badly nonetheless. Boy, there is bitterness out there about how some prominent Dems abandoned her and either backed Christie or just sat it out.

And I won't forget the national leadership OR state leadership abandoning her. I will never give to a national Democratic or 'State' Democratic fund again. No way -

I'll pick my candidates as I see fit.

Moderates or candidates who pretend to be moderates like Christie does are far more dangerous. They get independent voters.

He's a very conservative religious right winger & 1%er who loathes working people and who kneels down for big money and gives them "mouth" service daily. He's not an idiot like the teahadists, so in reality is more dangerous. Hillary is going to have to really be on her game to beat him, but think she can do it.

I just like the guy as a person. If he was a democrat I'd vote for him.

I watched his speech last night and he is good and at least on the surface comes across as a straight talker - an attribute people love. While he distanced himself from the Tea Party nuts by not wading into the Virginia governor's race, I wonder if he gets the nomination if he will throw up a cuckoo bird for V.P. to appease the far right. I honestly think that is what sank both McCain and Romney. Christie may have enough political skill to cover for a cuckoo bird V.P. candidate, but for some reason, I'm thinking he picks a more moderate Republican to win the independents and right leaning democrats. He would be hard to beat.

But all that is probably moot because I have doubts as to whether the Republicans will actually allow someone who at least appears normal to be their candidate. I bet they triple down on the stupid and cut their own throats.

because from where I sit the lack of a real race against Christie by the Dems was sooooo stupid! They handed fat boy 2016. HE COULD ACTUALLY WIN. had they just run a loop of clips of Christie cursing people out and being the big disgusting a-hole he is we would have at the very least damaged him a bit. Why the hell didn't they even try?? i sooo hope the idea that Cruz and the likes will win the repub nom instead of him is true. But these rich republicans are getting tired of losing and they may calm the tea freaks out. I think they are in control of them all still. They run their news organization. Although the john birch hardcore racists do hate Christie though. I still feel like we wasted the opp to have a bunch of ads out there hurting him and ready to go to run against christie in 2016. It was a wasted election and I am pissed at the dems!

Welcome to DU!

We had an opportunity to weaken him - but there's only so much we can do from WITHIN the state. We needed national help - and it never came.

And I'm one of those who is officially sick and tired of the Democratic Party taking us for granted. If Christie runs for President - He wins NJ. Because Buono was a PERFECT Democratic Candidate. FLAWLESS. And it's not just indies - it was Dems who voted for him last night.

It just seemed like we gave up.

Given the corruption on NJ politics, almost makes you wonder who got promised what!

(oh -and welcome to DU from a fellow NJite!)

It was a big mistake to allow Chris Christie to win this so easily. I actually think Buono could have won with some serious support from the Democrats.

Makes people not want to go along with the tea party.

And I'm not saying that he's not a force to be reckoned with, but he is going to be the whipping boy of every other GOP candidate for president as well as the religious nutjobs for "giving up" the fight against marriage equality in New Jersey. It will be interesting to see how his temper handles being attacked from all sides.

TlalocW

for some strange reason approve of the job he's doing.

Honestly, they each did what they were supposed to do, what they were elected to do under those circumstances.

This wasn't some master chess game--it was responsible governing.

it was ALSO Chicago politics and New Jersey politics.

How?



http://www.politico.com/politico44/2012/11/obama-connects-springsteen-with-christie-148520.html



[font size="1"](Never underestimate the underbelly of "politics". A "weakness" was discovered and exploited, and a handshake ensued)[/font]

Tea Partiers are not going to unite behind Christie. They will be divided.

Just like Romney, they will loath him in the primary, but if he wins the primary they will love him. Because the only thing they need to love him is for him to not be a Democrat.

Sure, they're back to loathing Romney, but that's because he lost.

...the Tea Party memo would have been "he lost because he wasn't conservative enough". Now they are just grasping at straws...

Cucc...lost because of out of state money and no name recognition.

Young lost because of money...

This continues the infighting on their part which will weaken them in the short term. Something the establishment I believe was trying to avoid and assumed that the nut-wing would fall in lock step. Which of course, didn't happen and now they have to face the challenges in their own party.

But if you notice, their is a common theme here...money...they need it to win...but for whatever reason, are ignoring it an insisting "grass roots efforts" will win the day. They actually think that the Tea Party was grass roots only and didn't have big money backing.

With any luck, maybe we will see opportunist Republicans move to the center and Tea Party types thrown out via Dem or Republican primary for 2014.

Call me a dreamer, actually hoping Obama gets a Congress of Democratic Reps or at the least Rep's willing to *gasp* compromise, that will work with him the last couple of years of his presidency.

Christie is a radical conservative homophobe. The Democratic Party of NJ should be ashamed of itself.

I would say that the Republicans have had him in "check" for the last 5 years

...in a presidential election. If Democrats vote for this moron then they get what they deserve.

A few Southern States for him. They are very good buddies you know. . .

Do you realize that the "chessmaster" bit negates protests of "the Republicans blocked everything he tried!" because such a grandmaster would have accounted for that, right? Especially since they didn't make a secret of it.

The teabaggers may curse him as a traitor and RINO, but if they face a choice of Christie vs their fantasy-monster-caricature of Hillary (Godz-Hillary?) I wouldn't bet on them bolting just yet. I'd love to see it happen, but to paraphrase Yogi Berra, that hasn't happened until it's happened.

and Cali as well. Texas is turning purple. .

Texas turns purple and you've got CA -

I think NJ, PA, and Ohio (possibly MI) would go for no nonsense, brash, guy from down the block Christie.

Buono was FLAWLESS. But still - he beat a solid flawless Democratic candidate in a Blue State.

I'm watching what happened here last night and I'm convinced - 2016 is not ours. It's theirs. And Christie is the guy.

I love this!!! kisses...no hug..... Oh, well, okay....come here you big lug.

Never call a loss a loss. You can ALWAYS blame it on SUPERIOR SECRET STRATEGY, that can't be evaluated.

Family all killed in a head-on collision? God's plan. He works in mysterious ways, we'll get it later, maybe.

Last edited Wed Nov 6, 2013, 03:14 PM - Edit history (1)

There were other factors involved, including the fact that he held the election to replace Frank Lautenberg on another date. No doubt many of the people who ran out to vote for Cory Booker a few weeks ago stayed home yesterday.

But, yeah, this has divided the GOP. It will be interesting to see if some teabaggers pursue the allegations in the latest "Game Change II" book regarding all the skeletons in Christie's closet. If they don't, the Dems damn had better.

George W. Bush, that "campassionate conserativve" that was able to convince the snake handlers and Klan rubes to lay low long eonugh to get in the office.

The Christie win (and the Alabama republican primary) will, likely, destroy the republican party as the beck/tea-party/lunatic wing of the modern gop is in open rebellion. But I disagee that President Obama “helped” Christie win … unless sitting back and not endorsing Buono until very late in the day is considered helping Christie.

Should HRC (or whoever the Democratic nominee might be) be considered with a Christie Whitehouse run? I think, not overly so. Look at the exit polling for Christie … he won with 32% of the Democratic vote, 31% of the Liberal vote, and 25-ish% of the African-American vote. This kind of support (from the traditional Democratic base) is highly unlikely to hold, nationally.

Further, I doubt Christie will survive the modern gop primary system … While he is a deceptively solid conservative and he has all the bluster, so loved by so many, the modern gop (at this point in time) is looking, not for a solid conservative; but rather, the image of the “unswerving” conservative … an image that Christie shot to hell by hugging President Obama.