Chris Christie

Chris Christie The 2024 Republican Version Of Jon Huntsman In 2012 And John Kasich In 2016!

This author and blogger has always tried to find a Republican Presidential contender who he could consider “acceptable” if such candidate was to be the party nominee, and potentially win the Presidency.

So in 2012, former Utah Governor and Barack Obama’s Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman was seen as the “Best” choice of the opposition party, and seen as very competent and decent, although not preferred by this author and blogger over reelection of Obama. Of course, it turned out that former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney was the Republican Presidential nominee in 2012.

Then in 2016, it was clear to this author and blogger that Ohio Governor John Kasich was the “Best” choice of the 17 Republicans running for President. His record was not “preferable” over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, but like with Huntsman, Kasich came across as very competent and decent, over the eventual nominee, Donald Trump.

Now for 2024, while the Republican field of Presidential candidates is undesirable over the alternative of Joe Biden, it is clear that former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, particularly after last night’s CNN Town Hall, is by far the best choice of a horrible lot.

Christie is, however, far from as “decent” as Huntsman and Kasich were, and one almost wishes that either or both Huntsman and Kasich were running for President now!

But while disagreeing with Christie on many matters, he is strong in condemning Donald Trump, while no other Republican candidate is willing to do so, and he comes across as rational and reasonable.

However, the so called “Bridgegate” scandal that led to blockage of traffic on the George Washington Bridge between New York and New Jersey was a major stain on his record, and his brashness and bullying nature has some elements of Donald Trump.

And of course, he DID work with and support Donald Trump after his own failed candidacy in 2016!

This is more a case of looking for the candidate with the fewest evils, rather than the overall decency and competence of Jon Huntsman and John Kasich.

Christie is the least liked Republican candidate in the field, and is almost certainly to have very little chance of being the nominee, but again, in a field of terrible candidates, it would be “safer” for him to be the opponent of Joe Biden than anyone else in a horrendous field of candidates.

The sad situation that America is faced with in 2024 is that it is absolutely essential that Donald Trump never have a chance for a second term, and hopefully, Christie’s broad based attack on Trump will, at the least, prevent Trump from having the opportunity to be on the ballot at a time when he will be on trial for criiminal actions.

It is also urgent that the nation reelect Joe Biden as the only truly sane answer for the next term in the Presidency!

Crazy: Many Republicans And Right Wing Media Calling For Revolution And Sedition!

It is crazy and unbelievable to see many Republicans and Right Wing Media calling for revolution and violence because Donald Trump is facing prosecution for endangering national security by his illegal possession of highly sensitive documents at his Mar a Lago estate in Florida!

This craziness is being heard and seen on Fox News Channel, NewsMax, and on talk radio shows.

Among those advocting revolution, violence, and retribution, besides Donald Trump himself, are members of his family; failed Arizona gubernatorial nominee Kari Lake; right wing lunatic Mark Levin; Right wing activist Charlie Kirk; disinformation super spreader Alex Jones; Fox News Host Tucker Carlson; Donald Trump Jr’s fiancee Kimberly Guilfoyle; Arizona Congressman Andy Biggs; Georgia Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene; and a host of other extremists.

And Republican Presidential contenders, except for Chris Christie and Asa Hutchinson, are talking about pardons for January 6 insurrectionists and Trump himself, if any of them were to be elected President.

And top Republican leaders, at least in the House of Representatives, including Speaker Kevin McCarthy, are failing to realize how Trump endangered the national security of the US!

And Donald Trump, in two rallies since the announcement of the indictment, has promoted threats and violence against the prosecutor Jack Smith; the Department of Justice; and the FBI, making him “a clear and present danger” to the American government and nation!

Meanwhile, at least two former Trump Cabinet officers, Attorney General William Barr, and National Security Adviser John Bolton, have made it clear that the case against Donald Trump is very strong and powerful!

Mike Pence And Chris Christie Enter The Presidential Race

Between yesterday and today, two more contenders for the Republican Presidential nomination have announced their candidacies to challenge former President Donald Trump.

Former Vice President Mike Pence and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie have very little opportunity, as the situation stands at the moment, to be successful in their quest for the Presidency.

Pence will be on a CNN Town Hall tonight, and Christie is well known for having ability to speak up and gain interviews without any issues.

Christie will be the most critical of any Republican candidate, but Pence is expected to avoid much criticism of his former boss, wishing not to alienate MAGA supporters.

If anything, Christie might have more credibility than Pence, who comes across as very weak and unwilling to emphasize how his life was in danger on January 6.

But with the Republican Party demanding all participants in the first Republican debate on Fox News Channel on Wednesday August 23 to take an oath to support the party nominee, Christie might not be eligible to participate in party debates.

Mike Pence is trying to use evangelical Christians in Iowa to promote his candidacy, while Chris Christie is appealing to New Hampshire as his location to advance his candidacy.

First Republican Presidential Debate On Wednesday August 23 In Milwaukee

The first Republican Presidential debate is set for Wednesday August 23 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where the Republican National Convention will be held from July 15-18, 2024.

Wisconsin was the birthplace of the Republican Party in 1854 at Ripon, and the 170th anniversary of the party’s founding will be a moment of decision as to the future of the party that once had such luminaries as Abraham Lincoln, Theodore Roosevelt, Dwight D. Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan as its standard-bearers.

Whether Donald Trump will continue to dominate the Republican Party will determine if the party is on its last legs, meaning doomed to distinction.

Can Tim Scott, Chris Christie, or Chris Sununu save the party and its future, as they seem to be the “best” of a bad lot of potential nominees, but if they and others must follow through on a loyalty oath to back whoever the party nominee is, then the party is doomed!

The Republican Presidential Race Is About To “Explode” With Ronald Reagan Comparisons, Which Will Not Succeed!

The Republican Presidential race for 2024 is about to “explode”, with at least three, and possibly more, contenders about to announce by Memorial Day, and with the first Republican Presidential Contenders debate scheduled for sometime in August.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis; South Carolina Senator Tim Scott; and former Vice President Mike Pence (Indiana) are about to announce, and others–including former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie; New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu; Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin; and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem seem likely to join in the fray.

They will join former President Donald Trump; former South Carolina Governor and United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley; former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson; and former biotech executive Vivek Ramaswamy (an arrogant extreme right wing multimillionaire 37 years old without any government experience) in the race.

Many of the soon to be contenders are invoking the name and image of former President Ronald Reagan, failing to understand that none of them are really at all like Reagan.

But also, the Ronald Reagan “bandwagon” fails to realize the great damage that the 40th President did to America in so many ways, but at the same time his open mindedness on some issues, such as immigration reform, which is one of the horrendous sins of the present day Republican Party, the depth and extent of their nativism and racism!

Disney World And Ron DeSantis: The Destruction Of A Presidential Candidacy!

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis is engaged in a disaster and lost cause, fighting the power and economic influence of Disney World, which has 75,000 employees and creates 450,000 total jobs in the central Florida area.

Without the $1.1 billion in taxes paid by Disney, and the $4.7 billion in total economic influence of Disney, Florida would still be a “backwater”, which it was before Disney came to Florida and specifically Orlando.

Disney has come out against anti gay legislation which has put Florida into an extremist right wing image that will harm the state’s reputation.

To fight against a great corporate citizen which has done so much for the economic health of Florida is pure insanity!

Ironically, Disney has given so much money to Republicans, who have run Florida for a generation, so it is unfathomable why DeSantis is crazy enough to go after that company and affect the future of Florida.

And if Disney World was to leave Florida in the future, it would be an economic disaster for Florida, and if North Carolina’s bid for Disney World was to succeed, it would be a great economic boon for that state or any other state that would welcome Disney.

And if Nikki Haley, another Republican running for President, had her way, Disney would move to South Carolina!

Other Republicans, including Chris Christie, are also on the attack against DeSantis, so he is meeting his “Waterloo”, and no longer will have any serious opportunity to be the Republican nominee in the 2024 Presidential Election cycle!

For a Republican to oppose the corporate power of Disney is unfathomable, and for DeSantis to make a threat to build a prison next door, is pure insanity!

Can one imagine how families who bring their children to the most favored tourist site in America would react to such a lunatic idea as to build a prison near a tourist site?

To “mess” with Disney is suicidal and it will destroy any chance that Ron DeSantis will be the party nominee or President, as it indicates just how dangerous and authoritarian oriented this man is, really a combination of Anita Bryant and George Wallace on steroids!

The South Dominates In Potential Republican Presidential Contenders!

The American South was the area that revolted against the federal government, and seceded from the Union in 1860-1861, culminating in the American Civil War (1861-1865), with the Republican Party representing the Union cause, and the Democratic Party being dominant in the South.

The South remained strongly Democratic until the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed under Democratic President Lyndon B. Johnson.

Since then, most of the South has become strongly Republican, and promoters of white supremacy and Christian Nationalism, to the point that most of the potential Republican Presidential contenders in 2024 derive from the South!

These include the following:

Donald Trump, Ron DeSantis, Marco Rubio, and Rick Scott of Florida
Ted Cruz and Greg Abbott of Texas
Asa Hutchinson and Tom Cotton of Arkansas
Nikki Haley and Tim Scott of South Carolina
Glenn Youngkin of Virginia

These eleven Republicans are not all sure bets to run, but all have been rumored, although some seem to be backing away from doing so.

Other potential contenders come from the Northeast area of the US, including

Chris Sununu of New Hampshire
Chris Christie of New Jersey
Larry Hogan of Maryland

And finally, from the Midwest area of the US, we have such potential contenders as

Mike Pence of Indiana
Mike Pompeo of Kansas
Josh Hawley of Missouri
Kristi Noem of South Dakota
Adam Kinzinger of Illinois

And finally, we have Liz Cheney of Wyoming

The Presidential Election Campaign Of 2024 Has Begun!

With the new year 2023 upon us, the Presidential Election campaign of 2024 has begun!

It actually began when former President Donald Trump declared his candidacy on November 15, 2022, but with the last seven weeks having been a total disaster for any Presidential plans.

This is not just what the January 6 House Committee investigating the US Capitol Insurrection has recommended, criminal charge against Donald Trump.

It is much more than that, including even that his own daughter, Ivanka Trump, has made clear that she has no interest in being engaged in his campaign, as she was in 2016 and 2020!

The public support for Donald Trump has been deteriorating dramatically, and the odds are good that a multitude of Republican potential Presidential candidates will start announcing their campaigns soon.

Among them are likely the following:

Former Vice President Mike Pence
Former Secretary of State and CIA head Mike Pompeo
Former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis
Texas Governor Greg Abbott
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott
Texas Senator Ted Cruz
Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu
Former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan

And the two Republicans on the January 6 House Committee might also announce their candidacies:

Former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney
Former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger

In the mind of this author and blogger, while he would not vote for any of these in November 2024, the following would be seen at this point as “tolerable”, including if they actually won the White House, no special order:

South Carolina Senator Tim Scott
New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu
Former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan
Former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney
Former Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger

The most intriguing of this list of five would be, in the mind of this author and blogger, if either Larry Hogan or Adam Kinzinger ended up as the nominee!

Republicans Very Slow To Condemn Donald Trump Over Dinner With Nick Fuentes!

The Republican Party has been very slow to condemn Donald Trump over the dinner he hosted at Mar a Lago with supremacist, anti Semitic, and Holocaust Denier Nick Fuentes, as well as the looney Kanye West.

Former Vice President Mike Pence said Trump should apologize.

Mitch McConnell, Senate Minority Leader, said that the behavior was reprehensible.

Others made it clear they were uncomfortable, but would not say they thought an apology by Trump was required, including Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Tommy Tuberville, Senator Joni Ernst, and Senator Roy Blunt.

Former Governor Chris Christie, Governor Asa Hutchinson, Senator Mitt Romney, and Senator Bill Cassidy were stronger, but also did not insist on an apology.

Future likely Speaker Kevin McCarthy tried to defend Trump, while saying Fuentes and West should not have been invited to dinner at the White House.

Clearly, the Republican leadership lacks guts and principle, and continues to bow to the Fascist authoritarian Donald Trump!

The Republican “Donnybrook” Begins At Republican Jewish Coalition Gathering!

The Republican Presidential race has begun, with Donald Trump declaring his candidacy last week in a very uninspiring manner, and a whole slew of potential candidates showing up to display their “virtues” at the Republican Jewish Coalition gathering this past weekend in Las Vegas.

At least 21 potential Republican candidates are in the mix for 2024 at this point!

The potential candidates include those who worked for Trump, and those who looked the other way with his reckless, lawless behavior in office. It also included some who were neither category, but seem unlikely to make much traction!

Among those who worked for Donald Trump are former Vice President Mike Pence; former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo; and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley.

Among those who looked the other way are Texas Senator Ted Cruz; Missouri Senator Josh Hawley; Florida Senators Marco Rubio and Rick Scott; Kentucky Senator Rand Paul; and a number of Governors, including Ron DeSantis of Florida; Greg Abbott of Texas; Glenn Youngkin of Virginia; and Kristi Noem of South Dakota.

A third category are those who avoided embracing Trump, including former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie; outgoing Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson; and New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu.

Also, former Republican 2012 Presidential nominee and Utah Senator Mitt Romney; and Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney and Illinois Congressman Adam Kinzinger are truly anti Trump, and the latter two, of course, have served on the January 6 House Committee investigating the US Capitol Insurrection.

And an intriguing possility is African American Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina!