The Teflon Governor

For months I have been scratching my head, trying to understand how New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has so quickly become such a darling in the Republican Party. I guess I am not alone, despite the fact that most of my fellow head-scratchers are his own constituents.

From The New York Times:

Mr. Christie’s record has not been unblemished. He botched an application for $400 million in federal education money at a time when he was cutting twice that amount.

And in December, Mr. Christie was at Disney World during a blizzard that paralyzed the state. He refused to apologize, saying he had kept in touch with the acting governor, Mr. Sweeney — but Mr. Sweeney said they never spoke.

Yet such gaffes have not transcended the state’s borders, while Mr. Christie’s YouTube rants against teachers and their union leaders have become widespread. Mr. Christie is less popular in New Jersey than with national Republicans: polls show that only about 50 percent of residents approve of his performance.

Where his poll numbers head now may depend on whether Mr. Christie can begin to show success in solving seemingly intractable problems like high property taxes before voters start to hold him responsible.

Also news this weekend that one of the Governor’s top political advisers is considering forming a federal political action committee because of “the extraordinary interest in the New Jersey governor.”
From Politico:

The newspaper reported that Palatucci was referring to a presidential exploratory committee, but in a statement to POLITICO shortly after publication of this article, Palatucci clarified that he was merely referring to a federal PAC — so-called leadership PACs that politicians use to raise money and contribute to other candidates.

"I never said nor did I intend to imply that I or anyone else was considering an exploratory committee," he said in the statement. "I was musing about creating a federal committee and this local reporter took it upon herself to think that meant an exploratory committee, not knowing the difference or what that would mean."

I know the Republicans have a WEALTH of budget-cutting, anti-teacher's union governors to choose from if that’s the profile they are looking to for 2012 (and beyond). Not sure this guy has the political experience and savvy of say, newly elected Gov. John Kasich from Ohio, but he certainly has the ego.  And he seems to be missing the hard-headed "meanness" we are seeing out of the Wisconsin State House with Gov. Scott Walker.

Now he has to keep from totally blowing it.  We'll see if he has it in him.