What Mitt Really Thinks About Jebbie and Christie

“But those familiar with Romney’s thinking as he’s been contemplating a run and over the years say that he has held a jaundiced view of the former Florida governor dating all the way back to his handling of the Terri Schiavo case, and has come to see Bush as a non-entity in the 2016 nomination contest. Romney is said to see Bush as a small-time businessman whose financial transactions would nonetheless be fodder for the Democrats and as terminally weighed down with voters across the board based on his family name. Romney also doesn’t think much of Bush’s political skills (a view mocked by Bush’s camp, who say Romney is nowhere near Bush’s league as a campaigner).  Romney also considers Bush the national Republican figure who was the least helpful to him during his last run for the White House, a position that has darkened Ann Romney’s view of Bush as well.

“Romney and Christie became friends in the last cycle, but Romney nevertheless has dismissed his pal as a non-factor. Thanks to the 2012 veep vetting process, Romney became intimately familiar with some of the less publicized controversies from the New Jersey governor’s past, and believes that several of those flaps would mushroom so broadly that Christie soon would be eliminated from consideration by voters and donors.”

From “How Mitt Romney Made His Decision Not To Run,” Mark Halperin, Bloomberg Politics

Perfect!

Over at Talking Points Memo, Josh Marshall calls governors Andrew Cuomo and Chris Christie “Holiday Inn Express epidemiologists.”

 

The New Ebola Battle

The new Ebola battle isn’t between health care workers and the disease itself, but between the federal government and the states.

The Obama Administration is pushing New Jersey governor Chris Christie and New York governor Andrew Cuomo to rescind their mandatory 21-day quarantine for anyone arriving from West Africa who has had contact with Ebola patients.  Their quarantine announcement took the feds (and New York City) by surprise.

Meanwhile, Illinois and Florida have joined the quarantine.

Good luck getting Christie or Cuomo to budge.  Christie is running for president and can’t be seen as caving to Obama.  Cuomo is up for re-election in a week and can’t be seen as weak and indecisive, as pushed by Christie and then pulled by Obama.  He may also run for president, so he has to seem tough.

Yup, They’re Running

We know that Rick Perry and Chris Christie are running in 2016 because they are making decisions purely out of fear of pissing off primary voters.

Perry refused to meet President Obama at the airport in Texas tomorrow, as governors traditionally do, because God forbid he should be photographed shaking the President’s hand.

And Christie vetoed a bill that would have reduced gun magazines in New Jersey from a maximum of 15 rounds to 10, because God forbid a mass shooter should have to re-load more often, giving his victims a chance to run.  Nah, much more important for Chris to run.

The Perry thing is just silly, but the Christie thing is sad.

Wildstein Sings

If you’re in Newark, that singing you hear coming from the U. S. Attorney’s office is David Wildstein trilling to prosecutors all about Bridgegate.

His tune is the swan song of Christie 2016.

Quote of the Day

“Either sit down and keep quiet or get out of here.  We’re done with you.”

Chris Christie to a heckler at a town hall in New Jersey.

Actually, Chris, we’re done with you.  And don’t let a piece of the World Trade Center hit you on the way out.

Dead Guv Speaking

NJ Gov. Chris Christie told CPAC, “We have to stop letting the media define who we are and what we stand for.”

No, actually, Chris, the media are simply revealing who you are and what you stand for.  You’ve already defined yourself.

Wonder if CPAC will have him back next year when he’s the former governor?

Stealing from the Storm?

You’d think Chris Christie has enough problems, but noooooooooo.  Now the Feds are investigating his use of $25 million in Hurricane Sandy relief money that was spent on producing and running ads promoting the Jersey Shore last summer.

Christie rejected a $2.5 million bid for ads that didn’t feature him.  He accepted a $4.7 billion bid for “Stronger than the Storm” ads that starred him and his family while he was running for re-election.  So he got great publicity along with New Jersey’s beaches.

Christie Chooses Self Over Party

NJ Senator Frank Lautenberg’s death has made life difficult for Gov. Chris Christie, who is running for re-election in November and has 2016 presidential ambitions.  Republican Christie has a big lead over his Dem opponent, Barbara Buono, in the blue state.

While Christie is very popular, so is Dem Newark mayor Cory Booker, who will run for Senate.  Booker is so popular that Christie doesn’t want to be on the same ballot with him, concerned that Booker will get votes for Buono and make Christie’s win less impressive.

So, at great taxpayer expense, NJ will have its gubernatorial election in November, and a special senatorial election in October, just so Christie can avoid rubbing ballot elbows with Booker.

Christie is expected to appointed a “place holder,” someone who won’t run for the Senate seat, to replace Lautenberg between now and the special election.

So Christie is clearly opting to help himself, not the GOP.  If he wanted to help his party, he would appoint someone who is going to run, to give him or her the trappings of incumbency.  And he would have that person run with him in November, to get maximum advantage from Christie’s coattails.

He’s going for the blowout win, hoping all will be forgotten and forgiven by the 2016 primaries.

Mitt Did Us a Favor

From “Paul Ryan’s disappearing act,” Jonathan Martin, Politico:

“Last year’s It Boy of the graying Republican Party has been bigfooted by the GOP’s new twin heartthrobs, Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Rand Paul of Kentucky.

“Ryan is actually hurt by having been on the ticket last year.  Many Republican activists had heard of the smart young Wisconsin conservative but not actually seen him up close.  And when they did, well, it didn’t send their pulses racing.

“‘He fell flat out here,” said Sam Clovis, a conservative talk radio show host in northwest Iowa.  ‘He just didn’t measure up to the hype.'”

Just as McCain showed us that Sarah Palin is empty-headed, Mitt showed us that Paul Ryan is empty-hearted.  Ryan had his moment, and he won’t be president.

As for Rubio, he’s very slick, but not very bright.  All he really has going for him is that he is Cuban-American, but the GOP will figure out that Cuba-Americans don’t identify with other Hispanics and, more importantly, vice versa.

Rand Paul may be less weird than his father, but he’s still way too weird to be president.

Jeb Bush has that fatal last name, Scott Walker is arrogant and dumb, John Kasich is arrogant and obnoxious, Bobby Jindal is simply goofy…  I’d go with Christie.  Sure he’s over-the-top Jersey to GOP Southerners, but what are they going to do, vote for Hillary?   He‘d keep red states, swing purple states, and put blue states in play.