Michael Barone, author of the Almanac of American Politics, went to bat for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie this week, after speaking to him at the American Enterprise Institute, where Barone is a Resident Fellow. Barone was impressed by Christie’s candor in his AEI speech, “Drawing on his struggles with New Jerseys public employee unions over pensions and benefits, he turned to national issues. ‘My childrens future and your childrens future are more important than political strategy, he began. Youre going to have to raise the retirement age for Social Security. Whoa, I just said it, and Im still standing here. I did not vaporize.'”
…………..Would Back Primary Challenges to some GOP Incumbents
Reporting in the Washington Examiner, Barone recorded these additional Christie bombshells, ” We have to reform Medicare because it costs too much and it is going to bankrupt us. Once again lightning did not come through the windows and strike me dead. And we have to fix Medicaid because its not only bankrupting the federal government, its bankrupting every state government.
“Obama, he said, was offering the candy of American politics: high- speed rail, plug-in cars and congressional Republicans so far havent offered much more. If those he campaigned for dont, he said, the next time theyll see me in their district is with my arm around their primary opponent.”
You heard right, sports fans, Chris Christie is promising to support GOP primary challengers to any New Jersey Republican members of Congress who don’t vote for real fiscal reform. After 7 years of Arnold, it is hard to imagine a GOP Governor sayting that…but Christie did, and he has the popularity in New Jersey to back it up !
Barone continues: Washington insiders and oldtimers tend to think Republicans would be foolish to heed Christies advice. Talking about entitlements is supposed to be the third rail of American politics. “I dont think its fatal, Christie said. You just have to have the spine to take the lead, and if you ask for shared sacrifice and dont let people game the system, voters will respond.”
Chris Christie is saying, and doing, these things in a strongly Democratic state, willingly risking his reputation and personal future as a witness for the hard fiscal truths. It impressed Michael Barone, and it impresses this writer as well.
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Jim Sills is a political consultant…………… Want to know more
about your future in San Diego and California elections? You
can contact Jim at: YourElectionVictory@hotmail.com
He has aided the campaigns of Rep. Darrell Issa, Assembly-
woman Shirley Horton, California Senators Joel Anderson and
Tony Strickland,Conhgressmen Devin Nunes, & J.D.Hayworth,
and Assessor/Recorder Greg Smith, among many others, both
in California and beyond.