I used to feel more comfortable blogging opinions that weren’t well-fleshed out. Why do I need to be right? This blog exists for me to write merely what I’m thinking at a given point in time. If I turn out to be wrong, I’ll readily admit it. And if I don’t, it’s probably because I don’t care enough and I don’t have enough readers to feel any obligation to follow u.
So, I have a confession. I think I like this Chris Christie fellow who is the Republican governor of New Jersey. Sure, I don’t agree with politically on very much at all. However, whenever I see him featured in a news story, I understand his arguments, and I get the sense that he’s sincerely concerned with being an honest, effective governor. I don’t follow N.J. politics, but politicians don’t become popular by appealing to the most knowledgeable voters. If I like him from four states away, he’s probably doing something right.
I found this July quote from Peggy Noonan:
Christie has gotten “closer than most national Republicans have come—or Democrats will come—to satisfying the public desire that someone step forward, define the problem, apply common sense, devise a way through, do what’s needed. He’s going to break through in a big way. The answer to our political problems lies in clarity, competence, and courage, not a visit to crazy town.
This actually sounds a lot like Barack Obama, if Obama were not constantly afraid of shooting from the hip and telling people unpleasant trutsh. If Obama were a liberal Chris Christie, his approval rating would be 70%.
I certainly have my political ideology. I’m still pretty far left. Ideally, I want politicians who represent this ideology in office. But I might take a blunt, sensible, moderate Republican over a timid, conforming moderate Democrat. Might. We don’t have any of those Republicans in North Carolina, so this really hasn’t been an issue.
Feel free to go on and tell me why Chris Christie is awful. This is just an observation I’m making from four states away.
Meanwhile, I am trying to get motivated to support Elaine Marshall for Senate in North Carolina. I really am. But I’m pissed right now. I can’t help but think that Democrats would be doing so much better nationally if they just had some candidates who were more like this:
(As I typed that last sentence, I realized that Democrats have Alan Grayson in Florida, and he’s likely to lose his seat, but that may be because he called his Baptist opponent “Taliban Dan”. I think it’s funny, but most of the folks in conservative Orlando probably don’t).
bullcitydave 
The governor of my adopted home state does not believe in ANY compromise and his way is the only way. His attitude now seems to be one of, “Do as I say and not as I do.” He is very much against double dipping, getting more than one government pension. He’ll get one from NJ for being a county freeholder, one fron the federal government for being a U.S. attorney, and now another one from NJ for being governor.
Yes, NJ’s in horrible financial shape, but he seems to be thinking more of short term solutions to our fiscal problems. For instance: he is capping the rise in property taxes at 2%/year. When municipalities can’t pay for their obligations, they’;; have to borrow money. If they lay off (and isn’t it funny that those whose jobs were elimimated are usually on the lower end of the salary scale) public workers, the economy will get worse, more homes will go into foreclosure, more people will go on the dole and have to recieve charity medical care.
I know that his job is a thankless and difficult one, but he’s got to open his mind and learn that a few compromises can be a good thing.
I’m sorry for ranting, but I am slated to retire in just a few years and I am very worried about my pension–and it’s the Republicans who raped NJ’s pension system.
I figured you would have something to say. Did people pretty much know what to expect when they voted for him? I know NJ’s Governor has more power than in most states. Can he mess with the pension system without the state assembly’s approval? (The Dems still control, right?)
What do you think if his fights with the teacher’s union? I am assuming that you and my sister are FANTASTIC teachers…but shouldn’t we be harder on bad teachers, instead of trying to prop them up like we do with students? Not sure how you attract more good teachers, though, without more $100 million private gifts.
I wish Obama would compromise hiz communication style a bit and take a Toastmaster lesson from Gov. Christie.
I voted for Christie, but as the lesser of two evils. Not all student failures are teacher-caused. I wish that I could fix the students’ home lives and love lives so that they could pay attention to me instead of their friends. I wish that they could spend more time on school work instead of working. Our governor can issue proclaimations, but then there can be law suits. I don’t agree with everything that the NJEA does, but it’s much more sensible that Christie is. As for charter schools, they are publically funded schools that take money away from the school districts, which then have to scrounge the next year when kids leave the charters and return to the home districts.
As for keeping bad teachers, most of those “asked” to leave retire early or go on some sort of disability, to get them out of the system.
By the way, Jenn and quite a few districts in NJ are AFT and not NEA.