Chris Christie's Presidential Aspirations Should Be Put to Rest - Definitively

Chris Christie is the Republican Governor of New Jersey. He is the newly elected chairman of the Republican Governors Association. In 2012, in the days leading up to the presidential election, in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy that flattened New Jersey, leaving wide swathes of it in splintered ruins, Christie welcomed Barack Obama to New Jersey and embraced the President for showing his concern and swift action on behalf of the devastated state. Christie was criticized by many Republicans for embracing Obama, as they watched GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney's wide lead in the polls collapse after the Superstorm, saying Christie had undermined Romney's chances on the eve of the election. Romney lost to Obama, and recently Mrs. Romney told CNN's Piers Morgan that she felt positive before Sandy but felt the tide turn after the Superstorm showed Obama in the devastated area promising aid. Six months after Sandy, Christie continued to support Obama, saying he "kept every promise" he made concerning help for New Jersey. The day after that statement, the Obama administration approved a $1.8 billion aid package for New Jersey and Republicans have continued to challenge Christie's loyalty to the Republican Party, a critically important characterization because Christie is considered to be one of the favorites to take the GOP presidential nomination in 2016. And this week, Christie added fuel to the loyalty fire when he refused to make a public endorsement of a possible GOP challenger to New York Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo, a move some say could hurt his chances of winning the 2016 GOP presidential nomination. Cuomo has disputed an earlier newspaper report that Christie was prepared to back Westchester County Executive Rob Astorino should he get the Republican nomination for governor next year, saying Christie made a personal phone call to him to assure him otherwise, according to The New York Post. "Christie already has a problem with many Republicans refusing to forgive him because of his embrace of [President] Obama and his socially liberal policies," a GOP operative told the Post. "But this bizarre behavior in suggesting he won't help a Republican defeat a Democratic governor, and a Cuomo no less, could finish off his chance of becoming his party's nominee for president in 2016. Christie's spokesman and political consultant have refused to comment on the reports, according to the Post, and after the initial report suggesting Christie would back Astorino, Cuomo told the paper, "I spoke to Governor Christie this morning, who told me the exact opposite." ~~~~~ Dear readers, Republicans come in many shades and sizes - conservative, liberal, moderate, religious, secular, down-home accessible and intellectual heavyweights who are not for everyone. But Republicans all stand for one thing - electing Republicans. They may say nothing if a candidate has views too different from their own. But they do not endorse Democrat candidates. And they do not call the Democrat governor of a neighboring state to say that they will not endorse a GOP candidate opposing him. It may be too late for Christie to repair the disloyal image he has created with many Republicans. But it may also be that, too late, the shine has worn off his plan to rise above partisan politics in helping his state recover from Superstorm Sandy. Governor Christie has recently complained about the federal red tape attached to his Sandy aid package. Christie now says : "To the victims, I'd say you're right, it is too slow, and I wish that the federal government would allow us the flexibility to get you aid more quickly." The "Christie issue" is beginning to remind me of the GOP's Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter, who defected to the Democrat Party, which, allegedly through President Obama, had promised to support his Senate re-election bid. The promise was not kept and Specter lost. In US politics, loyalty is vital and reflects the value of a politician's word. If the GOP has to continually look over its shoulder to be sure that Chris Christie is still on their side - if Chris Christie's word is good only until he needs something that a Democrat can offer - then he is a liability, not an asset, and his presidential aspirations should be put to rest - quietly, decently, definitively.