Governor Chris Christie Has Failed

Governor Chris Christie had a test this week … a test to see if he was worthy of being more than the Governor of New Jersey.  He failed.  Governor Christie vetoed a bill that would have allowed same sex couples to marry in New Jersey.  He says that he did this because he wants the people of New Jersey to vote on the issue.  He says the people should vote on this issue, not the legislature.  I don’t think that denying folks their constitutional rights is OK even if people vote on it.  I don’t think Governor Christie does either.  Governor Christie thinks it is better for Governor Christie if the people of New Jersey sign off on this so he doesn’t have to.  Governor Christie wants to be President Christie.  He wants to be Republican President Christie, and he doesn’t think a man who signed off on gay marriage can get the Republican nomination for President.  He may well be right, at least as things stand now.  But, a man that can get the Republican nomination for president right now isn’t presidential material.  It takes more than a hatred of big government, abortion, gay people, and contraception to run the country well.  It takes a willingness to listen to others, to compromise, to negotiate, to change course if necessary, and to see the nuance in the world.  For a Republican, it’s going to take someone willing to challenge Republicans to change their direction.  It’s going to take someone willing to take on the tea party and their rigid intolerance.  It is going to take someone who can reassemble a consistent, flexible, and conservative platform of ideas and positions.  Governor Christie has shown a willingness to do some things that are unpopular with the more extreme elements of the Republican Party, like appointing conservative judges who happen to be Muslim.  Christie also has the attitude and intellect to pull off a revolution in the Republican Party and show himself worthy of being President.  Unfortunately, it turns out that he doesn’t have the courage, the courage to do the unpopular things when all eyes are on him.  All eyes are always on the President and there is always an excuse not to take risks, not to take responsibility.  What he does now is what he will do then.  Governor Christie has shown by what he has done now, that he doesn’t have what it takes for us to trust him to do anything as President.