Courtesy of Politico:
One of the most tantalizing subplots of the 2012 campaign has been the curious and sometimes controversial performances of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Now, campaign insiders tell POLITICO that Christie was Mitt Romney’s first choice for the Republican ticket, lending an intriguing new context to the continuing drama around the Garden State governor.
The strong internal push for Christie, and Romney’s initial instinct to pick him as his running mate, reflects how conflicted the nominee remained about choosing a running mate until the very end of the process. At least on the surface, Christie and Paul Ryan are about as opposite as two Republicans could be: a brash outsider from the Northeast versus a bookish insider from the heartland.
And yet Romney switched from Christie to Ryan in a span of about two weeks, according to a detailed inside account provided to POLITICO.
Romney was so close to picking Christie that some top advisers at the campaign’s Boston headquarters believed the governor had been offered the job. The campaign made tentative plans to announce a pick in late July, just before Romney headed off on his overseas trip, starting with a stop at the London Olympics.
In fact, Christie was never the final choice. Romney hit “pause” on the possibility shortly before his trip to the Olympics. Then he settled on Ryan the day after returning. Romney formally offered him the job within a week, leaving Christie hanging until shortly before the official announcement a week later.
Some Christie supporters were irritated to discover that the House budget chairman had been picked so long before the New Jersey governor had been told, meaning that he and other also-rans had remained as decoys. These supporters said at the time that Christie deserved more of a heads -up after being led on so strongly.
So did you catch the "hidden" message in this "leak?"
Chris Christie doesn't REALLY appreciate or respect President Obama due to his extremely competent response to Hurricane Sandy. He is only pretending to like the President to get back at Mitt Romney for leading him on and when he was actually courting another fella behind his back.
The bitch!
Jesus Christ is this really how the Romney campaign responds to being publicly embarrassed by a supporter? By inviting the comparison of the other person to the equivalent of a scorned ex-boyfriend?
Whatever happened to maturity in the Republican party?
Here we thought Sarah Palin was an anomaly, but in reality she was simply an example of how immaturely the GOP would function from now on. Who knew?
The real truth ... Sarah was Mitt's first choice!
ReplyDeleteShe turned him down, in order to "progress" Alaska.
No she turned him down because she had to work on getting Bristol back on DWTS..cable is just not a big enough audience for her.
DeleteThe RNC can't stand Sarah Lou Palin and her WASILLABILLY Trash family.
DeleteIf anything this makes Romney look LESS GOOD. Really, you can't make up your freaking mind about a vice presidential pick? Really? You gotta flip-flop on that, too.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I don't think that Ryan was really Romney's pick...I think someone -- or someones -- TOLD Romney to pick Ryan. The choice of VP came at a critical time in Romney's campaign, when he had made a string of blunders and was sinking in the polls, fast. He became a national joke overnight. It looked like people were going to abandon him, the money people, really. So he had to do something drastic to please his $$$ masters. And something drastic to please his $$$ masters = Paul Ryan.
Also, leaking this about 24 hours before election day is hilariously ineffective. They should have released this when everyone was talking about Chris Christie and Barack Obama. Now everyone's talking about the targeted voter suppression in FL and OH.
Yep one of the bigger bank rollers of the Romney campaign TOLD him who to pick. I can't recall the guy's name but he is even wealthier than Romney (not quite Sheldon Adelson caliber but close).
DeleteSince Ryan has said he will a much more active (in policy decisions) than Biden, you know why he was chosen for Romney. Romney is the Bush, Ryan is the Cheney.
The devastation of Sandy is so big… life stopping, career stopping, joy stopping; and Christie is acting like a caring governor while the unaffected republicans act like petulant bitches.
ReplyDeleteThis HAS to be carried forward as a bludgeon against the republicans for years. It’s something even the low information voters can understand.
Hey Chris, don’t let the bastards get you down.
Rmoney's lack of good decision making is what this is about.
ReplyDeleteI live in New Jersey and although I didn't vote for Gov. Christie I can tell you for a fact that Christie is doing his best for the people of NJ and getting back at Romney isn't the reason why he worked so closely with Obama.
ReplyDeleteI hate Romney and all his lies.
Am a Jersey girl too that bleeds blue -- i too did not vote for Christie - but must say, he has my respect for how he is handling this. I just hope in the days to come he continues his productive working relationship with the President and doesnt throw him under the bus-blaming him for things not getting better FAST enough (like i heard on Faux News last night)
Deleteha ha!
ReplyDeleteDid anyone else watch the Alabama-LSU game, Saturday?
http://www.usatoday.com/story/gameon/2012/11/01/alabama-lsu-presidential-election/1674675/
Let's combine sports and politics, because everyone loves that. The tale of the tape:
1984: LSU 16, Alabama 14. Ronald Reagan (R) demolishes Walter Mondale (D).
1988: LSU 19, Alabama 18. George H.W. Bush (R) defeats Michael Dukakis (D).
1992: Alabama 31, LSU 11. Bill Clinton (D) defeats George H.W. Bush (R).
1996: Alabama 26, LSU 0. Clinton (D) defeats Bob Dole (R).
2000: LSU 30, Alabama 28. George W. Bush (R) defeats Al Gore (D).
2004: LSU 26, Alabama 10. George W. Bush (R) defeats John Kerry (D).
2008: Alabama 27, LSU 21. Barack Obama (D) defeats John McCain (R).
Republican party? Maturity? In the same phrase?
ReplyDeleteLOL!
If this leak or story was made known to damage Christie and the president it is symptomatic of a lack of confidence to win.
ReplyDeleteChristie came out reiterating his support of Romney yet also stating as Governor the people of NJ have him working for them. When the President helps them he gives credit to him.
Romney did not act bipartisan in the aftermath of the storm because he is not. Recent pretense positioning he works with the democrats has not been seen. Christie and Obama worked together for common life and death. Not Mitt.
If they expected Christie to let people die, suffer, starve to win the election trashing Obama then they are sick and evil.
Romney pursues success to win and profit destructively. I expect he would do the same in the world as he behaved abroad this summer tearing others down and lying to discredit.
I ask you. When has the republican party ever...showed maturity,compassion, generosity,just plain christian examples? never in my life time@79 yrs.
ReplyDeleteWhat good ideas Romney and his team may have is lost on me. Romney is dishonest and not worthy of trust. He attacked GM and Chrysler spreading lies with impunity. He told the nation opposites of factual reality instead of how he intended to create more jobs. He is a fictional superhero battling demons he invented in pathalogic fiction.
ReplyDeleteI trust Obama knows the deficit can only be reduced cutting spending, waste amd increasing revenue.
As far as political moves, when I read this article a couple of days ago, I thought it was helpful to Christie; I got the impression, that it was a win-win for our campaign and Christie's political future. Christie giving credit to Obama will be helpful to his state, if it were a political move. He shows himself to be a person of character. I think the Romney campaign decided to go with Ryan for the right wing votes and his youthful appeal. He's more photogenic than Christie, and the Romney's are so superficial.
ReplyDeleteAdditionally, I think another reason was that Chris Christie is already a strong political figure and there was a possibility that he would garner more attention and credibility than Romney, and Romney could not take the risk of being overshadowed.
DeleteLet's remember that to Southerners, Christie is a "Yankee". Mitt is not a Southerner either. We are still fighting the civil war.
ReplyDeleteWhat on earth are you talking about?
DeleteSeems to me Mitt had a choice of a cowboy from the west or a northern dude. I have just moved from living in TX for over 20 years and I can personally tell you Christie is not acceptable to Texans...therefore Southerners.
DeleteRomney is a POS and to try and undermine Gov. Christie for acting responsible shows his immaturity. Romney is not and never will be a leader because he lacks what makes a great leader...the ASSHOLE!
ReplyDeleteOT -I need help understanding the long waits to vote early in FL. Are there fewer polling locations for early voting then locations on election day?
ReplyDeleteDo FL and Ohio set up impossible conditions to limit how many people can vote? Or was this a gross miscalculation of how many people would vote early?
I can only speak for Miami-Dade County but yes to your question of fewer voting locations for early voting. There are hundreds of voting locations on Election Day ... And only 20 early voting locations. This was done BY DESIGN-----there is a 10 page ballot in South Florida...10 freaking pages with 11 amendments. Amendments forced onto the ballot by the republican-controlled legislature. Not ONE citizen proposed amendment. Most of them dealing with social issues ... Abortion, health care services, etc.
Deleteit was designed this way so voting time would be a crawl. Less early voting hours and less days and an enormous ballot.
As I mentioned above, this was done by design---of course this was going to happen----and they knew it.
Disgusting.
Voting waits: I found some answers
ReplyDeleteIn Miami two page ballots causing delays
In one county 5 voting sites and on election day
there will be 80 precincts
Chuck Todd just blew my mind!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/11/05/1155859/-Chuck-Todd-just-blew-my-mind
A little of each - did you note the diverse group of people in line to vote? They don't have those lines in the gated communities
ReplyDeleteI just got tears in my eyes reading a comment at the Obama Diary:
Delete"My ancestors were lynched, beat, bombed in order for me to vote. So yes, we will stand in line to cast our vote, no matter how long the wait."
I can't stand Christie. Just several weeks ago, he was out on the campaign trail for Rmoney bashing President Obama time and time again.
ReplyDeleteNow Christie's acting responsibly? He might be showing needed concern over his state, but I wouldn't trust Christie to walk my dog.
I saw this on the Obama Diary, with Romney's named scratched. Wonder why? - Who wants a president who keeps wanting to hide from the public? He is just as bad if not worse than Sarah Palin.
ReplyDelete(President Obama (and Romney) will both participate in interviews to air during halftime of the Monday Night Football game between the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints. The interviews with ESPN’s Chris Berman will be taped earlier Monday)
Doesn't matter what the RMoney campaign says or does,President Obama's second term is in the bag!
ReplyDeleteWell, Sarah isn't number one on the mother of all stinkers list anymore. She is off the hook. It's the Romney campaign.
ReplyDeleteIt's easy to see how Romney wants to be perceived as never doing anything wrong, and always has an excuse-back-up blame plan/alibi. What does that tell people about his character? And, one day before the election. This is going to bite them good.
Using people during elections is probably done all the time, but it still "ain't" right. It's hilarious how some Republican leaders, all acting like juveniles in a schoolyard, are piling on Christie now as the bad boy in the gang. He's the traitor, because he said a nice word about the the quiet picked-on kid.
Good Gawd! These people and Skankyrella Palin remind me of 8th grade girls. As someone who has raised a daughter I can say with conviction that these folks never matured past the age of 13.
ReplyDeleteThen what explains the southern love for the Shrilla from Wasilla? She's not southern...the accent she puts on is from Fargo, ND.
ReplyDeleteRacist hate and Honey Boo Boo classiness.
DeleteOk, I can't help but think that Christie looks like Jabba the Hut when he's sitting down.
ReplyDeleteWho says Christie would have accepted? I think the man is too smart to tie himself to a losing ticket. He's politically savvy. I'll bet he's felt all along that Rmoney would lose.
ReplyDeleteAs for Willard, I'll bet he's sorry now he didn't ask Christie. Because right now Christie is looking a lot stronger than rAyn as far as leadership goes.
Nothing like a little disaster to separate the men who lead from the boys who sit around and whine.
"So did you catch the "hidden" message in this leak?"
ReplyDeleteSorry, Gryph, I didn't catch it. Could you point to the sentence or paragraph that said that, please?
Thanks in advance..
I fail to understand why the media is calling Ryan a policy wonk. I heard him in interviews, he has the brain of a 10th grader. He cannot explain his Ryan Budget, instead stating that it is too complicated. If it's too complicated, then maybe it just doesn't work. He lies about his running record, his background, etc. How is he the future of the Republican party, unless that future looks very, very bleak.
ReplyDelete