New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie squared off with Democrat Barbara Buono in the first of two debates Tuesday night before his likely re-election next month.
Here are 3 takeaways from the governor’s performance that should be remembered as he positions himself for a White House campaign.
1. He’s not as moderate on some issues as a lot of people think
This point has been made before, but the hour-long face-off put his ideological bent under an acute focus. Despite conservative fears that Christie is some mushy moderate northeast liberal, most of the stands he took on issues during the debate could easily be characterized as staunchly conservative.
Against gay marriage: ”I believe that the institution of marriage for 2,000 years is between a man and a woman.”
Against a minimum wage hike to $8.25 next year. ”The fact is: The money doesn’t come off a magic money tree.”
Against marijuana decriminalization in any way. ”I don’t believe in legalization or decriminalization.”
He’s able to talk about bipartisan accomplishments because working with Democrats in New Jersey is imperative to any type of legislative progress, but there aren’t many core issues where Christie strays from the right. Rhetorically, he sounds much more moderate than he is once you run down the issues.
2. He will channel Dubya ’04
One overarching theme of Christie’s performance was that he’s real. New Jersey real. Not blow-dried, consultant-packaged politician “real.” ”I’ve looked them in the eye and told them the truth,” he said at the start of the debate when asked about some of the provocative language he’s used to describe and denegrate political foes. ”I am who I am and I’m not going to change,” he said later. This reminded me of the argument George W. Bush deployed in 2004: Ya may not agree with me all of the time, but ya know where I stand. I’m sure-footed, dead certain. It’s not an exact parallel, but it’s hard to imagine Christie’s 2016 campaign not including a good does of “real talk”: ”I will be myself. I will tell you the truth,” he said.
3. He’s disciplined enough rein in the bravado.
The rap against Christie, of course, is that he’s too brash, strident and pugnacious for the pressure cooker of a national campaign, that he’ll eventually combust under the weight of his own veritable bravado. But Christie advisers point to the “Say something nice” question as evidence their boss can rein it in when need be and show statesman-like respect for his opponents. See the below exchange where Buono, the underdog, goes for the clever, but perhaps catty one-liner, whereas Christie opts for higher ground:
CBS News took note and characterized it this way: Buono quipped that Christie was ‘good on late night television,’ while Christie gave a long and serious answer saying Buono deserves credit for her service. ‘While we have policy agreements, I would never denigrate her service,’ he said.”
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