Former Gov. of New Jersey slams current GOP: ‘There are no principles left in my party’
Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie criticized the current Republican Party. In a conference at the Institute of Politics Harvard Kennedy School, Christie denounced his party mates as a bunch of “lemmings.”
“The people who are going to go down in our history as true leaders are people who exude character,” Christie said. He discussed his journey into politics. The former governor emphasized the importance of character and hard work—two things that not all politicians possess.
“You said something pretty remarkable that I bet earlier in your career you would not have ever imagined yourself saying, which is, ‘There are no principles left in my party,'” Aaron Goldman, the moderator, asked Christie to clarify his statement.
“Anybody who follows politics right now can tell there are no principles left in my party. And even for the people who agree with some of the stuff the president’s doing, if you’re really honest with yourself, you know it’s not based on principle,” Christie said of Trump and his MAGA base.
“He wakes up every morning and tries to figure out what is the best thing for him to do in his self-interest that day and that day only. If it changes the next day, it will change,” Christie observed. The ex-governor believes that Trump is a unique case. Nevertheless, he still thinks that there is a lack of principle among his Republican colleagues in the House.
Rodents in the House
Christie continued, “But the real lack of principle on display every day in the House of Representatives, in the United States Senate—these people have become lemmings.” He lambasted his ex-colleagues. Christie adds, “They only do what he tells him to do.”
Despite Trump’s misuse of the War Powers Act, Congress has not been able to stop Trump’s incursion into Iran. Republicans have been supportive syncophants, with only a handful vigorously opposing the illegal act.
Christie continues his criticism and brings up Trump’s unpresidential Easter message on social media. Even in this instance, Christie was floored that not even one Republican chastised Trump for his vitriolic language.
“This is where the principles come in,” Christie argued. “They care more about the title than they do the job they have,” he said of his Republican colleagues.
“The best example of this right now in the 535 members of the United States Congress is Lindsey Graham,” Christie began his commentary.
“This is a man who only cares about his title, nothing else. Absolutely nothing else. He is a vapid, vacant human being.” Graham has been actively promoting Trump’s war efforts into the Middle East. He has also been notably callous about the welfare of troops in a previous commentary.
“All he wants to do is suck up and play another round of golf and pray that he gets the endorsement for the United States Senate,” Christie accused Graham. The ex-governor furthers his criticism by bringing up deceased Sen. John McCain, who mentored Graham. He believes that McCain is currently “spinning in his grave” for Graham’s bandwagoning behind Trump.
Are Republicans in trouble for the midterms?
“What does it mean for the midterms? Probably nothing,” he said. But Christie notes that if Trump’s approval rating regarding the economy stays the same until October, he believes his party will be losing. Trump has hit new lows because of the war. Without an end in sight, it would not be a stretch to presume that Trump could retain the same ratings.
Does Christie believe that Democrats should pounce while Trump is wounded? He says, “Look, the Democrats don’t have good ideas either. Let’s be fair, I mean, they got nothing going.”
He continues, “They have lived on the comfort food of saying, ‘Donald Trump is a threat to democracy!’ since 2015. Eleven years.” Christie recalls speaking to former Vice President Kamala Harris, advising her to “stop talking about Trump.” Instead, he asked her to start winning over the moderates.
To be anti-Trump in rhetoric isn’t enough—Democrats must do better at holding the line. Hampering Trump’s war efforts, or completely stopping them is a start.
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