Two weeks ago, Gov. Christie hit the campaign trail — in Florida. Christie, who was re-elected to his post as governor last fall, is not up for re-election in New Jersey. So what is he doing in Florida?
Turns out, he’s helping fellow Republican Gov. Rick Scott in his campaign against Democrat Charlie Crist. As chairman of the Republican Governors Association, it’s not altogether odd that Christie would help a fellow Republican governor campaign. In fact, he’s already done it in plenty of other states.
The timing, though, with the next presidential election coming up in two years, smells a little fishy. Is Christie working the campaign trail in other states so he can get voters behind him for 2016? Maybe. Probably.
For now, he says he’s just helping a fellow Republican governor, and taking the time out to also learn from his colleagues. As he said, according to WJHG in Florida, “Rick Scott has a much better tax system than we do in New Jersey…I wish we could do that in New Jersey, what Rick Scott’s done in Florida. I don’t have a cooperative legislature.”
In three sentences, Christie praised his colleague, took a humble stance and then quickly placed the blame for his state’s poor tax system on someone else. Gotta love politics.
Christie is on the campaign trail for Scott and his other Republican cohorts who are seeking re-election in November, and he’s most likely campaigning for a spot on the Republican primary for president in a few years as well.
While he’s on the trail, though, Christie should take the opportunity to speak with his colleagues and learn something from them. If he believes Scott’s state has a much better tax system than his, then Christie should try to figure out how he could use some of Florida’s policies to better New Jersey.
This is especially important now, as New Jersey residents continue to pay higher taxes while the state itself goes further into debt.
Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services also recently downgraded New Jersey’s general obligation bonds for the second times this year, from an A-plus rating to an A, citing a “trend of unbalanced budgets, insufficiently funded pensions and reliance on one-time measures to plug revenue gaps.”
Christie may only be in office in New Jersey for another two years, but he still needs to remember that, for now at least, he’s still our commander in chief. New Jersey needs to come first for Christie. The nation can wait.
