Al Mayo: Christie — Paying For Bipartisanship

Chris Christie could never be accused of shirking his duty, or of being a shrinking violet. But the New Jersey Governor can be accused of rank bipartisanship. No one is reaching out to all demographics and political parties better than Chris Christie, and he’s not really doing anything that’s out of the ordinary.

He’s managed to work with the Obama Administration on helping the storm-damaged Jersey Shore recover, and he welcomed the president not once, but twice to the Garden State. He also blasted fellow Republicans on several other matters. He expanded the New Jersey Medicaid program under “Obamacare,” and he berated Republicans in Congress, including Speaker John Boehner, for holding up a Superstorm Sandy relief package.

Now he’s managed to stir up dissent among the GOP by announcing that he would hold a special election to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the late Sen. Frank Lautenberg rather than appoint a Republican placeholder through the 2014 election. And beyond that, Christie didn’t necessarily commit to naming a Republican interim appointee to the seat until October’s election. He likely will, but he seems determined to be his own man and not be bullied by ANYONE.

So, why is he so popular? He’s doing just what most voters on either side really want. He’s appealing to citizens to do the right thing, rather than the politically expedient thing. Chris Christie has solid GOP credentials. There’s not any argument about that, but he has shown an independent streak that rankles a lot of the old guard GOP and they are not quite sure what to make of him.

Christie thought long and hard about running for President last time around, and eventually bowed out citing his commitment to New Jersey as Governor. In retrospect he might have been the best option for the Republicans, but he made his decision and stuck to it despite people nearly begging him to reconsider.

But, there are big problems with the poll numbers on Christie. An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll shows 41 percent of independents and 43 percent of Democrats seeing him in a favorable light. But Christie’s GOP support isn’t quite as strong. Only 40 percent positive vs. 16 percent negative from his own party. So it seems no matter how loudly all voters, pundits , and citizens scream for so-called bipartisanship, there is still a heavy price to pay for having an independent political spirit.