STRATEGIC MEMORANDUM
TO: Interested Parties
FROM: Brad Woodhouse, President, Correct The Record
DATE: June 30, 2015
RE: Chris Christie: Short-Tempered Candidate, Same Extreme GOP Agenda
Today, Chris Christie officially announced his campaign for President of the United States. Christie claims that he’s going to be “telling it like it is” on the campaign trail, but the people of New Jersey have heard enough.
Since taking office, Christie’s poll numbers have plummeted in part because of his multiple corruption scandals and bullying demeanor. Most damning is the free fall that New Jersey’s economy has experienced thanks to Christie’s failed economic policies. It’s no surprise that the people who Christie represents (whom you’d think would be his greatest supporters) don’t like him. More than half of New Jersey voters disapprove of the job he’s doing!
Despite his drop in the polls and dismal track record, Chris Christie is running for president – and with the same backwards and failed Republican agenda as the rest of the GOP hopefuls. Christie thinks that his “off-the-cuff” candidacy will distract from the time his staff closed a highly-trafficked bridge for political retribution and his failure to grow the New Jersey economy, but the American people aren’t buying it. Even the people he represents are tired of him.
CHRIS CHRISTIE: SHORT-TEMPERED CANDIDATE, SAME EXTREME GOP AGENDA
KEY ISSUES
POOR RECORD IN NEW JERSEY: Under Chris Christie, New Jersey’s economy has suffered and its citizens have been left behind in our country’s economic recovery.
- Christie’s most recent poll numbers show his approval rating plummeting to 30 percent, while 55 percent of New Jersey voters disapprove of the job he’s doing.
- In 2011, New Jersey had the fourth-lowest economic growth and the sixth-lowest job growth of any state.
- New Jersey’s credit rating was downgraded a record eight times under Chris Christie.
- In 2014 alone, one-quarter of Atlantic City’s casinos shut down, resulting in 8,300 lost jobs.
- Christie went back on his promise to fund pensions in order to close the $807 million budget gap he created.
CORRUPTON SCANDALS: The Bridgegate scandal revealed the culture of corruption Gov. Christie fostered in his administration.
- On September 9, 2014 senior Christie staffers and political appointees ordered the closure of traffic lanes in Fort Lee, New Jersey, leading on to the George Washington Bridge.
- Emails revealed that the lanes were closed out of political retribution against Fort Lee’s Democratic mayor Mark Sokolich, who failed to endorse Christie for reelection.
- Governor Christie found himself in another scandal after he was accused of mishandling Hurricane Sandy recovery money, rewarding funds to towns that didn’t need it in exchange for political favors.
TEMPER: Chris Christie has become notorious for his short-temper and bullying demeanor.
- After a citizen criticized his education policies, Christie snapped, “You’re a real big shot shooting your mouth off.”
- Christie called a New York Daily News reporter “a complete idiot, self-consumed, underpaid reporter.”
- At a Sandy anniversary event, Christie was asked to explain why home rebuilding efforts had stalled. His response? “Sit down and shut up.”
ECONOMIC ISSUES
Christie said he was “tired of hearing about the minimum wage.” “New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said Tuesday that he’s ‘tired’ of hearing discussion on the minimum wage and seemed to suggest that a higher minimum wage isn’t something to ‘aspire to.’ ‘I gotta tell you the truth, I’m tired of hearing about the minimum wage, I really am,’ Christie said during an event at the Chamber of Commerce in Washington, according to a recording of his remarks by the liberal opposition research group American Bridge. ‘I don’t think there’s a mother or father sitting around a kitchen table tonight in America who are saying, ‘You know honey, if my son or daughter could just make a higher minimum wage, my God, all our dreams would be realized,’ he added. ‘Is that what parents aspire to for their children?’” [Talking Points Memo, 10/21/14]
Christie unveiled a proposal to cut Social Security benefits and raise the Social Security retirement age. “Christie, whose chances of winning the GOP nomination had already sunk to Ted Cruz levels, released a bold Social Security proposal on Tuesday. Specifically, he wants to cut benefits for those making more than $80,000 a year, end them for those making more than $200,000, and raise the retirement age from 67 to 69.” [FiveThirtyEight, 4/15/15]
Chris Christie called for an increase in the Medicare retirement age. “The New Jersey governor, in a speech at the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at Saint Anselm College, called for means testing Social Security, raising the retirement age for Social Security to 69 and gradually raising the eligibility age for Medicare to 67 by the year 2040.” [WMUR Manchester, 4/14/15]
Chris Christie praised Scott Walker’s moves to restrict collective bargaining rights as being “in the best interest of Wisconsin.” “New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said on Sunday that while he supported ‘fair and reasonable’ collective bargaining rights for public service employees in New Jersey, those rights ‘didn’t come down from tablets at the top of a mountain’ – and that individual states needed to make their own determinations on the issue. As protesters in Wisconsin embark on their 13th day of demonstrations against Republican Governor Scott Walker’s plan to end the collective bargaining rights of teachers and other public service employees, Christie, in an appearance on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation,’ expressed his faith that Walker was acting in the best interest of his state. ‘I know Scott Walker. I like him. I trust him,’ Christie told CBS’ Bob Schieffer. ‘I think he’s doing what’s in the best interest of Wisconsin this same way I’ll do what’s best for New Jersey.’” [CBS News, 2/27/11]
SOCIAL ISSUES
Christie endorsed a 20-week abortion ban. “New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) on Monday joined other potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates in endorsing a ban on abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. ‘I am proud to be a pro-life Republican,’ Christie said in a statement to the anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List, which solicited endorsements of the legislation from Republicans. ‘I believe that every life is an individual gift from God, and that no life is disposable.’ The 20-week ban would block abortions at least two weeks before the fetus is viable outside the womb. Such a restriction appears to defy the Supreme Court, which decided in Roe v. Wade in 1973 that women have a right to seek an abortion until the fetus is viable, at around 22 weeks to 24 weeks.” [Huffington Post,3/30/15]
Christie vetoed legislation aimed at making voting more accessible by expanding opportunities for early voting. “Gov. Chris Christie today vetoed a bill that would allow early voting at polling places, prompting Democrats to brand it a politically motivated effort to suppress the vote months after Hurricane Sandy exposed vulnerabilities in the state elections system. The Republican governor called a proposal to let voters cast ballots at designated polling places during a 15-day period before Election Day ‘hasty, counterproductive and less reliable’ than the current system.” [Star-Ledger, 5/9/13]
Christie vetoed “two sensible reforms that would help prevent women from getting cheated in their paychecks.” “Gov. Chris Christie says he’s committed to pay equity for women. So why, for the second time, has he killed two sensible reforms that would help prevent women from getting cheated in their paychecks? […] One bill, called the Wage Transparency Act, Christie outright vetoed. It would have required state contractors to make their gender, race and wage information publicly available, as federal contractors will soon have to. Christie argues the state’s prevailing wage law already requires wage reporting. But it doesn’t cover all public contractors. And we have yet to see any evidence that doing so would be too ‘costly and burdensome’ for business, as Christie claims. Weinberg’s other bill, the Unfair Wage Recovery Act, Christie’s conditional veto has rendered toothless. Under this reform, a woman who suddenly discovers she is being paid less than male co-workers would have had the opportunity to seek all the back pay she is owed, without hitting an arbitrary statute of limitations.” [Star-Ledger, 8/14/14]
Chris Christie slashed “nearly $7.5 million for family planning services in the fiscal year 2011 budget.” “It’s true that Christie eliminated nearly $7.5 million for family planning services in the fiscal year 2011 budget, and has rejected efforts to restore that funding. That funding reduction led to the closure of six family planning clinics around the state.” [PolitiFact,9/4/12]
Christie tried to block marriage equality in New Jersey. “Christie dropped a legal fight to block same-sex marriage in New Jersey in 2013 after the State Supreme Court indicated it would not stop the unions, saying now: ‘Yeah, it is a settled issue in New Jersey.’ ‘When I know that I’ve been defeated you don’t bang your head against a wall and spend taxpayer money to do it,’ he said, explaining his decision. ‘Absent a change in the legislature, I think at the moment it’s settled law in New Jersey.’” [Time, 7/12/14]
Christie supported the Supreme Court’s ruling in the Hobby Lobby case. “New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) said Thursday that he supports the Supreme Court’s Hobby Lobby ruling, just weeks after saying on national television that he wouldn’t give his opinion on it. Christie, a potential 2016 presidential contender, offered his position on the Hobby Lobby case during a meet-and-greet event in Iowa. The Democratic super PAC American Bridge caught the exchange on video and sent it to The Huffington Post. ‘Do I support the Supreme Court’s decision in the Hobby Lobby case? I do,’ said Christie, responding to a question from a man at MJ’s Restaurant in Marion, Iowa.” [Huffington Post, 7/17/14]
CLIMATE CHANGE
Chris Christie refused “to rejoin a regional cap-and trade program to combat climate change.” “Gov. Chris Christie is coming under fire for refusing to rejoin a regional cap-and trade program to combat climate change that his state withdrew from three years ago. The move — highlighted last week by The New York Times — has opponents charging that the Republican governor doesn’t want to alienate conservatives in advance of a potential 2016 presidential bid. ‘It’s all because of a four letter word: K-O-C-H,’ said Democratic state Sen. Bob Smith, the chairman of the state’s Environment and Energy Committee, referring to the billionaire Koch brothers who bankroll many GOP campaigns, and who favor conservative stances on environmental issues. ‘They don’t want to see any candidates for president who have the slightest green tint to them. If the governor was green at all, he would lose their support.’” [MSNBC, 9/23/14]
OTHER ISSUES
Chris Christie opposed a deal between the U.S., Iran, and others that would compel Iran to scale back its nuclear program and submit to international inspections. “New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said Wednesday the emerging nuclear pact with Iran will lead to it having nuclear weapons and to an even more dangerous Middle East. […] Christie said he had ‘grave concerns’ about the preliminary deal between the U.S., Iran and five other world powers aimed at curbing Iran’s nuclear ambitions. It would ultimately compel Iran to reduce the number of centrifuges used to enrich uranium and agree to inspections of its nuclear sites, among other things, in exchange for the lifting of economic sanctions.” [Associated Press,4/15/15]
Chris Christie said that normalizing relations with Cuba was a “national disgrace.” “A day after the Obama administration recommended that the U.S. government reverse its long-standing policy designating Cuba a state sponsor of international terrorism, Chris Christie called the move a ‘national disgrace.’ In an appearance today at a town hall meeting in Londonberry, New Hampshire, Christie took aim at President Obama’s diplomatic warming with the Communist nation. ‘It is a national disgrace that the president is engaged in those conversations and even considering taking that country off the terrorist watch-list,’ Christie said.” [ABC News, 4/15/15]
Chris Christie changed his position on vaccines after facing a “maelstrom of criticism” for suggesting they should be voluntary for children. “You may recall all the way back to two months ago, when Christie fielded a question about vaccines during a measles outbreak and said that while he was largely for vaccinations, he believed parents ‘needed to have some measure of choice.’ The comments caused a maelstrom of criticism and induced a week’s worth of scrutiny on GOP candidates, many of whom fumbled over their position. No longer. Per NJ.com: ‘The governor, speaking to New Hampshire residents during a town hall meeting here, declared he would not support a ‘voluntary vaccination’ policy.’” [Mediaite, 4/15/15]
Chris Christie vowed to “crack down” on states that legalized marijuana. “New Jersey Gov. and potential Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie said Tuesday that he would ‘crack down’ on states that have legalized marijuana if he were elected president. ‘Absolutely,’ Mr. Christie said on ‘The Hugh Hewitt Show’ when asked if he would enforce federal drug laws in states where marijuana is legalized, The Hill reported. ‘I will crack down and not permit it.’” [Washington Times, 4/15/15]