Now it turns out that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, despite constant statements that he is not interested in being President, and is not experienced enough yet to be President, is allowing himself to be courted by wealthy corporate and Wall Street executives to run for President, indicating that he is reconsidering!
What a terrible decision that would be, for so many reasons, including:
1. Chris Christie does not have the “fire in his belly”, which should be a requirement to run for President, and has no conception of what it means to announce for President, the work required and the sacrifices he would have to make to run for President, particularly at such a late date when Republican Presidential opponents, particularly Mitt Romney and Rick Perry, have big treasure chests and advisers and campaign structures all set up, while Christie has none.
2. Chrisitie is, as he himself said, not qualified to be President based on less than two years in high elective office, and could not run the Presidency in the manner that he has run the Governorship–like an authoritarian dictator who takes no prisoners! The Congress would not kneel to him as the state legislature may have done, and the powers of the New Jersey Governorship in some ways are far greater than the domestic authority of the Presidency!
3. Chris Christie has a horrible, bullyish personality, refuses to consult with his own state’s Democratic Senators and Congressmen, and treats critics publicly in a way no other politician does. It may humor some people who hear it, but it is actually totally unprofessional and unacceptable behavior, and Christie shows evidence of the need for anger management on a grand scale!
4. Chris Christie is no model for good health, being extremely obese, not acceptable considering the stresses that he would face in a campaign and in the White House! We may have had heavy Presidents, including Grover Cleveland and William Howard Taft before, but the Presidency was not the heavy duty, high stress job then, that it is now! He is no model for children, and already there is evidence that his bad health is a threat to his ability to do the job he has, having been forced to go to the hospital this summer for an asthma attack. And his problem with anger also undermines his health. This is not just the story of anyone being morbidly obese, but the story of the leader of the free world! He would need to set an example on losing weight, but that is not an easy thing to do in any case!
5. Christie’s personality and bluntness would undermine relations with other nations, and threaten peace in the world, as diplomacy implies the use of tact, not nastiness and confrontational attitudes! He has also shown no understanding of American foreign policy!
6. His treatment of labor unions, teachers, firefighters, police officers, and other public servants demonstrates that he is not respectful of the sacrifices of people, and yet is willing to concede to corporate masters, including the Koch Brothers. This is not what we need to lead our nation in the future!
Governor Christie needs to gain more experience in office, open up his mind to new ideas, change his personality approach, and lose weight, before he seriously considers running for President. And if he is honest with himself, he would still realize that he is ill qualified in so many ways to be our Commander in Chief!