Associated Press
The annual Conservative Political Action Conference, or CPAC, is the year's biggest event for Republicans and the right in general. The speakers' list for the multi-day event reads like a who's who for conservatives, and the more ambitious the GOP candidate, the more he or she desperately wants to win CPAC attendees' approval.
With this in mind, the fact that the conference will not extend an invitation to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) seems noteworthy.
The list of speakers for the March confab currently includes the party's failed 2012 nominee, Mitt Romney, as well as former VP hopeful Sarah Palin and a string of current officials and 2016 hopefuls like Sen. Marco Rubio.
But Christie, who infuriated some Republicans for praising President Barack Obama's performance post-Hurricane Sandy, will not be among them.
In a narrow sense, the CPAC guest seems trivial, but in the larger context, the Christie snub says quite a bit about the contemporary conservative movement. After all, Christie is arguably one of the nation's most popular Republicans; he has a high approval rating in a traditionally "blue" state; and the media establishment seems to adore him (despite his tendency to upbraid reporters for no reason). He may not loyally toe the right-wing line, but Christie vetoed a minimum-wage increase, generally opposes abortion rights, blocked marriage equality, opposes the Affordable Care Act, hates unions, picks partisan in-state fights, inexplicably rejected federal infrastructure investments, and withdrew New Jersey from a regional effort to reduce carbon emissions.
And Christie has national ambitions, which likely would have led him to throw some red meat to the CPAC crowd.
But by 2013 standards, Christie is, quite literally, persona non grata on the right.
The governor has said some nice things about President Obama; he wanted federal aid after a natural disaster struck his state; and he accurately described right-wing activists terrified of Sharia law as "the crazies."
For CPAC, this kind of record simply won't do. The message to Republicans isn't subtle: there are multiple litmus tests and to be a national player, the right expects you to pass nearly all of them.
Leave a Comment:
The list of speakers for the March confab currently includes the party's failed 2012 nominee, Mitt Romney, as well as former VP hopeful Sarah Palin and a string of current officials and 2016 hopefuls like Sen. Marco Rubio.
So, losers and wannabee's only? Maybe it is in Christie's best interest to stay away, lest he be judged by the company he keeps.
But even pretending that Christie could pull off a moderate veneer, how far will that get him? No Democrat will pick him over, say, Clinton, or any other popular Dem. And I don't see him making it through the GOP primary bloodsport.
I think his current deal is the best he's going to get out of the current political climate.
I think his current deal is the best he's going to get out of the current political climate.
Spot on! He is a shoe-in to win another term as governor, and when that gig expires maybe the GOP as we know it will also have passed it "use by" date!
Politically, all sides know it is in Christie's best interests not to be tied too closely to the conservative movement, at least until after he wins re-election as governor.
We'll know if there's really a rift if Republican candidates avoid him in 2014 or if he is similarly jilted leading up to 2016. Personally, I'm predicting a hard shift right as soon as the results are announced this year. Many conservative "rock stars" have had issues with the base lately, from Christie and Sandy to Rubio and immigration to Ryan and the fiscal cliff and debt ceiling capitulation.
Try this on for size... (heh) ... Christie goes Democrat and takes along all the Republican fiscal conservatives, leaving the social conservatives to their own devices.
I'd go Democrat to vote for Christie. Nothing really changes, the social conservatives are marginalized, and the Democrats have an extra wing. It would work fairly easily.
Shooter - Are you say Christie should run for POTUS on the Dem ticket? He wouldn't last an hour. I don't see that as realistic at all.
If he switched parties and ran for NJ Gov? I don't think that would pan out for him too well, either - He has too much invested in being part of the GOP but being able to call himself an outsider to the GOP. The switch itself would do him more harm than good.
Regardless, I don't think he has any interest in switching.
Shooter: you have finally said the single DUMBEST, MOST STUPID THING you have ever said in your five year career of wingnut hackery.
LMFAO - yeah , How-dare Chris Christie side with the American people ? These gop/tp Looozers are completely Insane ! Conform to their ways and Ideals and do Not deviate , not one Iota ! What a bunch of Goofballs .........
I disagree but I may be giving Republicans more credit than they deserve.
2012 seemed like their year to win it and I remember many Republicans being concerned that the amount of time Romney spent as the front runner allowed Obama to amass lots of dirt and plan his defense.
Could it be they're throwing around Rubio to take the heat until they can play their true hand with Christie?
That would be a party capable of tactical manoeuvrings. And not one that has been thrown to the right-wing pigs for short-sighted political gains.
@Ryan, the only problem with that is that Christie has to get through a primary and the GOP masses are insane. While Christie might get through a general election, he has to GET to the general election first. And guess what? He won't make it past the TPGOP nutty buddies.
Sweet, sweet music to my ears. While Christie isn't as loony tunes as his GOP compatriots, his policies still blow.
CPAC only invites the most conservative of the conservative? They invited Chris Hayes! Does that mean Christie is to the left of Chris Hayes?
My first thought on the Hayes invitation was--'No, don't go, it's a trap'
@smb, Hayes being invited was pure mistake. They would never intentionally invite anyone as effective a liberal speaker as Chris Hayes. And if he accepted, they would never let him on stage.
(And, let's play the What If game; if Chris ever made it onstage, would anyone hear anything through the boo's? Doubtful.)
Talk about a snub to a very popular republican. Sometimes I wonder if they are trying to lose.
I think it's better, in the long run, for him not to go. Any pandering he does to appease the far right audience would come back in every ad against him in 2016.
Even in the short run. He is up for reelection this year, which he should win easily, but he could get caught saying something stupid.
Think about this...Christie could be thinking of running from the outside. If the GOP has become as much of an apparatus of the Tea Party that is dragging incumbents farther and farther to the right there are lots of moderate republican voters who don't like it or think that is a good idea...if he could run outside the GOP mainstream and go straight for the center picking up moderates then he might be able to do without the CPAC highlight reel
Just another example of the modern repuknican party. Being slightly loony is completely insufficient.
awe, Krispy Kreme will be just fine.
Steve, you mentioned one of the big reasons right here, "...generally opposes abortion rights...".
Christie has no change (read: ZERO) to get past the Republican Presidential Primary as long as Christie just "generally" opposed abortion rights, especially in their present hyper-partisan incarnation. So, why would they waste their time?
I honor Christie for his behavior after the hurricane and for putting a stop to in state Sharia law crazies but otherwise the guy is a disaster.
How could any organization invite Sarah Palin to speak, and hope to have any credibility with the Normals? I know that sounds snarky, but seriously... Sarah Palin? Still? In 2013?
She poisons the well, making the entire event a joke.
The big tent is big, maybe just not that big. (/snark)
Kind of off the subject, but don't you just love how msnbc "edited" the video of McCain and the lady who asked him about gun control in his town hall meeting.
Really good reporting, don't ya think? NOT....
Please remove head from ass before commenting, you ignorant piece of something I scrape off my shoe.
He has the public behind him. Both parties, He is a good guy!
Did you know the sun rises in the west, moron?
Christie vetoed a minimum-wage increase, generally opposes abortion rights, blocked marriage equality, opposes the Affordable Care Act, hates unions, picks partisan in-state fights, inexplicably rejected federal infrastructure investments, and withdrew New Jersey from a regional effort to reduce carbon emissions.
ok, I don't get it. how is Christie a moderate Republican?! and why is he so damn popular in blue NJ?! don't NJ people know about his right-wing policies and views listed above?! I really don't get it. how could the Democratic candidate NOT destroy him on all of those issues?
Christie is more like the Republicans that I remember when I was a party member. The speakers at CPAC are representative of what caused me to leave the party. The line up is mostly loosers, wannabes and clowns. The two that irk me the most are Palin and Santorium. These are two big stains the GOP needs to wash out in order to make conservative seem sane again.