Dick Armey Calls Chris Christie’s Special Elections “Debilitating Stupidity”

 by Dean Garrison

If there is one thing America really hates it is someone who won’t pick a side. Chris Christie’s decision to hold special elections to replace Frank Lautenberg is drawing criticism from both sides of the aisle and it probably should.

Christie seems determined to play the game of politics and hold a special election rather than selecting someone to fill the seat vacated by Lautenberg. From the Republican standpoint the move is of the RINO (Republican in Name Only) variety and he is seen as a traitor to his party. Former House Majority Leader Dick Armey chastised Christie’s decision in an interview with CNN on Tuesday.

Armey told Jake Tapper, “Now, I put it down as debilitating stupidity, because the first rule of politics is don’t lose the friends you already have for the friends you’re never going to get. And if he thinks the Democrats are going to love him for being the guy who plays fair rather than takes the political opportunity he’s crazy. Democrats hate Republicans. Democrats aren’t going to vote for Republicans. They’re not going to get a break from Democrats. They will use him, Obama will use him for political cover as he’s done twice now and then actively campaign against him.”

Armey has some good points but he also speaks of a political game which a lot of Americans are tiring of. Christie is seen as a traitor to the Republican Party but the funny thing is that he is not being heralded by the Democrats either. It seems that Chris Christie cannot win with this decision.

Politico reports that his 2014 gubernatorial opponent, Democrat Barbara Buono, used the occasion to launch the obligatory attack against her future foe:

Democrats teed off on Christie after his announcement at a news conference. The governor’s 2014 Democratic opponent, state Sen. Barbara Buono, called the governor’s move “cynical and arrogant” and said Christie “made it clear that he does not care about wasting taxpayer money.”

Politico also quoted Christie as saying, “The costs associated with having the special election and primary, in my mind, cannot be measured against the value of having an elected member of the U.S. Senate. I don’t know what the costs are and quite frankly I don’t care.”

The special election is scheduled for October 16th and not in November. His office says that they believe they would lose a court fight if the election were held with other elections in November. What?

At any rate Chris Christie has spoken. He doesn’t care about the extra costs. How much will those costs be? They are being estimated at $11.9 million for the primary and 11.9 million for the general election. That’s $23.8 million.

So what do you think New Jersey? Can you afford to spend $23.8 million for Chris Christie’s “debilitating stupidity?”

Chris Christie makes a political move to try to please Democratic voters and it will likely blow up in his face. Spending $23.8 million for a Senator?

Christie can speak whatever propaganda he wants to but this is a prime example of the problem we have at all levels of government. None of these people are shy about spending our money, but they never tend to ask us how we feel. Programs are being cut, federal workers are being furloughed and we could have used that $23.8 million to send more tanks and jets to Egypt. Bad joke… but government spending is out of control and Americans are sick of it.

They wonder why people don’t vote. There is no way I could vote for a guy who just spent $23.8 million in taxpayer funds on total stupidity. On the other hand I don’t see myself voting for his socialist opponent either. I would honestly have to abstain. What else could you do in good conscience?

Thank God that they don’t hold a gun to your head and make you vote because I’d probably tell them to pull the trigger on this one.

As for Armey’s argument, I do understand it but I think he gives Christie too much credit. Christie is a RINO and would have simply picked a fellow RINO if he did select a “Republican” to fill the spot.

By the way, in the animal kingdom a group of Rhinos is called a “crash.” I think that’s fitting don’t you? Let’s just hope they crash themselves before they crash this country.