Last time, the controversy was about him watching the Dallas
Cowboys in Texas in the box with their owner at their stadium, while the team
is far from a favorite in his own state. This time, wearing a red and white
scarf, he was watching the other form of football-soccer, and instead of Texas,
he took himself away to London.
He has a bit in common with football, you might say. He is
known for:
Being tough
Having a scandal recently
Being a bit large
And lastly, he is known for wanting to run for the
presidency.
The last one on the list is the main reason, apparently, that
he is in London England right now-so he’s not just there for the soccer game,
and the main reason he is in the spotlight at the moment. The trip to London is
a way for him to prepare himself for the international duties of the
presidency.
He recently dined with Mitt Romney, as that player leaves the
stage, fueling speculation that Christi could be planning a run himself.
If further confirmation were needed that he is at least
considering the idea, one need only look at the fact that he launched his
Political Action Committee already. (PAC.) It is called the Leadership Matters for America PAC, and will probably
begin by doing polls to see if America wants the man who Jimmy Fallon has
styled “the love gov” as president or not. If they feel he has a chance, the
next step will be to begin to raise money. And with Romney gone, there are of course more donors to go around.
But when someone decides to run for president, or is at least
apparently thinking about it, as Christi is, then everything else they have
ever done in their life, comes in to focus, and everyone who ever knew them and
even the janitor who didn’t, gets a call, as everybody tries to find the goods.
The apparent goods in Christi’s past might prove to be a bit
large, like the man himself. Firstly, his record of being sharply critical of
Republicans, despite being one himself, and especially his famous image of him
hugging Obama when the president came to investigate the wreckage after
Hurricane Sandy in New Jersey, have left many wondering just how right-wing
Christi really is. So he will have to start upping his credentials with the
right wing if he wants the nomination.
But there are other goods that could be even more damaging.
The part about him being tough is not necessarily a bad thing, but sometimes he
comes across as almost a bully, if not absolutely one. Shouting at people to
“shut up” or calling them idiots. While many no doubt like displays of real human
emotion in politics, it could also put other people off.
And his bullying brings us to the other things on the list.
Bridge-gate. This is where bullying, football, and Christi all collide, as
opponents claim that to get back at political enemies, he had the George
Washington Bridge shut down in retaliation for their lack of endorsements for
him.
Do what you want in politics, but not actual tackling is
allowed. And while the hype is sort of dying down on the issue that the busiest
bridge in the world was shut down, (so far it has not actually been linked to
him, but people on his team had been fired/asked to resign for it) it is
baggage that could easily haunt him in the months to come.
Anyway, Christi is currently happy due to the fact that the
team he was rooting for won the match last night, and his trip is being paid
for by other people, not himself. He has a long way to go to becoming
president, but he is getting ready. When asked last night by a journalist about
2016, he punted the question.
Andrew C. Abbott
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