Last week, Christie cut short his campaign trip to North Carolina and cancelled another one to Nevada in light of Hurricane Sandy making landfall over the weekend. Although Christie was a mainstay of criticism against Obama in Romney's campaign, his quick change of opinion has caused Republicans to whine about his words. When asked about the possibility of Romney touring in New Jersey in the following week, Christie responded with “I have no idea, nor am I the least bit concerned or interested,” to put emphasis on the current state of destruction throughout New Jersey instead of presidential politics. Similarly, Michael Brown, former FEMA director under Bush has even suggested that Obama responded too quickly to the fallout from Hurricane Sandy.
Did Chris Christie do the right thing by stepping out and praising Obama publicly? Or should he have kept it more low-key in light of Election Day approaching?
6 comments:
I think its commendable that Chris Christie could look past politics long enough to take an objective view of the President Obama and his response to the crisis. I find the idea that the president "responded too quickly" to be a bit absurd. With election day approaching Hurricane Sandy was bound to become cause for either praise or criticism. It is expected that the President would avoid any situation for criticism, but also looking past that its not just about the politics. Hurricane Sandy was a real disaster and real people's lives were affected. They need help, and politics need to step out of the way. Chris Christie's voicing of opinion is commendable, and should be used as a model for other politicians. Times of crisis should be events where politicians look past party lines and work together for the em-betterment of the community.
Although I agree with Smita that it's great for Christie to speak positively about Obama, I see Christie's comment as mostly influenced by self interest. After the recent narrowly avoided crisis, it would definitely benefit Christie's state to say "thank you" to the administration that helped them through the issue. I think I see Christie's comment as part of a step toward a less polarized nation, but more so as an insurance that the Obama administration will continue to assist New Jersey.
However, this seemingly complete reversal of opinions may not go well with other Republicans; if one wants to be extremely cautious with the two different outcomes of the coming election, Christie may have been better off keeping quiet and loyal to his party.
In a way, Christie's ambivalence hurts his credibility by questioning the legitimacy of his initial disapproval of Obama. Were his criticisms of the President justifiable or simply efforts to please his fellow Republicans? At the same time, however, I think that it was appropriate for Christie to admit to his change in opinion. Even if his initial judgements were not genuine, it was commendable that he was willing to publicize his appreciation of the President's actions (though it risked hurting his relationship with other Republicans).
It is strange that Christie experienced such a drastic change of mind overnight. Although hurricanes are destructive and frightening, which are factors that would certainly influence my thought processes, I do feel that Christie's comments are motivated at least to some degree by the desire for either benefits or at least no negative changes in authority figures views about him. That being said, even if Christie was acting in self interest, I think that if he truly feels that way about Obama's actions, he is entitled to share. Whether it is a good move politically or not is another question...
I agree with Smita in that it was right for Christie to step out and praise Obama. In this time when many Americans are displaced and trying to survive, we need to come together as a nation to support each other. By pushing the politics aside, Christie jump starts on the healing process that this country will have to go through. His public approval of Obama not only helps Obama, but also himself, illustrating how much he cares for his state and people. I think Obama's quick actions in response to Hurricane Sandy illustrate his preparedness and abilities as president to step in when necessary in a quick and effective manner.
I like how through a crisis such as Hurricane Sandy, our political leaders can show a sense of humanity rather than being caught up in politics. Christie's response to the idea of Romney touring New Jersey really stood out to me because of how natural such a response seemed. He didn't seem worried about how Republicans viewed him as a politician; he was showing genuine care for the people in his state. We should take into consideration the amount of stress Christie must be under due to his state's situation, and he needs all the help he can get, so it was quite obvious that he would praise Obama for responding to the emergency. What we should be wary of is when a crisis occurs, and the people in charge make it a political matter instead about helping the people in need. Let's hope this doesn't happen in the future.
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