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1. Christie still doesnât get it: Former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie did an interview with the Washington Post at the University of Chicagoâs Institute of Politics on Tuesday.
The thrust of the conversation was, not surprisingly, the 2024 election.
First, the Post reporter asked Christie if his position on Donald Trump had changed at all since the end of the Republican presidential primary. It had not, Christie insisted.
âOne thing I know for sure now is Iâm not voting for Trump under any circumstances,â said Christie. âIf heâs the only person on the ballot, Iâm not voting for Trump, because I know him too well, and he is wholly unfit to be president of the United States in every way you think.â
Ok, so far, so good!
Christie was then asked whether he planned to vote for President Joe Biden instead. To which he responded this way:
âI don't think so. No.â
âPresident Biden, in my view, is past the sell-by date. Seriously, look at him.â
âIf the American people are stupid enough to nominate these two guys, doesnât mean I have to be stupid, too.â
Aaaaaaand the logic train just left the track.
Ok, so letâs just walk through Christieâs thinking:
a) Donald Trump is âwholly unfitâ to be president
b) He wonât vote for Biden because the incumbent is âpast the sell-by date.â
c)
Like, whaaaaaat?
This âlogicâ â and Christie is far from the only anti-Trumper to use it â makes zero sense.
And hereâs why: This presidential election is a BINARY choice. There are only two people who have any serious chance of being the president of the United States in January 20, 2025: Donald Trump and Joe Biden.
So, if you believe one of those two people is âwholly unfitâ for the office and âhe will be on the vendetta tour against all enemies that he perceivesâ (another Christie quote from the WaPo interview) then, well, you HAVE to vote for the other guy.
Even if you think the other guy is too old to be president. Even if you disagree with the other guy on lots of issues. No matter what.
Because the reality is that not voting for the guy who is still fit to be president (again, even if you think he is too old or wrong on the issues) means that it makes it easier for the guy you DO think is wholly unfit to be president to, uh, be president.
As much as it might make Christie feel good to write in âGeorge H.W. Bushâ or âMitt Romneyâ or whoever on his ballot, neither of them â or anyone else not named âTrumpâ or âBidenâ â is going to win.
We donât live in a make-believe world where anyone can be president in November. Itâs these two guys. Thatâs it. Period.
So, excuse me if I donât buy the speak-truth-to-power BS that Christie tries to sell in explaining his decision. âIf the American people are stupid enough to nominate these two guys, doesnât mean I have to be stupid, too.â
Sounds good! But makes no actual sense!
This isnât about being smart or stupid. Elections are never about a choice between the best thing and the worst thing. Itâs always somewhere in between. By choosing not to choose, Christie is showing he doesnât actually believe all that smack he talks about Trump and the dangers he presents to the presidency and the country.
Spare me.
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