The rollout of Chris-Christie-as-the-real-life-Fred Dukes continues apace, and is bringing him into direct confrontation with the junior senator from Kentucky:
Two sides of the surveillance-state coin: While Rand Paul was in Philly yesterday promising to filibuster any attempt to extend the Patriot Act, Christie was in New Hampshire demanding a clean extension, including an extension of the momentarily illegal Section 215 that House Republicans and Democrats have joined together in trying to limit. Paul and Christie have tangled before over civil liberties and national security, although never face to face. Two summers ago, Christie flashed his hawkishness by calling libertarianism a “very dangerous idea” in a post-9/11 world. Paul replied a few days later that Christie’s flippancy about the Bill of Rights was more dangerous than anything in libertarianism. Now here’s Christie rejoining that battle with Paul the obvious if unnamed target of a broadside I don’t think I've ever heard before in GOP natsec rhetoric.
That's because (1) no Paulnut has ever been considered a top-tier presidential contender (which Senator Paul isn't, but he's not dismissed as a crank, either), and (2) the GOP hasn't been this soft on national security since the days of the isolationist Robert Taft almost seventy years ago.
Governor Christie is correct, of course. National and domestic security is the bulwark and guarantor of liberty - one of them, anyway - and as a former U.S. Attorney and prosecutor, the Big Man knows whereof he speaks with far more credibility than Rand will ever muster. But the problem Double-C and Patriot Act defenders, including myself, have is that Barack Obama's tyranny has, among many other things, been a worst case scenario for a police state abusing the Patriot Act's provisions to harass and persecute its domestic political enemies and illegally amass power unto itself. This doesn't discredit the Patriot Act itself, but is, rather, an indictment of foolish, reckless voters who let themselves be swindled into electing an Islamocommunist despot and then stubbornly and insanely refused to correct that grievous mistake four years later. But, as usual, the Beltway political class is confusing the tyrant with the tools he's been abusing, and Rand Paul is following suit.
Essentially, Governor Christie is invoking the old adage of the Constitution not being a suicide pact. And he's absolutely right, although his purpose in this instance is primarily to built "hawk cred" with GOP voters who are dismissing him as a RINO and also-ran.
That strategy is most likely what is transforming him into a born-again border-closer as well:
He told ABC five years ago that he supported citizenship, leaving him with two options now. One: Stick to his guns and give conservatives another reason to treat “Christie” as a curse word. Two: Follow Scott Walker’s lead by pleading ignorance in his earlier views and claiming that he’s since seen the light. Actual quote from Christie: “I have now learned some of the ramifications for all of these things.” What those things might be isn’t clear, but it’d be impolite after such an earnest pander to badger the poor guy for details. He’s trying, Republicans. A for effort?
I have no especial reason to doubt Governor Christie's sincerity on the question - aside from its coming two months after Governor Walker's unprompted evolution on the issue and his needing any lifeline he can get to resuscitate his flagging candidacy after Bridge-gate waylaid it in the starting gates a year and a half ago and Jeb Bush swooped in and absconded with the top "establishment" spot.
But you do what you have to do, I suppose. And look on the bright side: at least he didn't fall off the pier.....
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