the case for working with Chris Christie

I will admit this... I'm more inclined as a Democrat to give Chris Christie a taste of his own medicine. Yet since the election from talking to friends and fellow Democrats, they're more inclined to work with the guy to try and move New Jersey forward. So far, you guys think that we should work with Chris Christie. I'm now arguing the opposite of what I argued yesterday, and I will admit that this post was much tougher for me to write than yesterday's. So far nobody's talked me down from fighting him though. To every Democrat I've talked to that wants to work with Christie, you're a stronger person than I am.

Chris Christie ultimately has the same goal as anyone who has ever run for office, worked on a campaign, or gotten involved in any politics in the first place. We all want to make (in this case) New Jersey a better place to live, work, and visit. You can be a Democrat, Republican, Independent, Libertarian, Socialist, Green, etc and want to achieve those very basic goals. The issues at place here are how to achieve them, and what the finished product ultimately looks like.

New Jersey is not a red state. In the past, Republicans that have won statewide have been moderates, although that hasn't happened (until recently) since the 1997 when I was a high school student living in New York. Ironically there must be something about the name Christie that makes New Jersey vote Republican because the last Republican who won statewide was Christie Whitman, who's mess we are still cleaning up.

Democrats and Chris Christie working together can be a good thing. Even though New Jersey is known for dirty politics, that's not a reputation that we necessarily have to keep. One thing I do admire about Christie is his toughness and willing to fight corruption, which is so rampant here in New Jersey that a book has been written about it ("The Soprano State"). Maybe he can be the governor that ends corruption in New Jersey. I say if he puts one corrupt establishment player in jail, he's made a huge stride forward.

If the Assembly and state Senate Democrats and Christie successfully work together, we could also be a model for bipartisanship everywhere, after the pathetic attempts of bipartisanship in Washington so far in the Obama administration (which consist of the Democrats watering down the legislation to suit Republicans who block it anyways).

Ever since I can remember, we've been a partisan society. And frankly as partisan as I am, I'm sick of the bickering and would love more civility in politics. I came of voting age while the Republicans in Washington were trying to impeach a president because of his sex life. More than a decade later, the Republicans are still making the same pathetic attacks on a Democratic president. This time they're listening to the Glenn Beckkks of the world and comparing him to everyone from Hitler to the Joker-- yes the Batman villain.

Across the country statehouses need to show the pundits and politicians in Washington how the two parties CAN work together. New Jersey has the golden opportunity to become a leader to show the country and 49 other states how it can be done. I'd love to see this happen and our reputation change.

I really should not be judging Christie yet as he has yet to take office. Maybe what Trenton needs is a change in administration. As you can tell from the language of this post and the last, I am still not sold on everything. Someone please try and sell Chris Christie to me.