Easy Sunday: I ask a question of Chris Christie
Chris Christie spoke to a roomful of Republicans at a GOP Republican "Leadership Conference."
I asked him a question.
Chris Christie has extraordinary political talent. He is clear, direct, persuasive, and fluent in his presentations.
He can read a room.
He got tepid applause from this group of activist Republicans when he was introduced. There were Trump-skeptical people in the room looking for viable alternatives to Trump, but the theme of the conference was "Team Republican." Chris Christie had criticized the team captain which makes him a traitor. Talented, perhaps, but a traitor.
Christie is verbally talented enough to dodge direct landmines. He spoke generally of "others in this race" who opposed U.S. support for Ukraine or who criticized Netanyahu and praised Hezbollah. He said that silence or equivocation in the face of evil was collaboration. I thought Christie was being coy.
There were a dozen TV cameras just behind me. I wanted him to be what Christie can be: Clear and forthright to a national audience. I asked him a question at minute 10:45. (If you wish you can advance to that point.with the slider.) I am not on camera, but I had been handed a microphone and you can hear my question.
He laughed at the idea that he of all people needed to be nudged to be forthright. He spoke Trump's name and condemned his effort to overthrow the election.
But notice. This is a heads up to Democrats who think that Republicans unhappy with Trump won't support him in a general election. Christie says that he won't support a person convicted of a felony. A person who joyfully justifies felonious anti-democratic actions to overthrow an election, a person who is indicted on felonies but who manages to get trials delayed so he is not formally convicted on election day, a person who pleads the Fifth to felonies, a person who is tried for felonies but benefits from a holdout juror -- well, that person might be OK.
Even Republicans as unhappy with Trump as is Christie are looking for a way to stick with the team if at all possible.