My Monday column begins like so:
I'm not sure if I'm suffering from some sort of latent dyslexia or if I'm channeling the godlike reputation he's gained in the last several months, but nearly every time I try to type the name "Chris Christie," I accidentally type "Christ" just before stopping myself and retyping the New Jersey governor's actual first name. I'm not making that up, sadly.
There's no doubt that, at a glance, Chris Christie (I just did it again, by the way) sounds like the real deal. His press conference last week in which he mercilessly pummeled the congressional Republicans for not passing a Hurricane Sandy relief bill is just the latest example of Christie stepping onto the national stage and providing a brief but welcome breath of fresh air in a universe where Republicans hardly ever break ranks and eat their own, and a universe where even fewer politicians sound as forthright and authentic.
In the Post-McCain era, Christie is being hailed as the new maverick, the new straight-talker. And I can't bump into a liberal online or elsewhere without hearing about how awesome he is -- how he might be a Republican that liberals can actually support.
Of course there's probably a 5,000 word psycho-political analysis to be written about how too many liberals are just dying to make friends with Republicans. [continue reading]