Charlie Pierce on Chris Christie:
The fact is that he's still the same guy he always was. Somebody who would pull the wings off flies if he thought it meant 15 minutes on CNN. Someone who almost never picks on anyone his own size. Someone who kicks down, always. Someone who was OK with federal storm relief, but ostentatiously refused federal money for another tunnel connecting New Jersey and New York. He's still the same megalomaniac who stunned the party in Tampa by giving a keynote address at the Republican National Convention in which he barely mentioned the nominee. He's the guy who put the bully in the bully pulpit. And he has not changed, any more than Washington has. Be advised. The aurora's rising behind him.
As we said on the podcast, if the 2016 election was today, Christie could basically walk into the Oval Office. But before his coronation, be aware that he'll absolutely move farther to the right during the campaign just like McCain, and he's already far-right on reproductive rights, gun control and taxes/spending. You can absolutely expect that some of your liberal friends will fall in love with him because, well, liberals do that. Warn them that he's not our friend, regardless of his tough talk against the Republicans recently.