You know you sound ridiculous, right?

I'm not opposed to disagreeing with someone in my own party or someone who shares my general beliefs. In fact, I think one of the most important aspects of our democracy is the gradient of different opinions that exist, even within the same party. Neither am I opposed to calling out someone who you generally agree with when that agreement seems to disconnect on some issue or another. Disagreement is exactly what built this democracy. Disagreement about how our government should oversee the country and disagreements about how much power should be given to the federal government compared to the states, are what gave us our most important founding documents. Disagreement is a good thing. I just want to get that out there. I want to make sure I'm perfectly clear that I believe we, as a society, have a requirement to disagree with one another and discuss those disagreements in a way that is productive. Period, end of discussion.

Now that I have made myself clear - I did make myself clear correct? Just in case I didn't, disagreements are good. Okay, that's out of the way. Understanding that disagreements are needed, especially inside political parties, I am appalled by the absolute veracity with which the ultra-right wing is attacking New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. I could not disagree more with the Governor's policies and stances on major issues, but this event shouldn't be about politics. However, Rush Limbaugh, in all of his neoconservative glory, has been completely eviscerating Chris Christie, calling him a “Greek Column for President Obama.” He even went so far as to gay bait by saying “Is it wrong for one man to love another man?” 



Limbaugh wasn't alone in his criticism of Governor Christie. Matt K. Lewis of The Daily Caller wrote a column two days after Sandy made landfall that said, in part, “The question is whether — with just days left before Election Day — Christie should have gone out of his way to lavish praise on Obama, and to provide him with a terrific photo-op for which to look presidential.” Responding to Christie's statement that he does not “give a damn about Election Day,” Lewis writes “Is Christie really saying that the plight of his state today outweighs the seriousness of electing a President of the United States of America for four years?”

YES! The governor is saying that his state's destruction and “plight” is most definitely more important then the election for him and many of New Jersey's citizens. Why is it so difficult to understand that there are literally millions of people living in some of the most extreme and dangerous conditions our country has seen since Hurricane Katrina? The neighboring New York metropolitan area alone is home to nearly 20,000,000 people. That number doesn't even include the rest of the tri-state area, or the areas affected more inland. Most estimates put the total number of people affected by this storm at something close to 50 million. That is roughly 1/6 of our nation's population. So, I say again, YES! Governor Christie should absolutely be more interested in the conditions in his state then a national election.

Now, I haven't even gotten to the main problem that Neo-Cons have with Chris Christie. Not only are they upset with him for focusing on his state, instead of the election, they are furious with the amount of bipartisanship the Governor is displaying toward President Obama. Speaking about Christie's thankfulness for the President's concern and responsiveness, Lewis chastises Christie by writing, “But again, isn’t it possible to be serious and respectful and thankful without becoming a prop for Obama’s re-election? (The issue here is about the degree to which he is going out of his way to help Obama politically — and the context of the timing.).” Seriously?! So basically, “It's okay to say thank you. Just don't say thank you and sound like you mean it.” This is ridiculous. Is our country really at the point where we are attacking a public official, a Governor no less, for acting in a bipartisan fashion when bipartisanship is so badly needed that it's nonsensically ridiculous to assume anything else? The President and Governor Christie have put away partisanship (Yes, that is possible even with less than a week to go before an election) and worked together to do what their constituents hired them to do; make government work.

So, while the right wing, Neo–Con, Tea Party establishment turns their back on someone who has been nothing but an outspoken supporter of everything they stand for, I will applaud Governor Christie for putting the rhetoric away and working with a President from the opposing party.