Chris Christie in crosshairs of national governors' group

Chris Christie in crosshairs of national governors' group
"...Fat-boy Gov. Chris Christie wasn’t even in the state yet, but he cast the largest, fattest shadow in the room ..."


By Matt Arco/NJ Advance Media, for NJ.com
on July 12, 2014

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Gov. Chris Christie wasn’t even in the state yet, but he cast the largest shadow in the room where Democratic governors gathered Friday afternoon to rail against their Republican counterparts.

The Democratic governors who had arrived in town for a conference of the National National Governors Association all but targeted Christie as the poster child for what they described as the Republicans’ failed policies in statehouses across the country.

"We affirmed our AAA bond rating," Gov. Martin O’Malley of Maryland said about the successes of his state’s economy before taking aim at New Jersey’s governor.

O’Malley shrugged off Christie’s use of the term the "New Jersey miracle," a line he has used to paint his economic stewardship as a model for other Republican governors during speeches as chairman of the Republican Governors Association.

"It’s no miracle," O’Malley said sharply, "If you ignore the math you’ll have your bond rating downgraded again and again."

His comments were echoed by the two other Democratic governors who took part in the event, including Gov. Peter Shumlin of Vermont, the chairman of the Democratic Governors Association who was quick to note that New Jersey’s bond rating has dropped six times since Christie took office in 2010.

DGA presser
From left: Democratic Govs. Dan Malloy of Connecticut, Peter Shumlin of Vermont, and Martin O’Malley of Maryland criticize Republican governors in Nashville, Tenn., including Republican Gov. Chris Christie.

They also criticized his decision to cut the pension payments to public employees despite working with the Democrat-controlled state Legislature to pass a law requiring that full payments be made.

The governor recently signed a budget that all but abandoned a first-term plan to repair New Jersey’s derelict pension system by slicing $1.57 billion from a payment required by law for public workers’ retirement funds.

"He then presented a proposal that wouldn’t pay for it even though he promised to pay for it," Gov. Dan Malloy of Connecticut.

"They are not lowering their overall debt," Malloy charged. "You can look no further than New Jersey, which has refused to properly fund their pensions every year that that governor has served as governor of the state of New Jersey. The obligation today is larger than it was the day that he was sworn in."

But Jon Thompson, a spokesman for the Republican Governors Association, shrugged off the criticism.

Republican governors across the country are leading on jobs, education reform, cutting taxes, and making their states engines of economic growth, and their strong records are why nearly every Republican governor up for re-election in 2014 is leading in the polls.

He said that added "Martin O’Malley, meanwhile, is leaving Maryland in worse shape with a failed ObamaCare state exchange, reckless spending and 40 straight tax hikes. Peter Shumlin is even being told by his own Democrat candidates for governor that he is an out-of-touch ‘Washington D.C. Desk Jockey.’"

The comments from tghe Democratic governors were unprompted by questions from reporters, and came as the three also made sporadic mention of other Republican governors.

It seemed as if the Democrats had set their sights on Christie, who has been eying a run for president for several years now, even before Christie landed in Nashville for the conference.

For a governor who once led the pack of potential Republican presidential hopefuls — but who has since been dogged by investigations into his administration prompted by lane closings at the George Washington Bridge — the attention from Democrats seemed to indicate that Christie had turned some invisible corner.

"I think time has passed, information has come out and he’s move on past that and he’s focusing on his job as RGA chairman and governor of New Jersey," Gov. Mary Fallin of Oklahoma, a Republican who is currently serving as chairwoman of the National Governors Association.

"Gov. Christie has been very active with the RGA and has traveled across the nation to help fellow Republican candidates in various races for governor. He’s worked very hard and helped raise a substantial amount of money," she said. "This is a very big election year."

The RGA recently boasted of record fundraising since Christie took over as chairman last November, with $70.3 million cash on hand.

"He’s done a great job," said Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, who name has also been mentioned as a potential Republican presidential candidate, though he, too, is entangled in scandal.