Christie Fans Actually Upset with Governor Palin for Going "Unscripted"

"I've said several times at this point, if he ran, Christie would be my choice." - DrewM.

After Governor Palin appeared on Fox Business Network this evening, some Chris Christie supporters (even though he has stated many times that he's not running for president) were a little upset. DrewM, who is a blogger over on Ace of Spades, voiced his outrage on Twitter over the little swipe the governor took at Christie when she said:

And with all due respect to Governor Christie, you know he has no choice but to cut budgets because he’s broke, his state is broke. What courage really is, is in the face of having a surplus when you have opportunity to spend spend spend other people’s money, you still choose to reign in government to let the private sector soar. That’s real courage, and by the way that’s what I did as Governor here when I engaged in hiring freezes and reduced earmarks by 86% and vetoed the largest amounts in our state’s history. Despite having a surplus that’s real leadership and that’s courage.

But I do appreciate that Governor Christie is willing to face the reality in his state and that is that they are going bankrupt. So he has to cut, he has no choice.

DrewM responded:

Imagine how much more courageous she could have been if she hadn't,um, what's the word? Quit.

Oh really? Now if Drew were a brainwashed liberal, I could at least give him the benefit of knowing that he doesn't know much. That's just not the case however. Drew seems versed in the story of why Governor Palin resigned, when she did. He even stated:

I've heard it all before. It's fine that she did it but she doesn't get a pass for it. Actions have consequences

And

I think it was perfectly understandable on human level. It's not fine in a political sense.

In other words, 'I understand why she had to resign, it's fine that she did, but I'm still going to attack her for it because hey, this is politics.' Could he be anymore transparent?

Knowing people like DrewM (and his leftist counterparts) exist, Governor Palin took a huge risk resigning from her post. She did so for the good her state and the people who had elected her. A good leader leads, but when that same leader is put into a position where their own presence is causing insurmountable attacks on the very thing they're supposed to be leading (which in her case was Alaska), that leader hands the reigns to someone who can carry out the agenda in peace. It was unselfish and the right thing to do.

A typical politician would have rode out the storm for their own career's sake. They would have had the people who financed them thus far, pay their legal bills, and would have no doubt had the support of their party to help them along the way. Governor Palin is no typical politician, which is why she came under such heavy attack in the first place.

Republicans should be seeking strong leadership. Governor Palin proved what a good leader she is by her record in office. She also proved the ability to make tough decisions, with the best interest of her constituents in mind. That is exactly what she did by resigning. In my view, that is a positive. It only appears to be a negative when political rivals spin it and repeat the words "quit!"

AllahPundit also weighed in on the governor's interview. He posted an interesting exit question, in which he said:

How is it that a Republican governor in a deeply Democratic state like Jersey is showing little courage by tackling unions and pension reform? The government may be broke, but Christie theoretically could go the Democratic route and push tax hikes or float bonds rather than demand cuts. And why do we assume that he’d have done differently than Palin did if he had the chance to govern a state — a red state, where he has an electoral advantage — with a surplus?

Answer: Chris Christie wouldn't get elected in a red state.

According to Conservative New Jersey, Christie's record is anything but. They post a list of "words and deeds" that punch holes in the narrative that his supporters have been touting:

• His budget passed only after three conservative Republicans were bullied into voting for it and the savings achieved in the budget were done at the expense of new taxes, new fees, federal Stimulus funds and accounting gimmicks; the 2% property tax cap will actually cause taxes to skyrocket; he has yet to propose the “across the board” tax cuts he promised as a candidate; the budget actually INCREASES state expenditures by 6% and the number of staff in the Governor’s office making $100,000 per year increases by ten;
• His confrontation with the unions is pure Kabuki theater with nothing accomplished but acrimony; he has yet to lay off a single state employee and his proposed 2011 state worker reduction plan is little more than window dressing;
• He has populated his cabinet with notorious liberals while firing the only true conservative - after slandering him;
• He has endorsed notorious RINO candidates in the 2010 mid-term election while avoiding (with one notable exception) contact with conservative candidates;
• He supports a multi-state Cap & Trade scheme known as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and is so committed to Cap & Trade that he used funds raised from RGGI’s carbon auctions to help balance the budget; he has directed that state funds be appropriated to subsidize “green” technology ventures such as off-shore windmills;
• He has refused to join other state attorneys-general in a joint lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Obamacare while accepting federal funds for the implementation of a similar program on a statewide level;
• He is on record saying that he does not believe illegal aliens are here illegally; he has indicated that he supports amnesty for illegals; he generally favors strict gun control and he supports construction of the Ground Zero Mosque even as he condemns those who oppose it.

Not exactly the record of anyone I would have ever suspected Ann Coulter to support, but I digress...

While Governor Palin's words may have made Christie's fans cranky, there is no question that she was correct in her analysis. Just ask any Californian (like myself) who has been watching Jerry Brown these first few months of his administration. He's been making cuts, and making enemies because he HAS to. His record and even his budget are far from a conservative ideal model, but he is responding by making some necessary changes. He doesn't have a choice considering the fiscal mess the state is in.

Christie has said he won't run for president, but I'm sure the governor would welcome him to the race. For one thing, if she does decide to run, it will be nice to have another not-so Conservative candidate to thin out the others in the GOP pool. We as her supporters would also welcome the fact that these Republicans wouldn't be able to recycle another leftist meme by saying she isn't experienced. She has almost two decades of public service under her belt. How many does Christie have?

Chris Christie has taken unnecessary swipes at Governor Palin in the past. So, it wasn't out of line for her to return some fire and do so by exposing Christie for who he is.

Mark Levin, who has been trying to warn Conservatives about Chris Christie for some time, also weighed in. I leave you with his words.