For some Republicans, Texas Gov. Rick Perry can’t be trusted on immigration. Others have doubts about Mitt Romney. Many feel his Massachusetts health-care plan is too similar to Obamacare, which they have fought against since the idea was first introduced.
The GOP also is having a hard time getting behind Michele Bachmann and Herman Cain — they can’t be elected; Rick Santorum — who’s he?; Newt Gingrich — tired, old Beltway face; and Ron Paul — hard to comprehend and looks fossilized. Republicans are always looking for someone “better.”
Accordingly, eyes recently turned toward New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as a potential candidate with name recognition who might have been acceptable to mainstream Republicans. Christie, once vehement that he would not run for president in 2012, dispelled all doubts Monday. GOP insiders speculated that Christie could have quickly eclipsed frontrunner Romney by touting himself as a candidate with experience governing a Democratic state while still appealing to the typical Republican voter.
For disappointed Republicans, I offer this time-honored advice. Be careful what you wish for. If you think Perry has been raked over the coals because of his Democrat-like immigration advocacy, Christie is worse.
During his tenure as New Jersey governor, Christie has been praised for his management of the state’s budget crisis. During his first year in office, Christie, who inherited a $10 billion deficit, cut $2.2 billion and withstood pressure from entrenched public-sector unions to prevail. But, all the while, Christie tolerated illegal immigration, the cost of which is a significant factor in New Jersey’s deficit. According to the Federation for American Immigration Reform, New Jersey’s state and local governments provide $2.5 billion in illegal alien subsidies, a total greater than the aggregate savings Christie takes credit for.
When it comes to illegal immigration, Christie has several other blemishes on his record that Republicans who attacked Perry would also take issue with. Several municipalities — including the state’s two biggest cities, Newark and Jersey City, and its capital, Trenton — have sanctuary policies.
In 2007, the Democratic mayor of Morristown, Don Cresitello, requested authorization from then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie for the town to enter into a 287(g) program that allows local law enforcement to work in concert with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to deport criminal aliens. Morristown had been overrun with illegal aliens, including MS-13 gangs who dealt drugs and managed prostitution rings. Christie refused Cresitello’s petition, added that the mayor was grandstanding and labeled him, as he still does today, an immigration “demagogue.”
Furthermore, Christie opposed Arizona’s Senate Bill 1070, a state law that would allow police officers under certain circumstances to ask individuals to produce valid identification. Christie said: “I’m not really comfortable with state law enforcement having a big role.” Worst of all, Christie is against E-Verify, the online program that uses federal databases to determine which employees are legally authorized to work in the United States.
While some Republicans eagerly promoted Christie as a fiscal conservative and saw him as a viable option to the other lackluster candidates, there would have been a widespread outcry when his tolerance of illegal immigration became better known.
— Joe Guzzardi has written editorial columns — mostly about immigration and related social issues — since 1990 and is a senior writing fellow for Californians for Population Stabilization (CAPS). After 25 years as an English as a Second Language teacher in the Lodi Unified School District, Guzzardi has retired to Pittsburgh. He can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).
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