Chris Christie: Barack Obama is a Coward

That noise you hear? That’s the dynamite known as Chris Christie going boom.

Talking on Morning Joe today about gay marriage and his recent veto of a New Jersey “marriage equality” bill, the guy who should be running for President found a way to use the issue to attack President Obama. It was glorious.

 Christie defended his recent veto of a bill allowing gays and lesbians to marry and reiterated his call to put the question to a popular referendum, arguing, “the Democrats in my state are criticizing me saying my feet are firmly planted on the wrong side of justice. I said yesterday, yeah, my feet are firmly planted right next to President Obama.” “He could have gotten more votes in New Jersey out of Democrats in the legislature — not all of them voted for it –if the President would have taken a stand,” Christie added.

But that’s not even the best part. The real fireworks started when Johnathan Capehart pressed Christie on putting “civil rights of a minority” up for referendum. Christie was, er, unfased.

CAPEHART: Governor Christie, I heard you say that you have your feet firmly planted next to President Obama on this issue, but the key difference between you and the President is while you support putting the civil rights of a minority up for a public referendum, the President is certainly not in favor of that.

CHRISTIE: Has he said that, Jonathan? Jonathan, has he said that? I haven’t heard him say that…The President is silent on this like he’s silent on every issue that’s difficult for him. [...] Let’s have the President of the United States show some courage, come on this program, look into the camera like I’m looking into the camera, and state his position. He won’t because he wants to have it both ways. I’m not looking to have it both ways, I vetoed the bill. That’s my position. What I’ve offered to the supporters of same-sex marriage is if one of your reasons for why I should have voted signed it was because you’re telling me the majority of the people of New Jersey want it, then prove it. Put it on the ballot and prove it. At least I’m standing up for what I believe in. The President has hidden on this issue, Jonathan, he’s hidden on it… This is the type of cowardice that we don’t want.

Of course, Christie is exactly correct here. In every difficult position the President has to take, he tries to have it both ways. Christie is the antithesis of that. He likes to fight, to stand for something, and to push the issue.

President Obama, on the other hand, when pressed on an difficult issue does the opposite. Someone is always holding him back, it’s someone else’s fault, maybe a natural disaster or it’s just not politically appropriate (wink wink, nudge nudge) so he won’t take that stand. That isn’t pragmatic, it’s cowardly.

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