Here's New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, just three weeks after his re-election,
already trying to divorce President Obama:
In an interview with a local radio station Monday night, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called Obamacare a “train wreck.”
"This is just an awful law. It made no sense and that's why I didn't get into a state exchange. And no, I have absolutely no regrets. In fact, I’m really glad that the train wreck’s not mine; it’s his," Christie told listeners on New Jersey 101.5FM, referring to President Barack Obama.
And here's Christie
nine months earlier, when he was running for re-election:
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie became the eighth Republican governor to back expanding Medicaid under President Barack Obama's health care reform law on Tuesday. [...]
"After considerable discussion and research, I have decided to participate in Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act. While we already have one of the most expansive and generous Medicaid programs in the nation, including the second highest eligibility rate for children, we have an opportunity to ensure that an even greater number of New Jerseyans who are at or near the poverty line will have access to critical health services beginning in January of 2014," Christie said.
Obviously, Christie's statements were focused on different aspects of the law—letting New Jersey build its own health care exchange versus participating in Medicaid expansion—but they nonetheless represent a big shift in tone. Today, he says Obamacare is nothing but "an awful law" that has nothing to do with him, but just nine months ago he was praising Obamacare's Medicaid expansion as a way to expand access to "critical health services."
The explanation for the shift is pretty obvious: Back then, he was running for re-election in a Democratic state; now, he wants to be the Republican presidential nominee and he's trying to fend off Republicans like Rand Paul who accuse Christie of "embracing Obamacare."
Clearly, Christie hopes that he can make Republican primary voters forget about his support for Obamacare Medicaid expansion by focusing on his decision to block a state-based health care exchange in New Jersey. Of course, if Christie had allowed New Jersey to build its own exchange, it would be better off today, but Republicans won't see it that way. Instead, the question is whether Rand Paul's line of attack resonates and they convince themselves that Christie is a RINO, or if they'll forgive him for supporting a key part of Obamacare just like they forgave Mitt Romney for inventing it.
Whatever ends up happening, one thing is clear, however: By the end of the 2016 primary, the Chris Christie that existed between Hurricane Sandy and his re-election will be gone, replaced by the same right-wing robots that invaded Romney when he decided to run.