Whatever you think about former New Jersey governor Christie, he deserves heaps of credit for standing up to the Trump in the way he has done this year. I thought his performance at the last GOP debate (University of Alabama) was excellent. Having said that, it’s probably time for him to step back and clear the road for Nikki Haley. She is the only candidate with any chance of catching Trump. But, like The Washington Post’s Jennifer Rubin, I don’t think the anti-Trump forces in the GOP can afford to lose Christie’s energy and message.
Here is a taste of Rubin’s column at today’s Post:
Unfortunately for the GOP and the country, the chance of Christie winning the nomination is close to zero. That does not mean, however, he cannot play a significant role in knocking Trump out of the race, thereby sparing the country from the risk of a second term and from post-election violence if Trump loses.
The clue came in the last debate. In addition to pursuing his attack on Trump, he rose to the defense of perhaps the only contender who can beat Trump: former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. “All he knows how to do is insult good people who have committed their lives to public service and not say anything that moves the ball down the field for the United States,” Christie said in reaming Vivek Ramaswamy, who impugned Haley’s intelligence. Christie said he disagrees with Haley on some issues, but, “what we don’t disagree on is: This is a smart accomplished woman. You should stop insulting.”
Christie can do more than defend Haley rhetorically; he can drop out and sign up as her running mate. It would not be the first time a contender left a presidential race to sign on as the No. 2 on someone else’s ticket in an attempt to beat back Trump. In late April 2016, Carly Fiorina signed on to be the vice president for Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). By then, however, it was too late to upset Trump’s path to the nomination. Now, a Haley-Christie ticket would not only consolidate the anti-Trump vote and anti-Trump donors, but it would also combine the talents of the only two candidates remotely qualified and at least dedicated to supporting critical allies such as Ukraine. (This is not a ticket I’d be inclined to support, but the only issue here is whether their combined efforts could undermine Trump, which is in the interests of our democracy.)
Read the rest here.