GOP Action Hero Chris Christie
(Reuters/Jonathan Ernst)
This isn't exactly new, but it is a noteworthy detail in today's New York Times story about the social conservatism of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie:
In September, he vetoed state support for family planning clinics, a move strongly backed by anti-abortion groups because some of the clinics performed abortions. In February, after the Democratic-controlled Legislature approved a much smaller appropriation for family planning, backed mostly by federal dollars, he vetoed that, too. Mr. Christie also applied for federal money for abstinence-only education, something that the Democrat he unseated, Gov. Jon S. Corzine, had not done.
And how will banning family planning funding, going the way of Bristol Palin with abstinence education, and becoming an anti-abortion activist play in in New Jersey? Well, for a hint, last month, The Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers released a poll showing that 87% of New Jerseyans support abortion rights—just 10% believed it should be illegal in all circumstances. Chris Christie's extremism on social issues might play well with national conservatives who want him to run for president, but it won't sell in New Jersey, and it needs to be a key part of the case against him.