Myth: Chris Christie is popular. Fact: Not in NJ.
Christie yells at someone for something
photo credit: Office of the Governor
For all that the weak GOP field (led by a self-destructing Mitt Romney) is pushing talk of a Chris Christie national run, the Jersey bully has lost the confidence of his home state. Two polls in April (here and here) noted Christie was treading water. SUSA polling this week confirms that Christie is not exactly beloved back home.
New Jersey Republican Governor Chris Christie, beloved by some and despised by others for his bluntness, has a Minus 18 job approval today as speculation continues about whether Christie should run for President. 38% of NJ adults approve of the job Christie is doing, 56% disapprove.
According to this latest Eyewitness News Poll conducted by SurveyUSA exclusively for WABC-TV in New York City, NJ voters by 5:1 say Christie should not run for President.
• By 2:1, NJ voters say Christie would be a worse president than Barack Obama.
• Obama carried NJ in 2008 by 15 points. Obama's approval rating in NJ today is Plus 14 (54% approve, 40% disapprove).
• Voters split evenly on whether Christie would be better president than George W. Bush.
Once the media has decided on a narrative, damn the facts and just keep repeating the myth. It's just so much easier and less work that way. "
Republican presidential hopefuls meet with popular N.J. Gov. Chris Christie" says the headline from March 23 despite the same site having this headline —
Gov. Christie's poll numbers drop after N.J. budget address — on March 8.
Here's the NY Times yesterday in a story about the Democratic Governor of CT, Dannel Malloy, balancing his budget the fiscally responsible way:
And while the confrontational approach has made Governor Christie of New Jersey a hot property, there is no early indication that what Mr. Malloy calls “shared sacrifice” is working as well for him. A Quinnipiac University poll in March put his approval rating at 35 percent.
And the difference between 35 (Malloy) and 38 (Christie) is what? That Malloy's a Democrat? Now, these are single polls and neither means much of anything - except when it comes to setting narrative, which the Times is happy to do, facts be damned.
It's not just the NY Times, of course. A local NBC affiliate has this from Friday:
Many are vying for an endorsement from the popular freshman governor, who quickly rose to the national spotlight after challenging public unions in the blue state last year.
Speaking of a weak field, this Mitch Daniels story is from
CBS Friday:
Reflecting what many observers see as weak Republican field, the pressure on Daniels to run has been intense. He has been assured backing from big-money donors who supported George W. Bush, in addition to former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, as well as top sitting Republican governors.
Sources tell CBS News popular New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has told Daniels he would back him, as would Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
Popular? In what universe is 38/56 popular? The concept of Christie's "popularity" can't be because of the separate question of the presidential race (different than performance of Governor.) If the "popular" Christie ran against Obama, he'd be unlikely to carry his home state — the
April Q-poll had Obama beating Christie 52-39 in NJ, and the SUSA poll has
this:
The poll also asked if Christie is qualified to run, with 28 percent saying he is and 54 percent saying he's not.
The poll asked respondents to compare the governor to Obama and determine who would make a better chief executive. Of those polled, 29 percent said Christie would be better and 53 percent said Christie would be worse.
The poll also asked voters to compare the governor to former President George W. Bush. Of those polled, 35 percent said Christie would be a better president than Bush and 30 percent said he would be worse.
If what you mean is "more popular than George W. Bush," just say so. Speaking of Bush, this is all reminiscent of the media's insistence that Bush was "popular" way beyond the time he actually was — and we all know how that turned out.
Chris Christie isn't popular, and he isn't going to save the GOP from Mitt Romney. Media, get used to both facts. In the meantime, you need a new narrative.
More discussion in andgarden's diary.
