Four Points About Christie's Victory That Were Missed By The Media

The conventional wisdom is that (a) Chris Christie is a moderate and (b) his big reelection victory is a signal to the Republican Party that it must embrace its moderate wing to win in 2016. Not so fast.

1.

Recognize her? I didn't think so. But neither do most voters from New Jersey. Prior to the election, about 40% of New Jerseyans didn't know enough about Barbara Buono to have an opinion. And she still won about 40% of the vote... which translates to a 66% share of those who did know enough about her. Bottom line: Democrats did a lousy job introducing their candidate to the broad electorate. Bottom bottom line: Christie's victory was as much about Buono as it was about him.

2.

Remember Cory Booker? He was the guy New Jerseyans elected to the US Senate three weeks ago in a "special" election mandated by Governor Christie (and paid for by New Jersey taxpayers) so that the governor wouldn't have to be on the same ballot as a popular Democrat. So before we get too carried away with the margin of Christie's victory, remember that he orchestrated the landslide by rigging which races would be contested alongside his.

3.

Christie opposes same sex marriage. And he eliminated state funding for family planning and women's health on purely ideological grounds. He opposed an increase in the minimum wage and cut tax breaks for the poor while refusing to increase taxes on the wealthy. And Christie himself says he's a conservative. So what's moderate about him, other than hugging President Obama after a hurricane?

4.

He still has a tendency to be a bully. And he's still massively overweight. Don't bet on him for 2016.