Chris Christie hardest hit

At a press event from New York this morning, Donald Trump made it official when he introduced Indiana Governor Mike Pence as his running mate. Chris Christie has been put on suicide watch.

I can only guess that Christie allowed himself to be used like Donald’s personal manservant and whipping boy because he thought the payoff would be a spot on the ticket.

The things some people are willing to do for political advancement.

The truth is, strategically speaking, Mike Pence is a far better choice than Christie.

The odds of any Republican winning New York and New Jersey are zero. Putting Christie and Trump together won’t change that one bit. What’s worse? Two Northeast Moderates will do absolutely nothing to appeal to the rest of the country.

Given the current economic climate, the crazy Leftward careening of the Democrat nominee, and the abandonment of working class, rust belt voters by the Democrat Party, choosing a Midwestern Governor is a brilliant move.

Of course the die-hard Never Trump people wouldn’t have been happy no matter who Trump chose. He could have resurrected Ronald Reagan and those guys would still pooch out their lower lip and scream, “Never means NEVER!!”

While some on the pro-Trump side are grumbling over Pence’s support for free trade, it was smart to not pick a candidate who shares Trump’s protectionist position. Besides, the only person who sides with Trump on trade is Bernie Sanders, and I doubt he would have agreed to be his running mate.

Mike Pence isn’t perfect. He caved on Indiana’s religious protection law last year and fumbled on Obamacare. But he’s nonetheless a strong fiscal conservative.

The idea is to round out the ticket, not select a mini-me of the nominee. And I think Mike Pence is a great choice for Trump. In fact, I had been hoping Trump would select a strong conservative Governor rather than a Senator, a Northeast Moderate or, God forbid, Newt Gingrich.

Rarely, if ever, do people vote because of the bottom of the ticket. Okay, except in 2008. I think a lot of people chose McCain, not for McCain, but for Palin. I admit I was one of those people who, when I was asked, “Did you vote for Obama or McCain,” would answer, “I voted for Sarah Palin and the old guy.”

But generally, it is up to the top of the ticket to win over voters.

In that respect, Trump’s choosing Pence is a sign to me that he is seeking to bridge the gap between himself and the conservative base.

He isn’t going to win over everyone. But I do think a lot of the Republican base who were iffy on Trump will be encouraged by the choice of Mike Pence. I know I am.

Chris Christie on the other hand may be AWOL for a few weeks. My guess is he’ll be holed up in a cheap motel sitting in the dark crying into a tub of Rocky Road ice cream while watching reruns of Grey’s Anatomy on the Lifetime channel.

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