Let's give Gov. Chris Christie some slack

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, a Republican, is getting a lot of heat and blame for staff members who did really dumb stuff.  They caused traffic snarls around Fort Lee as retaliation against a Democratic mayor who didn't support Christie for governor.  When Christie asked them directly if they had anything to do with the snarls, they denied it.

Now many people are giving Christie a lot of heat for something he had little control over.  Let's give him slack.  He is not a king who can command exact obedience.  Just as Obama makes statements like keeping your current insurance plan, he must rely on others to give him correct and timely information.

If we expect our leaders to know everything they need to know by their direct experience, they will never be able to lead because they are spending so much time gathering information.  Why do you think there are briefing books and executive summaries?

Do we blame the small business owner for the shenanigans of a trusted bookkeeper who siphoned off funds for years?  Without trust, any organization large or small would become inefficient with a burden of checks and cross-checks.

The beginning of the end of the open primary?

With the election of Tea Party-backed Christine O'Donnell as the Republican candidate for U.S. Senator for Delaware, some of the Republican establishment see less hope in taking control of the Senate.  Conversely, some Democrats have reinvigorated their campaigns with attacks on Tea Party-backed Republican candidates.

O'Donnell claims she doesn't need "the support of Washington Republicans" and will "harness the power of 'the people' to defeat her Democratic opponent in November."
- "The Morning After: Whose Party Is it?" Michael D. Shear, New York Times, 2010-09-15.

But who are the "people" that supported her in the primary?  Are they members of the Republican Party who give of their time and money to the Party?  Are they people who only say they are Republicans and only show up at election time?  Are they "independents" who voted for her on a lark?  Are they Democratic sympathizers who think O'Donnell will be easy to defeat in November?

Come November we will see how many "moderates" and "independents" reject Tea Party-backed candidates.  If many of these candidates lose, there may be a push for closed primaries.  On the other hand, "moderates" and "independents" may not even vote because they dislike both candidates.  If so, we could be looking at two more years of Congressional gridlock.