Christie: Leave the Demagoguery, Keep the Fiscal Conservatism

No-nonsense New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has become a hero to conservatives and Republicans throughout the country.  Christie has taken no prisoners while taming an out of control state budget in the face of fierce opposition from teacher's unions and tax-and-spend liberals in a deeply blue state.

In an interview with Politico, Christie said the national GOP must "rebrand" itself as the party of fiscal sanity and hard choices:

“They should be talking about treating people like adults and telling them the truth: we’re in huge trouble,” he said. “And it’s going to mean cutting back on a lot of things that folks either have become used to or in a perfect world would like to have.”

He added, “Republicans have to rebrand themselves credibly with the candidates they run, and what they espouse, as the person who will keep an eye on the cash register, who will rein in the spending and the debt.”

However, Christie's views on immigration are not likely to be as popular among some in the Tea Party movement:

On the hot-button topic of immigration reform, he said he has long declined to “demagogue” the issue as a former U.S. Attorney, because “I come from law enforcement and it’s not an easy issue.”

But he did intimate that he thinks stringent state-by-state laws – such as in Arizona – are the wrong approach, and added, “I think President Obama doesn’t do this at his own risk because it’s affecting the economy in the country…to me, I think the president’s really gotta show the leadership on this.”

"This is a federal problem, it’s gotta have a federal fix,” he said. “I’m not really comfortable with state law enforcement having a big role.”

He said that without border security, enforcement of existing laws and a “clear” path to legalization for immigrants, there would never be a fix.

Christie also sees Obama as an "ally” on education reform and in the push to force the teachers’ union to make changes.

Governor Christie could serve as a role model for Washington Republicans.  Washington, just like New Jeresey,  faces increasingly difficult budget deficits exacerbated by public-sector and teachers unions refusal to accept cuts and a Democratic legislature and governor unwilling to make then do so.