Progressive Nation

Issue date: 9/30/09 Section: Opinion

Chris Christie has spent the summer marketing himself as a corruption buster. While he frequently cites his record as the United States Attorney for New Jersey, he has given only vague policy proposals. For instance, his tax reform proposal (which can be found at his campaign website, http://www.christiefornj.com), is only a page long, and at least a third of that page is devoted to decrying the supposed failings of the two previous Democratic administrations. His speeches have been similarly vague, particularly with regard to improving the state's economy. While he has promised to decrease taxes and curb spending, he has not given a direct answer on how he thinks he will be able to decrease the state's deficit with less tax revenue. Nevertheless, his strategy has worked thus far: the Christie campaign has told voters what they want to hear without addressing the harsh realities of New Jersey's economic situation. However, as the campaign shifts into the more frenetic fall pace, and as voters begin to pay more attention to the substance behind the slogans, voters may not be willing to accept Chris Christie's weak and poorly defined proposals.

One key substantive issue where the two candidates differ is health care. At a time when President Obama and other Democratic leaders are attempting to revamp and reform a badly broken system, Chris Christie is moving in the opposite direction. In order to reduce the cost of health coverage, Christie would allow insurance companies to offer "mandate-free" policies. According to the AFL-CIO, this would mean that insurance companies would not be required to cover services or procedures that are currently mandated, including mammograms, childhood checkups, prostate cancer screenings, maternity minimum stays, dental anesthesia, and emergency services. As a result, while insurance premiums would be markedly lower for some consumers (such as young single people), many others would end up paying higher costs overall. While many voters are hesitant to support the Democrats' proposed health care reforms, it is unlikely that they would want to see the quality of their current insurance coverage decline if it also meant they would have to pay more out of pocket. Additionally, while the health care fight has caused President Obama's approval ratings to fall around the country, they remain strong in New Jersey where he has a 62% approval rating. Hence, Chris Christie may find himself in a tough spot as long as New Jersey voters continue to support President Obama's agenda.

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