Is it just the Mormon thing that makes Repugs prefer Christie over Romney?

[MoonRiver]

Except for the fact that Christie appears mean spirited and angry all the time, and Romney seems placid and easy going, their policies and ideologies are quite similar. Or am I missing something here? I don't get it. Why not just dance with the one that brung ya??
:shrug:

[SpiralHawk]

1. RepubliBaggers are into his 9.9.9 thingy (occult 666 upside down)

Eeeven the Eeeelect shall be deeeSeeVd, someone once said somewhere sometime for some duplitious however whatever however raison.

Oooops, my Boehner -- it's Teh Herm (R) who is into 999 (666). Oh well, it will all come out of the RepuliCon pizza oven half-baked and drizzling with greaze just the same. Probably. Whateverrr.

[MoonRiver]

3. While true, : D, that doesn't explain their bizarre preferences.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

2. They like it that Christie is rude and confrontational.

Romney seems robotic and dull, and not overtly mean. The Mormon thing doesn't help, either.

[JVS]

4. I think it's the anger thing.

[MoonRiver]

6. Weird.

They need a new bumper sticker: I'm with the mean guy.

[IndyPragmatist]

5. No, Romney is perceived as a "RINO"

It seems the media is playing him and Perry up quite a bit as the only realistic candidates. People seem to forget that McCain was in a distant third place at this time in 2007.

[banned from Kos]

7. Are you kidding? Milt was openly pro-choice when running for Mass Gov

+ RomneyCare and numerous other "liberal" positions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gk8O3EPOtT4

This speech is typical of Romney-haters on the right.

[demosincebirth]

21. He is a true flip-flopper

[elleng]

8. I wonder if this is a real 'preference.'

Haven't compared their ideologies line for line, but I'd bet they're NOT really similar, and for those repugs for whom certain issues really matter, the 'preference' doesn't exist.

[Lurks Often]

9. Romney is not considered that conservative

He is a Republican from New England, specifically Massachusetts, so he is generally considered a RINO. Additionally, he comes across, like most politicians, as someone more willing to say what will get him elected, then saying what he believes regardless of how it will affect his election chances.

While I do not think Christie is going to run, I believe part of his appeal is his bluntness and that he doesn't come across as a "professional" politician. I happen to think that the typical American voter is becoming increasingly fed up with "professional" politician. A "professional" politician is defined as someone who has either been a politician their entire life or been working jobs that would lead to them a career politician (lawyer, aide, staffer, etc)


edit: hit edit before I was done

[JHB]

10. No, he's just someone they haven't learned what they hate about him yet.

They'll throw him away like a toy once they pick him up and see he isn't as shiny as he looked up there on the shelf.

[CopingBarker]

11. A lot of "Christian" churches spend their time bashing Mormons

and are pretty distrustful of Mormons in general.

Mormons spend 0% of their time talking about all those other churches. Back in the day they used to crack on the Catholic church, but that was years ago.

I think it all boils down to the "saved by grace" vs "saved by grace after works" doctrines. Born Again Christians base their salvation on "accepting Jesus", then you're good. Mormon's say you gotta work for it, but it's still up to Jesus. i.e., I can't just claim salvation and then go on with my sinning ways. Some folks don't much care for that idea.

And then there's the whole Utah thing.

Lots of Mormons think Huckabee conspired to scuttle Romney's chances last time to swing the race to McCain just so a Mormon wouldn't get it.

[LeftinOH]

12. Christie is a big, loudmouth blowhard.. the ideal modern Repub candidate. n/t

[MicaelS]

13. The Mormon thing is #1

Talked to a friend that spends time on various religious forums, and he says those there say there's no way they would ever vote for a member of a "cult". Which is what the call the LDS church.

#2 is he's considered a RINO. No "real" Republican would ever serve as Governor of "Taxachusetts". Therefore he's a closet "Libural".

[WI_DEM]

14. So far I haven't seen any polls showing Christie over Romney. It's a media creation.

[JVS]

17. Remember that the media is HQed in NY. Sometimes something regional there...

is not perceived by them to be local and they assume it to be national. For example the Rudy Giulliani's presidential bid. Christi is their local manifestation of the pissed off teabagger governor (See also MI, PA, IN, WI, OH). But because they don't experience the boundary of his area of relevance (they're inside that area), they don't know that most of us are outside the area where he is relevant.

[Worship Money]

15. I'll bet that

All the people Romney had fired during his vaunted "businessman" years didn't think he was so nice.

[Bucky]

16. If I was a Republican, I'd prefer Christie. He seems geniune (if horrid). Romney seems fake.

Also, if I was a Republican, I'd be pro-civil rights, pro-choice, pro-marriage equality, anti-war, pro-infrastructure investment, anti-lobbyist, and pro-tax hike on the richest 5% of Americans. I would be very sad and lonely. And a hug from a big ol' teddy bear of a guy like Chris Christie would probably make me feel better. Romney doesn't look like a hugger. Shit, I'd be afraid he'd stick me in a cage on top of his station wagon and drive me to Canada where my liberal ilk belong.

[gratuitous]

18. Second string quarterback syndrome

Anytime a team is struggling, the most popular player with the fans is the second string quarterback. "If only that dumb coach would play Brad Backup, everything would be great!" You never hear about a quarterback controversy for a successful team. But when a team is losing, the most visible player is also the biggest target. Sometimes a coach really is dumb, and listens to the fans who are yammering for Brad Backup. Then it turns out that not only is Brad an inferior field general, he panics in the face of the rush, can't go through his progressions during live play to save his life, and never calls an audible. A couple of 38-7 debacles later, the coach wises up and puts Sammy Starter back in.

[get the red out]

19. No, he reminds them of Rush Limbaugh

And that's like reminding them of God.

[TheKentuckian]

20. Christie is a Bluto style bully which they find appealing. He also is less nuanced in his rhetoric

which they also love but yeah the Mormon thing is likely significant too.

[Dawgs]

22. Republicans would vote for the devil if he were running against Obama.

Romney has a bigger problem defending HC bill he passed in Massachusetts.

[Nye Bevan]

23. Magic underwear vs. underwear that a family of 6 could camp out in.

Decisions, decisions......