By Eric Zanzucchi (@ericzanzucchi)
Fact. Barack Obama is the President of the United States for the next four years. Incumbent presidents are difficult to beat and no offense to Mr. Romney, but he was not the best choice to defeat Obama. As Clinton did in 2004, it’s best to wait four years rather than run against an incumbent. Let John Kerry swing for the fences against an incumbent.
The Republican golden child and the early favorite in 2016 is Chris Christie. He could have run this time and I believe would have fared better than Romney, but his odds of winning are likely going to be better in 2016.
This is where I want to get hypothetical. Let’s say Christie for whatever reason had run in 2012. There’s no way to know for sure, but I believe he would have gotten the nomination. That would mean that regardless of where polls were two weeks prior to the election Obama and Christie would have had to go through the whole Hurricane Sandy emergency together, while being opponents in the presidential election.
It’s speculation as to how both sides would have played it. I imagine there would have been a cease fire until Election Day, but I can’t be sure. Let’s assume that they still collaborated well in an effort to do the right thing, as well as, help their respective campaigns. I think Chris Christie would have won. But more importantly it could have been the flower in the shotgun moment that this country really needs. We could have had a Republican and a Democrat working together for the greater good in the face of extreme partisan pressure.
Barack Obama’s win doesn’t inspire confidence in anyone because Republicans in Congress aren’t hiding the fact that they are going to make his political life a living hell. Mitt Romney would have faced the same hurdles had he won. If my scenario had unfolded regardless of whether Obama or Christie got elected the country could have had a partisan healing moment that could have been the first step in the right direction.
P.S. I know this blog is heavy in speculation.
P.P.S. I made it through a whole Chris Christie blog without making a fat joke. (Damn it!)
The Nationsmith 