Bedford, N.H.
Saturday was the night the governors struck back.
The biggest moment of the night came by way of New Jersey governor Chris Christie, attacking one of the high-flying senators post-Iowa, Marco Rubio. The Florida senator was asked directly about questions many of his gubernatorial rivals have made about his lack of experience and accomplishments. Rubio replied with a short list and then pivoted toward a critique of Barack Obama.
The lines sounded a bit canned, but you certainly can’t go wrong knocking Obama in a GOP primary. A couple minutes later, however, things got odd. Christie, given a chance to address Rubio’s defense of his accomplishments, reiterated his own executive experience as a contrast to Rubio’s thin record. “I like Marco Rubio and he’s a smart person and a good guy, but he simply does not have the experience to be president of the United States and make these decisions. We’ve watched it happen, everybody. For the last seven years, the people of New Hampshire are smart. Do not make the same mistake again,” he said.
So Rubio responded in nearly exactly the same way.
Christie saw his opportunity, noting that Rubio gave a “memorized 25-second speech” instead of answering the question directly. It was a tough and direct hit, to which Rubio tried to respond with…the same exact speech, once again.
“Here’s the bottom line. This notion that Barack Obama doesn’t know what he’s doing is just not true. He knows exactly what he’s doing,” Rubio said. It was kind of hard to believe, but Christie was deft enough to pounce.
“There it is,” Christie said as Rubio kept pushing. “There it is. The memorized 25-second speech. There it is, everybody.”
Christie was dismissive and pressed his point a little too hard, but it didn’t really matter. The idea that Rubio is unable to go off script had taken hold in recent days among campaign reporters, but now the candidate was proving it true on national television just days before the first primary. Before the debate was even over, and while Rubio was delivering top-notch answers about ISIS and abortion, an MSNBC reporter in the spin room was already declaring it a “bad night for Rubio” during a stand-up report. As Christie spokeswoman Sam Smith said in the spin room, “The debate was over in the first 15 minutes.”
Christie’s blow against Rubio did the deed of elevating the other governors onstage. Next to the Christie-Rubio contretremps, John Kasich looked sunny and cheerful. He answered a question about what conservatism would mean under his leadership by talking up balanced budgets, job growth, and helping “the mentally ill, the drug addicted, the working poor.” The response wasn’t really addressed to movement conservatives but to the Republican-leaning independents who could boost Kasich on Tuesday’s primary. Even Christie had praise for his rival.
“By the way, I like Kasich’s record, too. He’s a good governor,” he said. Kasich beamed.
And at long last Jeb Bush got the great hit on Donald Trump that he’d been denied in debates past. The former Florida governor criticized Trump’s attempt to influence the Atlantic City government to use eminent domain authority to “try to take the property of an elderly woman” and “turn this into a limousine parking lot for his casinos.”
Trump tried to dismiss Bush’s attack. “He’s trying to be a tough guy,” Trump said. But Bush was nimble. “How tough it is to take away property from an elderly woman?” he shot back.
That rattled Trump. “Quiet,” he said. It was the first moment in the race where Bush had gotten the better of Trump.
It’s impossible to predict how Saturday’s debate will affect the February 9 primary here in the Granite State. But with Rubio stumbling against Christie, Trump looking increasingly bored with the enterprise, and Ted Cruz delivering an uneven performance, the three governors with the most to gain from the night took full advantage.
Tim Miller, a Bush spokesman, says “a good night for the governors is a good night for Jeb.”
“John Kasich and Chris Christie have nowhere to go after New Hampshire,” Miller said. “Jeb Bush has the resources to run a national campaign.”
Whatever the fallout, a bad night for Rubio appears to have been a boost for Bush, Rubio’s one-time mentor. “Marco was basically put on the mat tonight,” Miller said. “He wanted a coronation, but he found he’ll have to fight for the nomination.”
