Chris Christie Smacks Down David Gregory...

....Christie is at his best when taking on the media, challenging their liberal assumptions while pushing Democratic talking points. He did it with David Gregory yesterday, first correcting his bald-face lies about the federal government offering to pick up the tab on the "ARC tunnel" discontinued by the governor, and then...moving onto to tax policy. And Governor Christie did not mince words about what he believed were David Gregory's motivations for choosing the particular phrases he used:

GREGORY: What about the Bush tax cuts and extending those? You’ve said that should happen at all levels for a couple of years, but you’ve said only a couple of years because there is a day of reckoning here. Can you have tax cuts when you also want to balance the, the budget? Or do you have to consider tax increases at the federal level at some point?

GOV. CHRISTIE: Well, you know, I’ve been watching you for weeks talk about extending the Bush tax cuts. Drives me crazy when I’m sitting at home. This is about maintaining the current tax structure in a time we have a very weak economy. And so I favor extending these for another two years, extending the current tax system and not having a tax increase…

GREGORY: But those, I mean, wait a minute. It may drive you crazy, and I know other Republicans that feel the same way. But I’ve also talked to Republicans. I’ve talked to economists like Alan Greenspan who say there is no free lunch here. You cannot have tax cuts at this level and not have them be paid for. And other Republicans say, yes, they should be pay for. So you do agree they should be paid for.

GOV. CHRISTIE: Well, obviously–well, listen, I’ve, I’m walking the walk in New Jersey, David.

GREGORY: OK.

GOV. CHRISTIE: I mean, when I said we’re vetoing the millionaires tax, I found spending tax to pay for that.

....

GOV. CHRISTIE: But I’m–what I’m disagreeing with you is you characterizing what’s happening here as a–as tax cuts. This is maintaining the current tax policy in a weak economy, and what you’re, what you’re advocating through your question is tax increases.

GREGORY: Right. I’m not–that’s not fair. I’m not advocating. I’m, I’m questioning whether or not they have to be paid for.


GOV. CHRISTIE: Well, when you call the, when you call the tax cuts, what I’m saying is the–I take the position as the opposite of that.


GREGORY: Right. Right.

GOV. CHRISTIE: The opposite of that is it is a tax increase in a weakened…

GREGORY: But they are set to expire.

GOV. CHRISTIE: …weeks in, in a weakened economy. And what I’m saying is you should keep the current tax structure in place until our economy gets stronger.

GREGORY: That’s fine. But they’re set to expire, so if you’re going to re-authorize them, they’re, they’re, you’re voting for tax cuts.

GOV. CHRISTIE: No, you’re not voting for tax cuts. You’re voting to maintain the current tax structure.

GREGORY: I understand, a continuation.

[Video of most of this exchange can be found at the Daily Caller]

A lot of folks have been talking about the need for clarity about what the Tea Party, and the New Republicans, stand for. There is no one on the national scene - of either party - who delivers more clarity than Chris Christie.

He doesn't need to run for president, but for love of his country, he needs to be out there. And I think he knows that...

(and if you want to know what Dick Gregory thinks of the Tea Party...see his ugliness here)