Chrispie Christie: Vax 'Choicer'

[n2doc]

By Charles P. Pierce
I realize you shouldn't ever completely write off any constituency, especially when you're polling a few ticks above Absolute Zero in Iowa, but is Chris Christie kidding here?

In remarks here, Mr. Christie stopped short of recommending that parents immunize their children against measles, or any other illness, calling for "balance" and "choice." Mr. Christie, when asked about the connection between the new measles cases and parents who object to the long-recommended vaccine against it, said that he and his wife had vaccinated their four children. He called that "the best expression I can give you of my opinion." But he added: "It's more important what you think as a parent than what you think as a public official. I also understand that parents need to have some measure of choice in things as well. So that's the balance that the government has to decide."

It's like hitting a Republican in the knee with a rubber hammer. Say "parents," and they say "choice."

(And, as Steve M points out, the panjandrums of New Jersey's bustling pharmaceutical industry must be thrilled with Big Chicken's latest policy pronouncement.)

This is not something on which you need to hedge. This is like running a campaign on Teach The Controversy regarding Creationism, or a campaign based on the fact that 9/11 was an inside job. You simply say, the people who are choosing not to vaccinate their children based on some Internet cranks or the spouting of some half-dim television personality are endangering your children and mine. Get the shots. Period. Then you move on to hedge on something more important, at least if you're Chris Christie. It is almost impossible to believe that he doesn't know this. But he's polling in single digits in Iowa, and his reception last week in Des Moines was tepid, and, let's face it, there's no herd immunity in any of them against the contagion that is The Base.

http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/Chris_Christie_Doesnt_Like_Needles

[edhopper]

1. There is nowhere this corrupt,

horrid man won't sink to for political gain.

[TwilightGardener]

2. Irresponsible. Also, remember he was the guy who enforced the ebola

quarantine. So let's be consistent, Meathead.

[Brigid]

6. Yes; I do seem to recall . . .

He tried to imprison a certain nurse for no good reason.

[hollysmom]

3. I thought it as a state law since I was a child of the 50's

that you could not go to a public school in NJ unless you were vaccinated.

[Bluenorthwest]

4. every State other than Mississippi and West Virginia have belief based exemptions.

NJ, NY, CA, VT, OR, all of them save those two. It should not be that way, but you know, religion must be respected and all that.

[MiniMe]

5. Just wait until somebody in NJ is diagnosed with measles

says the gov who wanted a person who traveled from western Africa quarantined with no symptoms of ebola. When it hits NY or NJ, we will get whiplash from the spinning Christie will be doing