Oftentimes it is hard to pin down one particular reason that a candidate is not viable in a national election.
But for Chris Christie, it is quite simple, and it boils down to one single word: pot.
Chris Christie has made part of his platform the idea that marijuana is illegal according to federal law and that this should be enforced in all 50 states.
And with that one policy, he is doomed to fail in a national election.
The Politics of Pot
It really doesn’t matter what an individual thinks about legal marijuana because the politics of it is heading sharply in one direction and one direction alone.
And while only a couple of states allow it openly for recreational use, states that allow it for medicinal purposes are falling like dominos.
It is a pretty safe bet that before long, marijuana will be allowed in just about every state in some fashion or form. In the end, America gets what America wants, and it is clear that America wants legal pot.
Which puts Chris Christie in the odd position of being the one total buzzkill in this entire field.
Honestly, the man might as well have come out against rock ‘n’ roll and bikinis on the beach.
States that have legalized pot have quickly developed entire industries around its supply.
Which means they will fight a Chris Christie presidency tooth and nail.
Even conservatives in these states will not take kindly to the federal government undoing the will of state voters.
It is a losing platform if I have ever seen one.
He Wasn’t Going to Win Anyway
Now, the good thing is that it appears Chris Christie is so far behind in the polls that he doesn’t really stand a chance at gaining the nomination.
Recent polls have indicated a surge for Christie, but he still finds himself in that “other” column on the pie chart where they don’t even bother to report his actual percentage number.
But then again, few people had heard of a governor from Arkansas before he took to the stage and surged his way to the top.
But Republican primary voters need to consider electability nationwide — which they apparently are not doing, as evidence by Trump — and ask themselves whether or not pot is a major trending issue among the states.
Because it goes beyond pot and enters the one bipartisan agenda most can agree on: that mass incarceration is a problem in America.
For a young man to spend years in prison over marijuana and be taken from his family is a national tragedy.
If Chris Christie is really going to enforce the law of the land as it relates to pot, then he is going to have to arrest and incarcerate a large number of people.
And just like that, because of pot, he will lose out on the votes of those who consider it an issue of personal liberty; he will lose out on the votes of those who feel the federal government has no right to overrule the states; and he will lose out on the votes of those who think taking a father away from his kids over pot is just plain silly.
Marijuana, pot, reefer, or whatever you want to call it… It’s the one reason Chris Christie will never be President.
