The round mound of unwound.

The Washington Post’s Chris Cillizza has identified five people Donald Trump might tap for vice president. As a service to our readers (all half dozen), we continue one-minute biographies of these five. The day before yesterday Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, yesterday Senator Bob Corker of Tennessee, today . . .

 

the round mound of unwound

Chris Christie, the 55th Governor of New Jersey, whose most effective predecessor, Wouter van Twiller (1633-38), purchased Nut Island—now, ironically, Governor's Island—from Canarsee tribe for two axe heads, a string of beads, and some nails and, more crucially, drove back a mob of rapist Virginians pushing up from the south trying to settle the Delaware Valley.

     Before becoming governor, Christie was U.S. Attorney of the District of New Jersey, where he doubled the size of the anti-corruption unit, so it could investigate Democratic Senator Bob Menendez for 5 years. (The investigation began during the race in which Menendez would defeat Christie’s mentor Tom Kean; Menendez was cleared in Oct 2011)

     Before that, the future governor served as a lobbyist, representing the securities industry’s attempt “to block the inclusion of securities fraud under the state’s Consumer Fraud Act.” (Christie’s wife Mary Pat Mary Pat has worked on Wall Street for Cantor Fitzgerald and Angelo, Gordon & Co.)

     Before that, born in Newark, Christie grew up in Livingston, where he was a catcher on the high school baseball team. Christie is an avid sports fan, showing up in sky boxes at Citi Field and AT&T stadium.

As candidate for governor, Christie proposed a 10 percent income tax for all state residents, but as governor he targeted his proposal at people earning less than $400,000 per year. Those above would pay 9 percent or less. He vetoed bill that would raise the minimum wage and became pro-choice. As a candidate, Christie said he would support aggressive enforcement of state gun laws, but as governor he vetoed legislation that would have reduced the legal size of ammunition magazines. He’s a fracker.

Christie launched his own presidential campaign in late June of last year. But he dropped out of the race after the New Hampshire primary and threw in with Trump, who named him to head of a transition team when he defeated “crooked Hillary.”

     Christie’s edge in the VP sweepstakes, besides his early sell-out, is in his well-deserved reputation as a successful busker of profane bluster unsupported by facts. He also possesses the kind of petty but pompous payback personality – say that five times fast without smiling – petty but pompous payback personality that Trump appreciates.