What has happened to Gov. Christie? I used to be so impressed with him…
The campaign has diminished him. He flipped on Common Core because the Republican base is allergic to the notion that America should establish a national bar for achievement. God forbid we insist that all our kids should be ready for career or college, or that we ensure that a fourth grader who moves from New Jersey to Pennsylvania can remain on course.
Christie caved on Common Core, saying the program was "not working" – a mystifying claim that he has never been able to explain. And now he offers macho talk about punching the union in the face.
Granted, the major teachers' unions are obstacles to reform. They have opposed President Obama at nearly every turn, just as they have opposed Christie. They are the defenders of the status quo with a bad habit of protecting the worst teachers at the expense of the most vulnerable kids.
But why the frat talk? Christie used to sell himself as the guy with an uncommon talent for finding common ground, and in his first term, he lived by that credo. One ironic example: He negotiated with the teachers union to shape the tenure bill.
Now Christie seems like a lost boy, dancing as fast as he can, hoping that the skeptical audience will throw a few dimes his way.
He's become the incredible shrinking governor. And as he sinks towards inevitable defeat, you almost want to avert your eyes.

Gov. Frat Boy dances for the base on schools

By Tom Moran | Star-Ledger Editorial Board
on August 20, 2015 at 12:18 PM, updated August 20, 2015 at 1:03 PM

Gov. Chris Christie made some noise for himself in New Hampshire this week by repeating his fervent desire to punch the teachers' union in the face.