How Christie's Tough Talk Could Backfire in 2016

Sure, Chris Christie's pugnacity has served him well on the statewide stage—but will it continue to work on the national one? He'd better not assume anything: Winning "fosters hubris and often reinforces the wrong lessons," writes Matt Lewis in the Week. "So far, Christie's confrontational style has mostly come across as refreshing." But "what happens when MSNBC plays video of him yelling at someone for the millionth time, and after George Will or Charles Krauthammer writes the column about the danger of an angry man having his finger on the button?"

"The problem isn't just that Christie's style won't always work on the presidential trail. It's that it might backfire ... horribly," Lewis notes, citing Scott Galupo in the American Conservative: Will Christie yell at seniors over Medicare, or farmers over subsidies? If he becomes a "viable threat" to a Democrat, the media could turn on him, Lewis writes, quoting his "liberal sparring partner" Bill Scher: "If Christie yells at a teacher at a town hall in Iowa, that teacher is going to get a lot of time on television afterward—in a way that these people (who) get berated in New Jersey don't." Click for Lewis' full piece. (More Chris Christie stories.)