News/Commentary

Pot meet kettle: Christie rips Ramaswamy as ‘the most obnoxious blowhard in America’

December 7, 2023 | | Print Article

During what is being hailed as the best out of four Republican primary debates, former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie took time off from ranting about the GOP frontrunner, former President Donald Trump — who again declined to appear on the stage — to play the blustering “White Knight” to Nikki Haley’s “Damsel In Distress” and slam Vivek Ramaswamy as “the most obnoxious blowhard in America.”

The topic was Ukraine, and Ramaswamy, who was widely criticized for his swings at Haley during the third debate, challenged the former United Nations ambassador to name three provinces in the wartorn nation.

“Look at the blank expression!” Ramaswamy said of Haley. “She doesn’t know the names of the provinces that she wants to actually fight for.”

“Foreign policy experience is not the same as foreign policy wisdom,” he noted at one point.

Had Haley immediately responded with the names of three Ukrainian provinces — names she presumably does know — it would have been an embarrassing blow to Ramaswamy.

Instead, however, she took on a demure affectation as Christie rushed in to say how smart she is.

In a fiery exchange, Ramaswamy accused Christie of “spewing nonsense” as the former governor attacked his “peace deal” for Ukraine.

“Let me just say something here,” Christie said. “His ‘reasonable peace deal’ in Ukraine, he made it clear. Give them all the land that they’ve already stolen. Promise Putin, you’ll never put Ukraine in Russia, and then trust Putin not to have a relationship with China. Let me tell you something, that’s no reasonable deal.”

When Ramaswamy argued, “That’s not my deal!”, Christie fired back with, “Yes, that’s exactly what you said! You do this at every debate!”

As Ramaswamy spoke over the top of him, Christie snapped, “Don’t interrupt me! I didn’t interrupt you, ok?”

“You do this at every debate. You go out on the stump and you say something, all of us see it on video, we confront you on it on the debate stage, you say you didn’t say it, and then you back away,” Christie stated. “Let me tell you something, This is the fourth debate, the fourth debate that you would be voted in the first 20 minutes as the most obnoxious blowhard in America! So shut up for a little while!”

“We’re now 25 minutes into this debate, and he has insulted Nikki Haley’s basic intelligence — not her positions, her basic intelligence,” Christie continued.

“I’ll tell you this,” he said, “I’ve known her for twelve years, which is longer than he even started to vote in a Republican primary, and while we disagree about some issues and we disagree about who should be president of the United States, what we don’t disagree on is, this is a smart, accomplished woman, and you should stop insulting her.”

Though the audience erupted with applause, Christie’s attempt at chivalry didn’t impress Ramaswamy, who shot back with, “Chris Christie also doesn’t know what provinces in Eastern Ukraine he actually wants us to fight for.”

“Chris, your version of policy experience was closing a bridge from New Jersey to New York,” Ramaswamy stated. “So do everybody a favor, just walk yourself off that stage, enjoy a nice meal, and get the hell out of this race.”

“If these people want to send your sons and daughters to go die in Ukraine — they’ve been arguing for it for a year, 200 billion dollars of our taxpayer money sent over — neither of them could even name for you the provinces that they actually want to protect,” Ramaswamy continued over boos from the audience. “And this is the people who have been touting their so-called ‘foreign policy experience.'”

“It is intellectual fraud,” he stated. “These people are lying to you. The same people who told you about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq to justify that invasion, didn’t know a single thing about it, yet they sent thousands of our sons and daughters to go die. The same people who told you the same in Afghanistan, where the Taliban is still in charge 20 years later. Seven trillion of our national debt due to these toxic neocons. You can put lipstick on a Dick Cheney, it is still a fascist neocon.”

Christie rebutted with his experience in dealing with the aftermath of 9/11.

“I know about the threat of terrorism and bullying in this country and around the world,” he said, “and, at that time, he was learning about the provinces in Ukraine, sitting with his smart-ass mouth at Harvard. That’s what was going on.”

“The fact is that all he knows how to do is insult good people who committed their lives to public service and not say anything that moves the ball down the field for the United States,” he added.

Following the debate, Christie continued his “identity politics” defense of Haley.

(Video: YouTube)

“I mean, look, I’m a truth-teller,” Christie told CNN’s Dana Bash.

“I think Vivek does have a woman problem,” he said. “I do think he insults women’s basic intelligence. He’s done it over and over and over again. And I guess tonight, I just had had enough. I had enough of listening to his garbage, and as I said, his smart-ass Harvard mouth, because that’s what it is when he’s dictating to me and Nikki Haley who have committed ourselves to public service while he’s been off stealing from seniors to make his fortune. Yeah, I’m not going to put up with him anymore.”

“He’s a jackass,” Christie stated.

 

 

Melissa Fine
Latest posts by Melissa Fine (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles