- Fri Aug 02, 2013 4:44 pm
#28340
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky have been trading barbs lately, opening a fracture within the GOP. Their dispute, which culminated Tuesday with Paul calling Christie the "king of bacon," represents a schism within the Republican Party.
The men, both considered White House candidates in 2016, seem to be positioning themselves on opposite sides of the GOP. Christie last Friday criticized Paul's "dangerous" strain of libertarianism, saying, "I remember what we felt like on Sept. 12, 2001."
Paul tried to put an end to the feud on Thursday, offering in a Fox News interview to "kiss and make up" and "have a beer' with Christie. Christie responded in a separate interview that he's busy, saying, "I'll certainly look him up" but "I don't suspect I'll be there anytime soon. I've got work to do here."
While Christie has recently become something of a rising star in the Republican party, Paul has been a rising force in the party for the past several years. Paul delivered the Tea Party's response to this year's State of the Union address and won accolades from all sides of the political spectrum for his anti-drone filibuster of John Brennan's appointment as CIA director in March.
On Wednesday, Sen. John McCain joked in a New Republic interview that he wasn't sure who he'd vote for if it came down to, say, Paul versus Hillary Clinton in 2016.
On Sunday, Paul shot back on Christie and his allies, such as U.S. Rep. Peter King of New York, were "unwilling to cut the spending" and had a "gimme, gimme, gimme" attitude toward federal aid following Hurricane Sandy.
Christie, not one to back down from a fight, took on Kentucky's spending record on Tuesday.
"New Jersey is a donor state. We get 61 cents back on every dollar we send to Washington. And interestingly Kentucky gets 1.51 on every dollar they sent to Washington," Christie said. "Maybe he should start cutting the pork barrel spending that he brings home to Kentucky."
Paul wasn't having it. "This is the king of bacon talking about bacon," he said Tuesday evening on CNN. " He noted that Kentucky has two military bases and said, "In order to have enough money for national defense, which I think is a priority for the government, you have to be willing to cut spending in other places."
The schism shows no sign of abating. Republican Rep. Justin Amash's push in the House to limit the National Security Agency, which narrowly failed, was the latest initiative to split the party.
The men, both considered White House candidates in 2016, seem to be positioning themselves on opposite sides of the GOP. Christie last Friday criticized Paul's "dangerous" strain of libertarianism, saying, "I remember what we felt like on Sept. 12, 2001."
Paul tried to put an end to the feud on Thursday, offering in a Fox News interview to "kiss and make up" and "have a beer' with Christie. Christie responded in a separate interview that he's busy, saying, "I'll certainly look him up" but "I don't suspect I'll be there anytime soon. I've got work to do here."
While Christie has recently become something of a rising star in the Republican party, Paul has been a rising force in the party for the past several years. Paul delivered the Tea Party's response to this year's State of the Union address and won accolades from all sides of the political spectrum for his anti-drone filibuster of John Brennan's appointment as CIA director in March.
On Wednesday, Sen. John McCain joked in a New Republic interview that he wasn't sure who he'd vote for if it came down to, say, Paul versus Hillary Clinton in 2016.
On Sunday, Paul shot back on Christie and his allies, such as U.S. Rep. Peter King of New York, were "unwilling to cut the spending" and had a "gimme, gimme, gimme" attitude toward federal aid following Hurricane Sandy.
Christie, not one to back down from a fight, took on Kentucky's spending record on Tuesday.
"New Jersey is a donor state. We get 61 cents back on every dollar we send to Washington. And interestingly Kentucky gets 1.51 on every dollar they sent to Washington," Christie said. "Maybe he should start cutting the pork barrel spending that he brings home to Kentucky."
Paul wasn't having it. "This is the king of bacon talking about bacon," he said Tuesday evening on CNN. " He noted that Kentucky has two military bases and said, "In order to have enough money for national defense, which I think is a priority for the government, you have to be willing to cut spending in other places."
The schism shows no sign of abating. Republican Rep. Justin Amash's push in the House to limit the National Security Agency, which narrowly failed, was the latest initiative to split the party.
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