Rand Paul to Chris Christie: Cool it With the Temper Tantrums & Grandstanding, Alright?

by: Becket Adams 

If it seems like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) have been in the news an awful lot recently, it’s because they have been — the New Jersey governor for his harsh criticism of House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and the National Rifle Association and the Kentucky senator for his vow to “nullify” the president’s new gun-control measures.

And if you’ve been waiting for a news story that involves both GOP heavyweights, well, you’re in luck: Sen. Paul on Friday publicly reprimanded Gov. Christie for “not standing up for Second Amendment rights in the ongoing gun control debate,” as CNN puts it.

“You have some Republicans backing down like Christie backing down and criticizing the NRA, and I think that doesn’t do us any good,” Sen. Paul told conservative talk radio host Laura Ingraham. “So I think Republicans do need to stand more firmly on this issue.”

Asked why he thinks Gov. Christie chose to take such a hard stance against the NRA and its “reprehensible” anti-Obama ad, Sen. Paul said he thinks the governor is merely posturing.

“I think he may be solidifying his support with Democrats in New Jersey and maybe liberal Republicans,” the Kentucky senator said.

“If he wishes to do something nationally, I think criticizing the Second Amendment movement and the over-the-top, ‘give me my money’ stuff, ‘I want all sixty billion now or I’ll throw a tantrum’ — I don’t think that’s going to play well in the Republican primary,” he added. 

Sen. Paul also took issue with the New Jersey governor’s habit of attacking conservatives, referring specifically to the governor’s blistering anti-John Boehner press conference. Paul explained that House Republicans were hesitant to pass the Hurricane Sandy bill because of what was in it, not what it was intended for.

“I think people need to think through what their positions on these things are,” he said. 

http://youtu.be/e3bVcNcQNXo

Final Thought: Although Gov. Christie’s anti-Boehner press conference is considered by many to be his official “I’m not interested in running in 2016” party, the governor hasn’t definitively ruled out higher office. Furthermore, there have been rumors that Sen. Paul is seriously considering a presidential run.

Could this eventually turn into a Christie/Paul face off in the GOP presidential primary? Boy, that would be entertaining. 

Featured images courtesy Getty Images.