Embattled Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) was recently cleared of all wrongdoing in the Bridgegate scandal by an internal investigation, but that doesn’t mean he should be the Republican front-runner in 2016. The outspoken Governor still has answer questions in regard to his treatment of Tesla.
For those that don’t know, Tesla Motors is an innovative car company owned by billionaire Elon Musk. His company produces the Tesla Model S which Consumer Reports called the “best car ever tested.” It runs exclusively on electricity and has a fuel efficiency equivalent to 89 miles per gallon.
The problem has nothing to do with Musk’s car and everything to do with how he has chosen to sell it. Instead of working with third-party dealerships, Tesla has opted to sell cars directly to consumers via privately owned dealerships and the Internet.
Sounds like that kind of thing conservatives should be celebrating.
Instead of celebrating, Christie apparently banned Tesla’s direct distribution method — though he blamed the state’s Motor Vehicle Commission. The catch? The eight members on that commission were selected by Christie.
Sure, the direct sale method is not how things have been done in the past and, who knows, maybe it’s not the best way to do things in the future either. It’s not clear if Tesla’s sales model will be efficient. Perhaps, third party dealerships provided an added benefit that makes up for any additional costs. Franchised dealerships are invested in their communities and provide a place to get warranty maintenance. If that were true, the people of New Jersey would have the chance to vote with their wallets.
Regardless, Tesla should be free to organize its business in new and innovative ways. Consumers can judge Tesla based on its merits and not its political connections — of which Musk clearly has too few. If it doesn’t work out, Tesla would always be able to change its model in the future.
Instead, Christie seemingly sold out to special interests. In this case, the New Jersey Coalition of Automobile Retailers. Quite the fall from grace for the conservative rock star who once made a name for himself battling public sector unions.
As if that wasn’t bad enough, there’s this added sting: The Governor made this move unilaterally. The issue has, thus far, not been put to a vote.
“Governor Christie had promised that this would be put to a vote of the elected state legislature, which is the appropriate way to change the law,” Musk claims.
Instead, Christie opted to execute a rule change through the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission.
This as Christie’s friends in the U.S. House of Representatives struggle to rein in executive branch overreach. It would be disingenuous for Republicans to nominate a presidential candidate who seems not only anti-capitalist, but as predisposed to executive fiat as the Obama administration.
Some of Christie’s potential 2016 rivals are taking exactly the opposite position on the automaker’s sales method. Gov. Rick Perry (R-Texas) is looking into changing his state’s law to accommodate Tesla. The move would be good for Texas and Tesla. And it’s not just principle at stake — companies like Tesla move the economy forward.
Although it’s hard to imagine Tesla Motors coming up as a legitimate campaign issue — should the New Jersey Governor decide to run in 2016, of course — it could color perception of Christie’s political judgment moving forward.
