Chris Christie’s blunt talk crosses the line.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is tired of Warren Buffett’s tax talk, telling CNN’s Piers Morgan that the famed investor “should just write a check and shut up.”
No Chris, he shouldn’t. And someone in your position shouldn’t be telling him to do so.
To be clear, this isn’t about the merits or demerits of Buffett’s preferred tax scheme. Or Christie’s, for that matter. It’s about an elected official telling a private citizen to stop expressing his opinion on public policy — something that should make all of us very uncomfortable. Democrats. Republicans. Tax cutters. Tax raisers. All of us.
Christie was speaking off-the-cuff, and certainly isn’t proposing any legislation that would abridge Buffett’s First Amendment rights. But there is implied authority that comes with a gubernatorial office, and telling Buffet to “shut up” verges on an abuse of that authority.
To disagree with each other, or even to mock each other, is an accepted part of our national discourse. Suggesting that the other person should stop speaking is not. Nor is it endearing to anyone but the most caustic of partisans. Elected officials like Christie should know better.
[cnnmoney-video vid=/video/news/2012/02/21/n_chris_christie_buffett_tax.cnnmoney/]
Get Dan’s daily email newsletter on deals and deal-makers: GetTermSheet.com