We previously noted that Rubio’s strong showing in Iowa would set him up for attacks by his establishment rivals in New Hampshire. It turns out that Christie and Bush are now teaming up to take Rubio down, going so far as to establish a secret back channel between their camps to share information, according to The New York Times: “There is no formal coordination, the operatives stressed, but rather a recognition of a shared agenda.”
In their alliance, Christie and Bush have played to type. While Christie has slashed Rubio in public, calling him, among other epithets, a “boy in the bubble,” Bush has been less pugnacious, allowing his super PAC to do much of the dirty work. “Jeb can’t do that kind of stuff,” one Christie adviser told the Times. “They don’t have the weapon.” The alpha/beta dynamic is also evident in their personal relationship:
For their part, Mr. Christie and Mr. Bush are finding ways to praise one another in public and cozy up to each other in private: Mr. Bush telephoned Mr. Christie on Monday to wish him good luck in the caucuses. (Mr. Christie was not available and the call went to voice mail.)
Here’s to hoping Bush didn’t do that thing from Swingers.