This puts to rest any doubt Christie is in Koch/Big Oil Pockets - As He Blocks Tesla Sales In NJ

[kpete]

Let this put to rest any doubt that Chris Christie is in the pocket of the Koch Brothers and/or their Big Oil pals. From Slate:

Like a lot of Republicans, New Jersey governor Chris Christie likes to talk about how the government should get out of the way of the free market. In a speech last week in Washington, D.C., he railed against President Obama’s economic interventions. “We don’t have an income inequality problem, we have an opportunity problem in this country because government's trying to control the free market," he said. And he urged his fellow conservatives to shout their opposition to government regulations from the rooftops. “We need to talk about the fact that we’re for a free-market society that allows your effort and your ingenuity to determine your success, not the cold, hard hand of government determining winners and losers.”

Then Christie came back to New Jersey and signed off on a cold, hard government regulation that blocks Tesla from selling its cars in the state.

The rule change prohibits automakers from selling directly to consumers, as Tesla does. Instead, it requires them to go through franchised, third-party dealerships, as the big, traditional car companies do. In other words, it requires that the middle-men get their cut. The Christie Administration made the move unilaterally, via the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission. It was urged on by lobbyists for the state’s existing car dealerships, which fear the competition. The upshot is that Tesla will be forced to stop selling cars at its two existing dealerships in the state, and drop its plans to build more. It’s unclear what will happen to the employees of those dealerships.

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2014/03/12/new_jersey_tesla_ban_chris_christie_loves_free_market_blocks_direct_car.html?wpisrc=burger_bar
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/03/12/1284105/-Christie-Unilaterally-Shuts-Down-All-Tesla-Car-Stores-in-NJ?

[jsr]

1. Yep.

[djean111]

2. I see it more as bowing to political pressure from car dealership campaign money.

This same thing is happening in many states. I think the car dealership people are just pissed because they don't get a piece of the money, is all - they would likely be more than happy to sell Tesla out of their existing dealerships.
http://money.cnn.com/2013/05/20/autos/telsa-car-dealers/