Chris Christie is getting ripped for his 'insane' comment on vaccinations
"It's more important what you think as a parent than what you think as a public official," Christie said Monday when asked about recent measles outbreaks in the US, according to The New York Times. "I also understand that parents need to have some measure of choice in things as well. So that's the balance that the government has to decide."
The comment drew immediate rebuke from observers who accused him of embracing anti-vaccination conspiracy theorists. Some parents claim measles vaccines are linked to autism and choose not to vaccinate their kids; this idea has been widely debunked by the federal government and medical community who say the anti-vaccine movement has contributed to a resurgence in measles cases.
Former CNN anchor Campbell Brown was one of many who predicted Christie's comment would actually doom his potential 2016 presidential campaign.
"Insane. Christie is done," Brown wrote on Twitter.
Republican strategist Rick Wilson fired off a number of tweets declaring Christie just "disqualified" himself from the White House.
"I'm as libertarian as it comes, but the social contract includes not letting your kids die of preventable diseases or spread them to others," Wilson said. "Not dinging Christie because I have another dog in the 2016 fight. It's because this statement is wildly irresponsible for a public figure."
The media also joined in on the Christie criticism.
"Wow, I'm getting really sick of politicians who deny basic science," Political Wire's Taegan Goddard wrote.
Noah Rothman, of the right-leaning news site Hot Air, contrasted President Barack Obama's "correct" stance on vaccinations with Christie's. Obama said in a pre-Super Bowl interview Sunday that "the science is indisputable" and parents should definitely vaccinate their kids.
"This comment was a bizarre one," Rothman said of Christie. "It is an unforced error. It has hurt his political brand and made Barack Obama appear a model of guileless honesty in comparison. What was Christie thinking?"
Business Insider asked Christie's office if it wanted to clarify or add additional context to the governor's remarks. His spokesman said he had nothing to add.