THE BURNED OVER DISTRICT

Chris Christie is not a stupid man. But he knows that the people he needs to vote for him if he wants to be President are stupid. And they demand that anyone they support be as stupid as they are.

As Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey explores a 2016 presidential campaign, he is under growing pressure from his State Legislature to rejoin a regional cap-and-trade program that would limit New Jersey’s carbon emissions — and likely hurt his chances for the Republican nomination.

Mr. Christie, who withdrew from the program in 2011 as he first considered running for president in 2012, remains adamant that New Jersey not participate in the nine-state Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative, even though the majority of state legislators say it would be in New Jersey’s economic and legal interests. Business groups remain divided on the plan.

“No, I would not think of rejoining it,” Mr. Christie told reporters during a recent trip to Mexico. “I think it’s a completely useless plan.”

The New Jersey Superior Court ruled this year that Mr. Christie failed to follow proper legal procedure when he withdrew his state from the program because his administration did not hold public hearings on the move. To comply with the law, Mr. Christie’s administration held a public hearing last month, but has made it clear that the governor still has no plans to rejoin program. The New Jersey Legislature has voted twice to rejoin the program, but Mr. Christie vetoed both bills.

Critics of Mr. Christie say his motive in staying out of the plan is to placate powerful conservative groups, including Americans for Prosperity, which are highly influential in Republican primaries and consider cap-and-trade programs energy taxes that hurt business and eliminate jobs. Mr. Christie will be the main speaker at an Americans for Prosperity donor meeting in New York on Friday.

“This is one of those issues where Christie decided he’s going to take a firm position that resonates with the G.O.P. and stick with it,” said Patrick Murray, a professor of political science at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J. “It doesn’t matter what the Legislature wants, it doesn’t matter what New Jersey voters want, cap-and-trade is anathema to the base of the Republican Party.”

Screw the Jersey voters, they won't put him into the White House. He has to kiss Koch ass for those big Koch bucks if he hopes to stand a chance with the the Great Republican Stupid out there.