Republicans have manufactured all sorts of falsehoods to describe president Obama, from communist to socialist to having no leadership skills whatsoever. But when it comes down to reality, these same Republicans swallow their lies and admit the truth, that President Obama is an exceptional leader in good times and bad.
Republican governor Chris Christie just admitted that very point as hurricane Sandy roared over the skies of New Jersey. Christie, in one of his many press conferences today regarding Sandy explained a telephone conversation he had with the president. Christie admitted that Mr. Obama called and asked about FEMA, to which Christie said he had no complaints. President Obama advised Christie to call him directly if he had any problems or questions. Christie then said that those are the qualities he appreciates in a leader.
Sidenote: Mitt Romney thinks that it is “immoral” for the Federal Government to offer help to the victims of natural disasters.
Tired of the playground brawl that is the presidential election? Does the thought of two wonky, somewhat unpopular guys playing nyah-nyah get you down? Well, there’s always the drama created by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
But now that’s getting old too.
Yes, it seems as though the GOP’s darling is playing a little thinner these days and his antics don’t carry quite the same weight as they did eight months ago when he was denying himself, and the poor old United States, a run for the presidency.
For the record, Chris Christie will not be Mitt Romney’s running mate, nor will he be the Republican Party’s candidate for president any time soon… if ever. He might be a featured speaker at the GOP convention or get a cabinet post in a Romney administration and leave the frustrations of Trenton behind, but my sense is that he’d get bored being one of the lesser cabinet members and he could conceivably get us into some kind of war if offered State, Defense or Trade Representative. Secretary of Education?
I’ve always disliked the stereotype of a “New Jersey attitude” and believe it to be harmful to the state, but even I won’t deny that Christie does exude a certain Garden State brusqueness. The problem is that it’s getting old here. A few months on the road and you’d see video of people with their mouths agape and eyes aghast at the man. Is he still popular with the base? No doubt. But the rest of the country has some manners, and the governor has shown that at critical times, he doesn’t.
Even worse, if Romney doesn’t win in November, then Christie might get tagged as a loser for supporting him. That would seriously damage his aura.
Don’t get me wrong. Christie can point to some significant legislative accomplishments including a 2% cap on municipal spending and the public worker pension and benefits bill that makes teachers, police and firefighters pay more while allowing him to delay full pension payments to the state. And rumor has it that he’s about to sign a teacher tenure reform bill that streamlines the process of firing an ineffective teacher, but not after two negative evaluations. That he was able to get the New Jersey Education Association [NJEA] to the table on tenure is a win for him, but it’s only a small part of what he wanted to accomplish and he’s frustrated. The suburbs are pushing back on Charter Schools, and the legislature will not give him that tax cut that is the gold standard of every Republican lawmaker looking to win national acclaim.
The problem is that the Democrats will continue to hold the legislature even if Christie wins reelection in 2013. What fun would that be? And how many more YouTube videos can you make berating retired public workers, soldiers and lefties who question his policies? (No, I will not provide links to those videos, but you can find them easily enough.)
So in this summer of discontent, the good governor has some decisions to make. None of them are easy, but all will have long-term impacts on his career. I expect that he will carry on as he has been because what he’s done so far is not an act. It’s who he is. And that might be the biggest problem of them all.
Last time we mentioned Chris Christie in a post, he was busy chasing after someone on a boardwalk in New Jersey after an apparent criticism was lodged his way. “You’re a real big-shot!” Christie shouted, after the man passed by. “You’re a real big-shot, shooting your mouth off!”
We are mentioning him again because of something else he said on Monday.
Mr. Christie, a supporter of Republican presidential nominee Mitt Flip Romney and himself a possible vice presidential candidate, spoke before an audience at the Brookings Institute in Washington, D.C. No, it is not that Christie actually spoke instead of shouting at the audience that made news, it is what he said and the obvious relevance of his message to Flip Romney that had people talking.
Romney, as you all know is a flip-flopper. He constantly changes his position in a blatant attempt to get votes. With that in mind, listen to the words of Chris Christie as he delivered a message any flip flopper should understand.
“We shouldn’t be listening to political consultants whispering in our ears, ‘Say as little as possible,’ we shouldn’t be listening to those voices that say, ‘Just use the party doctrine and don’t stray.’ We should be telling people how we think and how we feel and let them judge us up or down. […] You can’t lead by being a mystery. You can’t lead by being an enigma. You can’t lead by being aloof. You can’t lead by being programmed. I think you have to lead by being yourself and who you are and then people will trust you. And when they trust you, they will follow you.”
No names necessary. This was a hit at what is unfortunately becoming a Romney trait – selling your soul to gain a vote.
While cruising down the boardwalk in the popular vacation town of Seaside Heights, NJ., Republican governor Chris Christie was met by one of those pesky Corporations… ah… people. A man who had the nerve to interrupt Mr. Christie and his ice-cream cone with a question.
This unbelievable act by the man to ask a public politician a question caused Chris Christie to stop licking on his cone, a very dangerous thing for a man who has obviously indulged in one too many licks. Christie charged at the fellow screaming, “You’re a real big-shot! You’re a real big-shot, shooting your mouth off!”
“Nah, just take care of the teachers,” the man said as he walked away.
“Yeah, keep walking away,” the Republican governor yelled, “Keep walking!”
And from the corner of his eye, Christie noticed the ice cream dripping down the side of the cone. Like the expert he is, Christie managed to toss some tongue action at the cone, capturing the impatient drip.
He continued his cruise down the boardwalk. A Real bad man… clutching his ice cream cone.
Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey exaggerated when he declared that unforeseen costs to the state were forcing him to cancel the new train tunnel planned to relieve congested routes across the Hudson River, according to a long-awaited report by independent Congressional investigators.
The report by the Government Accountability Office, to be released this week, found that while Mr. Christie said that state transportation officials had revised cost estimates for the tunnel to at least $11 billion and potentially more than $14 billion, the range of estimates had in fact remained unchanged in the two years before he announced in 2010 that he was shutting down the project. And state transportation officials, the report says, had said the cost would be no more than $10 billion.
Mr. Christie also misstated New Jersey’s share of the costs: he said the state would pay 70 percent of the project; the report found that New Jersey was paying 14.4 percent. And while the governor said that an agreement with the federal government would require the state to pay all cost overruns, the report found that there was no final agreement, and that the federal government had made several offers to share those costs.
Governor Christie has had some major legislative accomplishments over the past two years including a 2% cap on property taxes and a public worker pension and benefits overhaul. Mind you, these laws have not necessarily made life better for New Jerseyans, as taxes have still risen and thousands of experienced public workers have either retired, fled or have been laid off because of them.
The past six weeks, though, have been another story for the guv’nor.
Then, the general consensus was that the lame duck legislative session was going to be one of the most active in years, with bills flying around State Street on teacher tenure and evaluation, property taxes, jobs, budget cuts and patronage. What’s happened? Nada. Almost every issue was pushed to the formal session that begins in early January, and won’t probably get any steam until the Governor’s State of the State message in the middle of the month.
And in the spirit of the holidays, Christie picked a fight with Senator, and former Governor, Richard Codey over the permanent appointment of Commissioner of Education Christopher Cerf, accusing Codey of (gasp!) feeding information to reporters. Christie canceled Codey’s security detail and fired Codey’s cousin from the Port Authority board. That’s politics through and through and shows that Christie will never be the warm, fuzzy leader he sometimes pretends to be.
He’s ending the year by essentially becoming Mitt Romney’s pit bull and possible vice-presidential running mate. Granted, he did only say that he would keep the door open, but that will only serve as a distraction in the coming year, as his flirtation with the presidency proved throughout the fall, because every time he doesn’t get what he wants, the media will remind us all that he’s got his eye on the national ticket. The Governor should just say no this time around and focus on the state.
It’s still very possible that Christie will get some of his reforms through the legislature, but many in the state are tired of his outbursts and outlandish statements. Prosecutors like him are convinced that they are always right and that they have the ultimate truth on their side, so why compromise? We need to remember that the next time one runs for statewide office.
The Republican governor of New Jersey and endorser of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, is falsely attacking the President. What else is new? “What the hell are we paying you for?,” Christie askedyesterday, implying that the president could have changed the outcome of the failed Super Committee.
“I was angry this weekend, listening to the spin coming out of the administration, about the failure of the supercommittee, and that the president knew it was doomed for failure, so he didn’t get involved. Well then what the hell are we paying you for?” Christie said in Camden, N.J.
“It’s doomed for failure so I’m not getting involved? Well, what have you been doing, exactly?” Christie was contrasting the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street movements, saying both stemmed from “anger” with government’s inability to respond to the financial crisis.
But while Christie said “both parties deserve blame for what’s going on in Washington, D.C.,” he pointed the finger squarely at Obama for failing to strike a budget deal. “Why the president of the United States refuses to do this is astonishing to me. If he wanted to run for Senate again and just be 1 of a 100, I’m sure he could have gotten reelected over and over again in Illinois,” Christie said. “He’s the one in Washington and he’s got to get something done here. And it’s not good enough just to say, ‘Well, I’ll get it done after the election.’”
Of course, this claim that President Obama could have worked his magic and convince Republicans hellbent on protecting the taxes of millionaires, is false. Republicans would want you to believe that Mr. Obama was missing in action on deficit reduction.
The facts however, are very different.
It was, after all, President Obama who first introduced a proposal to cut the deficit by $4 trillion. And he spent the entire summer trying to work with Republicans to come to some agreement. He even played golf with John Boehner, trying to come to some understanding on what spending cuts to make and at what cost.
But because of Republicans’ secret pledge to make this president fail by tanking the economy, the possibility of a deficit reduction would work against their pledge. They unanimously said “no” to the President’s proposal, and decided to put their faith in the hands of the super committee – a group of 12 people who knew the dire importance of the job at hand, but chose ideological political positions instead.
So, now that the super committee has failed to do their job, it is obviously President Obama’s fault. He should have sat in with the Super Committee everyday, giving his input and recommendations to a group of people who want him to fail.
The failure of the super committee was inevitable. Republicans went into the negotiating process knowing they were going to agree to absolutely nothing thus, causing its failure. And nothing would have been more pleasing to Republicans like Chris Christie, than having President Obama take part in that failure.
If he had played a role in the negotiations, the super-committee’s failure would be his fault. If he didn’t take part, the failure of the super-committee would be his fault.
The Republicans already knew who to blame way before the committee failed. They were just waiting to see which card the President played. It’s classic Republican politics.
Some people just cannot take no for an answer. Every time Chris Christie was asked if he was running for president in 2012, he always responded the same way. For whatever reason, the media and élite Republicans don’t know what “NO” means. Christie even joked about killing himself to show that he is serious about not running. And even then, after making that statement, the media asked, “what will Christie do, will he run?”
After Christie answered that question again in his well publicized speech at the Reagan Library by directing all to a political video where he said “NO” a number of ways, the media asked again, “what will Christie do?” Apparently, the word “NO” coming from Christie’s mouth is not an acceptable answer for the media or the elites.
And now this: Christie will make another statement explaining whether he plans to run or not. The Wall Street Journal has a story that says, just last week, Christie made a pledge that he will not run.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who has kept the political world in suspense for weeks over his presidential intentions, told prominent California fund-raisers and donors as recently as last Wednesday he had no plans to seek the White House.
One assurance took the form of a pledge Mr. Christie made to Meg Whitman, the newly appointed Hewlett-Packard Co. chief executive, said two people familiar with the matter. As a condition of Ms. Whitman’s hosting a high-priced fund-raiser for him, Mr. Christie said he wouldn’t enter the Republican presidential contest, these people said.
But that cannot be right. The media and the Republican elites would not rest until poor Christie says yes!
Just in case Chris Christie decides this week to join the Republican circus and get the usual instant promotion to ring-master, Democrats have already begun getting their hunting gear prepared. All that’s needed now is confirmation that Christie is running…lol, and the hope that Rick Perry provides his inappropriately named hunting grounds in Texas.
On the Sunday talk shows, Maryland governor Martin O’Malley and Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick were taking some pot shots at Chris Christie just to start the ball rolling.
Maryland Gov. and DGA Chairman Martin O’Malley on “Face the Nation;”
I think at the end of the day what this race is going to come down to is effectiveness. When it comes to being effective at creating jobs, improving schools, and expanding opportunity, his record in New Jersey has not been a record of governing for effectiveness. His bond rating has been downgraded by two of the bond rating agencies, his unemployment in New Jersey is one of the higher unemployment rates in the country at 9.4%. Last year, New Jersey created no new jobs and his schools, because of the choices he’s made to cut education funding, have actually been declining in their national ranking.
So that’s not a record of leadership and governance and effectiveness. So whatever the entertainment value is, it’s not effective governing.
Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick on “Meet The Press;”
Look, you know, he’s been governor for, what is it, a year and a half, two years? … I think unemployment in New Jersey is higher even than, than the national average. It’s some unfinished work in New Jersey in order to have proof points for the case he wants to make. I think the point is that the president is not leaving the outcome of this election up to pundits, pollsters, or some view of what the current or future field will be in the Republican Party. It’s about getting out and appealing to people where they live, where they are, where they feel, and making sure that they understand he’s trying to do what he can to help them out.
They’re at different ends of the totem pole. At one end, last night, the Republican savior Chris Christie, demanded all the media attention, as he announced once again that he will not run for president. And at the other end, Sarah Palin, the Republican shipwreck and her feeble attempt to keep the Fox spotlight on herself one more time, trying to fool the last six of her last remaining followers into thinking that she may…or may not run for president in 2012.
The host of On The Record asked about a possible Palin candidacy in 2012 and off-camera, the interpreters tried to decode the words falling from Palin’s mouth;
“Through my process of decision-making with my family and my close friends as to whether I should throw my name in the hat for the GOP nomination for 2012 – Is a title worth it? Does a title shackle a person?” Palin said Tuesday night on the Fox News show “On the Record.”
“Someone like me who’s a maverick? I do go rogue and I call it like I see it and I don’t mind stirring it up in order to get people to think and debate aggressively to find solutions to the problems that our country is facing,” Palin continued.
“Somebody like me, is a title and a campaign too shackling? Does that prohibit me from being out there and out of a box, not allowing handlers to shape me and to force my message to be what’s going on, or what contributors or political pundits want it to be?”
Chris Christie delivered his keynote address tonight from the Reagan Library, speaking to a group of Republicans and reporters eager to know if he was going to change his mind and run for the Republican nomination to take on President Obama. However, after delivering his speech, the question apparently went unanswered.
Then came the short question segment from the audience. The first question was from a woman who asked Christie what would he do to improve the economy. Boring.
The second audience member however, asked the question everyone wanted an answer to – are you running for President?
Christie’s answer to that question, was to direct the audience member and everyone watching to the video below. According to Christie, this is his answer to the question.
Simple answer: Chris Christie, the Republican darling governor of New Jersey, believes in global warming. And what’s even more unheard of in today’s Republican party is this; Christie believes that humans play a major role in the warming of the planet! This from NJ.com:
In case anyone had any doubts on where Gov. Chris Christie stands on climate change, he made his position crystal clear this afternoon: It’s real and it’s a problem.
In vetoing a bill (S2946) that would have required New Jersey to stay in a regional program intended to curb greenhouse gases — a program Christie plans to leave by the end of the year — the governor said “climate change is real.”
He added that “human activity plays a role in these changes” and that climate change is “impacting our state.”
This position by Christie seems a reasonable one, and is supported by a majority of scientists worldwide. But Republicans in this country will go to the grave holding onto their naive, irresponsible stance that global warming does not exist. So Christie’s coming out and agreeing with science and the thermometer, is in itself, enough to disqualify him from any presidential consideration for 2012.
After Christie made his statement, Doug Powers wrote on the conservative website that this is probably Christie’s way of telling Republicans that he’s tired of them asking him to run, so admitting to global warming is his way of saying move on to someone else. Doug wrote;
Ann Coulter says Christie is the only Republican who can defeat President Obama next November, but if he’s going to keep talking like this, I beg to differ (I beg to differ anyway, but especially now).
Of course, there’s always a chance that Christie’s just tired of Republicans wondering if he’s going to run for president and this is his way of getting them to stop asking.
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