Chris Christie: My Critics Don’t Get It
Chris Christie has responded to those on the right who have been critical of his praise for President Obama in the wake of Hurricane Sandy:
(Reuters) – New Jersey Governor Chris Christie defended his praise for President Barack Obama after superstorm Sandy, but said he would stick with his fellow Republicans and vote for Mitt Romney in Tuesday’s election.
“I endorsed Mitt Romney 13 months ago because I thought he was the best guy for the job,” Christie said on Sunday during a news conference, reaffirming his support for the Republican candidate.
But support for Romney does not mean that he cannot appreciate the “good job” that Obama did while responding to the historical storm that hit the U.S. Northeast last week, Christie said. Sandy knocked out power to some 2.4 million New Jersey residents.
Christie, a popular governor widely seen as a possible Republican presidential contender in 2016, had frustrated some in the Romney campaign who feared he had given what could be a critical boost to Obama, a Democrat.
“If the president of United States comes here, and he’s willing to help my people, and he does it, then I’m gonna say nice things about him because he’s earned it,” Christie told Israel’s Channel 2 television on Sunday, referring to Obama’s pledge of federal aid to help New Jersey recover from the storm.
“Anybody who is upset in the Republican Party about this, they haven’t been to New Jersey. Come see the destruction, come see the loss.”
But for Hurricane Sandy, it’s likely that Christie would’ve been out on the stump with other Romney surrogates in these final days and hours of the campaign. Instead, he’s back home doing his job and not letting politics get in the way of what needs to be done for his state. The fact that there are people in the GOP criticizing him for it is a pretty sad indictment of our current state of affairs.
Governor Christie is doing his job. Apparently there are people who are shocked by this. And he has actual human emotions, which also seems to shock some people.
The man was handed a huge mess to deal with. Imagine being governor and having millions of people looking to you. He reached out for some help from another politician and got the help he needed. Then he reported honestly on that fact.
Two guys, two actual human beings, Governor Christie and President Obama, working together to help people in need. How the hell did we get to the point where this is anything other than encouraging?
I’m thankful that Christie is doing the job that he was elected to do, and that he is scoffing at the idiots in the Republican Party who insist on politicizing everything, but can we get off Christie’s jock here?
Obama was winning when the hurricane hit, and he is going to win on Tuesday. This idea that he needed Christ Christie’s blessing in order to crawl across the finish line is just the media’s way of handing an excuse to a party that cannot win a national election.
This “controversy” was bogus right from the beginning. No one should have been shocked that the governor of a ravaged state was grateful for the President’s help. Since when was it expected to act like a twerp at all times?
Happy to be of help…
Well, if the critics are anything like the corporations I’ve been dealing with the past two months, it’s not the politics, but the fact that two people are actually “working” that sets them off.
Damn office people are as bad as Maynard G. Krebs.
@michael reynolds:
13 hasn’t weighed in yet.
I have no problem with Christie’s response. It was warranted and he called it right.
i do think some of the media is trying to paint it as having more political import than it does.
With history as a guide might it actually be an important political story for Christie’s future? I’ll point to Gov. Charlie Crist who was wildly popular in office and had been there, done that, and lost a 3 way with Meek and a tea party doyenne.
@rudderpedals:
and is now persona non grata with in the GOP. Anybody who ever thought Christie had a shot at the GOP presidential nomination in any election before ’48, hasn’t been paying attention.
@rodney dill: I wouldn’t just go blame the media on this. It’s just seems to be a well-known “fact” these days that you never ever say the other guy did anything right. That’s the basic plan on the part of most partisan political operatives. So I’d blame them first for the situation we have here.
@OzarkHillbilly: And it was all about a single hug. The state party is very fickle if not a bit misguided – pretty much the same powers that be selected Katherine Harris for her whupping with Bill Nelson.
@Hal 10000:
Just trying to keep up. What exactly did Obama do? Agree to spend more? He had to do that. What did he do? As far as I can tell by the news the people are still out of water, freezing and powerless even after Obamas photo op stop on the way to his campaign.
Just saw a clip of the press conference where Christie made this statement. He comes across as very genuine, something you can’t say about the guy for whom Christie plans to cast his vote. Yet another reason to hope Romney loses–the possibility that Christie might run in 2016.
@Jimbo:
Yeah! And where’s my magic pony???!!!!
@Jimbo:
Why ask us? Christie was there, and presumably has some idea of what he needed the President to do. Or are you trying to say that Christie is actually a good Republican, and his statements have no basis in fact?
Another way to put it, Doug, is that reality happened to Christie. Suddenly destroying FEMA doesn’t look like a harmless idea. ‘Heckuva job’ won’t cut it’. ‘Let NJ go bankrupt’ would not be a good thing for its governor.
The question is… why did both Christie and Obama need the photo ops and the media coverage in order to do the RIGHT THING? Shows they are both using the suffering of others to further their own careers.
Photographers and all media should not have been allowed to use Obama’s visit to NJ to further their own selfish ambitions. How disingenuous of both Christie and Obama! How sad for our country!
Chris Christie is now the hero of the left. He embraced Obama for showing up for two hours, and thanking him profusely for something that he had not done. Days later people were dumpster diving for food. I am sure the left will love that Christie is a “bipartisan”, meaning he is now a democrat. Can you imagine the governer of Louisiana thanking Bush the day he came to town? She wouldn’t even let him call in the National Guard, so he would get no credit for helping. So people suffered and the Media never mentions her part in keeping Bush at bay during Katrina. Had she done that, the right would have loved her and she would have been excommunicated from the Democrat party, just the way Christie is now dead to every conservative voter in the country. I honestly would vote for Hillary over him now, and I have never voted Democrat in my life.