GQ columnist Reid Cherlin says Mitt Romney should pick Governor Chris Christie as his running mate over the “milkiest of milquetoast options,” Ohio Senator Rob Portman or former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty. Hat tip to Bob Ingle.
Yes, I know the criticisms. Chris Christie is a hot-head and a showboat. He’s overweight. He doesn’t represent a key swing state. He’d be uncontrollable, in the way that Sarah Palin was uncontrollable. He’d suck up all the oxygen and leave Romney fiddling in the wings, or worse, cleaning up his messes. All that is true, to a degree.
But let’s remember the other key truism here: people vote for the top of the ticket, not the would-be VP. As you’ve read countless times, the real virtue of the running mate pick is that he can be nastier on the attack, he doubles your capacity for in-person campaigning, and your selection of him says something essential about your judgment. I think Christie would be a win for Romney on all three fronts. He is an excellent attack dog. He lives for town-hall campaigning. And his pick would make loud and clear—to Romney’s still-unenthused Republican critics, and to swing voters who love moderate East Coast Republicans—that he’s serious about kicking ass. Most of all, though, Christie is damn entertaining. He is disarmingly blunt. He’s a ham, he takes tough questions head-on, and he loves the parry-and-thrust that is weaker pols’ undoing. There’s a reason he remains so popular.
The campaign so far has been an utter grind, and Romney’s VP announcement is our last, best chance for an infusion of something fresh, interesting, and new. Please, Governor Romney: I know you’re a businessman above all else. But can’t we all just have some fun for once?
I have to agree. Portman or Pawlenty will put voters to sleep.
I would love Romney to make an “out of the box” VP choice like Condie Rice, Allen West or Marco Rubio. But Rice doesn’t want to do it and probably would not perform well on the campaign trail. West is a patriotic hero but comes across as angry. Angry scares voters. I don’t think Rubio is ready, for the office or for the glare of negative media attention that would come down on him.
No one articulates the case against Obama better than Christie. Christie has a Reaganesque optimism and ability to communicate it in a way that inspires like no one else on the national scene.
Christie will bring an excitement, and fun, to the race that no one else can bring.
If the presidential race keeps going the way its going, voters will tire of the campaign before Halloween. Christie will engage voters more than any VP candidate since Thomas Jefferson and the media won’t get the better of him like they did of Sarah Palin. ( I can’t believe I just put Thomas Jefferson and Sarah Palin in the same sentence.)
Most importantly, with Chris Christie as his running mate, Mitt Romney can win.
The Asbury Park Press is still struggling for relevance and their trying to get it by attempting to set Governor Chris Christie’s agenda and schedule. Their likelihood of success is less than that of Star Ledger Editorial Board Editor Tom Moran’s attempts to get Christie to improve his manners.
Back in May, APP ran an multi-part expose on the Lakewood School System. So few people read about it, cared about it or took it seriously that when Christie came to Freehold for a Town Hall Meeting the following week, no one brought it up. That prompted an front page editorial rant that bashed Christie, Congressman Chris Smith and others not directly responsible for the mess in Lakewood for not paying attention to the APP Neptune Nudniks.
Last week the governor visited a private school (publicly funded) in Lakewood that serves the developmentally disabled. The Nudniks responded with another front page rant and by getting the Lakewood Board of Education President to write an open letter to the governor complaining that he is not paying attention to them on their schedule.
Yesterday, the Nudniks sent a reporter to a Christie press conference in Hackensack about a new solar power farm to ask him about the Lakewood Schools and why he hasn’t visited:
In the first poll conducted by their new Executive Director, Dr. Krista Jenkins, FDU’s Public Mind Poll found that 55% of New Jersey’s registered voters approve of Governor Chris Christie. The electorate is divided over whether they like the governor for his personality or his policies.
36% say they like Christie and his policies, 29% don’t like him personally or his policies. 14% like his personally but don’t like his policies while another 14% like his policies but not his personality.
Christie suffers a gender gap. 61% of men approve of his performances compared to only 49% of women. 54% of men say the state is on the right track, compared to 44% of women.
FDU did not distinguish between registered voters and likely voters.
Governor Chris Christie took his Endless Summer tax relief tour to Long Beach Island this afternoon.
About half way through this APP video the governor addresses municipal consolidation incentives as a method the state is providing to reduce property taxes. Chrisite is laugh out loud funny in mimicking public opposition to consoldiations.
A Monmouth University/Asbury Park Press poll released this morning indicates that Governor Christie’s approval numbers remain above 50% in New Jersey. 53% of registered voters approve of the job Christie is doing, compared to 35% that do not.
61% of Jersey voters think its a great idea that Mitt Romney tab Christie to give the keynote address at the Republican National Convention next month.
Christie has been promoting his bipartisan accomplishments in his out of state travels, but Jerseyans aren’t buying it. 31% of voters say that Christie and the Democratic leadership is working well together, 53% say they are not playing nice. 58% blame Christie and the Democrats equally.
The Democratic legislatures approval ratings remain in the tank, 35%-43%.
A majority of voters think it is wise to wait for state revenues to improve before cutting taxes.
Bipartisan Legislation Advances Administration’s Commitment to Development of Renewable Energy Resources in New Jersey
Trenton, NJ – Taking action that continues the Christie Administration’s commitment to fostering the development of renewable energy resources in New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie today signed into law bipartisan legislationto strengthen and encourage the continued growth of New Jersey’s solar industry, while protecting ratepayers from increased costs. The bill, S-1925, couples an acceleration of the renewable portfolio standard (RPS) for solar energy with a reduction of the solar alternate compliance payments, meeting an important goal of the Governor’s 2011 Energy Master Plan (EMP), strengthening the solar market in New Jersey, and securing the state’s place as a national solar energy leader.
“Since my time running for office, I made it clear that my Administration would be unrivaled in our aggressive support for the development of renewable sources of energy in New Jersey. Renewable energy not only helps meet our goals of increasing sustainability and protecting the environment, but can be an engine for economic growth and the creation of good-paying jobs for the people of our state,” said Governor Christie. “The bill I am signing today furthers these goals and will help us remain a national leader in the solar energy industry as we continue to promote innovative approaches to solar development, like developing landfills and other unusable lands and transforming them into sources of usable clean energy, all while holding down costs for families and businesses.”
Governor Chris Christie will hold a press conference this morning following a the signing a of bill that will regulate and subsidize the solar energy industry. The bill signing is scheduled for 11:15.
The NY Post is reporting that back channel word is going out to New Jersey Republican activists that Governor Chris Christie will be deliverying the keynote address at the Republican National Convention on August 28 in Tampa.
In a Quinnipac University poll released this morning, New Jersey voters indicate that they approve of the job the governor is doing by 54%-39%, the same margin the Christie scored in the university’s May poll.
Christie’s situation on the Seaside Heights boardwalk does not seem to have cost him likability points. Asked if they liked or didn’t like Christie, regardless of his policies, 55% of voters like him, to 35% who don’t. In May 57% said they liked him to 31% who said they didn’t.
Despite liking and approving of the governor, and not liking or approving of the legislature, more voters agree with the Democratic legislature that New Jersey should wait until state revenue figures improve before a tax cut is approved. 49% say to wait for the revenues. 43% say cut taxes now.
While New Jersey likes Christie and approves of the job he is doing, 53% think he would be a bad choice to be Mitt Romney’s running mate. 40% think he would be a good Veep choice.
