The real Chris Christie

By Jeff Michaels | November 4th, 2009 - 8:37am
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Governor-elect Christopher J. Christie.  How sweet it is for the thousands of volunteers who worked since February to support this great man for NJ Governor.  I am proud to be one of them.

Congratulations go to him and to his wife Mary Pat and terrific family.  Also congratulations to Lt Governor-elect Kim Guadagno on her election.  Her stellar performance on the campaign trail was a major asset to the Governor-elect, and proved his good judgment in choosing her.

When Gov-elect Christie was named US Attorney, most observers ignored his call that public corruption would be a major priority of his office.  This is Jersey, after all, where pay-to-play and apparently other seedier behaviors were standard operating procedure in many communities.

If any seasoned people thought about his comments, they would have dismissed it as unlikely.

We all know that Chris proved the skeptics wrong, and developed a strong track record and reputation on the public corruption front.

 

In fact, I have found that the Governor-elect is at his best when he is proving skeptics wrong, and not taking the conventional road.

It is the sheer, iron will of a confident man, sure of his strengths, while knowlegable of his shortcomings, and willing to take risks to accomplish great things.

In this respect, he is not your conventional politician. 

His campaign proves my point.  The irony is that most "observers" during the campaign felt he was playing it safe, or "running out the clock" in his conduct of the campaign, especially when it came to having a detailed "tax plan."  They were wrong.

There were ill-willing media commentators who wanted him to lose, but there were also well-meaning friends and allies (sometimes the writer included), who questioned his campaign strategies.

The irony is that the "easy" road, not the harder, riskier road, would have been to bend to conventional wisdom and conduct his campaign on other people's terms. 

He would have none of it.  His campaign strategies were the riskiest of them all.  They confounded his friends and frustrated editorial writers, but it was his calculated risk, run his way, and by sheer force of personal will he pulled it off, defying all the odds.  This was not the cynical political calculation of a wily politician.  This was an honest candidate who said from day one that the solutions to our tax problems were complex, there were no silver bullets, and he would not be forced into making promises he couldn't keep, or offering gimmicky tax ideas that would never get enacted.  He was honest with himself, honest with the public, and never veered off this path, no matter how many times others wanted him to do it, and no matter how easy and tempting it was to do it.

That is the real Chris Christie.  The direction he will seek to take, whether it is political or on a policy point, is always well-thought out, well-researched, and vetted.  But when he chooses a path, there should be no more doubters left in NJ about his sheer force of will and ability to accomplish great things.

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Congratulations to you,

Submitted by factstater on November 4, 2009 - 9:03am.

Congratulations to you, Jeff, and to your excellent team. NJ needs this badly - and I'm confident CC will do the right thing by the citizens of NJ.

The Real Christie. WHAT A JERK!

Submitted by newjerseyfordum... on November 4, 2009 - 9:30am.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2mLzJ2mTqk

More of the Real Christie. WHAT A JERK!

Submitted by newjerseyfordum... on November 4, 2009 - 9:31am.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vw4wt5iIb3U

Amen!

Submitted by Rabelais on November 4, 2009 - 9:48am.

He who laughs last laughs best. The Christie campaign team was terrific, and they shut down the nay-sayers.

Christie had a tough fight all the way. He had to waste resources on a mud-slinging primary opponent. The Daggett factor did not help, and it is at least possible that the Democrats were pulling for both Lonegan and Daggett.

Last night was a great night for Republicans, including conservative Republicans. It was not a great night for conservatives -- the Green Acres ballot question passed, which goes to show that the AFP wing of the party has miniscule pull.

Whatever

Submitted by njcynic on November 4, 2009 - 9:56am.

The bottom line is that Christie won because NJ voters were (rightfully) disgusted with Corzine's four years of inaction and what can only be described as the single most disappointing administration in memory. If you think congratulations are in order for that, then have at it.

Honest?

Submitted by enoch_needles on November 4, 2009 - 11:30am.

"This was an honest candidate who said from day one that the solutions to our tax problems were complex, there were no silver bullets, and he would not be forced into making promises he couldn't keep, or offering gimmicky tax ideas that would never get enacted."

Proof once again that elections are more about voting against someone than voting for someone else. Christie offered nothing to vote for and Corzine so much to vote against.

njcynic is (sadly) correct.

Guardedly optimistic

Submitted by Mr. French on November 4, 2009 - 11:31am.

I'm hopeful that Mr. Christie will finish his job and clean up Jersey City/Hudson County. We are still drowning in the same old government-for-sale practices, as evidenced by the re-election of the indicted Anthony Chiappone and the fact that Vega and Healy remain in office. There are still many convictions and arrests yet to be garnered. Only when they are will we know that the events of July weren't merely a political stunt.

NJ Has A Real Leader

Submitted by Serve2BenefitOthers on November 4, 2009 - 2:32pm.

We have observed the Democratic Party's best efforts to project their own character flaws onto their opponents. It is such an obvious bully tactic and anyone who thinks about it can see it for what it belies within the Democratic Party. Governor elect Christie will target corruption and appoint an Attorney General who will enforce the laws. I can understand why the Democrats ran such a desperate campaign. Their worst nightmare has come true. A man who respects himself, respects others, and respects the law has been elected. A real leader has emerged. McGreevey and Corzine have shown us what is wrong with the State Democratic party. I am sure that Chris Christie will not be inviting Golan Cipel back to NJ for another job! We have elected a leader who will focus upon the causes of NJ's problems and effectively implement corrective action plans. Hey NJ, time to clean up!

Christie Win

Submitted by steven_tiny on November 4, 2009 - 5:17pm.

How true you are.

I saw something last night rarely seen from a politician. Real emotion; overwhelmed by the victory crowds affection and admiration for his success.

Its a good sign for the future , because despite how tough it will be to improve NJ , Chris will be abl to communicate to us. Something lacking in the present occupant of the office.

Last laugh?

Submitted by digitup on November 5, 2009 - 1:50am.

Rabelais, it is only beginning. Ask Florio, Whitman, McGreevey, Corzine -- it does change. Ask Obama.

Yes AFP's $250,000 campaign was too weak. But what about ARV's million dollar blow-out? Winning just one seat by accident. No mandate and no coattails.

Hey, has Team Christie drawn up its enemies list yet? I keep hearing about “the list”.

Digitup...

Submitted by ImWithStupid on November 7, 2009 - 8:53am.

Do you have anything to offer other than complaining about Alex DeCroce and Rick Wright? If you have an alkternative, present it. But then, we know you are just a bitter, angry, little person chirping from the sidelines and wishing failure on others where you have failed to succeed yourself. Go sit in a corner with LaRossa and suck your thumb and tell yourself how wonderful you are and how noone else is perfect. And I really have to think you are a democrat shill -- you only complain about republicans and have never focused your hate on where it belongs - bossed democrats carving this state up like a Thanksgiving Turkey. Have a beautiful day Digitup. Love ya.

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