NJ Governor Chris Christie on Disagreements
[Guest post by DRJ]
| Gov Christie calls S-L columnist thin-skinned for inquiring about his 'confrontational tone' |
An excerpt from New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s response to a reporter who asked about his confrontational tone:
CHRISTIE: “If you think that’s a confrontational tone, then you should really see me when I’m pissed. You know, I love when people say they don’t want to have an argument. That’s what we were sent here for.
They believe in certain things. They believe in bigger government, higher taxes, and more spending. Here it is [holding paper]. Bigger government, higher taxes, more spending.
I believe in less government, lower taxes, and in empowering local officials who are elected by their citizens to be able to fix their problems. That may lead to a disagreement or two.
Now, I could say it really nicely. I could say it in a way that you all might be more comfortable with. You know, maybe we can go back to the last administration where I can say it in a way you wouldn’t even understand it. But the fact of the matter is that this is who I am, and this is who the people elected.”
Watch the whole thing.
H/T Have Blue (his second today).
— DRJ
OK, Clapton is still good. But Chris Christie is god!!
elissa (2769fa) — 5/13/2010 @ 9:13 pmThank you DRJ, but I think you omitted his best line which comes just before this, “Tom, you must be the thinnest skinned guy in America.”
(And Ace deserves the credit for this. I totally swiped it from his site.)
Have Blue (854a6e) — 5/13/2010 @ 9:33 pmI left that out for 2 reasons, Have Blue. First, it’s included in the top caption from the embedded video and everyone who watches the video will see it. Second, Christie had several good zingers but I think the power of this statement is where he explains the philosophical difference between liberals and conservatives. That’s what I wanted to show in the excerpt.
Both liberals and conservatives can offer personally appealing (or unappealing) candidates, but I think conservatives will almost always win the battle of core beliefs. That’s what Christie did here and that’s what most Americans want.
DRJ (d43dcd) — 5/13/2010 @ 9:41 pmPoint taken DRJ. (Both points actually.)
Have Blue (854a6e) — 5/13/2010 @ 9:43 pmThis guy is on fire. That reporter should curl up in a ball. This is why the liberal media is dying and should die.
Arizona Bob (e8af2b) — 5/13/2010 @ 9:50 pmArizona Bob – If you google the reporters name Tom Moran you will find the column he wrote after this interaction. He states that Christie will fail because he will not “compromise” (i.e enact the Dem’s plan).
At best he does not seem to get it.
I notice this also in the libs who oppose the Arizona immigration law. They state that the hard line stance will hurt Republicans and lead to their defeat. But do not seem to see the polls that show upwards of 70% of the American people approving of it.
Have Blue (854a6e) — 5/13/2010 @ 9:56 pmSomehow, I don’t think that reporter is accustomed to being addressed in such tones.
Good for Cristie… I knew he was golden after the Don Imus interview, which was ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS.
TheNewGuy (114368) — 5/13/2010 @ 9:58 pm*swoon*
Fiscal conservatism, call out stupid reporters…I’m over the moon or the man!
Patricia (160852) — 5/13/2010 @ 9:58 pmI would vote for him as an Honorary Texan. Heck, if I didn’t know better, I would think he went to Texas A&M.
Ag80 (f67beb) — 5/13/2010 @ 10:00 pmYeah, this guy is good. Really, really good. I only wish we could get him here in California. One part of me says that he ought to be on a Republican ticket in 2012, but the other part of me has given up on the Federal Government and thinks that he is better off saving New Jersey than screwing around with assorted Congressfolks and getting lost in the whole Federal miasma. In any case, he has a fan in me.
JVW (08e86a) — 5/13/2010 @ 10:11 pmIf what Gov Christie said was confrontational, that lib reporter was a total wimp. I love the guv.
PatAZ (655234) — 5/13/2010 @ 10:12 pmChristie is the new Ronald Reagan. He’s not afraid to take the press on. And no one should be afraid either. I am ready to start sending money.
Arizona Bob (e8af2b) — 5/13/2010 @ 10:14 pmWe need more tough governors like Christie in NJ, Jan Brewer in Arizona, and Perry in Texas. A serious battle is coming between an overreaching national government ignoring the Constitution and the states. Ultimately, power resides in the States in their ability to call a Constitutional Convention. Governors with greater goals than to merely graduate to federal positions are badly needed everywhere.
iconoclast (bbd5ee) — 5/13/2010 @ 11:46 pmThis almost makes me want to move to the other side of the Hudson. Almost. It’s still New Jersey.
You GO, fat man!
East Coast Chris (ded5f2) — 5/14/2010 @ 1:25 amIt’s almost as if the reporter has spent most of the past two years covering the WH & Congress, and was surprised to discover a politician WITH a backbone.
Icy Texan (176b23) — 5/14/2010 @ 1:59 amThis reporter thinks compromise is good. Give in to the Democrats and when the watered down changes don’t work, blame Christie.
It is so obvious that partisan hacks like Moran think if only they could raise taxes on the rich everything would work out fine.
MU789 (8034a8) — 5/14/2010 @ 6:03 amChris Christie can do a lot of this because he has a lot more actual POWER than most state governors do. Think about it; nearly all states have elected Treasurers, nearly all have elected Auditors, some even have elected Comptrollers. Nearly all Governors have to deal with those officials and their limitations while at the same time dealing with a Legislature.
Not New Jersey; those officials serve at the pleasure of Chris Christie, and only have to deal directly with the NJ Legislature at confirmation time.
If there was a state in which its Executive Branch most resembles the framework of the White House, it’s NJ’s.
Brad S (9f6740) — 5/14/2010 @ 6:07 amNot to mention, Gov. Christie bought himself a LOT of goodwill with the public by being upfront with the budget situation, and by encouraging the public to take action on their own when it came to the school budgets.
Brad S (9f6740) — 5/14/2010 @ 6:11 amI love him calling out most weasel words as being an ‘escape hatch’. So true. And a brave stance to say he won’t use it.
rtrski (192cf0) — 5/14/2010 @ 6:15 amChristie is not gurleyman like California has for a governor.
The only thing Christie didn’t do was tell this “reporter” to tell his editor not to send an intern to the press conference, but a real reporter.
PCD (1d8b6d) — 5/14/2010 @ 6:17 amWow, that was refreshing!
And here’s a plus. If he runs for president, we probably won’t be subjected to pictures of him windsurfing, or lying on the beach showing off his abs. He probably eats burgers instead of aragula, which is a plus with me.
On the other hand, I’ll bet the press will run every picture they can get of him putting food in his mouth. Every lib cartoon will somehow include food. And they’ll picture him next to much smaller people to make him look intimidating and pushy. I think he could combat that with a Jacky Gleason style campaign.
Gesundheit (6acc51) — 5/14/2010 @ 7:01 amGesundheit,
Pow! Zoom! Obama goes to the moon?
PCD (1d8b6d) — 5/14/2010 @ 7:39 amThe transcript is good, but you really have to listen to the video to savor the full impact of the governor’s zingers. I luv the guv!
dchamil (bb7f48) — 5/14/2010 @ 8:22 amRepublicans are only confrontational in that they do not adhere to the accepted wisdom of reporters like these.
Amphipolis (b120ce) — 5/14/2010 @ 8:33 amThis reporter believes that if the Democrats want to build a bridge and Christie says it’s a waste, then the governor should build a bridge halfway across the river and call it a compromise.
MU789 (8034a8) — 5/14/2010 @ 11:49 amWay to go GOV, we need more truth in our leaders today, now more than ever. He Sounds like Presidential material to me, we can get rid of smooth talken sound bites and get some straight talkin truth.
T Redman (d16f7a) — 5/14/2010 @ 5:55 pmChristie is the best thing that happenned to N
Tony DeStefano (b7a4aa) — 5/15/2010 @ 8:49 amN.J. He could very well be a good thing for
this country in the future.We need a whole lot more like him.Go Man