Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey has been a belicose, loud-mouthed, shrill partisan attack dog in support of Willard "Mittens" Romney as his campaign surrogate. Gov. Christie was Romney's keynote speaker at the GOP convention.
Since super-storm Sandy devastated New Jersey earlier this week, Gov. Christie has had to eat his harsh words. President Obama has demonstrated his commander-in-chief leadership in working directly with the governors of the states affected by Sandy, and demonstrated that the federal government can respond effectively in a disaster to the needs of its citizens, unlike the bumbling fools of the George W. Bush administration afer Hurricane Katrina.
Gov. Chrisite has been effusive in his praise of President Obama. It is almost as if he has a new best friend. In the closing week of the campaign, Gov. Christie is making the closing argument for Obama. Let's just call this the "October Surprise." Gov. Christie praises Obama's leadership amidst Sandy:
Christie said Wednesday with the President by his side, “We spent a
significant afternoon together surveying the damage up and down the New
Jersey coastline; we were on Marine One together to be able to show the
President that personally. I had an opportunity to see it, and we had
an opportunity to discuss it at length. And then, going over to the
shelter here, being able to meet with folks to have them see the
President and his concern, and the concern that all of us have for
making sure that things get back to normal as quickly as possible.”
He added, “He has worked incredibly closely with me since before the
storm hit. I think this is our sixth conversation since the weekend,
and it’s been a great working relationship to make sure that we’re doing
the jobs that people elected us to do. And I cannot thank the
President enough for his personal concern and compassion for our state
and for the people of our state.”
President Obama also praised Christie's response saying, “The first thing I want to do is just to thank everybody who
has been involved in the entire rescue and recovery process. At the top
of my list, I have to say that Governor Christie throughout this
process has been responsive; he has been aggressive in making sure that
the state got out in front of this incredible storm.”
* * *
When asked by FAUX News if he would offer to give a tour of his storm-ravaged city to candidate Romney, Christie noted that he had a job to do and replied, “If you think right now I give a damn about presidential politics, then you don’t know me.”
Greg Sargent writes at The Plum Line today, Chris Christie drives stake into Romney closing argument:
The chatter continues this morning about GOP Governor Chris
Christie’s astonishingly effusive praise of Obama’s handling of
Hurricane Sandy. After Obama and Christie toured the damage yesterday,
Christie thanked Obama for their “great working relationship” and claimed Obama “sprung into action immediately.” The day before, Christie praised
Obama’s storm response as “outstanding,” adding: “He deserves my
praise, and he will get it regardless of what the calendar says.”
What’s striking about this is how directly it undermines one of the
central arguments Mitt Romney is making against Obama, with only five
days left until Election Day.
* * *
It’s Romney’s final case that his resume shows he’d be a better
president than Obama has been — a bipartisan, get-it-done technocrat
type (the latest version of Romney, anyway) who can end the rancor and
division of the Obama years.
Now Americans are being treated to images of a Republican Governor
extensively praising Obama for working with him cooperatively and
displaying leadership and a propensity for quick action at a time of
crisis.
[I]t’s also relevant that Obama’s performance, and Christie’s high profile
praise of it, directly undermine one of Romney’s main closing messages.
Indeed, even Republicans are worried about this.
More broadly, a new Post poll
finds that nearly eight in 10 likely voters say Obama has done a “good”
or “excellent” job handling the storm. The federal government gets high
marks, too. I don’t know how much this will impact the election’s
outcome, if at all. But positive public sentiments (amplified by a
Republican governor) towards Obama about the crisis — and about
government in general — could matter a bit on the margins with remaining
undecided voters. They certainly won’t help Mitt Romney.
This is pushing Fats Limbaugh & Sean Hannity over the edge.