I met Chris Christie in February 2009 at the Edison Township Library.
Our friends from neighboring East Brunswick were attending a small private meeting for some of the state party leaders to hear Christie speak about his recent decision to run for office. They asked if we would be interesting is joining them, and of course, we were intrigued to hear from this man who was positioning himself as the next Governor of New Jersey.
I did not know very much about Christie going into that session, but I quickly learned about his family values, his unwavering drive to clean up corruption that had been plaguing our state for years, his impressive public record and his desire to protect the interests of New Jersey and its residents.
He understood and affirmed that his policies may not be popular across the board, but that he would continue doing what he feels is right for the good of our state.
I immediately liked him. He has such a commanding yet inviting presence, and I found him to be very genuine, an adjective I would not typically use to describe a politician. I appreciated his honesty, and generally felt comfortable around him. I believed in that instant that he was a good person and a charismatic leader.
But would he sell out if he got elected? That is the million dollar question, isn’t it? People love candidates who say the right things when campaigning. What happens if they make it into office?
Recently, I have been speaking to more and more people about their political affiliations, just to feel them out for the upcoming elections (and of course, to try and sway them in our direction). The good thing is that they are not Obama supporters. The bad thing is that in large part, they do not feel like their vote will matter, come November (?!?!).
Almost everyone I have spoken to that is not aligned to one party or the other believes that their viewpoints are not represented at all because a small percentage of far-left or far-right candidates/public servants control the platforms and even if a candidate talks the talk before the election, they speak an entirely different language once they take office. So even if people believe that Romney was a solid leader in Massachusetts, that he successfully ran the Olympics, and that he was a successful businessman, they are now questioning whether he will carry the same weight and lead with the same authority if he enters the White House.
However, the takeaway from my recent off-the-record polling is that, excluding a few union-fan teacher friends, people generally do not have this view of Christie. He didn’t sell out once he was elected. If anything, he has an even louder voice now than he did in the first months of his term. He is strong – he started out that way from his days as State Attorney General, and he continues along the same vein. He believes in our country and in our future. He has delivered on campaign promises to the best of his ability. He has been able to successfully govern and provide benefit to New Jersey by cooperating with his Democratic counterparts, an element that Washington should incorporate into its own Congressional dealings.
Christie inherited a lot of issues from his predecessors and he continually works diligently to correct the wrongs of past state leadership. People really respect him as a leader, which is why he was a fabulous pick for the Tuesday night keynote address.
Christie commands respect. He has never changed who he is throughout his political career. He does not care what is popular; he is only concerned with what is right and that is how he governs.
The energy levels will be through the roof at the convention center tomorrow night, I am certain of that. Continue to make us proud, Chris Christie, just like you have over these past years.
Write more, thats
all I have to say. Literally, it seems as though you relied on the video to make your point.
You definitely know what youre talking about, why waste your intelligence on just posting videos
to your weblog when you could
be giving us something informative to read?