• Chris Christie,  Polling,  President 2012

    President 2012 Poll Watch: Romney 44% Vs. Obama 42% and Obama 44% Vs. Christie 43%



    According to the latest Rasmussen Poll.

    One’s in the race and one’s contemplating a run, but for now Mitt Romney and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are both essentially even with President Obama in hypothetical Election 2012 matchups.

    The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely U.S. Voters finds Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, with 44% of the vote to Obama’s 42%. Eight percent (8%) like another candidate, and seven percent (7%) are undecided.

    Obama wins 44% support, while Christie picks up 43% in their matchup. Six percent (6%) prefer a third option, and eight percent (8%) are undecided. However, just 26% believe the first-term governor is likely to run for the White House, and only 20% think he should seek the White House.

    Here is the breakdown for all of the other GOP candidates and President Obama.

    Not a bad first poll for Governor Christie and note the fall of Rick Perry and Michele Bachmann.
  • Chris Christie,  President 2012

    President 2012: Chris Christie Ads ARE Running in New York, Philadelphia and New Jersey

    Committee for Our Children’s Future (CCF) ad

    With New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaking this evening at the Reagan Presidential Library here in California, there are and have been television ads supporting Christie’s record on air.

    Backers of Gov. Chris Christie today launched a $1.5 million-dollar television campaign to promote the Republican governor’s policies.

    The Bernardsville-based Committee for Our Children’s Future (CCF), a self-proclaimed independent 501(c)(4) organization, is airing the ad on New York and Philadelphia broadcast and New Jersey statewide cable stations.

    “Washington is moving in the wrong direction. From runaway spending and record debt to gridlock, our federal government is not working. Meanwhile, in New Jersey things are moving in the right direction — two balanced budgets, a billion dollars in wasteful spending cut and millions of dollars in new education funding,” said Brian Jones, spokesperson, Committee for Our Children’s Future.

    “New Jersey should serve as a national model for government leaders across the country. It’s time for a better economic future for taxpayers, working families, and our children. We must protect our children’s future and keep the New Jersey reform movement going.”

    The ad launch roughly coincided with Christie’s education reform kickoff this month in time for campaign season.

    At his press conference today, Christie said he is not personally responsible for the group’s efforts but welcomed their support.

    Christie has quite a decision to make and he must make it soon.

    Maybe there will some hint or direction at the presser after his speech at the Reagan Library?

  • Chris Christie,  Mitt Romney,  President 2012,  Rick Perry

    President 2012: Why the GOP Should NOT Settle for Mitt Romney – The Unaired Ted Kennedy Television Ads

    The press and pundits have been good lately reporting the collapse of Texas Governor Rick Perry’s campaign for the Presidency. Well, he did perform poorly at the past two GOP Presidential debates and he lost the Florida GOP Straw Poll to Herman Cain.

    But, hold on…..

    Who is the alternative?

    The answer is Mitt Romney.

    But, what about Romney?

    Romney is NO conservative and will have illegal immigration problems with the GOP base when he is scrutinized – or Perry runs his ads. Remember this from the 2008 campaign.

    But, what conservatives need to understand before they “SETTLE” for Mitt Romney and throw Rick Perry under the bus is that Romney is VULNERABLE to the attacks Ted Kennedy used against him in 1994. See the devastating ads in the above video that Kennedy did NOT even have to run.

    Obama will run these type of ads BUT ON STEROIDS – just like they ran against Carly Fiorina in California last year.

    New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is speaking at the Reagan Presidential Library this evening. He would be a welcome addition to the Presidential field. However, if he or Mitch Daniels do not enter the Presidential arena, don’t be so hard on Rick Perry.

    Understand what you are getting should Romney win the GOP Presidential nomination.

  • Chris Christie,  Michael DuHaime,  President 2012,  Rudy Giuliani,  Tom Kean

    President 2012: Tom Kean Confirms New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Mulling Over Presidential Run

    New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie answers a question as he and Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels speak to a gathering at Rider University in Lawrenceville, N.J. , Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011

    I hope Christie decides to run.

    Former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean (R), who has known Chris Christie since he was a teenager, tells National Reviewthat the governor is “very seriously” considering a presidential bid.Said Kean: “It’s real. He’s giving it a lot of thought. I think the odds are a lot better now than they were a couple weeks ago.”

    He added: “More and more people are talking to him. He’s getting appeals from major figures around the country. He is the best speaker I may have ever heard in politics.”

    The LEFT has already researched who are the money people possibly behind a Christie campaign.

    These money folks are pretty much the financiers of Rudy Giuliani’s campaign in 2008, especially Paul Singer.

    New York hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer is also named by Politico as one of the leaders of the latest Draft Christie movement. Singer was a major fundraiser for both George W. Bush’s and Rudy Giuliani’s presidential campaigns. He also bankrolled an unsuccessful 2007 effort in California to try to pass a ballot measure ending the winner-takes-all system for California’s electoral votes, which would provide a massive boost to Republican presidential candidates. Like Langone, he has a moderate streak as well: he helped fund efforts to pass New York’s landmark law allowing same sex marriage this year.

    If the funding is in place and Rudy Giuliani helps Christie with NE GOP primary delegates and Florida, the campaign, even though late in arriving, will be winnable.

    Moreover, Christie has at least two staff members who worked for Giuliani’s 2008 campaign: Maria Comella (Rudy’s traveling communications director) and Michael DuHaime (Giuliani’s campaign manager).

    Governor Christie will be out in California tomorrow evening speaking at the Reagan Presidential Library.

    So, stay tuned…..

  • Chris Christie,  Mitch Daniels,  President 2012

    President 2012 Video: Chris Christie and Mitch Daniels STILL Not Running for President

    Video: Govs. Christie and Daniels on why they’re not running for president

    I guess NOT.

    Chris Christie took another spin in the “I’m not running for president” tango this morning. Today’s dance partner: Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels.

    Speaking before an audience of students at Rider University, Republican governors were asked (again) to explain their respective decisions not to run for president. Christie did, prompting this push from Daniels:

    “I’m not taking no from Christie…I’m taking ‘Not yet,'” Daniels said, before declaring his respect for Christie’s decision. “He’s doing so many good things for your state. Your state needs him to keep on.”

    But……

    And while his (Christie’s) words say no to a quick departure from New Jersey, recent actions — such as this week’s launch of $1.5 million ad campaign touting his achievements in New York and Pennsylvania — say “maybe.”

    The GOP Presidential field needs additional candidates, if not them, who?

  • Barack Obama,  Chris Christie,  Mitt Romney,  President 2012,  Rick Perry

    President 2012: NEXT

    This question was asked of the Republican candidates in the Fox News/Google Debate on September 22, 2012

    Well, to say that Texas Governor Rick Perry had a bad night is an understatment. As the front-runner in the polls for the GOP Presidential nominee, he under performed to epic failure proportions.

    Perry was even booed by the Florida GOP crowd for his statements defending his record on The Dream Act and illegal immigration.

    Mitt Romney, the other front-runner, was the same mechanical TECHNOCRAT flip-flopper he always is. Mitt is the “safe” candidate but continues as uninspiring.

    Time for another candidate or candidates to emerge.

    The e-mails flooding into our inbox during the evening were less guarded. Early on, we received this missive from a bright young conservative: “I’m watching my first GOP debate…and WE SOUND LIKE CRAZY PEOPLE!!!!” As the evening went on, the craziness receded, and the demoralized comments we received stressed the mediocrity of the field rather than its wackiness. As one more experienced, and therefore more jaded, observer wrote: “I just thought maybe it’s always this bad…they’re only marginally worse than McCain and Bush.”

    Now there are some legitimate excuses. With nine candidates on the stage, and answers restricted to one minute, it’s hard to really show your stuff. And two of the candidates—Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney—did provide respectable performances. But no front-runner in a presidential field has ever, we imagine, had as weak a showing as Rick Perry. It was close to a disqualifying two hours for him. And Mitt Romney remains, when all is said and done, a technocratic management consultant whose one term as governor produced Romneycare. He could rise to the occasion as president. Or not.

    Time for Chris Christie, Paul Ryan to step up or for Mitch Daniels to reconsider.

    American cannot afford another four years of an Obama Administration.

  • Chris Christie,  Paul Ryan,  President 2012

    President 2012: Chris Christie Coming Into the Race?

    Jen Rubin hopes and in a way, so do I.

    Republicans are now confessing openly: The current field is weak, and Texas Gov. Rick Perry leaves them with substantial doubts. This conversation from the “Panel Plus” discussion of “Fox News Sunday” is illuminating…..

    There are several factors at play here.

    First, Perry has not yet coaxed the big donors off the sidelines.There is plenty of money for Christie to scoop up.

    Second, none of the candidates in the field has been able to put together all factions of the party. As Evan Bayh noted on Fox, Christie is someone who embodies the Tea Party spirit (feisty, anti-D.C. establishment) but is more than sophisticated enough to satisfy mainstream conservatives, business leaders and policy wonks.

    From what I gather, most Republicans will accept Rick Perry over Mitt Romney, but are really looking for somebody else. A team of Chris Christie and Paul Ryan would be awesomeness for grass roots and establishment Republicans.

    If not, then the fight (and it will be a media battle royale) will be in the GOP primary elections/caucuses on whether to go “do no harm” with Romney (a safe candidate) or “go long” with Rick Perry (grass roots conservative who shoots from the hip).

    Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels maintains there is room for another candidate in the race. I don’t think he means Sarah Palin.

  • Chris Christie,  Karl Rove,  Paul Ryan,  President 2012,  Rudy Giuliani,  Sarah Palin

    President 2012: Karl Rove Expects Sarah Palin, Chris Christie and/or Paul Ryan to Enter Presidential Race?

    GOP Political operative Karl Rove on Fox News Channel last night

    Texas Governor is the candidate of the hour, but Karl Rove makes the case that more may enter the Presidential arena.

    ROVE: We’ve got a good field. I don’t think that’s the end, though, of the field. I think we’re likely to see several other candidates think seriously about getting in, and frankly, they have time to do so.

    November 22 is the first deadline to file papers to get on a ballot — that’s the last day somebody could get in without starting to lose their place in some of the early primaries or caucuses.

    I suspect we’re likely to see an early September, late August — people taking it seriously.

    SEAN HANNITY: All right, who are these people you suspect might get in?

    ROVE: I think Palin.

    HANNITY: You do think Palin?

    ROVE: Well, I think she’s going to look seriously at it. I don’t know if any of these are going to actually get in, but I think that the nature of the field, and the fact that we’ve now got three candidates when we could have had four, five, or six major candidates is going to lead people to say “Well, I could be in that contest.”

    Palin has got a pretty active schedule in early September. I think Chris Christie and Paul Ryan are going to look at it again, and I wouldn’t be surprised if all three of them gave serious consideration to it….

    HANNITY: I’ve talked to Governor Christie a lot and he says “No way”.

    I was more convinced Gov. Palin after I saw her and interviewed her Friday night at the Iowa state fair that she might get in now.

    Paul Ryan, I don’t think has given any indication. What makes you think those two will get in — meaning Ryan and Christie.

    ROVE: Well, two things. There was an event in New York — [co-founder of Home Depot] Ken Langone pulled together some big moneyraisers and met with Christie and said “you need to think seriously about this.”

    And it’s not just the meeting. What happened afterwards — from what I picked up around the country — I talked to a number of people who had picked up the phone and called Christie to tell him they thought that he ought to run. These are Republican activists, Republican donors, movers and shakers, activists around the country.

    And the same on Paul Ryan, and I’m starting to pick up some sort of vibrations that these kinds of conversations are causing Christie and Ryan to tell the people who are calling them “Well, you know what, I owe it to you. I think I will take a look at it.”

    Whether or not that happens or not, I don’t know, but I’m just picking that up that people have some sense, some belief that these two guys are going to take a look at it.

    I agree that Sarah Palin is a wild card in the race fro 2012 and should Sarah enter the race, the conservative field would be scattered all over the map. I, also, predict that should Palin run, so would Rudy Giuliani which would really divide the GOP Presidential delegate distribution.

    I can foresee a scenario where the GOP nomination comes down to the California GOP primary election in June (likely, a winner take all election) or a “brokered” convention – much like Ford Vs. Reagan in 1976.

  • Chris Christie,  President 2012,  Rick Perry,  Rudy Giuliani

    President 2012: Rudy Giuliani to Meet with Chris Christie and Rick Perry Today

    Rudy Giuliani when he endorsed soon to be elected New Jersey Governor Chris Christie in 2009

    Well, Rudy endorsed Chris Christie when he ran for New Jersey Governor and Texas Governor Rick Perry endorsed Rudy in 2008 when Giuliani ran for President. So, hence the meetings since Rudy continues to show interest in a 2012 Presidential race.

    Rudy Giuliani and Chris Christie, two former federal prosecutors and two similar political models, are set to have lunch Wednesday, sources confirmed.

    The meeting will be on the heels of a Giuliani meeting with Rick Perry. Both men are considering a presidential run.

    Christie has said repeatedly that he isn’t.

    But the Giuliani and Christie meeting comes at a time when the former mayor has said he is seriously looking at his political future, and as some national Republicans are still hoping to lure the New Jersey governor into the race.

    I would love to be a fly on the wall during these meetings.

    But, my guess is Rudy is lining up support should Sarah Palin decide to throw her hat in the ring and divide the conservative vote in the GOP primaries. Otherwise, Rudy will be on board with either Perry or Christie should one of them decide to run and Rudy doesn’t.

    Rudy would go on the stump in Florida for Rick Perry and would definitely hurt Mitt Romney there. And, could deliver a goodly number of East Coast and California GOP delegates for the Texas Governor.

    Giuliani will make a terrific Attorney General or Vice President.

  • Chris Christie,  Newt Gingrich,  President 2012,  Rick Perry,  Rudy Giuliani

    President 2012: South Carolina Pols To Draft Chris Christie?

    Some South Carolina POLS will try to persuade the New Jersey Governor.

    Multiple South Carolina state representatives plan on holding a news conference next week to urge New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to enter the presidential race.

    Republican state Rep. Kris Crawford told POLITICO the goal was to entice a candidate capable of going “toe to toe with the Obama political machine,” and at least a few state lawmakers think Christie fits the bill.

    Crawford and state Rep. Phyllis Henderson — who previously told Roll Call she hoped to spark a Christie draft — have scheduled a “Draft Chris Christie for President” event from the statehouse steps at 3:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Crawford said he and Henderson are taking point for the event, but hope that between half a dozen and a dozen legislators show up.

    “Having had conversations on the floor for the last two months, I know that there’s interest out there,” Crawford said. “Here’s a guy who’s willing to have the hard conversation, speak the truth and take on what is, frankly, going to be a really tough political operation on the Democratic side.”

    Yesterday it was Rudy Giuliani, today it is Texas Governor Rick Perry, next week it is Chris Christie.

    The GOP Presidential field is growing and getting a little crowded, although the race probably lost one today in Newt Gingrich.