Tag: Chris_Christie

President 2012 New Jersey GOP Poll Watch: Romney 13% Christie 12% Palin 11% Huckabee 6%

Posted FlapPosted in Chris Christie, Mike Huckabee, Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Polling, President 2012, Sarah Palin

Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie

Here are the results:

Undoubtedly, should Governor Chris Christie decide to run for the Presidency, he would poll much higher. But, while Mitt Romney does a little better than Christie he is not very far ahead of Sarah Palin.

Here is a more expanded breakdown of the results:

A very blue Democratic State, New jersey does not figure to be in play for the GOP versus President Obama.

Looking toward the 2012 presidential election, nearly half the state’s registered voters (48 percent) say President Barack Obama deserves re-election, while 39 percent disagree.

Republicans are split on an opponent, with former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney at 12 percent, Christie at 11 percent, and former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin receiving 10 percent support.

Forty-two percent did not name a candidate

The sample of this poll is very small and its relevance is questionable. But it illustrates there is no GOP front runner.

President 2012 GOP Poll Watch: Insiders Poll Hot on Mitch Daniels and Tim Pawlenty – NOT Hot on Sarah Palin

Posted FlapPosted in Chris Christie, John Huntsman, Mitch Daniels, Mitt Romney, Polling, President 2012, Sarah Palin, Tim Pawlenty
According to the latest National Journal “Insiders” poll.
In the view of Democratic and Republican political operatives, the potential 2012 GOP White House hopefuls whose fortunes are most on the rise are Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, while former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is a rapidly depreciating asset, according to this week’s National Journal Political Insiders Poll.

While no Republican could-be candidate towered above the field, GOP Insiders focused on Daniels and Pawlenty as two whose stock has been rising in recent months, but for very different reasons. Daniels, who has taken few overt steps towards mounting a national campaign, is seen as someone who could champion the Republican themes of shrinking government and cutting spending and also has the record in Indiana to back up that message in a campaign. “The more it becomes about deficit reduction, the better he does,” said one GOP Insider. Even Daniels’ serious demeanor is considered a positive. “Increasingly seen as the anti-Obama — no flash and slogans, but real leadership and a plan,” swooned another Republican.

Pawlenty was rated equally well by GOP Insiders who have been impressed by his disciplined courtship of the party faithful in the early caucus and primary states. Pawlenty is also viewed as a candidate who is acceptable to a broad range of Republicans and has relatively little political baggage. “[He] continues to methodically define himself as the mainstream conservative Republican who can appeal to traditional and new Republican activists,” said one GOP Insider. “Daniels may not run because of family, Barbour has proven surprisingly tone deaf, Gingrich has failed to turn around the marital issue, Palin excites her core group and is unacceptable to everyone else, Romney-care has become the mark of death for Romney,” noted another GOP Insider. “It looks more and more as though everyone has a fatal weakness, other than Pawlenty.”

Democrats generally concurred and saw Daniels as an “adult” and Pawlenty as “organized.”

Agreed.

As the GOP primary season heats up, voters will be looking for someone new – not Mitt Romney and not Newt Gingrich. 

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels (if he runs), former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman or New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (if he runs) would fit the bill.

Note: The “Insiders” are NOT too high on Sarah Palin.

Video: New Jersey Governor Chris Christie – The Choice

Posted Flap1 CommentPosted in Chris Christie

Governor Chris Christie web video. “The Choice”. March 7, 2011.

So, tell me Governor Christie is releasing the video to Jennifer Rubin at the Washington Post and he is NOT thinking about running for the Presidency?

In other words, he gave the legislature a choice: If the legislature actually passes the health-benefit reform proposal that Christie unveiled in September, they can double the property tax rebate for New Jersey taxpayers.

This has been Christie’s pattern to date: Make a compelling conservative policy proposal, put the ball in the Democrats’ court, use his rock star status and communication skills to turn up the heat and force the Democrats to, in his words, “make a choice.” It was an effective approach in passing his first budget.

But is this only about his budget? For those who are thinking maybe, just maybe, there might be more to his video productions than just New Jersey politics, his latest video will only fuel those suspicious — and give hope to near-desperate Republicans looking the an impressive 2012 presidential candidate. It is this type of impressive media imaging that made Christie a GOP favorite, and might, if he wins another round with the state legislature, increase the pleas for him to throw his hat into the 2012 presidential ring. And if he succeeds in pushing through his agenda, it will be increasingly hard to believe, as he has said to put off those urging his nomination, that he isn’t “ready” to be president. If not him, who? If not 2012, when?

You know, Chris Christie has only been the New Jersey Governor for a year but was the New Jersey United States Attorney for over six years. As an attorney and POL he has plenty of executive experience – certainly more than Senator Obama when he won the Presidency.

It might be time to strike, Governor, when the iron is hot.

President 2012: Republicans Looking for the Anti-Romney Presidential Candidate?

Posted FlapPosted in Chris Christie, Haley Barbour, Jon Huntsman, Mitch Daniels, Mitt Romney, President 2012, Tim Pawlenty

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney speaks at the Values Voter Summit on Sept. 17, 2010, in Washington

Such astute punditry from the Los Angeles Times this morning – NOT.

Isn’t it obvious?

  1. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels
  2. Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour
  3. Former Utah Gov. and departing ambassador to China Jon Huntsman
  4. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie
  5. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty

President 2012 Poll Watch: Who’s HOT and Who is NOT – The National Thermometer

Posted Flap1 CommentPosted in Chris Christie, Polling, President 2012, Rudy Giuliani

Quinnipiac University National Thermometer poll is out.

The Quinnipiac University poll asked voters to rate leaders from 0 to 100 degrees on a “feeling thermometer,” with the highest numbers reflecting the warmest feelings. The mean scores and the percent who said they did not know enough about the people to rate them are:

The most interesting HOTS to me are Rudy Giuliani and Chris Christie. The other potential GOP Presidential candidates are NOT so hot.

President 2012: Chris Christie -“I Already Know I Could Win the White House” But Wouldn’t Be Ready or Something

Posted FlapPosted in Chris Christie, Mitch Daniels

Here are the extended quotes of the New Jersey Governor from Rich Lowry over at National Review.

Yes. Believe me, I’ve been interested in politics my whole life. I see the opportunity. But I just don’t believe that’s why you run. Like I said at AEI, I have people calling me and saying to me, “Let me explain to you how you could win.” And I’m like, “You’re barking up the wrong tree. I already know I could win.” That’s not the issue. The issue is not me sitting here and saying, “Geez, it might be too hard. I don’t think I can win.” I see the opportunity both at the primary level and at the general election level. I see the opportunity.

But I’ve got to believe I’m ready to be president, and I don’t. And I think that that’s the basis you have to make that decision. I think when you have people who make the decision just based upon seeing the opportunity you have a much greater likelihood that you’re going to have a president who is not ready. And then we all suffer from that. Even if you’re a conservative, if your conservative president is not ready, you’re not going to be good anyway because you’re going to get rolled all over the place in that town.

I just see how much better I get at this job every day, and I do, and I learn things. If not every day, at least every week. And my wife and I were actually talking about this last night. We had dinner together with the family after the [New Jersey budget] speech and she was saying how much better she thought I was yesterday than I had been before in my speech. She said, “You are getting better.”

That’s just the nature of life. So, I see the opportunity, I recognize and understand it and I’m really flattered that people think of me that way. But, if I don’t believe it in here [pointing to his heart], I’m not going to be a good candidate on top of everything else.

And remember in the context of sitting there on election night 2009, and my wife and I were convinced we were going to lose. It is a bit to get your arms around, too. You’re a successful United States attorney and then within a year of that time you have people talking about you and I was running around campaigning for folks. All of these handmade “Christie for President” signs in the crowds when I was in Michigan and Iowa and all the other places that I went, Ohio and Pennsylvania and Florida. It’s also been overwhelming, too.

Like I said before, I am who I am and people have to trust, they don’t have to but they should trust, my instincts on this. I know me better than anyone else knows me. If I felt like I was ready, I’d go, but I’m not. But I’m also not going to go if I don’t think I’m ready.

When I walked into the Governor’s office last January there have been some difficult days in the job. There has never been a day where I’ve felt like I’m over my head, I don’t know what to do, I’m lost. I don’t know whether I’d feel the same way if I walked into the Oval Office a year and a half from now. So, unless you get yourself to the point where you really believe you have a shot to be successful, then I don’t think you have any business running for it.

But, sometimes Governor fate enters into the equation and you have to be more confident. I think you should consider the race and so should Mitch Daniels.