Opinion: Chris Christie won’t run but doesn’t mind being asked
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Chris Christie, the wildly popular northeastern governor -- at least in GOP circles -- spoke in soaring terms on the subject of American exceptionalism Tuesday evening at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Foundation in Simi Valley.
The theme of the official speech was American exceptionalism -- delivered to an audience that included Nancy Reagan, former California Gov. Pete Wilson and conservative activist Andrew Breitbart.
But the theme of the Q&A that followed was about whether the New Jersey governor would jump into the 2012 Republican presidential race.
(Ciick here andhere for a two-part video; and here for the full text, courtesy of The Weekly Standard.)
But first, he was asked about a subject that caused some trouble for a declaredcandidate, Gov. Rick Perry of Texas, in the last GOP debate down in Florida. Defending his decision with the Texas Legislature to grant discounted in-state tuition rates to children of illegal aliens, Perry had said:
‘If you say that we should not educate children who have come into our state for no other reason than they’ve been brought there by no fault of their own, I don’t think you have a heart.’
Christie took exception to that:
As for the education expense, I’ve dealt with this problem in New Jersey, and I need to be crystal clear about it. I want every child to be educated, but I do not believe that, for the people who came here illegally, that we should be subsidizing, with taxpayer money, through in-state tuition, their education. Let me be very clear, from my perspective, that is not a heartless position. That is a common-sense position.
The next questioner addressed the presidential campaign: ‘Gov. Christie, you’re known as a straight-shooter, not one given to playing games. Can you tell us what’s going on here? Are you reconsidering or are you standing firm?’
‘Listen,’ said Christie, ‘I have to tell you the truth -- you folks are an incredible disappointment as an audience.’ That got big laughs. ‘The fact that it took to the second question shows you people are off your game. That is not American exceptionalism.’
That got bigger laughs.
But then the governor referred his listeners to Politico.com, which today posted a video compilation of Christie’s denials that he’s running.
Check it out below:
But that didn’t retire the subject.
A few minutes later, after Christie told a story about his entitlement curbs earning him boos from some firefighters, ending with, ‘Real leaders, they don’t read polls; they change polls’ -- it came up again.
A former New Jersey resident, now in California, praised the governor, said he made her proud and then told him, ‘My Italian mother, she told me to tell you, you gotta run for president.’
After a big burst of cheers and applause, Christie said, ‘Well, I’m going to press my luck here and respond to that. If I make you proud to be a New Jerseyan and proud to be an American, and your Italian mother wants me to run for president, what the hell are you doing in California? Get back to New Jersey.
‘Let’s go. Come home, for God’s sake. What are you doing out here? I got a plane, you can come right back now if you want. Yeah, come on, meet me by the side over there, we’ll take you home ... Getting more taxpayers, one at a time.’
But it wasn’t over yet.
The very next questioner, an older woman in the balcony, made an earnest plea for him to get into the race.
‘Go home and really think about it,’ she said at the end. ‘Do it for my daughter, do it for our grandchildren, do it for our sons. Please, sir, don’t ... we need you. Your country needs you.’
The crowd roared and rose to its feet, while Christie stood, with a stricken and emotional look on his face. But, stricken or not, he had an answer, and here it is:
‘This is all I’ll say about this tonight, is that I hear exactly what you’re saying, and I feel the passion with which you say it. It touches me. I can tell you, I’m just a kid from New Jersey who feels like I’m the luckiest guy in the world to have the opportunity that I have to be the governor of my state.
‘So, people say to me all the time now, when folks like you say those kinds of things, for as many months as it’s been said, ‘Governor, why don’t they just leave you alone? You’ve already given your answer. Isn’t it a burden?’
‘What I say to you tonight and say to everybody else who was nice enough to applaud what she said, is that it isn’t a burden.
‘The fact of the matter is, anybody who has an ego large enough to say, ‘Oh, please, please, please, stop asking me to be the leader of the free world, it’s such a burden. If you could please just stop.’ What kind of crazy egomaniac would you have to be to say, ‘Oh, please stop, stop.’
‘It’s extraordinarily flattering. But by the same token, that heartfelt message you gave me is also not a reason for me to do it. The reason has to reside inside me.
‘And so, that’s what I’ve said all along. I know, without ever having met President Reagan, that he must have felt deeply in his heart that he was called to that moment, to lead our country.
‘And so, my answer to you is this, I thank you for what you’re saying, and I take it in, and I’m listening to every word of it and feeling it, too. Please don’t ever think for a second that I feel like I’m important enough in this world that somehow what you’re saying is a problem for me. It’s a great, great honor. I’m extraordinarily flattered, and I really appreciate you being willing to stand up and say it with the passion that you did.
‘That’s why this country is a great place, because of folks like you. So, thank you very much.’
And with that, the governor left, perhaps finally putting this issue to rest -- or so he hopes, anyway.
Meanwhile, Rep. Ron Paul, who’s on his third presidential run, and Gov. Mitt Romney, who’s been running steadily since before the 2007 primaries, have to wonder, Where’s the love? as the GOP faithful rush to Perry (at least they did, for a while), beg non-candidates Christie and Sarah Palin to run, and deliver longshot Herman Cain a decisive win in the Florida GOP straw poll.
There still seems to be a hole in Republican hearts.
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-- Kate O’Hare
Photos/videos: Chris Christie speaks at the Reagan library. Credits: Fox News (screenshot of Christie); Livestream.com/ReaganLibrary (screenshot of Christie and audience).