The speech he delivered matched the grandiosity of the stage he stood on.
Following his seismic 22-point victory over Democrat Barbara Buono, it’s obvious now that Christie sought to use the address to trumpet his rationale for a presidential candidacy.
Here are 5 key points he delivered along with the larger message he was attempting to send to the country.
1. Christie’s soundbyte: “I know that if we can do this in Trenton, New Jersey, maybe the folks in Washington, D.C. should tune in their TVs right now, see how it’s done.”
Christie’s message: For all the talk of my harsh, brash, pugnacious nature, I’ve proven I’m still more successful at governing than those putzes in Washington. The government shutdown? Woulda never happened on my watch. I have to deal with a legislature of the opposite party too — but we’re still capable of acting like adults and working together.
2. Christie’s soundbyte: ”We show up. We show up everywhere. We don’t just show up in the places that vote for us a lot. We show up in the places that vote for us a little. We don’t just show up in the places we’re comfortable. We show up in the places where we’re uncomfortable. Because when you lead, you need to be there.”
Christie’s message: If (when) I run for president, I’ll strive to campaign everywhere — even in places that may be wary of an in-your-face northeastern governor, even in enclaves normally hostile to Republican candidates. My mantra will be to win and winning means growing the party. That means venturing into the big cities as well as the smaller far-flung towns. And oh, punditry aside, I may just go to Iowa in the run-up to the caucuses, despite my long odds of success there. Sure, I probably won’t win them (and frankly, I don’t need to), but I will respect their process and make my case, because that’s what I do. I show up. Everywhere.
3. Christie’s soundbyte: ”You can agree with me or disagree with me, but I will never stop leading the state I love.”
Christie’s message: Admit it Democrats, you probably don’t like a lot of my policies, but you can’t deny I’m not a natural leader with tremendous persuasive ability. You gotta at least respect my no-nonsense candor, for the most part.
4. Christie’s soundbyte: ”Now that doesn’t mean that we don’t have principles, we have many of them. And we have stood and fought every day to cut taxes, to reduce the size of government spending, to reform pension benefits, to reform a broken education system and to make sure that we create an opportunity again for New Jerseyans.”
Christie’s message: And to my conservative critics, look at the record, I’m a pretty conservative guy. And I stress the stuff that matters — the stuff that will allow us to win — economic, bread-and-butter, kitchen table issues I’m with you on the social issues too, but I’m not in your face about it. This is part of the formula that allows me to win. I’m one of you, just packaged a bit differently and with a bit more spunk. So don’t even think about trying to portray me as a faux conservative. It won’t work.
5. Christie’s soundbyte: ”I know that tonight a dispirited America angry with their dysfunctional government in Washington, looks to New Jersey to say, ‘Is what I think happening, really happening? Are people really coming together? Are we really working African-Americans and Hispanics, suburbanites and city dwellers, farmers and teachers, are we really all working together?’
Christie’s message: Remember that rebranding effort the Republican National Committee undertook a year ago? How’s that working out for you? Well, I’m a governor in a blue state who has built a broad coalition. I can win women — the demographic that befuddled the other Republican gubernatorial candidate who lost this year. I can put Hispanics in play and African-Americans will at least give me the time of day. And I’ve built a team of ambassadors here from all these different demographic groups who can vouch for me and my proclivity to be inclusive. It’s powerful and it’s just the beginning.
Follow Dave’s blog at TheRun2016.com
