Christie: 'Now is not my time'
(CNN) - Republican Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey announced Tuesday he will not run for president in 2012.
The first-term governor said the pressure he received over the past few months caused him to consider throwing his hat in the ring - after repeatedly shooting down rumors - but that ultimately he is committed to his position in the Garden State.
"Now is not my time. I have a commitment to New Jersey that I simply will not abandon," Christie said at a press conference in Trenton. "That's the promise I made to the people of this state when I took office."
Christie fielded recent calls to run for president and spent time discussing the possibility of a White House bid with his family, friends and operatives. Now, having decided against a bid, Christie said he does not "feel any sense of regret at all."
"I felt like it was my obligation as I said before given the seriousness and the amount of people who were coming to me and asking me to reconsider to reconsider and I did," Christie said. "In the end I came back to the same place I was in the whole year."
He pushed back against reports that his family was skeptical throughout the process, saying they supported him, whether he decided to run for president or not.
When asked about the rest of the GOP presidential field, Christie said his decision was not affected by the strength or weakness of the pool.
"None of them were a factor," he said before adding that he was not prepared to make an endorsement.
He also brushed aside suggestions, in his typically brash fashion that he would serve in the No. 2 spot on the Republican ticket.
“Listen, I don’t imagine I’m going to be asked. I don’t think I have the personality to be asked,” Christie said. “I mean, seriously, can you imagine? You know, the guy would probably want to get a food taster. I don’t know, seriously, I don’t see it.”
The newly minted vice chair of the Republican Governors Association said he is now focused on making sure President Barack Obama only serves one term as president.
"He's failed the American people because he's failed that absolute litmus test to be President of the United States and that's to know how to lead and how to decide," Christie said.
Christie light heartedly addressed the coverage of his weight that escalated in recent weeks, particularly among comedians. As long as the jokes are funny, he is OK with the coverage, he said.
"For me, their job is to be funny. And if one of the things they want to make fun of is my weight, it's fair game," Christie said. "I'm a public figure … All I care about is that they actually are funny so that I can at least laugh about it while they are mocking me."
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@AlaskaPalin
'If cooperations are people'. In the past four years which of these cooperation will have given you the largest return on your investment- romney; perry; obama (presidency aside) or palin? The truth be told palin would have made us all millionaires. She is the 'google' of the political cooperate world. Call me cynical but if she does for others what she has done for herself america will be the winner. Capitalist thinking.
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If what you say is true then why is Alaska the biggest welfare state in the union, living off federal government subsidies. Get a clue!
Christie or no christie, doesn't really matter. Whether considering "Wall Street", the financial industry, banks, savings and loans or the mortgage industry, real change / reform is desperately needed to end the repeated cycles of abuse, facilitated by government's lax policy that allows and even encourages the few to take advantage while costing the majority greatly. We have seen it over and over again always with it being sold by “puppet” politicians as stimulating the economy with lax oversight, "deregulation" and "open markets" allowing for the greed, dishonesty and self-indulgence of the few to exploit the opportunities and to walk away with obnoxious gains while the majority suffers the losses. Those politicians who receive the substantial support from "big money" continually try to rationalize the slanted policies as good for the economy but they always favor just the few and it represents irresponsibility by government in allowing an "un-level playing field" to benefit only those few. Government needs to fairly represent the majority and to stimulate the economy while responsibly "not giving the store away" to the very few, being their strong supporters who “pull their strings”. Yes, the people have just cause and good reason to protest!
Obama has failed to make significant progress in resolving these and other problems (education immigration and so on), not because of any lack of effort but rather due to always attempting to negotiate and seeking to compromise, which has proven not to be strong enough to counter the Republican / Tea Party totally stubborn and belligerent complete focus on their political ambitions while they just fault and block everything. Obama likely also made a real error in first spending maximum effort and his political capital on Health Care reform; not that it isn’t really needed but rather because the opposition then became totally focused on faulting and fighting it (without ever seriously or responsibly addressing the problem) and effectively brought all efforts on all issues to a standstill (again, without concern for other than their own and their strong supporters interests). Bush-Cheney proved beyond any doubt that the “trickle down” theory is a complete fraud that only makes the wealthy wealthier while soliciting political support, and the Republican Party / Tea Party have totally and obnoxiously continually demonstrated that they are owned and controlled by Special Interests and the influential, powerful and extremely wealthy few ... always giving the majority, including the total middle class who loose the most, nothing but apathy, the costs and an abundance of subterfuge to con, rationalize and manipulate.
Obama must become stronger and be encouraged to aggressively address the problems, with or without bipartisan cooperation, but the people, the voters must clearly see that to not reelect him would just be being conned into returning to “more of the same”, Bush-Cheney style (with that being another catastrophe). It has been said that the Republican Party is actually incapable of honestly and responsibly governing because they are literally “puppets” for the few (“big money”) who “pull their strings” and with that mentality and loyalty, it is just impossible for them to ever really consider the interests of the people. Their stubborn self-focused actions and their always depending on their powerful and influential supporters to overtly and covertly con and manipulate the public seems to totally substantiate that, and all of it has literally emboldened them with past successes. To ever have the Grand Ole Party back, being once again sincerely concerned for the people, then what they have become has to be firmly rejected (recognizing and rejecting the power of the money behind them that lacks any concern for other than “more money” for themselves) ... otherwise the people are just “pawns” in the selfish game of deception.
LaRouchePAC.com
Both Republican and Democrats want Obama impeached
Good decision. A half term governor isn't seasoned enough. Obviously neither was a half term senator.
He cant run because he's too FAT
The american people are handing the presidency to the republicans. I hope that sarah will step forward and take it.
Tina
@ Lynda/Minnesota, please already, there is nothing and I repeat nothing that President Obama needs to be afraid of from this group of morons! You could put this group in a room and there would be no brain activity among them at all. I assume you are from Minnesota so I am going to ask this question to you! Michelle Bachmann, really? that is really all Minnesota has? That is embarrassing!
Hey, Tina. My earlier post was in response to a comment someone else had written. I believe he/she posted as Enough of lies. The rambling you credit to me is actually comments made by that person - my response followed. Perhaps this will clear up any misunderstanding you might have of my opinion on Michele Bachman as well.
Obama/Biden 2012
►AlaskaPalin
The american people are handing the presidency to the republicans. I hope that sarah will step forward and take it.
October 4, 2011 05:17 pm at 5:17 pm | ◄
Really?
Obama/Biden 2012
Obama is trying to come off stronger and I will definitely vote for him in 2012 cuz these idiot republicans are a joke. But CNN are an even bigger joke because they waste their waste yours and my time reporting on these idiots as opposed to serious candidates like our President!
He sure looked like a South American dictator riding around in the Hummer with the NJ national guard !
New Jersey is a mess !
Sista Sara has never "looked" better than during that brief time she was running as VP, and that is saying very little. But that was a long time ago and she looks more the fool every day since. Christie is more human, and mentally stable, than she could ever hope to be.
Well, that's a ton of weight off our shoulders.
Good ! The GOP is looking like a circus anyway. All they need is Sarah Palin and the Ark of the Crazies will be complete.
Anyone with a political future would always think twice about running against an incumbent. It's no wonder the repugnant republicans cannot find a candidate worth running.
Christie has decided to keep his 'talents' in NJ where he can continue to beat up on his constituents with impugnity and have a whale of a time doing so..!
Obama might as well start writing his second inaugural address right now.
The fact that the GOP was desperately begging Christie to run shows just how dire their situation is. They know that there's no way any of the declared candidates can beat Obama. Now it's too late for anyone else to enter. Maybe in 2016, guys!
@ AlaskaPalin......
WOW I hope you are right and the GOP DOES nominate Palin. I think Michelle Obama would wipe up the floor with her. Palin could learn something from Gov Christie...a govenor that wants to do the job he was elected to do and not quit it! Hmmmmm...sound familiar?
I might take a look at Christie in 2016 if he chooses to run. If he can drop the "bully" act he doesn't seem like too bad a guy. I don't mind supporting a Republican if we agree on the issues.
He needs way more time to "hide the skelton's"........ it's that simple.
That's really a shame, don't think he'll make it to 2016 without a coronary.
I think that this is not the right time for Christie to run. As much as I don't like to sound shallow...his physical appearance is abhorrent. Someone who lets himself go to that extent has serious issues which need to be addressed. Christie really needs to lose about 150 lbs to show that at the very least he's got his eating under control. All that excess weight is a serious health issue. As President, he would be under constant stress and his schedule would be horrendous. He's a heart attack waiting to happen and that's not acceptable for a President.
He's busy destroying a state, no time for being prez.
Darn it!
That leaves us with the Bore and the Boor. )-:
This is a guy who thinks he's a hero because he's rude and picks fights with school teachers in New Jersey.
He's just another Republican who won't be President – same as Romney, Perry, Palin, ad nauseum.
Thank Gawd, the catering expenses alone would have drained his campaign money!
Christie is a walking advertisement for diabetes and coronary artery drug therapy.