Chris Christie on Teachers

"We have great teachers in New Jersey, working hard and making a huge difference in the lives of many children, but we don't have enough of them. And one of the reason why we don't have enough of them is because the bad teachers who remain with lifetime tenure are crowding out opportunity for the good ones, and then when you have reductions the last ones in are the first ones out, because all that matters is seniority, and not talent. And so we send a new generation of teachers, good enthusiastic teachers away because we have built a system, as Michelle Rhee put better than I could, that cares more about the feelings of adults than it cares about the future of our children."

Chris Christie on Pensions

From the AEI Speech:

about speaking to NJ firefighters about pensions,

"And then I said to them-I took away the prepared notes I had for the speech-I actually took them off of the podium and crumpled them up and threw them on the ground. And I said here's the deal: I understand you're angry and I understand you're frustrated and I understand you feel deceived and betrayed. And the reason you feel all the things is because you have been deceived and you have been betrayed. And for 20 years, governors have come into this room and lied to you. Promised you benefits that they had no way of paying for making promises they knew they couldn't keep and just hoping they wouldn't be the man or women left holding the bag. I understand why you feel angry and betrayed and deceived by those people. Here's what I don't understand. Why you booing the first guy who came in here and told you the truth? See, there is no political advantage of me coming into that room and telling the truth."

The Race for 2012 and Chris Christie's Refreshing Honesty

(From the American Enterprise Institute)

Many people are praising Chris Christie right now.
Not the teacher's unions he battled or the Democrats in New Jersey that can't handle a fair political fight. But Republicans in many circles think he is the GOP's only chance at success. This seems to be Ann Coulter's position. And if I had to guess, if the Editors of the Weekly Standard had to pick a favorite, they would choose Christie or General David Petraeus.

Did you catch Christie's remarks at the American Enterprise Institute? It's very hard to listen to Christie and not warm up to him. He is a very principled "regular guy" that voters can relate to.

One of my favorite of his remarks involved Governor Corzine's response to the
budget crisis several summers back. In response to a government shut down, Corzine famously brought reporters into his office and pointed to a cot that he would sleep on until the crisis ended.

How would Chris Christie handle this?

So I knew these were the same fellas who had been in the legislature when he was there now threatening to do the same thing. So I decided to call them down early on and advise them that the place was under new management. And what I said to them was listen, if you want to pass an income tax increase that's fine, I'm going to veto it. And if you want to close down the government because of that, that's fine. But I want to tell you something-I'm not moving any cot into this office to sleep in here. If you close down the government I'm getting into those black SUV's with the troopers and going to the governor's residence I'm going to go upstairs, I'm going to open a beer, I'm going order a pizza, I'm going to watch the Mets. And when you decide to reopen the government give me a call and I'll come back. But don't think I'm sleeping on some cot take a look at me you think I'm sleeping on a cot- not happening.

Could you imagine one of the other presidential candidates saying this?
It would be too off-color. Too risky.

It's too bad Christie said there was no chance he was running in 2012. Isn't it ironic, that the one political figure the country really needs, isn't going to run?