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Subscribe to RSSWASHINGTON -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Friday urged Washington lawmakers to speak honestly with the American people, warning the public may not like the solutions necessary to fix the country's economic woes, but "they know in their heart they have to accept it."
"Don't tell me the American people aren't ready to hear the truth. They know our government is out of control," Christie said at the CATO Institute's Milton Friedman Awards dinner. "They know our debt and our deficit is out of control. And don't confuse them liking the solution to them accepting it. They don't have to like it, but they know in their heart they have to accept it."
The Garden State governor has found himself in the midst of speculation that he could be a top contender to be chosen as presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney's running mate. Since endorsing Romney in the fall, he has been one of the former Massachusetts governor's top surrogates, and his speech here to the conservative think tank sounded like a politician on the national stage.
Christie said his leadership in New Jersey should be an example for the country, telling the story of how his state is battling back from some of the bleakest of economic times. He used an executive order to overcome the $2.2 billion budget shortfall he faced shortly after taking office in 2010.
The tough talking governor recalled for the crowd his options in overcoming the deficit. "I could sit down and negotiate with the Democratic leadership and the Democratically controlled legislature to try to come to an agreement on these cuts, or, thanks to New Jersey's unique Constitutional structure, cut spending through executive order," he said.
"Now, for those of you who watched me over the past two and a half years, if you believe I chose the former, then it is now time for you to leave. You are note smart enough to be here at the Milton Friedman Dinner."
The popular conservative, who mulled over his own presidential run, is often talked about in vice-presidential speculation because of his ability to excite the party base and record as a cost cutter in his home state. But he also is a lightening rod who could alienating independent voters with his in your face approach to politics.
"The great thing about operating by executive order is, first, that I didn't have to tell anybody," Christie said.
Christie has at times been a polarizing figure in New Jersey, but he maintains his way of doing business is something the federal government can learn from.
"Leaders have an obligation to make those tough choices. In New Jersey that is what we're trying to do. And in the process hopefully set an example for the rest of the country," he said.
"Believe me, if you can do this in New Jersey, you can do it anywhere."
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it is so funny to hear the righties say they were unemployed for a year..and took that socialism money and say Obama is the destroyer ..when in fact the republicans did not want to sign the bill to help your sorry retarded azzezz but hey you like them huh retards..just go ahead and shoot both your feet not one..but both you dummies
What this guy fails to say (as they all purposely do) is that they are the ones out of control and they are the ones spending our money out of control on things we have no say in. Fancy bridges, hotels, convention centers, malls, tract housing, inflated contracts for goods and services on all levels of government, enormous military budgets and phony wars, supplementing all the industries that are stealing and taking advantage of the people, etc. And yet in every single case from every single politicians lips comes that we need to make hard choices on our backs, not any of the aforementioned waste. When you understand that politicians then maybe we will listen to you. Otherwise your just another jerk tryin to get in my pocket..
please no truth on the vine
I was driving to work the other day it was about 10 o'clock and suddenly a deer was in the road..did not move a barley miss him.I said to myself..he must of been a tea party deer club voter dumb and confused
hey vote for me I'm a tea party candidate i will take that socialism money and health care for the whole family when I'm elected and say only the libs are socialist..you big dummie voters
Christie's a horrible person, he's over-weight and wants to balance his budget, what an A-hole.
his weight i don't care about but hey what about the tax money for his health care is that out the window..now ..or do you support health care now for people we are force to pay for his health right right
Yeah and it is the Republican half that is the most out of control that is forcing religious dogma onto its citizens. Sure some left legislatures are going off the rails as well but not as fast as the red ones. Virgina, Mississippi, and Arizona are just a few of the states that have recently been either been raped by ultra sound and anti-abortion bills coming from the religious right-leaning politicians.
that my friend has been there agenda from day one your right..and the righties told me for three years to stay on the subject..on the vine..they even tried to get me kick off the vine and i was warn not to talk like i am doing today .it almost work for them but thank god someone on MSNBC keep me on these three years
The left's favorite words: 'KEEP ME....."
"Government is out of control".
And so are the wackjob lefties dissing Gov Christie.
We need a tough leader like Chris Christie to fight back against the real 1%... greedy corrupt public sector unions.
without unions what we have corporation protection?
hey Bob...how's that probing going???
waiting bob are corporations going to protect us?
Obama is making his campaign speech right now and fox news is the only one that he is not on..what happen to fair and balance..oh thats right shhh Obama is on we dont want people to know what he is saying?
I just can't help wondering if all of the right-wing goose-steppers really believe the tripe they publish to blame Obama for a crisis that is provably bushco's fault or if it's just propaganda...either way, most Americans are either not as stupid as the Redeemers think they are or as stupid as the Redeemers themselves are...
Elvis Payne May you or some one you know or a family member have a retared child you will learn your comments just show how ignorant you are.
no retarded people like what you are preferring I love and Cherish it is not there fault but ones with a mind..like you yes i will call you that..because you know better
There is one candidate that stood on the Senate floor to raise his voice in warning of how raising the ceiling puts this country at risk. In this short, but impassion speech,
which not only moves the reader, but also educates the reader to the dangers
this country faces by raising the debt ceiling, he makes his points in clear and precise language. Rather than tell you about it, why don’t you read it for yourself.
The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills.
It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign
countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. … Increasing
America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally.
Leadership means
hat “the buck stops here.” Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad
choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren.
America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.
At the time, Senator Obama was urging Congress not to tolerate an increase that would bring the debt ceiling to $9 trillion. From Sen. Obama's floor speech, March 20, 2006
Let's look at the debt ceiling raises from 2000 until today to see how Obama’s words are just as pertinent now as they were in 2006.
If Bush, raising the debt ceiling by $3.02 trillion in 4 years is a danger to our country, then how is Obama’s raising the debt ceiling by $5.38 trillion in 3 years not a danger to this country? We all know the answer, its worse because it created the Obama never ending, ever growing debt crises.
get rid of 10 years of tax breaks ..believe me our house will be in order
tax breaks have been the problem and you know it
No, you are incorrect in by opinion, ep......check out the Grace Commissions report on government waste and abuse and that was in 1984.
Elvie Payne Just keep trying to defend your self your only digging the hole deeper.
say something smart?that i can agree to then and i will stop.dont ask if I like a hamburger or sloppy Joe sandwich
waiting ..funny how i can shut up a tea nut..and they say they are the smart ones and im the dumb one they say
GED does that name mean (Good educated dummie)
GED, is that your level of education? Just asking.
If you think government is out of control, just take a look on how Christie runs his state. Government is made up of people we elected and those people want to keep their jobs so they give to the people what ever it takes to keep their jobs. Then there are the special interests, business, religion and others who want laws written in their favor.
Pogo said a long time ago, "We have met the enemy and it is us". Every time a crappy and goofy law is written, someone has convinced the politicians that it was a good idea. If you are Catholic, pick on Planned Parenthood, if you are in business, get a tax exemption, if you are gay, fight for a law that allows marriage. Everyone blames the government but no one seems to do anything about it. It is like taxes, tax the man across the street, behind the tree but do not tax me. Please do not gore my special ox but the other fellow's ox.
yes the bible says it will come from within yourselves..Jesus told peter that when he left this earth.meaning the church you will have to fear in government not some atheist..just like what they did to Christ..church and state held hands thats what is over the hill with the tea party.thats there agenda.they are the mark of the beast
So he's proud to be a dictator - because he knows he's right (far right). State pensions weren't the problem. The problem was they were never funded - and the legislators created idiotic rules. (Let's here it, cotton candy for all - but we don't have any sugar). Big corporations did the same with their workers, then either gutted the over funded plans, or filed BK to get out of the others. Making promises you can't keep is bad. Pretending you never made the promises, or that it's the fault of the person to whom you gave the promise is worse. On the national stage this won't work unless there are no sacred cows, and that means we can't have the military we can't pay for. What really is more important: old age care or an aircraft carrier?
bingo.right on thats there agenda
Christie may well be right, just which government is he talking about?
Is it the visible government headed by Barack Obama?, if so he is wrong, as that is very much under the control of the shadow government.
It is the shadow government that is out of control.
fox news the fair and balance channel we will not air obama's speech while he talks.today.we we will edit it when we get on hannity and friends to make it sound different to our viewers
Much like every news channel does to any republican, right?
Before you start bleating about fair and balanced, lets just apply that to all news sources, and see how that works out
my issue is simple both he and other republicans are saying they respect democratically elected officials and the legislation they bring so long as it is to their liking otherwise they will just walk all over democratically elected officials. i give respect to Christie because at least he admits it however it gives me great pause.
"The great thing about operating by executive order is, first, that I didn't have to tell anybody," Christie said.
"...New Jersey's unique Constitutional structure, cut spending through executive order,"
this basically says to me either do what i like the way i like it or i'll just do it anyway. which is basically governing by fiat which is basically a dictatorial gov't. why even have the legislature anyway if you aren't going to listen to them.
the beauty of this country is if you want to elect gov't officials who will enact laws that citizens like and that eventually cause the gov't to collapse you can.
oh yeah and christie how about them nets eh? hopefully folks will remind the electorate about that during your re-election. lols
cristy is out of control. i suspect his solution is to soak the middleclass and give more money to the rich, cause it will trickle down.
Unionized employees do NOT equal the middle-class, thats like implying that deer hunting is a way to destroy the mammal population.
He is protecting the middle-class by not forcing a tax hike to support public employees.
you cannot run a country without public employees. the reason the middleclass has any money is unions, since the supression of unions the income for the middleclass in general has gone down. but i tell you what put your trust in the koch brothers and soon you will work for 5 dollar a day.
Gov. Christie is playing the role of Chicken Little screaming the "the sky is falling!" with NO serious ideas to fix the "problem."
The wacko right wing did the same thing back in the days of Poppy Bush. the sustained Strength of the Economy and a cooperative Congress fixed it during the Bubba Clinton years. Where are the IDEAS to restore the economy instead of freaking out about it?
One seriously foolish idea!
Does he remember that he is the HEAD of the NJ Government?
One does not have to be brilliant to know that dictators move faster than democratic government. It takes time to reach consensus and that requires debate, discussion, negotiation, and compromise. Christie knows that people don't care for being steamrolled by autocratic rule either.
If America had chosen that route, we would still be part of Britain or an oppressed people living under autocratic rule. Christie has discovered tyranny. What a great idea. Why haven't we had it for the past 220 years? It is more efficient than democracy, after all.
Governor Christie is absolutely correct. Unlike most politicians these days he's frank and honest. No beating around the bush with that man. On both a fiscal and a democratic process and procedural level as well, governments at all level are out of control. It terrifies them that the American people are finally waking up after having essentially slept and put things on auto-pilot since the 1950's. We are back, awake, and paying attention. Take note.
Almost everything Christie says makes me feel like he exactly the type of politicians ever state needs. Though im not particularly fond of fat people, if he loses the weight what ammo would libs have though..
The only thing out of control is Christie's Beltline...
The only thing that's out of control is this blowhard's food intake.
Ever of hear of thyroid problems, fool.
Elvis Payne You are sure proving my point. Keep up the good work.