Christie's bet on Trump pays off

[webfact]

Christie's bet on Trump pays off
By MICHAEL CATALINI

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Gov. Chris Christie's decision to endorse Donald Trump back in February brought him plenty of derision at the time. But it's bringing rewards now that it's clear he bet on the winner.

With Trump having effectively clinched the Republican presidential nomination following a bruising primary fight, Christie now sees vindication of what had been a divisive choice in his home state and his inner circle. Trump on Monday tapped Christie to lead the transition team that will usher in the new administration if he wins the presidency in the fall. It's a plum post that could lead to more.

"How did I go from being an idiot 68 days ago to prescient 68 days later?" Christie asked mischievously last week.

Christie has been a key adviser to Trump behind the scenes as well as a presence on the stage. As chairman of the transition team, he will lead a wide-ranging effort to prepare for a potential transfer of power, giving him influence in the selection of White House and administration staff and in the development of a president-elect's first steps.

Trump's rise comes when Christie's favorability in New Jersey is at an all-time low and the end of his second and final term as governor is approaching in 2018 — all after his own GOP presidential candidacy failed.

Like almost everyone who becomes the subject of running-mate speculation, Christie says he doesn't want to be vice president. But he adds, "never say never." Trump has said Christie would be a great attorney general, given his background as a prosecutor. For now, Christie is tasked with overseeing a team of people to "take over the White House," as Trump put it in a statement.

Trump praised Christie as an "extremely knowledgeable and loyal person with the tools and resources to put together an unparalleled transition team."

Christie swung behind Trump weeks before the businessman's success in the GOP race was a foregone conclusion; indeed, when many thought another rival would ultimately prevail. In politics, that timing counts for something.

"When someone with the stature of the governor of New Jersey offers an endorsement, that is an investment," said Peter Woolley, a Fairleigh Dickinson University political science professor. "The risk was greater for Christie when he made that endorsement and so I'm sure he expects the reward to be greater as a consequence."

Christie has said he plans to go into the private sector to make money in his next act.

But he is also casting himself as a unifier in a divided party and has offered to talk to House Speaker Paul Ryan, who declined to back Trump last week, about his concerns over Trump.

"Donald's got work to do to bring people together," Christie said. "If (Trump) picks up the phone and calls and asks me to do something that I can do to help his cause and be elected president, I'll do it."

Christie, who helped raise more than $100 million as chairman of the Republican Governors Association in 2014, could also help Trump get access to the party's biggest donors, some of whom share Ryan's hesitancy about the presumptive nominee.

Christie's pitch to reluctant donors and other Republicans isn't hard to imagine, said Dale Florio, a long-time Republican lobbyist in New Jersey, Christie ally and Trump supporter. "You have a better chance of making the changes you want to see if a Republican wins the White House," Florio said. "It's pretty simple."

Christie said last week Trump hasn't made any requests for help yet on that front.

Meanwhile, Trump will headline a fundraiser this month to help Christie repay own presidential campaign debt, followed by a $25,000 per person fundraiser for the state's Republican Party.

Christie's support for Trump led to backlash from Democrats, including a series of billboards attacking him. They are from Bridges Over Politics for New Jersey, an advocacy group run by a one-time aide to a former Democratic congressman.

One of the ads shows Trump with Christie behind him. The text asks Christie to "stand up to racism and bigotry."

Trump has drawn criticism for pledging to build a wall to keep Mexican immigrants from entering the country illegally and for hesitating before denouncing Ku Klux Klan figure David Duke, who said not voting for Trump was "treason to your heritage."

Christie has said he doesn't agree with Trump on everything but Trump gives the party the best chance to defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton.


-- (c) Associated Press 2016-05-10

[AYJAYDEE]

Rats usually LEAVE a sinking ship! Fat boy's got it wrong again!!

[ezzra]

AYJAYDEE, on 10 May 2016 - 06:27, said:

Rats usually LEAVE a sinking ship! Fat boy's got it wrong again!!

I wonder how would an eggs on your face will feel when trump will be the next president and Christie is VP?.....

[Boon Mee]

AYJAYDEE, on 10 May 2016 - 06:27, said:

Rats usually LEAVE a sinking ship! Fat boy's got it wrong again!!

I wonder how would an eggs on your face will feel when trump will be the next president and Christie is VP?.....

And Ted Ceuz sits on the Supreme Court!

[AYJAYDEE]

AYJAYDEE, on 10 May 2016 - 06:27, said:

Rats usually LEAVE a sinking ship! Fat boy's got it wrong again!!

I wonder how would an eggs on your face will feel when trump will be the next president and Christie is VP?.....

you givin odds pal?

[keemapoot]

Poifect! We now have two of the 3 stooges assembled:

Trump- Moe: While very rarely did any of the other Stooges insult Moe or injure him, Moe did come up with the most insults of the entire group. He frequently called Larry a porcupine. He used other insults such as mongoose, dope, hyena, applehead, soft-boiled egghead, grapehead, frizzletop, and birdbrain.

Christie - Larry: Larry had a shuffle where he would spin on the floor, just like he spins for Trump now.

Curly - Please Lord let it be Sarah Palin: total idiot

[oxo1947]

AYJAYDEE, on 10 May 2016 - 06:27, said:

Rats usually LEAVE a sinking ship! Fat boy's got it wrong again!!

I wonder how would an eggs on your face will feel when trump will be the next president and Christie is VP?.....

And Ted Ceuz sits on the Supreme Court!

Then the alarm goes off.......and we have to get up for another days work...................

[Emster23]

Yeah, he got a winning position on a losing team facing relegation. Brilliant.

[boomerangutang]

AYJAYDEE, on 10 May 2016 - 06:27, said:

Rats usually LEAVE a sinking ship! Fat boy's got it wrong again!!

I wonder how would an eggs on your face will feel when trump will be the next president and Christie is VP?.....

And Ted Ceuz sits on the Supreme Court!

They'll have to arrange for several food delivery trucks to service the Naval Observatory each day (the VP's official residence).

And Bible sales will soar, when Supreme Court Justice Cruz makes it law that every student and every soldier carry a Bible in their pack.

[geriatrickid]

Give credit where credit is due. Christie has the experience and the skill to understand the nature of primary politics. He backed the winner of the primary. Remember when the press was filled with stories announcing how great Rubio was, or how Cruz would triumph or how Rand Paul had strong support or how Jeb Bush would set the campaign on fire etc,?

Well, Rubio is still trying to find his nutsack, Cruz has sealed his reputation as being a nasty vindictive malicious opportunist, Rand Paul showed his state how out of touch with reality he is and poor Jeb is out there trying to find some charisma.

Cruz as such a loser when he pushed that horrible Fiona who is a serial failure as his running mate. Wasn't hard for Christie to pick the winner was it?

[AYJAYDEE]

Give credit where credit is due. Christie has the experience and the skill to understand the nature of primary politics. He backed the winner of the primary. Remember when the press was filled with stories announcing how great Rubio was, or how Cruz would triumph or how Rand Paul had strong support or how Jeb Bush would set the campaign on fire etc,?

Well, Rubio is still trying to find his nutsack, Cruz has sealed his reputation as being a nasty vindictive malicious opportunist, Rand Paul showed his state how out of touch with reality he is and poor Jeb is out there trying to find some charisma.

Cruz as such a loser when he pushed that horrible Fiona who is a serial failure as his running mate. Wasn't hard for Christie to pick the winner was it?

except Trump is gonna lose to Clinton, disappear and leave fat boy with a wrecked career

[connda]

Vice President Christie? Or at least a cabinet position methinks.

[pitrevie]

Well Trump thinks very highly of Sarah Palin so don't write her off. With that intellect I think something to do with Science or Education or maybe even Geography.

[stevenl]

Give credit where credit is due. Christie has the experience and the skill to understand the nature of primary politics. He backed the winner of the primary. Remember when the press was filled with stories announcing how great Rubio was, or how Cruz would triumph or how Rand Paul had strong support or how Jeb Bush would set the campaign on fire etc,?

Well, Rubio is still trying to find his nutsack, Cruz has sealed his reputation as being a nasty vindictive malicious opportunist, Rand Paul showed his state how out of touch with reality he is and poor Jeb is out there trying to find some charisma.

Cruz as such a loser when he pushed that horrible Fiona who is a serial failure as his running mate. Wasn't hard for Christie to pick the winner was it?

Disagree. Christie's political life would have been over, his only chance of a survival was Trump. That's why he chose him.

[helpisgood]

Vice President Christie? Or at least a cabinet position methinks.

Yes, I can see a Pres. Trump (God help us!) rewarding Christie with a cabinet position. Maybe AG? I think Christie used to be a federal prosecutor.

But, having Christie as VP doesn't sound at all like a balanced ticket.

Is there a Hispanic woman that could and would take that role ? That's got to be a very short list, if not a blank one. Maybe he's looking for someone who can appeal to the Bernie supporters most disaffected by HRC. Or, yet again, he may be advised that many "establishment Republicans" will stay home for the Nov. election unless he finds someone who can get out that vote for him.

Time for serious number crunching and voter analysis.

[helpisgood]

Well Trump thinks very highly of Sarah Palin so don't write her off. With that intellect I think something to do with Science or Education or maybe even Geography.

I can imagine Hollywood execs already considering a sequel to Game Change.

[oxo1947]

yer another Sarah Palin ticket.......(I can see Russia from here) ........ The last one with John McCain brought out some hilarious bumper stickers....

My Favourite.............. Palin - McCain Ticket

Incompetent & Incontinent

I am sure this campaign will bring out some real collectors specials.......................

Edited May 10, 2016 by oxo1947

[Songlaw]

Give credit where credit is due. Christie has the experience and the skill to understand the nature of primary politics. He backed the winner of the primary. Remember when the press was filled with stories announcing how great Rubio was, or how Cruz would triumph or how Rand Paul had strong support or how Jeb Bush would set the campaign on fire etc,?

Well, Rubio is still trying to find his nutsack, Cruz has sealed his reputation as being a nasty vindictive malicious opportunist, Rand Paul showed his state how out of touch with reality he is and poor Jeb is out there trying to find some charisma.

Cruz as such a loser when he pushed that horrible Fiona who is a serial failure as his running mate. Wasn't hard for Christie to pick the winner was it?

except Trump is gonna lose to Clinton, disappear and leave fat boy with a wrecked career

I think that train already left the station. Fort Lee, anyone?

[darren84310]

Yeah, he got a winning position on a losing team facing relegation. Brilliant.

Don't be too cock sure about that..... and if you are right, then the Yanks will get Lying Hillary.... and yes, they do all lie but there's a limit to the seriousness of their lies and she continually oversteps that limit by huge margins.... should be in jail.

[elgordo38]

Give credit where credit is due. Christie has the experience and the skill to understand the nature of primary politics. He backed the winner of the primary. Remember when the press was filled with stories announcing how great Rubio was, or how Cruz would triumph or how Rand Paul had strong support or how Jeb Bush would set the campaign on fire etc,?

Well, Rubio is still trying to find his nutsack, Cruz has sealed his reputation as being a nasty vindictive malicious opportunist, Rand Paul showed his state how out of touch with reality he is and poor Jeb is out there trying to find some charisma.

Cruz as such a loser when he pushed that horrible Fiona who is a serial failure as his running mate. Wasn't hard for Christie to pick the winner was it?

except Trump is gonna lose to Clinton, disappear and leave fat boy with a wrecked career

Yes Christie will be in charge of lining up the deck chairs on the Titanic. Next line up the band to play "Amazing Grace" Trump is just a sound bite machine spouting the same narratives "we will make America great again, we will bring back all our lost jobs" Come November voting time voters will have their fill of this blow hard.

[ALLSEEINGEYE]

AYJAYDEE, on 10 May 2016 - 06:27, said:

Rats usually LEAVE a sinking ship! Fat boy's got it wrong again!!

I wonder how would an eggs on your face will feel when trump will be the next president and Christie is VP?.....

The whole of the USA will have egg on their face if they allow the ring leader (and head clown) of this circus to become prez (FYI, I mean Trump).

[smotherb]

Poifect! We now have two of the 3 stooges assembled:

Trump- Moe: While very rarely did any of the other Stooges insult Moe or injure him, Moe did come up with the most insults of the entire group. He frequently called Larry a porcupine. He used other insults such as mongoose, dope, hyena, applehead, soft-boiled egghead, grapehead, frizzletop, and birdbrain.

Christie - Larry: Larry had a shuffle where he would spin on the floor, just like he spins for Trump now.

Curly - Please Lord let it be Sarah Palin: total idiot

That was Curly, the stooge in the middle, who did the spin on the floor.

[Emster23]

Yeah, he got a winning position on a losing team facing relegation. Brilliant.

Don't be too cock sure about that..... and if you are right, then the Yanks will get Lying Hillary.... and yes, they do all lie but there's a limit to the seriousness of their lies and she continually oversteps that limit by huge margins.... should be in jail.

Trump tells truth 9% of the time, Hillary whopping 51% . So if lying bothers you, why do you support king of lying Donald Trump. 51% nothing to brag about, but almost 6x more truthful... http://www.politicususa.com/2016/03/31/ninety-one-percent-donald-trump-false.html

[boomerangutang]

They'll have to change the name of Naval Observatory (where the VP and his family will reside in Wash D.C.) to the Navel Observatory.

Wonder what Trump will do after he loses? After his long-winded blame parade, he may get a job as an organ grinder with a pet monkey holding a tin cup. Atlantic City has a nice boardwalk for busking, though it may be illegal (Trump would have to dodge in and out of adjoining alleys, to avoid cops).

Speaking of Atlantic City: Both Trump and Christie were big movers and shakers there before and during its economic collapse. They've got that in common. When you see the storm coming, sell everything for whatever price you can get, and then get to high ground and watch the destruction from afar.

[allan michaud]

AYJAYDEE, on 10 May 2016 - 06:27, said:

Rats usually LEAVE a sinking ship! Fat boy's got it wrong again!!

I wonder how would an eggs on your face will feel when trump will be the next president and Christie is VP?.....

It's got to be Trump/Palin, although, with Christie as VP that would open the door for Palin to become Secretary of State. The dream team!

HELP!

[Skeptic7]

AYJAYDEE, on 10 May 2016 - 06:27, said:

Rats usually LEAVE a sinking ship! Fat boy's got it wrong again!!

I wonder how would an eggs on your face will feel when trump will be the next president and Christie is VP?.....

And Ted Ceuz sits on the Supreme Court!

Now that is a truly frightening thought!

[keemapoot]

AYJAYDEE, on 10 May 2016 - 06:27, said:

Rats usually LEAVE a sinking ship! Fat boy's got it wrong again!!

I wonder how would an eggs on your face will feel when trump will be the next president and Christie is VP?.....

It's got to be Trump/Palin, although, with Christie as VP that would open the door for Palin to become Secretary of State. The dream team!

HELP!

Palin, to establish her bona fides, proudly spewed yesterday that from her backyard she can just about see China through her rifle scope and was tempted to close her eyes and pull the trigger. Then she giggled in glee.

[Skeptic7]

Poifect! We now have two of the 3 stooges assembled:

Trump- Moe: While very rarely did any of the other Stooges insult Moe or injure him, Moe did come up with the most insults of the entire group. He frequently called Larry a porcupine. He used other insults such as mongoose, dope, hyena, applehead, soft-boiled egghead, grapehead, frizzletop, and birdbrain.

Christie - Larry: Larry had a shuffle where he would spin on the floor, just like he spins for Trump now.

Curly - Please Lord let it be Sarah Palin: total idiot

Really offensive and insulting...to Larry, Curly and Moe!

[stevenl]

They'll have to change the name of Naval Observatory (where the VP and his family will reside in Wash D.C.) to the Navel Observatory.

Wonder what Trump will do after he loses? After his long-winded blame parade, he may get a job as an organ grinder with a pet monkey holding a tin cup. Atlantic City has a nice boardwalk for busking, though it may be illegal (Trump would have to dodge in and out of adjoining alleys, to avoid cops).

Speaking of Atlantic City: Both Trump and Christie were big movers and shakers there before and during its economic collapse. They've got that in common. When you see the storm coming, sell everything for whatever price you can get, and then get to high ground and watch the destruction from afar.

Wonder what he will do? Sue them, sue HRC, sue the GOP, sue them all.

[Linzz]

AYJAYDEE, on 10 May 2016 - 06:27, said:

Rats usually LEAVE a sinking ship! Fat boy's got it wrong again!!

I wonder how would an eggs on your face will feel when trump will be the next president and Christie is VP?.....

And Ted Ceuz sits on the Supreme Court!

They'll have to arrange for several food delivery trucks to service the Naval Observatory each day (the VP's official residence).

And Bible sales will soar, when Supreme Court Justice Cruz makes it law that every student and every soldier carry a Bible in their pack.

Sure, Muslim soldiers carry the Koran so why not? Afterall the pen is mightier than the sword. They can have theological arguments, new rules, no guns allowed