Trenton, NJ – Republican New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, a fierce critic of Barack Obama, praised the president and the federal government’s response as the brutal storm Sandy swept through his state and caused widespread damage and power outages.
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Christie has attacked Obama repeatedly on the campaign trail and said the Democrat does not deserve a second term in the White House, instead backing Republican challenger Mitt Romney in the November 6 election.
But on Tuesday, just hours after the worst of the once-hurricane knocked out power for 2.4 million people in the state just south of New York City, Christie applauded Obama and his administration’s Federal Emergency Management Agency in interviews on nearly every major television network.
“The federal government response has been great. I was on the phone at midnight again last night with the president personally,” he told NBC’s “Today” program.
“The president has been outstanding in this. The folks at FEMA … have been excellent,” said Christie, once thought to be a contender for the White House or Romney’s vice presidential pick.
The governor’s praise comes just a week ahead of the presidential election, with polls showing the race as a dead heat. The monster storm has caused havoc up and down the East Coast, forcing Obama and Romney to suspend their campaigns for two days.
On “CBS This Morning,” Christie said he spoke with Obama three times on Monday as the storm hit.
Obama on Monday declared New Jersey a major disaster area so the state can quickly receive federal aid.
“I can’t thank the president enough for that,” Christie told CBS.
This is how government should work. Put aside partisan politics and acknowledge when anyone, be it your party or not, does a good job. I’m sure there are posters here will make disparaging comments about President Obama no matter what he does, I wish they’d take Governor’s Christie’s example and give credit where it is due.
This is a blow in the head of christie. He can forget of ever running on the republican ticket.
Honest man
In a conspiracy to remove a president from power as we have considering the allay of allegations regarding things like Libya today, this is a miracle in some ways that a man of such derelection in the past would be so forthright to speak so truthfully and partially towards a sitting president whom he has no interest in keeping in office. Kudos to Mr. Christie and I am glad to be a fellow American of a man who keeps his tenure by steering the ship into better waters.
Republicans generally have a hard time giving the President any credit,
no matter what the facts are.
You know… the Bin Laden killing had nothing to do with the president,
even if it did…
President Reagan worked with Mr. O’Neil and resolved the SS crisis, Ben-Gurion received praise and input from Rav Herzog A’H except for the new tea baggies whose motto mmy way or the highway cooperation is a sign of good democracy