NEW YORK BOSTON |#Popular: Irish Celebrity Gossip Irish in US Politics Irish Festivals Irish Roots Irish Entertainment Offbeat Irish

Home Page > Blogs > News blogs > Periscope > Why Chris Christie bear hug will deliver White House to Barack Obama -- Did New Jersey governor deliberately snub Mitt Romney after VP diss?

Periscope by Niall O'Dowd

Why Chris Christie bear hug will deliver White House to Barack Obama -- Did New Jersey governor deliberately snub Mitt Romney after VP diss?

Posted on Tuesday, November 06, 2012 at 06:58 AM

Larger Text

E-mail

66 Comments

RSS

Archives

Chris Christie and Barack Obama speak during the President's visit
to Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s bear hug embrace of Barack Obama during Hurricane Sandy will deliver the White House again to Barack Obama, I believe.

Since he did so the polls have moved perceptively to Obama, which should allow him to eke out a 51 per cent to 49 per cent victory in the popular vote I predict.

It was an extraordinary moment and a dagger aimed at the heart of Republican contender Mitt Romney who had passed Christie over for the Vice President slot after originally indicating he was choosing him as Politico.com revealed.

(There is no love lost between the two Republicans, they angrily disputed why Christie was not on the stage at a Romney rally in neighboring Pennsylvania on election eve.)

Christie saw himself on the sidelines and knew a victory for Romney essentially sidelined him for a possible eight years. He likely made a calculation that Obama would be re-elected.

Facing probable political oblivion, Christie acted.

Read more on the US Presidential Election here

Embracing Obama ensured his re-election in New Jersey also with Obama hardly likely to champion a Democratic opponent. It also ensured that moderate Democrats will be naturally drawn to supporting him when he runs for re-election.

It was a lifeline to Obama. Barack Obama was in a desperate fight to the death last week and in a dead heat at best when the hurricane struck.

Americans rally to the president in a crisis and Obama has the Commander-in-Chief down to an art form.

But the Christie embrace was the icing on the cake. Americans yearn for the type of cross community politics that sees politicians from opposite sides work together.

There are few more popular figures than the larger-than-life Christie who has never met a doughnut stand he didn’t like and calls a spade a spade.

When he appeared all day with Obama it sent a clear message to Americans that despite the attempt to demonize Obama by the GOP, Christie was willing to work with him.

The polls that had been in a permanent freeze before Sandy began to tick back in Obama’s direction and he goes into Election Day with polls clearly moving in his direction.

In a very uncertain year, that last tilt in the polls will, I think, put Obama over the top. The October/November surprise in the end proved to be of all things a hurricane and a 350 pound governor from the opposite party feeling the love for the president.

That’s politics. Who wudda thunk it?

Read more on the US Presidential Election here

E-mail

66 Comments

15 - 66 | See all comments

EamonnDublin | Nov 08, 2012, 03:48 AM EST

Shuvonn, I thought I had made my position very clear. I suppose a little "Apology Accepted" would be out of the question? Éamonn.

Report abuse

seanomelb | Nov 07, 2012, 06:35 PM EST

Shuvonn my father was in charge of NaFianna in the thirties proud of you.

Report abuse

shuvonn | Nov 07, 2012, 05:29 PM EST

Having lived in Dublin? I am a Dub born and bred. Was a member of NaFianna, went to school in Manor Street the sisters of no Mercy. I just get a little tired of the competition between DNS and DSS, there seems to be a judgement at times, and frankly I have no time for such nonsense. And, YES Christy knew what side his bread was buttered upon when he did that...

Report abuse

EamonnDublin | Nov 07, 2012, 03:50 PM EST

"Shuvonn" - I very obviously have to be extremely careful here, so I will attempt to be brief, to the point and clear. Firstly, I apologise without any equivocation for anything I said which upset, annoyed, insulted or hurt you in any way. Now, what I wrote, in my estimation and in my mind when I wrote it, was IRONY. I understand that Americans do not "do" irony, but I considered that having lived in Dublin you might get it. I will admit that, as I was writing it, I realised that it was at least very near the mark - and even probably going well past it. I even hesitated to press the "send" but I continued regardless. I am a VERY proud Northsider, having lived in Glasnevin until I was 15. I thought I made that clear to you. When I returned to Dublin after an absence of 21 years, I couldn't care less which side of the city I lived in - there are good, bad and indifferent parts on both sides. It so happens that we saw a house on the South side and bought it. My "offer" of my phone number and address and the suggestion that you "come up and see me sometime" (Mae West) was intended to be humorous, as was my reference to "bigfatuglyones" - as I thought might be conveyed by using the one word. I mis-spelled "misogynist" obviously intentionally in order to convey humour. Obviously, you and I do not have the same sense of humour, or appreciation of irony. Having said that, I again apologise unconditionally. Enough said? Best Wishes, Éamonn.

Report abuse

Scrivner | Nov 07, 2012, 02:56 PM EST

Christy may well have gotten the message from the student of Chicago-style politics: "You do want prompt Federal help for NJ, don't you?" (Sorry to break in on Shuvonn & Eamon's tete-tete)

Report abuse

shuvonn | Nov 07, 2012, 12:27 PM EST

so delira and excira that you have to slag off DNS accent? Considering that I have both elderly parents living in Dublin,my mother being on oxygen 16 hours a day and I come from a large family, over half of whom still live in Dublin,and my focus is family when I visit ( three weeks there in August and Amsterday while I was at it for a weekend) I would not waste one second of my time looking someone such as yourself up. Now there is slagging and slaggin and I am quite dab hand at it myself, however you seem to be a little bit TOO Much in touch with your inner bitch for my comfort. I had to be quick off the draw with 5 brothers and 4 sisters :-) And this has nothing to do with what I look like, I am most certainly not hard to look at (Irish women do not take compliments well anyway) and shallow people who base what a person looks like on the outside only, project their own inadaquecies onto others,and do nothing for me on so many levels. So spare me your phone number, address, or any other details, I have family, friends and other relatives that would be so much more worthy of my time and energy. Get used to 4 more years of Obama, Is feidir linn ARIS :-)

Report abuse

EamonnDublin | Nov 07, 2012, 09:33 AM EST

Hi Shuvover, Totally delira an' excira to see you have a SECOND home in D6. If you visit three times a year, that means it will be a max of four months (work it out - it's not too difficult if you did a Masters in algebra) before you are back again. So, with all we have in common, come up and see me sometime. Oh, wait a second, what do you LOOK like? You see, I'm a fifty per cent Miss-o-gin-issed, in that I don't like the bigfatuglyones, only the REALLY pretty ones. Now, does that get your batgun triggered up? Oops, is THAT in poor taste as well? If it is, I'm so sorry, it's a sort of "an Irish thing". It's called "slagging" and it means insulting somebody that you really like and you know they have the inner confidence to take it. With much love, adoration and expectation. Éamonn (address and phone number to follow - I'm SURE you can't wait). xxx

Report abuse

shuvonn | Nov 07, 2012, 09:21 AM EST

You may be calling it a joke, but it was really in poor taste and made you look like the sore loser you have appeared to be from some of your comments :-) I can assure you I am far from gun toting( I disagree with the lax gun laws in the US and the NRA) far from minimally brained ( you seem to think ALL women are) never saw a bat in my life, and since James Joyce's mother never knew me your comment is a little childish at best. Now let me assure you the minimaly brain-gifted, gun-totin,bat shootin, half-baked, Obama-supporting peanut would be more likely to be a republican and if you looked at the map of who voted for Romney, it was all the red neck states :-) And sure Eamonn, I was only takin the piss here about you being a sore loser, some of you cannot take a joke at all, at all..... P.S. Love my second home in D6, visit it three times a year on average but prefer DNS, just got a bargain and HAD to take it :-)

Report abuse

EamonnDublin | Nov 07, 2012, 09:19 AM EST

Four more Ears! Four more Ears! Four more Ears! Actually, reading back in order to check the difficult spellings, I realise that one has only to move ONE letter in "ears" in order to have a potentially suitable anagram. America, you have made your decision. Good Luck!!! Éamonn, Dublin.

Report abuse

EamonnDublin | Nov 07, 2012, 09:11 AM EST

Now now, "Shuvonn"! I would think that anyone who is NOT a "big eejit" would realise my comment was a JOKE. J-O-K-E, JOKE!! How any person - other than the minimally brain-gifted, gun-totin', bat-shootin', half-baked, Obama-supporting peanut - would take my remark for what it is and ignore it. As James Joyce's mother used to say, "Shure, some eejits will pick up anything the wrong way - especially that one Shuvonn". Éamonn, In the CraicFactory, Dublin Southside.

Report abuse

shuvonn | Nov 07, 2012, 08:20 AM EST

No one likes a SORE loser Eamonn, the people have voted and spoken, now suck it up ya big eejit

Report abuse

EamonnDublin | Nov 07, 2012, 07:11 AM EST

IMPEACH OBAMA!! Éamonn, Dublin.

Report abuse

EamonnDublin | Nov 07, 2012, 06:06 AM EST

"Susan725" - I've moved you up a notch. My wife had a County Cork father, born in (New York!), so I just KNEW there was something pulling we two together!! And the Jesuits!! All the best in your Masters - and enjoy it all along the way. You're here but just the once. Éamonn.

Report abuse

Frosty38 | Nov 06, 2012, 09:20 PM EST

He did not take NJ

Report abuse

susan724 | Nov 06, 2012, 07:03 PM EST

shuvonn - These total duffuses who make such insensitive and ignorant remarks have no clue whatsoever. A man cen be raped, which is an atrocious, heinous, act in itself for ANY human being to suffer. But, a man cannot get pregnant. How dare any man promote such a thing!I want a leader, not a preacher! I am waiting for the gutsy newsperson to ask any moron who believes this - what if your wife/daughter became pregnant by a rapist? These jerks never think it will happen to THEIR families and if it isn't THEIR family member they do not care.!

Report abuse