Well, we have been, we are and we will continue to be huge Christie fans. That's obvious.
But we're not privy to any inside information because Team Christie always plays its cards very close to the vest. Always.
Still, we can speculate. We can speculate based on our longtime experience in politics as well as what we know about the man, those around him and the presidential race and the GOP in general.
And here's what we think right now:
1) Governor Christie and his inner circle are preparing themselves for a presidential run. They're putting the pieces in place. They want to make sure they're ready.
2) The governor will continue to cultivate a national profile, travel extensively and maintain key contacts from coast-to-coast.
3) Fund raising will likewise continue and even be accelerated through an exploratory or a political action committee (PAC) of some sort.
4) Christie will continue to build up political IOUs and will be ready to cash them in if need be.
5) At home, the governor will avoid controversial positions if he can. He will be loathe to raise taxes and will resist any type of move which would alienate key GOP constituencies.
6) Governor Christie will make no plan to resign right now or anytime in the near future. As he told told the state legislature during his State of the State Address, he fully intends to be Governor of New Jersey next year at this time.
7) Finally, the governor will keep his options open just as long as he can. It appears as if he feels no need to rush a decision just now. If he can play this out into the summer, he may just do that. This will give him more time to assess the situation and perhaps smoke out other candidates. The more information Christie has about the lay of the land going forward, the easier it will be for him to make a wise decision about his own future. This is only natural. Politicians like to keep their options open as long as long as they can, especially if they're already holding onto an existing power base that they don't want to give up. Remember, if he decides not to jump into the race, Christie can always opt to throw his support to some other candidate and (victory permitting) parlay that into a cabinet post or some similar prize.
For all the flack that he's taken from the media and those who once appeared to be such ardent fans, Christie remains a shrewd political operator and a [mostly] reasoned practitioner of realpolitik. At the same time, he maintains good instincts and a willingness to surprise both followers and critics alike.
He cannot and will not be pigeonholed.
He resists categorization or compartmentalization.
He continues to be a compelling public figure.
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