Thursday, July 2, 2015

Christie's Unscripted Debut Wins Praise

What They’re Saying, Volume 2 …
In Announcement And At Town Halls, Christie's “Command Of His Message And Policy Proposals Offered A Strong Contrast With His More Scripted Opponents”
“Chris Christie Carries Announcement Vibe to New Hampshire”
______________________________________

Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade: “[W]hen he's him and he’s out there defending his record, telling what he's going to do, I want to see what the people of New Hampshire are going to say. Are they going to react like they do with John McCain and rally behind him?” (Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” 7/1/15)
  • “Chris Christie had a very good day yesterday. He was very strong in New Hampshire and got endorsements from the Maine governor.” (Fox News’ “Fox & Friends,” 7/2/15)
  • “You’re going to need someone that can hit like lightning. And it is Governor Christie that can do that.” (Fox News “Fox & Friends,” 6/30/15)
Los Angeles Times: “He spoke without notes, roaming the stage with a handheld microphone in a scene reminiscent of the town hall meetings that have yielded some of the most colorful and confrontational moments of his political career...But his command of his message and policy proposals offered a strong contrast with his more scripted opponents.” (Mark Z. Barabak and Tina Susman, “Chris Christie launches presidential campaign, but has his time passed?,” Los Angeles Times, 6/30/15)

The New York Times: “The governor was, at the core, comfortable. The town-hall-style meeting is his signature event, and he was in his element, often joking with voters. … He also made sure to maintain that comfort.” (Nick Corasaniti, “Chris Christie Carries Announcement Vibe to New Hampshire,” New York Times – First Draft, 7/1/15)
  • “Building upon the pillars of four policy speeches he gave as a candidate-in-waiting with his Leadership Matters for America PAC, Mr. Christie laid out his platform on entitlement reform, economic recovery, foreign policy and education.”
MSNBC's Joe Scarborough: “And you close your eyes and you listen to that speech, it's one of the most powerful messages anybody can give, especially in a year that most voters are consigned to the fact that they're going to get a Bush and a Clinton. One guy out there saying, hey, listen, I'm not going to sit around trying to figure out what you want to hear. I'm going to tell you what you need to hear.” (MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” 7/1/15)
  • “And you may not agree with me. But if I'm saying it, you know I believe it. You know I'm going to go to Washington and I’m going to fight for it. And there's nothing you can do to change my mind. I'm going to do what I think is right. That is a powerful message. I think we were all probably thinking the same thing.”
John Feehery: “I like Chris Christie's big personality. I think it plays well with Republican base voters. I think he's going to talk about big issues, which I think need to be discussed.” (MSNBC, “News Nation with Tamron Hall,” 6/30/15)
  • “Chris Christie gave a great speech today. It was one of the best speeches I’ve seen for a person wanting to announce he is president. He is the real deal. He’s authentic. He can really go after it. I think he is very articulate, and he can argue with the best of them.” (Fox Business Network, “The Intelligence Report with Trish Regan,” 6/30/15)
  • “My view is that voters are desperate to have authenticity in their candidates...I think Chris Christie is running as himself. I think that will be appealing to a lot of voters.” (Fox Business Network, “The Intelligence Report with Trish Regan,” 6/30/15)
Sandown, NH Resident Anthony Conconte: “For some of the potential voters in attendance, Mr. Christie’s style seemed refreshing. ‘I really like the guy — he’s direct and honest,’ said Anthony Conconte, 24, of Sandown.” (Nick Corasaniti, “Chris Christie Carries Announcement Vibe to New Hampshire,” New York Times – First Draft, 7/1/15)
  • “When asked the first thing that came to mind when he heard the name ‘Chris Christie,’ Mr. Conconte smiled and struggled for a word. “Straight shooter,” he said, before pointing to the giant ‘Tell It Like It Is’ banner on the near wall. ‘That,’ he said.”
The Star-Ledger: “Gov. Chris Christie has always been a quotable political figure.  His speech announcing his run for president was no exception.” (Matt Friedman, “Top 10 quotes from Christie's 2016 kickoff,” Star-Ledger, 6/30/15)
  • “With his boisterous, sometimes brash and classically Jersey political style, Gov. Chris Christie on Tuesday finally announced his bid for the presidency, declaring he is "ready to fight for the people" of America.” (Christopher Baxter & Claude Brodesser-Akner, “Christie Makes It Official: 'I Am Now Ready To Fight' For The People Of America,” Star-Ledger, 6/30/15)
The Weekly Standard: “The New Jersey Republican addressed a friendly audience that surrounded him on all sides, with his wife Mary Pat and their four children joining him on stage. As he often does in his town-hall-style meetings around the state, Christie spoke extemporaneously with a few glances at notes on a music stand.” (Michael Warren, “Christie Announces Run, Bashes Hillary as Obama's 'Second Mate,’” Weekly Standard, 6/30/15)

Breitbart: “[Christie] emphasized his family ties to the Livingston community and his roots in the American dream.” (Charlie Spiering, “Promising Truth and Compromise, Chris Christie Launches Presidential Campaign,” Breitbart, 6/30/15)

New Hampshire Attorney General Tom Rath: “Christie’s magnetic personality and formidable debate skills are tailor-made for the Granite State, former New Hampshire Attorney General Tom Rath told The Hill. ‘He is very good at some of the things you need to succeed here,’ said Rath.” (Melissa Clyne, “Christie Goes for Populist Touch in NJ Campaign Launch, NH Swing,” Newsmax, 6/30/15)
  • “‘I’ve been to several of his town halls and he’s a horse: He goes in there for an hour and stays two hours, answers every question. That skill set is serving him well.’”
Newsday’s Ellis Henican: “Don't forget Christie does have very good political skills. He's good at speaking on his feet. He knows a ton about issues.” (MSNBC, “First Look,” 6/30/15)
National Review’s Alexis Levinson: Christie talks about all the strong women in his life - of his 2 grandmothers he says, ‘part of today is a fulfillment of their dream, too.’” (Twitter, @alexis_levinson, 6/30/15)

MSNBC’s Kasie Hunt: “This crowd was fired up for Christie and starts to underscore why it is that Christie is so strong as a potential, has been so strong as potential president candidate. This highlighted his political skills.” (MSNBC, “Andrea Mitchell Reports,” 6/30/15)

The Hill: “[P]ast opponents … have underestimated Christie’s political skills, which he exhibited once again in Tuesday’s high-energy speech, delivered without the safety net of a teleprompter.” (Niall Stanage, “Christie joins 2016 field,” The Hill, 6/30/15)
  • “The address had a zigzag quality, emphasizing his pragmatism and open-mindedness one minute but his Republican zeal and love of political combat the next.”
Yahoo Politics: “[C]hristie is clearly hoping his gritty authenticity will distinguish him in a presidential race that is increasingly scripted and stage-managed.” (Liz Goodwin, “Christie makes small-town presidential speech at high school,” Yahoo! Politics, 6/30/15)

Former Governor Tim Pawlenty: “I think he's positioning himself as the blunt talker or the brash talker. I think there's an appetite for that. There's a market for that. And people want strong, clear leadership and I think the speech was a great example of his ability, his capability, his charisma, his communication skills.” (CNN, “At This Hour with Berman and Bolduan,” 6/30/15)


CNN’s John King: “People are fed up with politicians. So that’s where this truth-teller, authenticity, I’ll tell it like it is, fed up with Washington comes in. And the idea that send a bull to Washington, Washington's the china shop, I'm the bull, let me go. That will have appeal to voters.” (CNN, “At This Hour with Berman and Bolduan,” 6/30/15)

No comments: