Chris Christie: Tales From The Trail, And More . . .

Chris Christie came to this past weekend's New Jersey GOP Leadership Summit in Atlantic City with more juicy stories than a veteran gossip columnist.
Here are some of the things that Christie said and some of the stories he told:

--Christie says the mathematics of the gas tax deal that generated money for the New Jersey Transportation Fund during his final year as governor were hastily scribbled, literally, on the back of an envelope. This all happened in the final hours of negotiation with Senate President Steve Sweeney and then Assembly Speaker Vince Prieto. Christie kept insisting that the gas tax increase needed to be offset by a combination of sales tax decreases and other measure and that's what all the math was about. Christie went over the figures several times as he tried to strike a deal. But Prieto apparently seemed puzzled. "So," Christie explains, "Prieto looks at the figures on the envelop again and he says: 'Can I take this home with me?' And I say sure. And the next day, we've got a deal."

--Christie lovingly remembered his late mother, Sandy who had a habit of second-guessing him and everyone around him when it came to politics. She cautioned him not to jump into contests he might not win and warned him against making one race that he later lost. His mother apparently delighted in reminding him that she had been right and laid down a rule: one loss is enough; no more losses! But Christie actually suffered two losses before he was elected governor.

--When he was first elected to political office in Morris County, a veteran politico took the brash and irreverent Christie aside, addressed him as "son" and attempted to lecture him about "the way things are done here." This prompted a quick and cautionary reply from Christie that began: "Listen, grandpa . . . "

--"Once you run, it never leaves your blood." That's the way Christie describes running for president. He says that once you've been able to climb onto the national stage and put together a credible campaign for the presidency, "you always think, well -- I can do this."

--But, on the other hand, as Christie watched Rick Santorum mount yet another campaign for the presidency in 2016, he couldn't help but ask Santorum: "How can you do this?" Christie says Santorum replied: "Well, I love the process." Christie's reaction? "I don't love the process," he says. "I don't love going to one fund-tasing event after another, asking people for money. But that's part of the process."

--Christie freely admits that he often acts on instinct and that his gut plays a big role in his decision-making. But sometimes the advice of someone more methodical can be the key. For example, when he was thinking of running for governor in 2005 Christie sought advice from his father, Will. "My dad is a CPA and he's more analytical," Christie says. "So he basically questioned why I would want to give up my job as US Attorney: 'Do you like your job? Do you enjoy your work? Does the president plan on keeping you in the job? Then, why should you leave?'" For Christie those considerations moved him away from an '05 run and toward what became his successful 2009 race for the state's highest office.

--Why didn't Christie seek the presidency in 2012 when seemingly everyone wanted him to run? Christie says he simply felt that he was not ready. The calls for his candidacy started percolating as early as 2010  when Christie had been in his first statewide elected office for only about 15 months, as he explains it. Christie admits that he was flattered. He loved all the attention but: "It just didn't feel right."

We'll have more from Governor Christie's comments at the NJ GOP Summit in another post. Stay tuned!