Christie A 'New Phenom'? Not To Us!

So, I'm sitting here reading this story from the Associated Press about Chris Christie. And here's how it begins:

Forget Springsteen, the Sopranos and Snooki. The hottest thing outta New Jersey is Gov. Chris Christie — at least politically.

And that's just the first paragraph. It goes on:

In office just a year, he has become a GOP hero for his eagerness to slash spending and take on Democratic-friendly unions in the midst of an economic crisis.

Fellow Republicans everywhere are highlighting the former federal prosecutor's get-tough approach as the prescription for addressing fiscal emergencies at all levels of government and rehabilitating a GOP image that was damaged during the bloated George W. Bush years.

Here's what's funny about all this: If you've been reading this blog (and IF you've been paying attention to what we've been saying here) then Chris Christie is not "the hottest thing" to you, because you (i.e. we) knew this guy was hot way before this.
And we knew that this was coming.
In fact, more than a year ago, in the Philadelphia Daily News and here on this blog, I wrote this:

Let's face it - sooner or later the Republican Party will rebound. It will find its voice and the tide will begin to turn. The only question is where, when and how.
When the answer arrives, I'm thinking it's going to surprise a lot of people. The resurgence won't begin exactly where you might expect. And the timing and personalities who trigger it are likely to defy expectations as well.
The turning point may be right here in our own backyard, sooner than you think. And it may be arriving in a rather unlikely personality. . . .Chris Christie.

And get this: MORE THAN TWO YEARS AGO we applauded Christie's announcement that he would file papers to seek the GOP nod for Governor and said it spelled "hope" for New Jersey.
Here's what we said at the time:

We applaud Chris Christie for taking this step.

And we're happy that he did not wait - that he is already engaged; that he's out front with his message and that he's ready to go.

This move by a courageous public servant gives New Jersey its first glimmer of hope in many years.

Gear up, New Jersey: A bright new dawn awaits if we can match Chris' courage with our own resolve to make it happen!

During a period of more than 27 months we've placed over 440 postings on this blog about Chris Christie.
We've kept you up-to-date and up-to-the-minute on what's become The Christie Phenomenon.
On this score, we will take a back seat to no one.
We were with Chris Christie right from the start -- when he was attracting crowds of 20 or 30 on a good day. We were with him at Ponzio's Diner in Cherry Hill when few if any diners  had any idea who he was. We were there because we believed in him -- because we saw something different, something real, something smart and quick and fearless -- something right.
We were there all through both the primary and general election campaigns and on both victorious election nights and at Christie's inauguration as well.
So, THIS is the place to find out about Chris Christie -- first, fast and accurate.
Remember: Stay tuned.
Because this is just the beginning.
Big Things (the "Big Things" Chris Christie has been talking about and a lot more) lie just ahead.
Now, it's really gonna start to get interesting.