Without unfiltered interaction with public, politicians risk losing touch with the most important issues, Christie said
Gov. Chris Christie delivers his first State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature in this Jan. 11 photo.PARAMUS — Gov. Chris Christie said this morning that he will not let the shooting in Arizona deter him from holding public events.
Christie hosted his first town hall meeting of the year at an Elks Lodge in Paramus that was filled to the brim, and people were turned away at the door when the maximum capacity was met.
"There are some who would say, 'don't come out and do this anymore,' that it's it too dangerous," Christie said. "We cannot play to the lowest common denominator and we cannot play to fear."
Christie said his town hall meetings are the perfect example of the type of discourse that should occur between elected officials and the public.
"You'll see there are people here today that have opinions that are opposite of mine. I'm happy to listen to those and respond to them," Christie said. "If someone wants to yell and scream at me, I'm going to yell and scream back."
Christie said without unfiltered interaction between officials and the public, they risk losing touch with the most important issues. Christie recently called on former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to have "unscripted" interactions with the public, saying it shows a person's true colors.
"The biggest risk you run as an elected official, especially as a governor, is to become isolated," Christie said.
Previous coverage:
• Gov. Christie to lay out plans at Paramus town hall meeting
• Gov. Christie calls Obama's Tucson speech 'excellent' during 'Good Morning America' appearance
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• Doctors say Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords is breathing on her own, moving arms after shooting