Christie made remarks while stumping for Mitt Romney in Iowa, where the GOP caucus will be held on Jan. 3
Gov. Chris Christie speaks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley, Calif. in September. Today, Christie appeared in Iowa to campaign for GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney.WEST DES MOINES — Gov. Chris Christie showed up in Iowa not a moment too soon today to campaign for the man he has endorsed for president — even if he had to battle some protesters.
The question is whether it’s too little too late out here in corn country.
With less than a month until the opening salvo in the 2012 presidential marathon — the Iowa caucuses on Jan. 3 — Mitt Romney finds himself trailing former House Speaker Newt Gingrich among Republican caucus voters by a margin of almost 2-to-1, according to a new poll.
And with Romney’s infrequent appearances an issue here, a brief stopover by Christie, who is a leading attraction among Republicans nationally, may provide a welcome boost. Romney was met by a crowd of about 100 in the lobby of convenience store chain Kum & Go’s headquarters. But almost a dozen television cameras were there to record the 30-minute appearance.
But before he could sing Romney’s praises, he had to spar with about 20 protesters, who interrupted his speech for several minutes, chanting, among other things, "Make Wall Street pay!"
"You’re so angry, aren’t you? Work it all out," Christie said before blaming the outburst on President Obama. "They represent an anger in our country that Barack Obama has caused. Because he is a typical, cynical Chicago ward politician who runs for office and promises everything and then comes to office and disappoints."
Christie is a busy man these days, racking up frequent flyer miles almost as quickly as Gingrich is gaining ground among conservative Republicans. He arrived in Iowa hours after delivering a scorching speech in Washington to a luncheon of the Republican Jewish Coalition, where he scolded President Obama for providing timid leadership.
For Christie, this was just the latest appearance on behalf of Romney. He has hit the road for the former Massachusetts governor three times since endorsing Romney in October. But today’s stop was especially crucial.
Romney needs to make a strong showing in Iowa as well as early primary states like New Hampshire and South Carolina to back up the front-runner status he has projected since entering the race.
According to a New York Times/CBS News Poll released today, Romney is not only trailing Gingrich, but is in a statistical dead heat with U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas, who has a well-organized grass-roots movement here.
Still, Christie didn’t target Gingrich or any other Republican rivals. Instead, he aimed squarely at Obama, whom in recent days he has likened to former President Jimmy Carter and called a "bystander in the Oval Office."
"For the last three years, we’ve had a president who doesn’t know how to lead, doesn’t know who he is, won’t fight for what he believes in and will not — will not — make America greater," Christie said. "In fact, has made America smaller in the eyes of the rest of the world."
So will Christie’s appearance help Romney among Iowa’s Republican caucus goers? Quite possibly, said Timothy Hagle, a political science professor at the University of Iowa.
"Romney has a reputation of being a little too laid back, smooth, polished. It’s funny that can be a bad thing," said Hagle, who noted that Christie’s hard-charging, tough-talking style strikes a contrasting chord among Iowa Republicans, who may look favorably on his endorsement.
In addition, he said Christie is probably well-known among caucus voters, who are more likely to have seen the viral YouTube videos of the New Jersey governor sparring with the press and questioners at town hall meetings.
"As far as the people who actually turn out for the caucus, these tend to be the most interested in the election, most in tune with what’s going on," he said, "so they’re the ones most likely to know who Christie is."
Though Christie entertained the crowd, Romney was nowhere to be seen at the rally — something Democrats gleefully pointed out.
"The only thing missing from Romney’s bolstered Iowa campaign is: Mitt Romney," Sue Dvorsky, the chairwoman of the Iowa Democratic Party, wrote in a memo. "While he’s been willing to invest money in Iowa, he has failed to invest his time meeting with Iowans and answering their tough questions about his rhetoric and his record."