New Jersey Governor Doesn't 'Feel' Presidential Bid

The view from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, which overlooks Simi Valley and much of Moorpark, stretches far, but not all the way to Washington D.C.—not for New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

The question of the day was whether the Republican will join the presidential race and, if so, if he would announce his candidacy for president.

Though members of a sold-out audience that included Nancy Reagan, former Gov. Pete Wilson, Rep. Elton Gallegly and city dignitaries from Simi Valley and Agoura Hills implored him to toss his hat into the ring as a presidential candidate, he would not. Though he never gave an outright “no,” Christie pointed audience members to a video produced by Politico.com that strung together previous “no” answers to the question.

To answer a audience member who implored him to run, Christie said, “I'm just a kid from Jersey who feels like the luckiest guy in the world...” but the reason to run “has to reside in my heart.”

Nonetheless, some audience members thought he sounded presidential, or at least like a candidate, as he gave his address.

“I'm not convinced he won't run,” said audience member Michael Bickendorf of Moorpark. “He spent his time talking about national issues and pointing out Obama's faults and his own accomplishments. But maybe that's just wishful thinking on my part.”

Leadership was the focus of the governor's speech, often pointing to Ronald Reagan as an example.

It was Reagan's commitment, Christie said, “to making America stronger, better, more resilient” that “allowed him the freedom to challenge the conventional wisdom, reach across party lines and dare to put results ahead of political opportunism.”

He quoted the 2004 Democratic National Convention address delivered by then Senator Barack Obama in which Obama spoke of there not being a liberal America and a conservative America, but a United States of America.

Christie compared that to how he sees Obama now: “Seven years later, President Obama prepares to divide our nation to achieve reelection … insisting we must tax and take and demonize those who have already achieved the American dream.”

“That may turn out to be good reelection strategy, Mr. President, but it is a demoralizing message for America,” Christie said.

He said the country's image has faded and the nation is paying a price for that.

“The image of the United States is not what it was. It's not what it can be, and it's not what it needs to be,” he said, but indicated his faith it can change and that the American people would respond to honest communication.

“Lead on the tough issues by telling your citizens the truth about the depth of our challenges,” he said.

As well, he pointed to leadership and compromise as being the key to New Jersey's state government solving a $121 billion deficit—a number he pointed out is four times the state's budget—in the state's pension and benefits system.

Boiling it down, he said, “See, the rule for effective governance is simple … when there is a problem, you fix it. That's what you do.”

The invitation to speak at the presidential library came from former first lady Nancy Reagan and the presentation was part of the the Reagan Foundation's Perspectives on Leadership Forum.