Romney to Christie: You're not veep, but how about keynote?
Gov. Christie was flying home from out west, where he had been raising money for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, when he got an e-mail from the candidate himself. Call me when you land, Romney told Christie. "And so when I landed I called him," Christie said today. "He told me that he decided to go in a different direction for vice president, asked me if I would be willing to do the keynote address [at the Republican convention]. I told him that I would be." That was Aug. 10, the night before Romney announced U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate.
Romney to Christie: You're not veep, but how about keynote?
Matt Katz, Inquirer Staff Writer
To read the full story in Tuesday's paper, go here.
Gov. Christie was flying home from out west, where he had been raising money for Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, when he got an e-mail from the candidate himself.
Call me when you land, Romney told Christie.
“And so when I landed I called him,” Christie said today. “He told me that he decided to go in a different direction for vice president, asked me if I would be willing to do the keynote address [at the Republican convention]. I told him that I would be.”
That was Aug. 10, the night before Romney announced U.S. Rep. Paul Ryan as his running mate.
On a sunny Asbury Park boardwalk, before dozens of mostly pro-Christie beachcombers, Christie this afternoon held a news conference in which offered his first public comments about being passed over for Romney’s running mate.
I asked him specifically whether he was disappointed about not being tapped for a job that could have put him one breath from the presidency.
“I told people all along I didn’t want to be vice president,” he said.
So was he relieved?
Nope, not that either.
“It’s like being asked out on a date — if you’re asked you don't have to say yes,” he said. “I don't know what I would have done if he had asked me.”
And to the thrill of the crowd, he added: “I love this job and I have no interest in heading off to Washington DC.”
Christie said he's on the seventh draft of his keynote speech, which will air a week from Tuesday at 10:30 pm. He’s shown it to a small circle of four insiders, plus his family, to make sure it’s authentic. “Does this sound like me?” he asks.
Christie wouldn’t detail what he’s going to say, but he told the crowd to “watch New Jersey on national television tell the rest of the country how to run government.”
Christie took a walk on the boardwalk, raspberry smoothie in hand, after the news conference. He posed for several pictures, shook hands and ignored at least one heckler who said: “Right-wing bigots don’t belong in Asbury Park!”
Ignoring the heckler was notable. In Seaside Heights lats month, Christie appeared to go after someone who yelled something at him while he walked along eating an ice cream cone. The governor’s reaction, caught on video, ended up on the front of the gossip site TMZ.com.
Pundits speculated that may have been one reason why Romney didn't tap him for the veep gig.
But Christie said he hasn’t been told to cool his personality for the big speech.
Without saying whether his speech is being vetted by the Romney camp, Christie said “they know what they’re buying.”
“I don’t think they have any expectation nor have they requested that I have a personality-ectomy by next Tuesday,” he said.
“I don't know what I would have done if he had asked me.”....Yeah,, right. Pretty sure you'd want to get out of Jersey since your vaunted economic "recovery" is anything but, and those tax cuts you promised and tried to rush through have about as much chance now as your winning a marathon......that doesn't involve competitive eating.— CiceroSpuriousDeodatus- how did I know the first post here would me a fat joke? oh that's right, it's philly.com— 420Phillie
- Notice that the Romney-Ryan campaign rolled out a new slogan as a backdrop on their stop in New Hampshire today, which included the prominent word "comeback." Here's hoping it's not like Christie's "Jersey Comeback" where unemployment has now hit 9.85, the fourth highest in the country.
Christie says, "It's what I say, not what I do!"— Coco Pazzo - Maybe he could have a personality transplant, the one he has is shot.— oldlion
Comment removed.- "right wing bigots don't belong in Asbury Park" - suggesting what? that they would be more comfortable in West Orange? Somethings never change. When you're a Democrat and your opponents run out of things to call you, you're "un-American" or "terrorist." When you're a Republican, it's "bigot."— dragoon6
- Funny that the Libs would even mention the word veep!! They have the dumbest one in the history of the position!! Go after "fat" and ignore "racist", that's Libs for ya'?? LOL!!!— sarah89
- All this pontificating by the left. It's like their own little soap opera with all their imaginary twists and turns and joys and tears. Meanwhile a person like Christie is living his life while the left treats it like it's a Hollywood movie. Calm down folks. There's nothing to see here.— AvoidSundanceVacations
- I guess the Bully is going to tell America how great a job he's doing in New Jersey with almost 10% unemployment. And, why he won't increase taxes on the wealthy among us. And, that all the economic problems are caused by government workers, teachers, firefighters, police officers and their Unions. And, the way he wants to cut education subsidies. It's fitting that Mitt the Fraud selected Chris the Bully to keynote the anti-middle-class Republican convention.— lport
- The Rethuglicans have chosen Governor Christie to explain why they support "legitimate rape" over illegitimate rape."— orange rhino
Reach him at mkatz@phillynews.com or 609-217-8355.
Follow Matt on Twitter: @mattkatz00. Reach Matt at mkatz@phillynews.com or 609-217-8355.
