- Chris Christie
« Announcement Speech
Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ)
Announcement of Candidacy
Livingston High School
Livingston, NJ
June 30, 2015
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you New Jersey. Thank you. And thank you - thank you to Livingston. You know, lots of people have asked me over the course of the last week – why here? Why here? Because everything started here for me. Everything started here for me. The confidence, the education, the friends, the family, and the love that I’ve always felt for and from this community. When I decided to make this announcement there wasn’t any choice. I had to come home and Livingston is home for me.
And I want to thank Sheila Goldklang, a dear friend of my mom’s and a wonderful representative of this town, for welcoming us here today. And I want to thank my friend Lynn Grone. Now, listen, this is very much – some of you may be confused – it may be that you thought she was being booed by her high school classmates. She was not. For reasons that I will not explain Lynn’s nickname in high school was “the juice.” Hence, it’s not a boo, it’s “the juice.” And Lynn thank you for being here.
I’m also here because this is where my family raised me. You’ll hear a lot, and have heard a lot from me about my mother and father. All of us know that for good and for bad where we come from is from our parents. And so you heard Sheila and Lynn both talk about my mom today. I’m here in Livingston because all those years ago my mother and father became the first of either of their families to leave the city of Newark and come here, and make this home for us. My Mom isn’t with us today but I feel her. And my Dad is with me here today and I am really really privileged to have him. They raised my brother and I, brought us here to Livingston when we were four years old and two years old. And then our sister Dawn joined us a few years later. And this is where we grew up. These are the fields we played on. These are the playgrounds we played on. This is the school we built our friends with and came and learned with. And up until I left to share a room with Mary Pat, I shared a room with Todd the entire time. It was a smooth transition. And my sister Dawn and Todd are as big a part of today as anybody else and they are both here and I love them both.
Everyone thinks I’m the politician in the family. We did a coin flip when we got married. I called tails – tails never fails – so I’m the guy who ran, but the politician just as good as me in the family is the women that I met all those years ago at the University of Delaware from a family of ten people. People say, why aren’t you shy in a crowd, I say, you should see the family I married into. My wife has been an indispensible part of everything that I have done with my life over the last thirty years, and she is largely responsible for the four amazing people that you see standing with her.
And ever since I’ve been Governor I’ve been happy to use the veto at home too. And so far so good, I have not been overridden there either so. And so I’m glad they’re here today. And for Andrew and Sarah and Patrick and Bridget, I couldn’t be prouder of four children than I am of them.
I told you my parents moved to Livingston, and they moved to Livingston to make this part of their fulfillment of their dream. Of their version of the American Dream. They both lost their fathers at a young age and were raised by extraordinarily strong women under really difficult circumstances. My dad, one of the best students in his high school class, admitted to Columbia University, because his father passed away he couldn’t go. They didn’t have the money. He went to work and he got drafted into the army and he came home went to work at the Breyers Ice Cream Plant in Newark, New Jersey. And then decided after he met my mom that it was time for him to make more with his life, and he went to school at night at Rutgers for six years while working at those jobs during the day, to get his degree in accounting. And my Mother – and one of the proudest pictures that she ever had was the one she called our first family picture. It was my Mom and Dad on the day that he graduated from Rutgers in June of 1962 – the first person in either of the families ever to get a college degree. And it was the first family picture because she was six months pregnant with me. And the smiles on both their faces that day were indicative of not what they accomplished, but what they saw coming ahead of them. Their smiles were about the fact that they thought that nothing was out of reach from them then. They had each other. They were building a family. They worked together. And then with the help of both of those strong women – they gave them five thousand dollars each – probably all the money they had in the world – to put a down payment on a house in this town to give their children a chance to take the dream they had started to build and to make it even bigger and even better. So I not only think about my Mom and Dad today I think about my two grandmothers. Women who raised children largely on their own. Women who knew how to work hard, and knew that that hard work would deliver something for their children. And I know that both of them are watching down today and that part of today is a fulfillment of their dream too. I’m thinking about both of them.
One of the things my Mother always used to say all the time to me was, Christopher if you work hard enough you can be anything. She said God’s given you so many gifts, if you just work hard enough you can be anything. And that story is proof. It’s proof. Parents who came from nearly nothing except for that hard work. Parents who brought little to their marriage except for their love for each other and that hard work. And that hard work not only produced a great life for me and my brother and my sister, but think about how amazing this country is. That one-generation removed from the guy that was working on the floor of the plant of the Breyers Ice Cream Plant, his son is the two term governor of the state where he was born and raised.
See that’s not only what my parents have done for me but that’s what New Jersey has done for us. See this place – this place that represents the most ethnically diverse state in the country. The most densely populated state in the country. We’re all different and we’re all on top of each other like you’re on top of each other in this gym. And what has come from that. What has come from that is the absolute belief that not only can all of us achieve whatever dream we want to achieve because of the place where we live and the opportunities it gives us, but that we not only can do it together, but we have to do it together.
We have no choice but to work together, this country needs to work
together again, not against each other. When I became governor six
years ago, we had a state that was in economic calamity, an $11 billion
deficit on a $29 billion budget, a state that had its taxes and fees
raised on it 115 times in the eight years before I became governor, a
state that no longer believed that any one person could make a
difference in the lives of the people in this state and so we rolled up
our sleeves and we went to work and we balanced six budgets in a row,
we’ve refused to raise taxes on the people of this state for six years.
We made the hard decisions that had to be made to improve our education
system. We reformed tenure for the first time in 105 years. We made the
difficult decisions to reform pensions and health benefits and continue
that fight today. We have stood together against each
and every person and every cynic who said why are you wasting your
time, the state is not governable. The last six years, we proved not
only can you govern this state, you can lead it to a better day and
that’s what we’ve done together.
And now, and now we face a country, we face a country that’s not angry,
when I hear the media say that our country is angry, I know they’re
wrong. Last year I went to 37 different states across this country in
one year. I met people in every corner of America and they are not
angry. Americans are not angry, Americans are filled with anxiety, they
are filled with anxiety because they look to Washington D.C. and they
see a government that not only doesn’t work anymore, it doesn’t even
talk to each other anymore, it doesn’t even try to pretend to work
anymore. We have a president in the Oval Office who ignores the
Congress and the Congress ignores the president. We need a government
in Washington D.C. that remembers, you went there to work for us not
the other way around.
And both parties, both parties have failed our country, both parties
have stood in the corner and held their breath and waited to get their
way. Both parties have led us to believe that in America, a country
that was built on compromise, that somehow now compromise is a dirty
word. If Washington and Adams and Jefferson believed compromise is a
dirty word, we’d still be under the crown of England. And this, this
dysfunction, this lack of leadership, has led to an economy that’s weak
and hasn’t recovered the way it should. It’s led to an educational
system that has us 27th in the industrial world in math and 24th in
science. It’s led us - it’s led us to weak leadership around the world
where our friends can no longer trust us and our adversaries no longer
fear us. This weakness and indecisiveness in the Oval Office has sent a
wave of anxiety through
our country. But I’m here today to tell you that anxiety can be swept
away by strong leadership and decisiveness to lead America again.
We just need, we just need to have the courage to choose, we just need
to have the courage to stand up and say enough. We need to have the
courage to course a new path for America. America knows that new path,
it knows where we need to go, it must start with this. We must tell
each other the truth about the problems we have and the difficulties of
the solutions but if we tell each other the truth everybody, we
recognize that truth and hard decisions today will lead to growth and
opportunity tomorrow for every American in this country.
What are those truths? What are those truths? Those truths are that we
have to acknowledge that our government isn’t working anymore for us.
We have to acknowledge that and say it out loud. And we have to
acknowledge that it’s the fault of our bickering leaders in Washington
D.C. who no longer listen to us and no longer know that they’re
supposed to be serving us. We need to acknowledge that all of that
anxiety and those failures are not the end, they are the beginning. The
beginning of what we can do together. What we need to decide is that we
can make a difference. That we can stand up and make a difference in
this country.
You see, that’s why I love, that’s why I love the job I have, that’s
why I love my job as governor because kids ask me all the time, the
fourth graders who come to the statehouse every week, they ask me the
two questions are always asked: one, what’s your favorite color,
always. Second, they always ask me, what’s your best part of your job?
And I always tell them that it’s that I wake up every morning knowing
that I have an opportunity to do something great, I don’t do something
great everyday, I’m human. But every morning I wake up with an
opportunity to do something great, that’s why this job is a great job
and that’s why president of the United States is an even greater job
for a great number of people.
I have spent the last 13 years of my life as U.S. Attorney and Governor
of this state fighting for fairness and justice and opportunity for the
people of the state of New Jersey. That fight has not made me more
weary, it has made me stronger and I am now ready to fight for the
people of the United States of America. America is tired of
handwringing and indecisiveness and weakness in the Oval Office, we
need to have strength and decision-making and authority back in the
Oval Office and that is why today, I am proud to announce my candidacy
for the Republican nomination for President of the United States of
America!
And now, and now as Livingston and New Jersey turns its gaze to the
rest of America today, what do we see and what do we have to confront?
We need a campaign of big ideas and hard truths and real opportunity
for the American people. We need to fix a broken entitlement system
that is bankrupting our country. We have candidates who have said we
can’t confront this because if we do we’ll be lying and stealing from
the American people. Let me fill everybody else in, the lying and
stealing has already happened, the horse is out of the barn, we got to
get it back in and you can only do it by force.
We need to get our economy growing again at 4% or greater and the
reason we do is cause we have to make this once again the country my
mother and father told me it was. That as hard as you work, that’s as
hard and high as you’ll rise. That’s not the case anymore, we can’t
honestly look at our children and say that to them because we have an
economy that is weak and doesn’t present them with the same
opportunities that Mary Pat and I were presented with in the mid-1980s
when we graduated from college. When we graduated from college, we
didn’t worry about getting a job, we worried about picking which job
was the best for us. We didn’t worry about whether we were gonna be
successful, we knew if we worked hard, we were gonna be successful.
This country and it’s leadership owes the same thing to my children and
yours and I’m ready to
give it to you.
We need a tax system, we need a tax system that is simplified and will
put CPAs like my dad out of business. We need to get the government off
the back of our people in our businesses with regulation and we need to
encourage businesses to invest in America again, not overseas, invest
in our country and our people. And in a world that is as dangerous, as
dangerous and frightening as any time I’ve seen it in my lifetime.
There is only one indispensable force for good in the world and it is a
strong, unequivocal America that will lead the world and not be afraid
to tell our friends, “We’ll be with you no matter what”, and to tell
our adversaries, “There are limits to your conduct and America will
enforce the limits to that conduct.” Well here it comes, after seven
years, after seven years I heard the President of the United States say
the other day that
the world respects America more because of his leadership. This
convinces me, this convinces me, it’s the final confirmation that
President Obama lives in his own world, not in our world. And the fact
is this: after seven years of a weak and feckless foreign policy, run
by Barack Obama, we better not turn it over to his second mate Hillary
Clinton.
In the end, in the end everybody, leadership matters. It matters for
our country, and American leadership matters for the world. But if
we’re going to lead, we have to stop worrying about being loved, and
start caring about being respected again, both at home and around the
world. I am not running for President of the United States as a
surrogate for being elected prom king of America. I am not looking to
be the most popular guy who looks in your eyes everyday and tries to
figure out what you want to hear, say it, and then turn around and do
something else. When I stand up on a stage like this in front of all of
you, there is one thing you will know for sure: I mean what I say and I
say what I mean, and that’s what America needs right now. And unlike
some people who will offer themselves for the presidency in 2016,
you’re not going to have to wonder whether I can do
it or not. In New Jersey as governor, I’ve stood up against economic
calamity and unprecedented natural disaster. We have brought ourselves
together, we have pushed back that economic calamity, and we are
recovering from that natural disaster, and that’s because we’ve led and
we’ve worked together to do it. As governor I’ve proven that you can
stand up and fight those powerful special interests this state has to
have, stand up and stop them, but at the same time reach across the
aisle to our friends in the Democratic Party and say, “If you have a
good idea, I’m willing to work with you because that’s what our country
needs.” And as governor, I’ve never wavered from telling you the truth
as I see it, and then acting to make sure that you know that is the
truth as I believe it in my heart.
You know, as a candidate for president I want to promise you just a few
things. First, a campaign without spin or without pandering or focus
group tested answers. You're going to get what I think, whether you
like it or not or whether it makes you cringe every once in a while or
not. A campaign when I'm asked a question, I'm going to give the answer
to the question that's asked, not the answer that my political
consultants told me to give backstage. A campaign that everyday will
not worry about what is popular but what is right, because what is
right is what will fix America, not what is popular. A campaign that
believes, that believes in an America that is as great as the hopes and
dreams that we want every one of our children to have. Not a campaign
that tears people down, but a campaign that rebuilds America to the
place where you and I grew up, and where we want our children to
grow up in again, and where we want free people around the world to
grow up in in their countries as well. That’s what America’s always
stood for, and that’s what this campaign will stand for.
And all the signs say “telling it like it is.” But there’s a reason for
that. We are going to tell it like it is today so that we can create
greater opportunity for every American tomorrow. The truth will set us
free, everybody. All the years, all 52 years that I’ve spent in this
state with our people have prepared me for this moment. We have no idea
where and how this journey will end, but we know that it’s only in this
country, only in America, where someone like me could have the
opportunity to seek the highest office the world has to offer. Only in
America could all of you believe that your voices and your efforts can
make a difference to change a country as big and vast and powerful as
this one. Only in America, only in America have we seen time after time
after time, the truth of the words that one person can make a
difference. You see, the reason
that’s true is because it’s the only thing that’s ever made a
difference in the history of the world. One person reaching out to
another to change their circumstance and to improve the lives of their
children and grandchildren.
I don’t seek the presidency for any other reason than because I believe
in my heart that I am ready to work with you to restore America to its
rightful place in the world, and to restore the American dream to each
one of our children, whether they live in Livingston or Mendham, Newark
or Camden, Paterson or Jersey City, no matter where they live across
this country we need to make sure that every one of those children
believes that they have a President who not only speaks to them, but
who hears them, who hears them and understands that their voices, that
their voices is what makes any American president great. If you give me
the privilege to be your president, I will wake up everyday not only
with my heart strong and my mind sharp, but with my ears open and my
arms open to welcome the American people, no matter what party, no
matter what race or creed or color to make sure that
you know that this is your country too. We are going to go and win this
election, and I love each and every one of you. Thank you very much."
###
Chris Christie for President, Inc.
Chris Christie: Telling It Like It Is To Create Opportunity For Every American
Christie draws on life experiences to make the case why every individual deserves a fair shot at the American Dream
What You Need to Know: Chris Christie Launches Presidential Campaign- Surrounded
by family, childhood friends and longtime supporters, Chris Christie is
announcing his decision to run for President of the United States at
his alma mater Livingston High School in Livingston, New Jersey, (where
he served three years as class president).
- Starting
his campaign in his hometown allows the American people to meet the
“Chris” everyone from Livingston knows through the people who know him
best and the experiences that have helped define him.
- Leading
From The Heart. Christie is showing people who he is at his core
by
delivering this important speech in the school he went to, in the
community he grew up in, surrounded by his family and friends --
the people who made him who he is today. It’s the reason
why he believes that the greatest gift the people give us is their
trust which is why you have to tell the people how you feel and what
you think. There should be nothing left unsaid between the people who
trust you enough with these jobs in the first place.
- Extending
The American Dream To Every Person In Every Community. As
the son
of a Sicilian mother and Irish father, from an early age Christie has
known what it means to have strong influences in your life.
Governor Christie recognizes that he is living the American dream and
believes that every person in this country deserves a fair shot at it
the same. It’s that belief that has been the driving force
behind why Governor Christie has pursued a career in public service -
the chance to widen the circle of opportunity and extend the American
dream to every person in every community.
- Running Towards What Makes
People
Uncomfortable. It takes guts to
make the American dream happen which is why Governor Christie is going
to confront the hard challenges and take on the big issues, not run
away from them. It’s time to stop accepting the status quo and
being resigned that it’s impossible to make things work. Governor
Christie sees how people’s lives are impacted when government is
ineffective and the system is frustrating, maddening and devoid of
common sense. There’s no excuse when you hold elected office not
to try. It’s your job to make it work.
- Telling It Like It Is. You won’t get any ideological dogma or theory. You won’t get any spin, and you won’t get any pandering. Governor Christie isn’t afraid to stand up for what’s right, and to tell you the truth – whether that truth is easy or not for you to hear. And to achieve that you need to talk to everyone, even the people you disagree with, and have a real debate.
Taking on the Big Issues and Third Rails of Politics
Chris Christie is taking on the biggest and oftentimes most politically unpopular issues. From tackling the entitlements crisis and growing our economy to reestablishing American leadership across the world and ensuring that every child gets a high-quality education, Governor Christie has already begun laying out his vision for a stronger American future.
- Economy:
Governor Christie has outlined his Five Point Economic Growth Plan
calling for pro-growth tax reform, an end to the Obama era of excessive
regulation, a national energy strategy, creating incentives for
Americans to work, and policies to ensure that America remains the home
of innovation.
- Entitlement
Reform: Governor Christie has put forth a substantive proposal
to begin
a national conversation on how we must address our nation’s entitlement
crisis. During a speech in Manchester, NH the Governor called for a
number of measures to control the costs of entitlements including
raising the retirement age to 69 and redefining social security as
retirement insurance.
- Education:
Governor Christie detailed a 15 point reform agenda to address concerns
about our nation’s education system that have consistently been brought
up by students, parents and grandparents during town hall meetings
across the country, from ensuring every student has access to a
high-quality education to making college more affordable and accessible.
- Foreign Policy: Governor Christie laid out specifics on the importance of national defense, including a strong intelligence community as well as the need to rebuild our alliances and confront our adversaries. He made the case for strong and accurate intelligence and highlighted the critical need for rebuilding our alliances across the globe.
Christie has brought unprecedented conservative reform to one of the bluest states in the nation.
Christie has successfully worked with a Democratic-controlled legislature for all six years in office, making him uniquely qualified in the Republican field to bring conservative reform to Washington.
- Sweeping
Pension And Benefits Reform: Governor Christie signed into law
landmark
pension and health benefit reform in June 2011, marking months of hard
work, negotiation, compromise and ultimately bipartisan support. While
Governor Christie made clear that more work was needed, critical
savings were achieved – over $120 billion in savings for New Jersey
taxpayers.
- Historic
Bipartisan Changes To The Nation’s Oldest Tenure Law: Marking
the first
extensive reform oldest tenure law in the nation, Governor Christie
signed into a sweeping overhaul requiring tenure to be awarded and
retained based in part on student achievement. Also for the first time,
teachers in Newark began to earn raises and be eligible for additional
bonuses based on evaluations that include progress being made by their
students.
- Improving
Access To High-Quality Education: The Inter-District School
Choice
Program is designed to increase opportunities to escape failing school
districts by providing students with the option of attending a public
school outside their district of residence without cost to their
parents. Enrollment has increased more than 5-fold since the law went
into effect with projected enrollment of over 5,000 students. The
Christie Administration has also increased the overall number of
charter schools in New Jersey to 87, opening 35 since the Governor took
office.
- Six
Years With No New Taxes: In the eight years before Governor
Christie took office, taxes and fees had been increased 115 times
making New Jersey the most heavily taxed state in the nation and
placing an undue burden on residents and job-creators alike. Since
then, Governor Christie has now signed six consecutive balanced budgets
without raising taxes once, and repeatedly vetoing tax increases passed
by the legislature.
- Five
Consecutive Years Of Private Sector Job Growth: Since Governor
Christie
took office, New Jersey has created 198,000 private sector jobs. New
Jersey’s unemployment rate has dropped to 6.5 percent, the lowest it
has been since 2008 and the state has seen five consecutive years of
private-sector job growth.
- Rewarding
Work And Cutting Taxes: Acting on his commitment to rewarding
work and
lowering the tax burden for hard-working families, Governor Christie
secured $120 million in tax relief for 500,000 New Jerseyans through
New Jersey's Earned Income Tax Credit.
- Holding
Discretionary Spending Below 2008 Levels: Governor Christie has
reinforced his commitment never to return to the reckless spending and
fiscal irresponsibility in Trenton that brought New Jersey to the brink
of catastrophe, by holding Fiscal Year 2016 discretionary spending $2.3
billion below Fiscal Year 2008 levels.
- Vetoing
Unnecessary And Excessive Gun Rights Restrictions: New Jersey
already
has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. And while Governor
Christie is committed to enforcing the laws on the books, he will not
allow political agendas to further restrict the rights of law-abiding
gun owners. He has vetoed several pieces of legislation he viewed as
just such overreaches including bills to restrict magazine sizes and
add further red tape to the state’s firearm ID processing.
- The
First Pro-Life Candidate Elected Statewide Since Roe Vs. Wade:
Governor
Christie: “And when they said it could never be done, now twice –
twice, for the first time since Roe vs. Wade, New Jersey has elected a
pro-life governor of New Jersey.” He has also vetoed funding for
planned parenthood every year since in office.
- Keeping
Communities And Citizens Safe: Governor Christie has taken
aggressive
action to keep citizens and communities safe by keeping violent
offenders behind bars and giving communities the resources they need.
He has signed bipartisan reforms to New Jersey’s bail system and taken
action to protect the public safety by providing needed reform to state
law governing New Jersey’s Parole Board. Governor Christie also worked
with City and County of Camden to implement ground-breaking reform by
creating a county-wide force that is putting more cops on the streets
of Camden, and more resources at their disposal.
- Helping Individuals Reclaim Their Lives: Governor Christie firmly believes that every life is a gift from god and that no life is disposable. Acting on this commitment, Governor Christie has worked to help drug addicts and non-violent offenders reclaim their lives by enacting common-sense bail reform, signed into law landmark, bipartisan legislation to put in place a statewide, mandatory drug court program, and announced a statewide program to help reduce the number of heroin-related deaths by training and equipping police officers and first responders to administer the antidote Narcan to overdose victims.
RESPONSES
Cruz for PresidentCruz Welcomes Chris Christie to Presidential Race
HOUSTON, Texas — U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, issued the following statement welcoming New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie into the race for the 2016 Republican nomination for President of the United States:
“I'm glad to welcome Governor Chris Christie into our diverse field of candidates. He is bold, he is brash, and I'm always glad to see Republicans get elected in blue states. His presence in the race for the Republican nomination will make our eventual nominee all the stronger to defeat Hillary Clinton in November of 2016.”
Democratic National Committee
DNC Chair Statement on Chris Christie's 2016 Announcement
Washington, D.C. – With
Chris Christie’s announcement that
he is running for president, DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz
released the following statement:"Now that Chris Christie is a candidate for President, he should be prepared to handle some blunt, straight-talk he may not like: his failed leadership has driven New Jersey’s economy off a cliff, leaving the middle class even further behind.
"As governor, Christie has led New Jersey to a record-setting nine credit downgrades, the third lowest private sector job growth in the country, and an unemployment rate among the highest in the region. The state has experienced significant budget shortfalls as Christie gave massive tax breaks to corporations and protected those at the very top while failing to meet his obligations to the middle class.
"Chris Christie spent 2014 and most of 2015 so far ignoring the problems he created at home while the state’s economic and fiscal crises worsened.
"His bullying style created a culture that led to the infamous Bridgegate scandal, and he's done nothing to solve New Jersey’s fiscal problems.
"Allow me to tell it like it is: Governor Christie doesn’t have solutions for America’s middle class, and he’d be a nightmare as President."
Five Things You Need to Know About Chris Christie
2. He has led New Jersey to a record-breaking nine credit downgrades. Yes, you read that right: nine credit downgrades.
3. His bullying style created a culture that brought about the now-infamous Bridgegate scandal.
4. He strongly opposes a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
5. He has made cuts to women’s health because of his new pro-life attitude, even loudly telling conservative primary voters that he has “vetoed Planned Parenthood funding FIVE TIMES!” And he did it again last night.
New Jersey Citizen Action Brings Giant 'Letter of Resignation' to Christie Presidential Announcement
Urges Christie To Sign the Letter and Resign Now!
“Chris Christie is going to be unwilling to take a single, responsible action to solve our state’s many problems as long as he is trying to win the approval of super-conservative primary voters in places like South Carolina and Iowa. If Chris Christie will not resign now, New Jersey’s grave problems will only be left to fester and grow worse than they already are,” said Phyllis Salowe-Kaye, Executive Director of New Jersey Citizen Action.
In 2014, Governor Christie was out of the state 137 days, more than one-third of the year, as he traveled the nation working to woo wealthy donors, and build name recognition and visibility in the key Presidential primary states. He has also vetoed multiple pieces of legislation that the majority of New Jerseyans favor, but are unpalatable to the Republican primary base, such as a ban on gestational pig crates, minimum wage, restoration of women’s health care funding, and a millionaire’s tax.
Salowe-Kaye continued, “We're having some fun with this spoof letter today, but it expresses real concerns that a lot of New Jerseyans have with Chris Christie remaining Governor while also seeking the Republican nomination for President. Running for President is no side-show or part-time job. Now that he's launched his Presidential campaign, New Jersey simply will not be Chris Christie's priority. He won't even be in the state most of time, and that is not okay. A key part of his announcement today,should be his plan to resign as Governor. It's the right thing to do for New Jersey.”
Underscoring the concerns that provoked New Jersey Citizen Action to call for the Governor's resignation last week, were a score of New Jersey residents, teachers, Sandy victims, environmentalists, union members, and progressive activists who protested the Governor's record in New Jersey. One-after-another, speakers took to the microphone to explain their disappointment with the Governor's failure to protect the environment, fund the state pensions, reject transit rate hikes, bolster job growth, support Hurricane Sandy victims, and make the state's tax code fair for middle income and poor people.
An excerpt of the spoof letter says, “And let's face it, New Jersey is a mess. There's not a thing I'm willing to do to fix our lagging job growth, depleted Transportation Trust Fund, pension crisis, and downgraded bond rating. I can't. I have to stay focused on burnishing my anti-tax and anti-government image so that Republicans across America will love me.”
A full copy of the faux Letter of Resignation is below.
New Jersey Citizen Action is the state's oldest statewide progressive advocacy group fighting for social and economic justice, representing more than 100 partner groups and 60,000 grassroots supporters.
From the (Virtual) Desk of Chris Christie
June 30, 2015
Dear New Jersey,
Effective today, I, Chris Christie, am resigning as Governor of the state of New Jersey, to focus on my run for President of the United States.
I know I can't possibly be a good Governor to you, and at the same time, win the approval I require from Republican primary voters in places like South Carolina and Iowa.
And let's face it, New Jersey is a mess. There's not a thing I'm willing to do to fix our lagging job growth, depleted Transportation Trust Fund, pension crisis and downgraded bond rating. I can't. I have to stay focused on burnishing my anti-tax and anti-government image so that Republicans across America will love me.
But hey, you guys have been great! For more than five years, you let me stand on your shoulders and use the office to which you've entrusted me to win national notoriety, not to mention the trust of the billionaires I need to fund my run for President.
People of New Jersey, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It's been grand.
Yours,
Sign Here
(Presidential Candidate Chris Christie)
PS: Tell the teachers, “No hard feelings, okay?”.They're alright but don't tell the people in Iowa I said so.
This Tuesday, national media will be at the Livingston High School when Gov. Christie announces his run for President. Join us to let the rest of the country know that Gov. Christie has the worst environmental record of any Governor in our state’s history and is unfit to be president.
At the RALLY we will be opposing Christie’s environmental record, including:
• Proposed Exxon Settlement, which lets the polluter off the hook for billions in damages to our state’s natural resources
• Failing to put place protections against fracking- both drilling and dangerous waste products
• His refusal to protect New Jersey from Climate Change, especially after Hurricane Sandy
• Rolling back critical standards to protect our waterways and drinking water
• AND MUCH MORE!
Join us Tuesday so everyone in the United States knows: Christie’s policies have hurt New Jersey and as President we can expect more of the same.
RALLY at Gov. Christie’s Presidential Announcement
WHERE: Livingston High School
30 Robert H Harp Dr
Livingston, NJ 07039
WHEN: Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Meet at 10:15 AM
RSVP now to Jamie.Zaccaria(a)SierraClub.org and we will send more info as the details become finalized.
Sponsored by NJ Sierra Club NJ, NJ Working Families, NJ Citizen Action, SEIU, Clean Water Action, Environment New Jersey
NextGen Climate
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
CONTACT: NGC Press Office
Chris Christie, It's Time to Lead on Climate Change
Today Governor Chris Christie announced his candidacy for the presidency of the United States of America in his home state of New Jersey—a state that just three years ago experienced the devastating impacts of climate change and extreme weather firsthand when Hurricane Sandy caused $29.4 billion in economic losses.Governor Christie knows how extreme weather events can destroy businesses and coastal communities. To his credit, Christie recently acknowledged the scientific consensus about climate change. Now Christie has a responsibility to lay out a clear plan to confront the problem. That means embracing climate solutions and breaking with his record of inaction and obfuscation.
As governor, Christie unilaterally removed New Jersey from RGGI, a multi-state initiative that has cut carbon pollution and helped create thousands of clean energy jobs—and went on to veto two bills to rejoin the effort. This decision not to take climate action has cost the state $114 million in revenue, weakened New Jersey’s economy and put residents' health at risk.
But this is a chance for a new beginning.
Gov. Christie knows what’s at stake in this fight. He has seen the powerful threat climate change poses to our economy, our families and our community. In just the past few weeks, faith, military and business leaders have called for urgent action to build a healthier and more prosperous future for our children.
As he launches his presidential campaign, NextGen Climate calls on Gov. Christie to take decisive action and outline a concrete plan to build the cleaner, healthier and more prosperous future our kids deserve.
NextGen Climate is focused on bringing climate change to the forefront of American politics. Founded by investor and philanthropist Tom Steyer in 2013, NextGen Climate acts politically to prevent climate disaster and promote prosperity for all Americans.