N.J. Gov. Christie jabs Obama on budget talks

AP Photo/Julio Cortez

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie on Friday called on President Obama to be more involved in budget talks with Republicans and said the president should borrow a page from his playbook.

A deal he brokered this week with Democrats on pension payments would not have happened with surrogates in charge, the Republican governor said.

"You can't negotiate through a second person," Christie said on NBC's Today Show, "I didn't have to be dragged in the room."

Christie worked with the Democratic-controlled New Jersey Assembly to pass legislation that requires 500,000 teachers, police, firefighters and other public workers to pay a larger portion of their health insurance premiums based on income. Opposed by the public sector unions, the legislation also raises the retirement age, moves Christie claims could save the state tens of billions of dollars over the next few decades.

"I would not have been able to achieve this for New Jersey without the Senate President Steve Sweeney and the Speaker of the Assembly Sheila Oliver. Everybody came together, put aside party," Christie said.

Everyone needs to take risk and "bring skin to the game," he said.

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[justme2012]

A true leader, like Christie, knows that negotiations can not take place in seperate meetings. You can't have bipartisanship when the leader constantly plays the two sides against each other.

Unfortunately for our country, Obama doesn't have the leadership skills or experience we so desperately need at this time. He is out of his depth. He tries to manage the government like a school teacher with a bunch of students. That is not how it works in the real world.

[retm-w]

Sorry christe your living in a dream world, if you think the republicans in Washington will ever put partisanship aside. The republican leaders have made it clear Damn the American people, we'll do anything to make Obama a one term president.

[ajvw]

Equally true -
Sorry christe your living in a dream world, if you think the democrats in Washington will ever put partisanship aside.

[jimbom121]

ajvw

Who agreed to $2t in spending cuts??? Who walked away from the negotiations?

[AngryMobVoter]

Obama cannot fix the economy because he will not address the real problems:

* Reckless government spending at ALL levels of government
* Massive public debt
* Oppressive regulation
* High and complex tax structure
* Obamacare - a jobs killer
* Little incentive to work - 45 million on food stamps
* High gas prices
* High food prices

Obama's CHANGE has taken away our HOPE!!!

Our "leaders" are clearly out of touch with the lives of the average American. The huge increase in the price of gasoline combined with higher prices for food will mean Americans have less money to spend. That will stop any economic recovery. Obama must start sending clear messages that he will encourage drilling for oil everywhere, reduce the mountains of senseless and wasteful regulations faced by businesses and individuals, reduce the amount, number, and complexity of government taxes and fees, and drastically reduce the size of government or our future is bleak.

We must continue to VOTE THEM OUT!!!

[jimbom121]

If you can cut & paste, so can I with some facts;

Except your stated problems are incorrect:

-Reckless government spending. Spending is high because our economy would be worse if there was no spending (according to most non-partisan economists)
-Massive public debt- 2 major tax cuts, 2 unfunded wars, and unfunded medicare drug program, a massive global recession...what do you expect?
-Oppressive regulation--has already been debunked. Regulations passed recently have been minor. American corporations are making record profits
-High & Complex tax structure--I agree about complex, but high...no. Not compared to our tax history or to other countries
-Obamacare--Has not been the cause of 1 job loss. You are using bachman's numbers, which have also been debunked
-Little incentive to work---says who? Does anyone really want to be on food stamps?? get real
-High gas prices/high food prices--same issue. Its called speculation. Same as in 2008. Its a commodity. There has been little disruption in the world supply.

Now how about those jobs bills? Oh yeah, the Senate just filibustered another one

[AngryMobVoter]

Obama's reelection should be based on how Americans feel about his reckless spending, massive increase in our public debt, intrusive regulation and high and complex tax structure which is stifling economic growth and job creation. Now if Obama could only handle the reckless spending, massive public debt, week job growth, anemic economic growth, and high prices of gas and food.

We need to end all of the wasteful and inefficient government programs to make it easier for people to live off the system than to be productive members of the economy. I am tired of paying taxes to pay for the person in the checkout line in front of me using food stamps to buy food only to follow that up with using a large amount of cash to buy cigarettes. I am tired of paying taxes so government workers can get salaries and benefits far beyond what I get in the private sector. I am tired of paying taxes to support people who have little incentive to work and achieve. Our government is dysfunctional, inefficient, and too big. It is our huge, dysfunctional, and wasteful government that is holding back our economy and job growth.

Our "leaders" are clearly out of touch with the lives of the average American. The huge increase in the price of gasoline combined with higher prices for food will mean Americans have less money to spend. That will stop any economic recovery. Obama must start sending clear messages that he will encourage drilling for oil everywhere, reduce the mountains of senseless and wasteful regulations faced by businesses and individuals, reduce the amount, number, and complexity of government taxes and fees, and drastically reduce the size of government or our future is bleak.

Obama plans to spend $1 billion to get elected for a second term. If he was doing a good job would he need to spend even close to that amount? If that does not clearly indicate something is very wrong with our government, I don't know what does.

Until we get him out of office, Obama will:

* Spend $1 billion in an attempt buy back a job he has failed miserably at.

* Attempt a huge tax increase on the people who create jobs and economic growth so they will send even more money out of the country.

* Continue to take money from the people who get educated and work to achieve and give it to people who would rather live off the system than to be productive members of the economy

* Regulate and tax business so that cannot possibly compete on the world market.

What people need to know is we are destroying our economy with massive public debt, the huge amount and complexity of government regulation combined with the huge amount, number, and complexity of taxes.

Obama, Pelosi, Reid, and the rest of the Democrats believe in big government and intrusive regulation. They believe in taking from the people who work hard and get educated to achieve and give it to the people who do not try to better themselves.

Our representatives vote on legislation they do not understand or have not read. They add unrelated PORK to bills that are mainly concerned with issues where it would be political suicide to vote against. Why not have every elected official sign-off that they have read and UNDERSTOOD an issue before they are permitted to vote? Those sign-offs could be scanned into the public record and put on a public website.

Our representatives have a sense of entitlement that must be eliminated. If a law applies to the American People, it should apply to our elected officials and that includes things like social security, pension, and healthcare. Our government is wasteful and dysfunctional.

We must continue to VOTE THEM OUT!!!