Gearing up for keynote, Christie touts Romney's character

Republican presidential candidate and former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney greets New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie as he campaigns at Basalt Public High School, in Basalt, Colo., Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012.

/ AP Photo/Charles Dharapak

(CBS News) Tampa, Fla. -- Just hours before his keynote speech at tonight's Republican National Convention, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie offered up a personal endorsement of Mitt Romney's character, emphasizing that the Romney he knows is "not some detached business person" but a man who has the "heart" to face the challenge of the presidency, and providing a possible glimpse into what he'll address in his much-anticipated remarks Tuesday evening.

In joke-laced remarks to Michigan delegates, the famously outspoken governor recounted the days leading up to his formal endorsement of the soon-to-be Republican presidential nominee, zeroing in particularly on how Romney interacted with his children at a visit to his house.

"What I saw that day with Mitt Romney is something you can't fake -- he genuinely knew how to interact with an eight-year-old little girl," Christie said, after recounting a story in which his youngest daughter, Bridget, performed gymnastics in the living room to get Romney's attention. (It worked.)

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In light of recent polling showing that Romney suffers from an empathy deficit when compared to President Obama, Christie used his remarks Tuesday to emphasize the candidate's human side.

"There's lots of qualifications for being president of the United States and if you look down a resume Mitt Romney's got all those qualifications," he said. "He checks all those boxes. But in the end, to me, once you check those boxes, that's not enough. You need to know what the heart is of the person who's going to be sitting behind that desk."

"I think you can tell a lot about that by the way people treat children," he added.

Christie has been relatively mum so far about the content of tonight's speech, but he, like Ann Romney, is expected to touch on his belief in the strength of the candidate's character.

On Tuesday, he again declined to give much of a preview, but allowed that expectations are running high.

"This has basically got to be a 20-minute version of the Gettysburg address or I'm in huge trouble," he quipped.

Michigan state Senator David Robertson, a delegate for Romney, reinforced that notion after Christie's remarks.

"In an exciting, arousing fashion, he's going to fire up the troops tonight and he's going to outline in clear detail the choice that we have to make in this election and the importance of this movement," he said, of his expectations for the governor's keynote speech. "I think he's going to live up to every expectation that we have for him." 

[Lindag20]

A vulture capitalist with a heart? The man would pick the gold fillings out of his mother's teeth and sell them. He offshore thousands of jobs and didn't care how that impacted the people who became unemployed as a result.

[SiaraDelyn]

Romney has a heart? Is that why he's made a killing bankrupting American businesses and send the jobs overseas. Because he loves America so much?

Romney is a heartless busi9nessman who plays the system for all he can get.

[Dancing-in-the-Streets]

Publicly. First chance we saw that heart was when he was a young lad in a Michigan school for the rich, leading a bunch of bullies, tackled and pinned down this "odd' looking boy and cut his odd looking hair in front of schoolmates. Second time was when he held the door shut so a vision impaired teacher would slam into it....
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People Please do not elect this bully President! : /

[Dancing-in-the-Streets]

Heart??? This man doesn't have a heart! Unless you are in the top 1% or he stands to make money off of you - he doesn't give a damn about any of you!

[donco6]

Governor Mean talking up Robme's "heart." Wow, that's kinda ironic, no?

[mississippigirl2012]

A HEART. This man made million by giving out pick slips to fellow Americans. Did he think about how these people would feed their family?

[TJphoto]

IF he has one, where was it when destroyed peoples pensions and shipped jobs overseas?????? Maybe it's hidden in that "trickle down" thing.

[enadelman]

Yes, Romney has a heart of gold -- hard, cold, and yellow.

[expatriate2]

Sure he has the heart. It's the brains, morals, associates, personal past, ideas, philosophy and party affiliation I worry about.

[stephen_weber]

Christe says Romney he knows is "not some detached business person"..

But that is exactly who he is. My first impression of him was seeing his comments to the news media during the beginning of the Occupy Movement. When asked what he thought he replied, "I am just trying to run for President."

A self centered view. Totally out of touch with the issue of the day. I could have respected a comment that was against the movement. But it was absolutely not in touch with the reality around him.

And the last current image of him is comments that he buys shirts by packs of three from costco (maybe it was walmart). And that appears to again be totally out of touch with reality. Because and this is a fact. All people who have no money like him and know their entire lives will be standing in a crowded store like Costco to buy clothes and the like are dreaming of tailored cut shirts and jeans. He comes off out of touch with us. Either he out and out lies about his shopping practice. Or he is a masochist to put himself through that tension environment.