Chris Christie making moves in New Hampshire
NEW HAMPSHIRE -- In the presidential campaign, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is making a move in New Hampshire -- with the Republican primary less than two months away.
A town-hall in Pelham marks Chris Christie's 41st in New Hampshire.
Since the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, Christie has noticed a tidal shift in anxiety -- 75 percent of his questions now are about terrorism -- triple what they once were.
"As politicians we need to be responding to that fear," Christie said.
CBS News rode on the Christie bus and askedhim if fear can get the best of people.
"I don't think this is something where we should be afraid of someone because of what religion they practice," Christie said.
Or how they look?
"Of course. It goes hand in hand," Christie said. "The fact is what you need to be fearful of is not having enough intelligence to know the difference between a jihadist and a peaceful Muslim."
CBS News asked Christie how to do that, "You first of all ramp back up the NSA program which should never have been taken down. You give real support to the FBI," he said.
And what would he do to recruit more Arab and NATO allies in the fight against ISIS?
"We have to say to them this is a fight all of us need to take on together," Chrstie said. "What skin are you going to have in this game?"
And what if they say not nearly as much as you want or demand?
"Well ya know what? That's when I become my charming and persuasive self, Major, and that's what we do," Christie said.
Christie is still running fourth in New Hampshire, but he has doubled his support in a month. And yet, Christie has no campaign team after New Hampshire. He couldn't even submit a full slate of delegates for the Ohio primary.
"I'm not worried about that and by the way, if we win in Ohio, we'll get all the delegates anyway," he said.
Christie said he's had to learn patience, as for months, his campaign teetered on the edge of irrelevancy, while distancing himself from a scandal back home.
"Listen, the stuff that happened to me in New Jersey, the bridge stuff, you know, matures you. When you take that level of abuse, and then you come out the other side of it fine, you're a much more ready office holder than you might have been otherwise," he said.
Whether Bridgegate remains an asset will be determined by Christie's opponents in New Hampshire. Those ranks shrank by one on Monday when Lindsey Graham dropped out, but taking credit, he said, for a Republican Party more willing to send ground troops to fight ISIS in Syria.
