America this week got an up-close look at a very rare bird indeed: a politician who wears his heart on his sleeve while giving not a tinker’s damn what people think about it.
Not since Rudy Giuliani inspired America in the aftermath of 9/11 has an elected leader stepped up to the plate like New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie did this week.
It’s not just that he was anywhere and everywhere even before the monster storm struck, warning people in flood-prone areas to evacuate.
Since the storm, he’s been up and down the Garden State, surveying the devastation, talking to as many stricken residents as possible and overseeing rescue efforts.
Gone has been the brashness, the swagger, the in-your-face style. Instead, we’ve seen a starkly emotional governor, whose expressions of loss are deeply personal.
A lifelong New Jerseyan who loves his state.
And one who feels the same wrenching, intensely emotional sense of personal loss that everyone else is feeling right now.
When he choked up as he spoke of the icons of the Jersey shore being washed into the Atlantic, you knew this was someone who knew those places personally.
And that genuine emotion surely left Garden Staters convinced by his vow that “we’ll rebuild it — no question in my mind.”
To his credit, Christie also understood that his job right now is to be governor, not to play politics.
Sure, some Republican eyebrows were raised by his fulsome welcome of President Obama and praise for Washington’s efforts.
But as the governor noted: “I have a job to do. I’ve got 2.4 million people out of power. I’ve got devastation on the shore. I’ve got floods in the northern part of my state.”
Christie this week proved that he’s much more than just Jersey attitude. He’s got the let’s-get-it-done leadership to back it up.
And that’s what people saw.