New Jersey Governor Chris Christie and Florida Senator Marco Rubio are focusing their efforts on New Hampshire this week in the shadow of the Iowa caucuses.
Their focus? National security.
Christie delievered a speech at St. Anselm College, which his campaign headlined, “These challenging times demand a grown-up.” Playing on the governor’s reputation as a straight talker, the speech not-so-subtly targets Donald Trump and Marco Rubio; Trump over his carnival-like campaign, and Rubio over his Senate attendance.
These are among the most dangerous and perilous times in our country’s recent history. These times and these challenges demand a grown up to be our candidate. They demand someone who has been fighting today’s battles in the arena, not someone who’s been sidelined for years; not running away from the battles when they get too hot or when they get too discouraged. Showtime is over, everybody. We are not electing an entertainer-in-chief. Showmanship is fun but it is not the kind of leadership that will truly change America. If we are going to turn our frustration and anger with the D.C. insiders, the politicians of yesterday and the carnival barkers of today into something that actually will change American lives for the better, we must elect someone who has been tested. Someone with proven experience. Someone who knows how to make decisions because he has been making them for years, in the middle of the firefight that’s been going on the last seven years between big government liberalism and our brand of freedom loving conservatism. Someone who has been held responsible and accountable for their decisions, not someone who just changes the next vote if the last one didn’t work out. And bluster is not the leadership we crave. Talking a big game and either not showing up or not knowing how, isn’t what we desperately need today. We need someone who knows how to make decisions, and how to make them work for our government and our citizens. We need an experienced, tested decision-maker in the Oval Office.
You can watch an excerpt of Christie’s speech here.
Rubio, meanwhile is directing his fire at President Obama. Monday morning, at an event at the American Legion in Hooksett, New Hampshire, Rubio reminded the audience of a largely forgotten anniversary: that of Obama winning the Iowa caucuses.
Though the media isn’t covering it, today is actually the anniversary of a historic moment in global affairs. Eight years ago today – January 4th 2008 – was the first day many people around the world heard the name Barack Obama. They awoke to the news that a little-known Senator from Illinois had won the Iowa caucuses the night before, and that a political frenzy was sweeping the United States. As that year went on, many around the world who resented America’s influence found a lot to like about this man. There have always been voices in our country who say America’s not that different, that every country thinks they’re special – voices who question our role abroad, who think of America as a bully rather than as a leader. But in 2008, for the first time ever, one of these voices was elected president. A man was elected who condemned America for having “arrogance” and the audacity to “dictate our terms” to other nations. A man who apologized for America and bowed pitifully to foreign leaders. A man willing to abandon our allies, make concessions to our enemies, and worst of all, to make historic, devastating cuts to our military and intelligence capabilities. For a while, many thought all of this was the result of naivety. But it wasn’t. It’s now abundantly clear: Barack Obama has deliberately weakened America. He has made an intentional effort to humble us back to size. As if to say: We no longer need to be so powerful because our power has done more harm than good. From the beginning, elites around the world rejoiced at this. The Nobel Peace Prize was thrown at his feet. But happiest of all have been America’s enemies. Because when America steps back, it gives darker forces the space they need to rise. And rise they have.
