By Michael O’Brien , Political Reporter, NBC News
President Barack Obama pronounced the Jersey Shore “back” on Tuesday, just seven months after Hurricane Sandy washed away much of its boardwalk, and threatened its tourism industry with it.
Obama joined New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, R, to revive their political odd-couple partnership and herald the beginning of the summer tourism industry in Asbury Park, N.J., an anchor of the summertime attractions along the state’s storied shoreline which had to be reconstructed in the aftermath of Sandy.
President Barack Obama delivers remarks Tuesday from Asbury Park, N.J., after touring areas that are rebuilding from Hurricane Sandy.
“You are stronger than the storm,” Obama told cheering Garden Staters gathered for the event. “The Jersey Shore is back and it’s open for business.”
Both Obama and Christie lauded the recovery work achieved so far, but stressed that much work was still ahead. Christie, the pugnacious Republican governor whose praise for Obama in the aftermath of the storm (which coincided with the final days of the 2012 election), reiterated his pledge to work closely with all officials as the recovery goes forward.
“I am not going to let anything or anyone get in between me and the mission of completing the work to restore our great state,” Christie said.
Tuesday’s rally focused on the recovery of the Jersey Shore as much as anything else, though the appearance between Obama and Christie hardly halted political tongue-wagging a few hundred miles south in Washington.
Christie’s first appearance with Obama in the immediate aftermath of Sandy coincided with the closing days of the 2012 presidential
AP, AFP-Getty Images
TOP: President Barack Obama is greeted by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie upon his arrival at Atlantic City International Airport, Wednesday, Oct. 31, 2012, in Atlantic City, NJ. Obama traveled to region to take an aerial tour of the Atlantic Coast in New Jersey in areas damaged by superstorm Sandy.
Bottom: resident Barack Obama shakes hands with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie (L) after arriving at Joint Base McGuire-Dix in New Jersey on May 28, 2013. Obama is traveling to the New Jersey shore to view rebuilding efforts following last year’s Hurricane Sandy.
election. And although Christie had spoken out in favor of the Republican nominee, Mitt Romney, the governor’s effusive praise for the federal response to Sandy spearheaded by Obama rubbed many conservatives the wrong way.
(“I don’t think that’s why the president won the election,” Romney said of Christie’s embrace of Obama months later in an interview with Fox. “I’m not going to worry about how Chris was doing what he thought was best for the people of his state.”)
Obama and Christie did spend some quality time together on Tuesday, though it was not a point of emphasis during the presidential visit. The two political leaders from opposite parties played several boardwalk games, including “Touchdown Fever.” When Christie fired a football through a tire on the first attempt, Obama met him for an excited high-five. Christie later gave the teddy bear — a “Chicago Bear,” for the president’s hometown football team — to Obama.
But the event otherwise focused on the business of recovery efforts. Obama said his trip to the shore wasn’t just intended for those
Saul Loeb / AFP – Getty Images
President Barack Obama speaks with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie after arriving at Joint Base McGuire-Dix in New Jersey on May 28, 2013.
on the East Coast, but for Oklahomans affected by last week’s devastating tornadoes, as well.
“When we make a commitment that we’ve got your back, we mean it,” Obama said of his message to those in Oklahoma. “And we’re not going to finish until the work is done.”
Still, Tuesday’s joint-appearance served political purposes for Christie and Obama alike.
Christie is facing re-election this fall in Democratic-leaning New Jersey, a state Obama carried by 17 points last fall. Appearing with a relatively popular Democratic president helps Christie burnish his bipartisan credentials and crossover appeal, which first helped him win election in 2009.
At the same time, though, Christie’s apparently close working relationship with Obama could come back to bite him in 2016, should he decide to seek the Republican presidential nomination. The governor’s recent announcement that he’d sought to manage his girth with weight-loss surgery only accelerated speculation about his future White House ambition.
For Obama, the trip to New Jersey is a welcome break from some of the controversies that have consumed his administration in welcome weeks. An appearance with a Republican who’s not piling on the White House for the IRS, Benghazi or targeting reporters will offer the president a chance to change the story and escape partisan needling for once.
This story was originally published on Tue May 28, 2013 11:55 AM EDT
Obama, Christie renew odd-couple bromance
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