Hurricane Chris Christie rolls into Tampa
A combative New Jersey governor Chris Christie isn’t letting bad weather stop his invasion of the Republican National Convention, as the GOP faces several storms in Tampa.
Chris Christie (Wikimedia Commons photo by Walter Burns)
The biggest maelstrom, currently Tropical Storm Isaac, is now heading toward New Orleans and away from Tampa. But that presents another challenge to convention planners, as Isaac could hit the Gulf Coast close to the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal cancelled his campaign appearance to remain at home, directing the efforts to react to Isaac.
Back in Tampa, the GOP was dealing with two political storm systems blowing in from New Jersey and New York.
Christie made headlines on Monday after he insulted California Governor Jerry Brown and blasted the New York Post.
The feisty New Jersey governor spoke to the delegation from California on Monday morning, dishing out insults about Brown and offering a message of hope.
“California made the bad choice by going with an old retread,” Christie quipped about the 74-year-old Brown. “Jerry Brown? I mean, he won the New Jersey presidential primary over Jimmy Carter when I was 14 years old.”
Then, Christie got steamed when the New York Post alleged that he didn’t pursue the vice presidential nomination Mitt Romney later offered to Paul Ryan, because Christie didn’t think Romney could defeat Barack Obama.
The Post said campaign regulations would have forced Christie to quit as governor if he ran on the Romney ticket.
Christie was mobbed by reporters and photographers as he made a rebuttal to MSNBC in a campaign-floor interview. He called the Post story “completely shoddy reporting.”
The New York Post is owned by News Corp., which also owns Fox News.
Christie is giving the keynote speech on Tuesday night at the convention.
Another political storm from New York seemed to be diverted, as Donald Trump apparently cancelled his own media blitz in Tampa as Isaac headed into the Gulf of Mexico.
The Washington Post said that convention organizers and Romney officials had originally planned to showcase Trump on Monday, complete with a live appearance in the convention floor.
Trump cancelled his appearance at the convention after the GOP decided to shutdown activities on Monday as Isaac approached.
Or did he?
Later on Monday, Trump was hinting he could fly back to Florida from Manhattan.
“They have asked us to come back,” Trump told USA Today. “My schedule is really tough.”
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