New Jersey governor Chris Christie rises above Republican taunts
New Jersey governor rejects claims that his praise of Obama helped his re-election
Bill O'Reilly complained about him. Rush Limbaugh called him "fat" and a "fool". Dick Morris argued that he had cost Mitt Romney the presidency.
On right-wing radio, Fox News and Twitter feeds, Governor Chris Christie, of New Jersey, has been taking a pounding from high-profile personalities, who said his abundant praise of President Barack Obama's leadership of the recovery after Hurricane Sandy helped snuff out Republican hopes of capturing the White House.
"Judas", they called Christie. "Traitor". Or worse.
"It would not surprise me if Chris Christie at some point became a Democrat," said radio host Laura Ingraham.
The criticism began before election day and only intensified after Romney's loss. It may have been strident, but it placed Christie in a familiar and comfortable spot: being talked about, for better or for worse, as much as any politician in his party - with the exception of Romney and his running mate, congressman Paul Ryan, of Wisconsin.
Other Republicans considering running in 2016 have had to watch from the sidelines as Christie took a dominant role in the storm recovery, in ways that recall Mayor Rudolph Giuliani after the September 11 attacks.
Over the past week, the governor has been shown repeatedly on television comforting distraught citizens who have lost everything and threatening utilities that have incurred the wrath of New Jersey residents who are without electricity.
