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New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie talks with Joe Scarborough of MSNBC's "Morning Joe" on the floor before the start of the abbreviated first day of the Republican National Convention.

Slideshow: Chris Christie

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The N.J. politician's straight-talk and tough policies put him in the national spotlight — but after considering a presidential bid, the governor decided he wasn't ready.

Launch slideshow

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was swamped by journalists as he entered  the floor before the start of the abbreviated first day of the Republican National Convention at the Tampa Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Florida. The RNC is scheduled to convene today, but will hold its first full session tomorrow after being delayed due to Tropical Storm Isaac.  Gov. Christie will give his keynote address on Tuesday night. Christie is scheduled to appear tomorrow on Morning Joe with Joe Scarborough.

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TAMPA, Fla. – Arizona Sen. John McCain expressed concern Sunday that further weather-related cancellations of the Republican National Convention here could deprive the GOP of an opportunity to make its case to voters.

Speaking Sunday on “Meet the Press,” the 2008 Republican presidential nominee said that the decision by convention organizers to effectively cancel Monday’s session due to the effects of the impending Hurricane Isaac wouldn’t have much harm on Republicans.

Jacquelyn Martin / AP

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz. attends a news conference about the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Thursday, July 12, 2012, on Capitol Hill.

“It's Wednesday, Thursday night that are the big moments,” he said. “It's not that we don't want that first night, but I don't think it will be harmful if we lose the first night.”

But, the veteran senator added: “It could be harmful if we lose more than that.”

Recommended: Hurricane impending, Republicans cancel first day of convention

Republicans announced on Saturday that they had decided to delay the beginning of the convention until Tuesday; the impending storm threatens logistics and safety problems that made it unfeasible to convene for Monday’s activities.

But convention organizers haven’t yet released the revised schedule, and haven’t officially foreclosed the possibility of further weather-related changes to the schedule bleeding into Tuesday.

Related: GOP elders describe high stakes for Romney in Tampa

As things stand, Ann Romney and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie are scheduled to be featured speakers on Tuesday evening. Mitt Romney won’t speak until Thursday, though the formal roll call vote to nominate him for president is currently scheduled for Tuesday.

ASPEN, CO -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has some advice for Mitt Romney: choose a running mate who is anti-abortion.

“If you're voting for somebody at the top of the ticket who's pro-life, and vice presidents often – not always, but often – wind up succeeding to leadership of the party, if not leadership of the country," Christie said, "You know, people want some consistency in that regard."

Romney, whose views on abortion have become more conservative since he first expressed them during his 1994 Senate run, is opposed to abortion -- except, he has said, in cases of rape and incest and when the life of the mother is in danger.

Christie delivered his remarks during a Q & A with several Republican governors Wednesday evening. The event, held beneath a large tent and hosted by the Aspen Institute, followed meetings earlier Wednesday of the Republican Governors Association here in this upscale resort city.

“Do I think it’s possible? I think it’s possible,” Christie said of the possibility of Romney picking a running mate who supports abortion rights. “Do I think it’s likely? No. And do I think it’s advisable? No. I wouldn’t do it.”

That standard would not seem to eliminate many top-tier names from the list of Romney’s potential running mates – aside from former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who has described her views as “mildly pro-choice.”

Christie did not name Rice, though he praised Republicans for what he said are more permissive attitudes toward divergent views inside the party.

“The Democratic Party won’t even let someone who’s pro-life speak at their convention,” Christie said, referring to former Pennsylvania Gov. Bob Casey, who said in 1992 he was denied a speaking slot because of his views on abortion rights.

He also said Romney hadn't called on him for advice on the closely-watched decision.

“You know, again, this is going to be Governor Romney's choice,” he continued, adding, "he can choose whoever he wants. If he asks for my advice, I'd give him my advice on it. He hasn't asked for my advice on who he's going to pick for vice president yet.”

Wednesday’s panel included four other high-profile governors: Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Bob McDonnell of Virginia, Nikki Haley of South Carolina, and Bobby Jindal of Louisiana.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will deliver the keynote address at next month's Republican National Convention in Tampa, FL.

NBC News' Jamie Gangel reported Wednesday that Christie would be afforded the plum speaking slot at the convention, a gig that sometimes serves as a launching pad for political figures with ambitions of higher office.

The selection of Christie, though, would seem to suggest that Christie is not likely the choice by Mitt Romney to serve as the GOP's vice presidential nominee. Typically, the keynote speaker is separate from the vice presidential nominee, who, like the presidential nominee, speaks on separate nights.

Republicans have not yet released a detailed itinerary of the speaking schedule for their convention.

WASHINGTON -- Speaking in the nation’s capital Monday morning, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie shed light on how important he thinks it is for executive leaders to take “risks” and be themselves.

“I am coming to this place ... Washington, D.C., because I want people to know that their government can work for them but they need leaders who are willing to take risks,” Christie told the several dozen attendees at a Brookings Institute discussion. “Risk with their own parties and risk with the public who votes for them.”

The prominent Republican governor, whose name has been thrown out as a possible vice presidential pick for presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney, never directly attacked any politician by name, but did offer stern words for how everyone should govern.

“You can't lead by being a mystery. You can't lead by being an enigma. You can't lead by being aloof. You can't lead by being programmed. I think you have to lead by being yourself and who you are and then people will trust you. And when they trust you they'll follow you,” Christie said.

Just prior to President Obama’s public call to extend tax cuts to middle class Americans, the governor of the Garden State kicked off his roughly 40-minute policy speech at the think tank speaking about the pending fight in his state over cuts.

“Despite promises that we've had for a tax cut to happen, that tax cut was left on the table at the last minute,” Christie said, noting Democrats in his state thought “it was more important for me not to be able to the Republican National Convention in Tampa and say that I got a tax cut for the people of our state than it was to actually give the people of our state a tax cut.”

As for that RNC convention in late August, Christie told the small crowd he will attend but has “absolutely no knowledge at the moment whether I'll even be speaking at the convention.”

Obviously if Romney selects Christie as his running mate, he would address the convention.

The Garden State governor's authenticity has made him a popular figure in the Republican Party for his blunt, no-nonsense style. But it has also led to questions about his temperament. Recently, his off-the-cuff style led to him calling a reporter an "idiot" and got him in a shouting match on the Jersey boardwalk.  It is that kind of behavior, conservatives fear, that could be a distraction if he were to be chosen as Romney's No. 2. 

At no point in the speech or question and answer period Monday at, what was billed as “Restoring Fiscal Integrity and Accountability” discussion, did the vice presidential rumors come up.

Speaking publicly in Washington, D.C. for the first time since early May, Christie argued that only sound, strong leadership will help move this country forward.

“In the end, my message is that leadership is the only thing that will make the difference. And leadership is not just about obstructionism. Leadership is also not about caving every time you get pushed. Leadership is about nuance and about understanding and communicating to people,” he said.

As Mitt Romney approaches his announcement of a running mate, a series of clues about whom he might pick continue to seep into the media.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee's campaign confirmed, per NBC's Garrett Haake, that New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R) would meet with Romney and march with him at a Fourth of July parade tomorrow in Wolfeboro, N.H.

Brian Snyder / Reuters

New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte plans to meet with presumptive GOP nominee Romney and march with him at a Fourth of July parade in Wolfeboro, N.H.

Ayotte is one of several rumored short-listers who have appeared with Romney on the campaign trail; these ventures have been interpreted as informal tryouts for potential GOP tickets. A slew of other vice presidential hopefuls joined Romney on his bus tour through the Midwest last month.

Meanwhile, this morning on CNBC, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie seemed to warm to the idea of serving as Romney's pick for a vice president.

"I love being governor of New Jersey, you can tell," Christie said. "But the fact is, if Gov. Romney picks up the phone and calls, you have to answer the call and listen at least."

Romney himself has said little about the vetting process since being forced to acknowledge in June that his campaign was evaluating Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, among other candidates, for the VP nod.

The list of other top-tier candidates is considered to include Ohio Sen. Rob Portman (R) and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R).

Another governor long rumored to be among favorites for the vice presidential nod is Bob McDonnell of Virginia. It might be difficult for him to serve as Romney's running mate, though, in his new role, announced Monday, as chairman of the platform committee at this summer's Republican National Convention.

Updated 1:00 p.m. - Among the flurry of conservatives vowing to redouble their efforts to repeal President Obama’s health reform law was the handful of Republicans whom Mitt Romney might pick as a running mate.

Below is a rundown of portions of their statements, which we will continue to update throughout the day.

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman:

While the Court has deemed the law constitutional as a tax on the American people, it is still flawed policy that is unaffordable for our families, our small businesses, and our government.  The President's one-size-fits-all health care spending law is the centerpiece of a failed agenda that has increased economic uncertainty, stalled job creation, and deepened the spending hole that Washington has dug. 

Florida Sen. Marco Rubio:

What's important to remember is that what the Court rules on is whether something is constitutional or not, not whether it's a good idea. And while the Court has said that the law is constitutional, it remains a bad idea for our economy, and I hope that in the fall we will have a majority here that will not just repeal this law, but replace it with real solutions that will insure more people and cost a lot less money.

Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan

Today’s decision strengthens the case for repeal and replace. With the right leadership in place, I am confident we can advance real health care solutions for the American people. It is now in the hands of the American people to determine whether this disastrous law will stand.

Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell:

Today's ruling crystallizes all that's at stake in November's election.  The only way to stop Barack Obama's budget-busting health care takeover is by electing a new president. Barack Obama's health care takeover encapsulates his Presidency: Obamacare increases taxes, grows the size of government and puts bureaucrats over patients while doing nothing to improve the economy.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie:

Today's Supreme Court decision is disappointing and I still believe this is the wrong approach for the people of New Jersey who should be able to make their own judgments about health care. Most importantly, the Supreme Court is confirming what we knew all along about this law - it is a tax on middle class Americans.

New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte:

By imposing a coercive tax on the American people, the president's health care law represents an unprecedented federal overreach into individuals' personal lives. ... If we don't repeal it, Americans can expect to see higher costs, less choice and fewer jobs.  I will continue to fight to repeal this law and replace it with market-based reforms that reduce costs and expand consumer choice.

Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal:

Ironically, the Supreme Court has decided to be far more honest about Obamacare than Obama was.  They rightly have called it a tax. Today's decision is a blow to our freedoms. The Court should have protected our constitutional freedoms, but remember, it was the President that forced this law on us.

Mitt Romney’s search for a running mate appears to have narrowed, as clues to whom Romney might select as his No. 2 begin to pile up in the media.

A campaign that prides itself on discipline had, to date, exacted tight control over the process of vetting candidates to serve at the former Massachusetts governor’s No. 2, a fact that Romney bragged on Tuesday.

"I get a kick out of some of the speculation that goes on," Romney told Sean Hannity of Fox News in an interview to air this evening. "I'm not going to comment on the process of course, but I can tell you this: only Beth Myers and I know who is being vetted."

That comment came amid new reports on Tuesday that Marco Rubio, the popular Florida Republican senator, had not been asked – yet, at least – to submit the materials typically associated with vetting a vice presidential candidate.

ABC News initially reported that Rubio wasn’t being vetted, and the Washington Post followed up with indications that Rubio hadn’t made it past an initial review by Romney’s high command.

Romney’s quip to Fox served as a knowing acknowledgement, though, of what members of the media have encountered in their search for details on the veepstakes: News is fleeting, largely because the Romney campaign’s high command keeps details on lockdown.

Even some of the most plugged in advisers to Romneyworld profess genuine ignorance of the vetting process.

Myers, Romney’s former chief of staff as governor, is leading the search for a prospective vice president. She might lack some of the skills of political figures previously tasked with her job – John McCain had power lawyer A.B. Culvahouse lead his vetting in 2008 – but Myers is described as a figure whom Romney holds in high esteem. She was selected precisely because it would mean no leaks, and because she understands Romney and his desire for an experienced vice presidential candidate who won’t overshadow the top of the ticket.

Other broad contours of the process have emerged, too. A New York Times story earlier this week floated the idea that Romney could introduce his choice in July, well before the Republican convention in August. Most presidential nominees traditionally reveal their choice of a running mate shortly before their nominating convention.

Larry Downing / Reuters

GOP candidate Mitt Romney speaks at a campaign event at the Bavarian Inn Lodge in Frankenmuth, Mich.

The Times also included a kicker paragraph that suggested that the Romney campaign might be wary of selecting Chris Christie, since the bombastic New Jersey governor might threaten to overshadow Romney.

One informal Romney adviser suggested that a candidate who’s seen his stock improve is former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, in part because Pawlenty would do anything but overshadow Romney. A runner-up in the 2008 veepstakes, Pawlenty is said to be especially appealing to Ann Romney, who’s built a rapport with Pawlenty’s wife, Mary.

Ohio Sen. Rob Portman and Wisconsin Rep. Paul Ryan are also generally perceived as short-listers for Romney. Each of them, along with Pawlenty, joined Romney for portions of his swing-state bus tour over the last five days.

Officially, most of the Republicans thought to be candidates for the vice presidency have also declined to comment on the process.

"I won't discuss the vice presidential process, out of respect for Gov. Romney," Rubio said Tuesday on CNBC. "I know he is going to make a great choice."

That means that, until the pick is made known, observers are more likely to learn about the process through candidate attrition. Case in point: Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels agreed to become the next president of Purdue University, removing his name from the list of candidates, though he wasn’t ever seen as Romney’s likely running mate.

The few-and-far-between details stand in contrast to the McCain campaign in 2008, which had basically broadcast publicly that the Arizona Republican wished to select his friend, the independent Democratic Sen. Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, as his running mate. With the exception of McCain’s ultimate selection of Sarah Palin as his vice presidential nominee, much about the Republican’s campaign wasn’t secret.

The Romney campaign seems determined to learn from McCain’s mistakes, maybe even to a fault. The process of vetting a vice presidential candidate can be political in its own right; look no further than a top Rubio advocate’s pushback to BuzzFeed about the Florida senator’s supposed exclusion from Romney’s short list.

But in leaking few details about their search, the Romney campaign also loses out on an opportunity to show they’ve at least made an effort to seek out various candidates whose mere consideration might be needed to placate certain corners of the party.

In particular, few women except for New Hampshire Sen. Kelly Ayotte – a freshman lawmaker from New England with only scant federal experience – are thought to be under consideration by Romney.

"I think, unfortunately, Palin poisoned the well on that," said one informal Romney adviser, fretting that any woman selected as VP would draw inevitable comparisons to the former Alaska governor. "I would guess if I were inside the Romney mind that they're worried that any woman chosen will be subjected to a higher level of scrutiny. "

But beyond Rubio, there are virtually no candidates for the vice presidential slot who would represent any diversity on the Republican ticket, a dicey proposition given Romney’s political deficits with women and Latino voters, as well as his opponent this fall: the nation’s first black president.

A new viral video starring New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Newark Mayor Cory Booker (a potential future rival of Christie's) helps underscore the value for politicians in being able to navigate new media and contemporary culture.

The video, released on Tuesday night by Christie's office, shows Booker, the Democratic mayor popularized for his antics of shoveling snow or rushing into a burning building to save a neighbor, running to the rescue every time the Republican governor encounters a mishap. But when Booker is facetiously shown talking to Mitt Romney about a spot on the Republican ticket, Christie intervenes.

The skit was produced for a legislative correspondents' dinner along the line of the White House Correspondents' Association gathering hosted every year in Washington and was quickly passed around.

Humor has always been a part of the modern political campaign -- think Richard Nixon's appearance during his run for president on the television show "Laugh-In." But humor's role has been augmented in the age of social media and viral videos; candidates and politicians, at a bare minimum, now try to show that they’re at least conversational in the language of pop culture and sufficiently self-effacing.

“The Christie video gets the No. 1 rule of political humor: It’s an incredibly powerful weapon, but in order to be able to wield it against others, you have to be willing to turn it on yourself first,” said Jeff Nussbaum, a partner at West Wing Writers, who’s worked on political humor for Democratic candidates and officeholders.

“I think that, more and more, people not only want their elected officials to have policy positions, but they also want these people to be relatable,” he said. “And humor is an incredibly good way for elected officials to show they can relate, laugh and, more importantly, laugh at themselves.”

Humor falls along the continuum of reliability, a trait on which every political candidate hopes to trade.

That broader sense of cultural versatility explains why President Barack Obama drew wild cheers from the audience of ABC”s “The View” when he correctly named which of the Kardashian sisters had divorced her husband 72 days. And it’s why Obama, a few weeks earlier, chose to
participate in a “Slow-Jamming the News” skit on NBC’s “Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.”

Sarah Palin’s 2008 appearance on “Saturday Night Live,” alongside parody-doppelganger Tina Fey, served many of the same purposes; it’s why Mitt Romney still might appear on the same show this fall.

Nussbaum suggested, too, that Obama’s use of humor has been most effective in deflecting his fiercest criticism, for instance, his jokes about the origin of his birth certificate in light of public scrutiny from Donald Trump.

But employing humor or trying to seem pop-culture savvy has its limits, and might not work the best for some candidates. It depends on the circumstances.

“When I first saw it, I asked myself, 'Hmm, I wonder if Mitt Romney should do something like that?'” said Republican ad man Fred Davis, who concluded that the presumptive Republican presidential nominee would be served better by a sober campaign emphasizing his competence versus Obama.

“I think most of Romney's attempts at humanizing himself have fallen a little flat,” Davis said. “Romney's path to victory is probably not being funnier than Obama on Letterman; his path to victory is being more competent than Obama.”

(“I’ll say this: I’m not eager to see Mitt Romney at an open mic night anytime soon,” Nussbaum said.)

The risk, though, always involves the humor hitting too close to home.

Some believe Al Gore’s frequent jokes about his stiffness as a candidate reinforced an existing public perception. And President George W. Bush’s jokes about being able to locate weapons of mass destruction in Iraq came against a backdrop of bloodshed in that war, which was heavily predicated on the purported existence of those weapons.

But if Christie has serious designs on getting a vice presidential nomination, the video may have hurt those chances as much as helped.  Christie’s video mentions -- twice -- his status as a favorite pick to round out Mitt Romney’s ticket, including the video’s biggest comedic payoff at the end.

“I think it maybe went one click too far in that direction, but I don’t think it crossed the more dangerous thresholds for humor,” Nussbaum said.

And Davis, whose ad firm has earned a reputation for its eyebrow-raising humor, said he far prefers to invoke laugh lines when going after other candidates.

“We're really big on humor. But where it plays the biggest role is in making an attack where that doesn’t blow back against the attacker,” he said.  “Emotion works in advertising, and humor is a very powerful emotion.”

WASHINGTON -- New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Friday urged Washington lawmakers to speak honestly with the American people, warning the public may not like the solutions necessary to fix the country's economic woes, but "they know in their heart they have to accept it."

"Don't tell me the American people aren't ready to hear the truth.  They know our government is out of control," Christie said at the CATO Institute's Milton Friedman Awards dinner.  "They know our debt and our deficit is out of control.  And don't confuse them liking the solution to them accepting it.  They don't have to like it, but they know in their heart they have to accept it."

The Garden State governor has found himself in the midst of speculation that he could be a top contender to be chosen as presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney's running mate.  Since endorsing Romney in the fall, he has been one of the former Massachusetts governor's top surrogates, and his speech here to the conservative think tank sounded like a politician on the national stage.

Christie said his leadership in New Jersey should be an example for the country, telling the story of how his state is battling back from some of the bleakest of economic times.  He used an executive order to overcome the $2.2 billion budget shortfall he faced shortly after taking office in 2010.

The tough talking governor recalled for the crowd his options in overcoming the deficit.  "I could sit down and negotiate with the Democratic leadership and the Democratically controlled legislature to try to come to an agreement on these cuts, or, thanks to New Jersey's unique Constitutional structure, cut spending through executive order," he said.

"Now, for those of you who watched me over the past two and a half years, if you believe I chose the former, then it is now time for you to leave.  You are note smart enough to be here at the Milton Friedman Dinner."

The popular conservative, who mulled over his own presidential run, is often talked about in vice-presidential speculation because of his ability to excite the party base and record as a cost cutter in his home state.  But he also is a lightening rod who could alienating independent voters with his in your face approach to politics.

"The great thing about operating by executive order is, first, that I didn't have to tell anybody," Christie said.

Christie has at times been a polarizing figure in New Jersey, but he maintains his way of doing business is something the federal government can learn from.

"Leaders have an obligation to make those tough choices. In New Jersey that is what we're trying to do.  And in the process hopefully set an example for the rest of the country," he said.

"Believe me, if you can do this in New Jersey, you can do it anywhere."

David Goldman / AP

Bruce Springsteen

It would seem nearly impossible for anyone to fall asleep at one of Bruce Springsteen’s high-energy shows, yet New Jersey Governor Chris Christie apparently managed to do just that.

The New York Post reported that the politician, a self-proclaimed huge fan of his state's native son, noticably dozed off during The Boss’ show Monday night at New York's Madison Square Garden.

Performing for the likes of Jon Stewart, Clive Davis, Christiane Amanpour, and Questlove, the rock star is said to have had everyone on their feet for the lengthy performance. Everyone, that is, except for the Republican politician.

“The governor was very active during the show,” a source told the newspaper. “Bruce started talking about ‘supporting food banks in New York and New Jersey,’ and ‘how people have been hit hard,’ and Christie was riveted. Then Bruce performed ‘Rocky Ground,’ and Christie visibly started fading.”

According to the report, a fan-generated photo was circulated showing the governor resting his head on his hand, and he could not be roused. Additional sources told the paper that one rowdy fan shouted, “Wake up, Governor!” over the music, which got a reaction from Christie’s security team, but not the political leader.

Christie says he has seen nearly 130 of the rocker’s shows. A representative from his office would not confirm the concert nap.

NBC Philadelphia suggests the governor has been trying to coax Springsteen into playing at Revel, Atlantic City's new $2.4 million casino, over Labor Day weekend. Christie also attended Springsteen's March 29 Philadelphia concert, where he seems to have been more attentive, sending 17 tweets live from the show.

In fact, even the song that may have put him to sleep at the New York concert got a nod in his Philadelphia concert tweets, with the governor writing, “Soulful rendition of "Rocky Ground" dedicated by Bruce to his Mom who is in the house tonight. #meetmeinAC”

By contrast, at Monday’s show in New York, Christie didn't tweet at all.

Slideshow: The magic of Bruce Springsteen

Launch slideshow

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