Bush Institute. April 10, 2012 (Transcript Below)
Governor Christie: See as governors what we know is that there is always a boulevard between compromising your principles and getting everything you want. Now in New Jersey I abandoned the getting-everything-you- want thing a long time ago. But I refuse to compromise my principles so when they want to build a tunnel to the basement of Macy's and stick the New Jersey taxpayers with a bill of three to five billion dollars over, no matter how much the administration yells and screams, you have to say no. You have to look them right in the eye no matter how much they try to vilify you for it you have to say no. You have to be willing to say no to those things that compromise your principles. But I think governors find all the time that there is a boulevard. Sometimes it's more narrow. Sometimes it's broader between getting everything you want and compromising your principles. It's our job as leaders to find the way onto that boulevard, and to never forget that what we got sent into office to do was to get things done. Not to send out press releases, not to just posture and pose, although I love all three of those things, but we can't just do that. At the end of that you have to find a way to make progress.
See because the 4% solution, 4% growth is not going to be achieved if we don't deal with Medicare. 4% growth is not going to be achieved if we don't deal with Medicaid. 4% growth is not going to be achieved if we don't deal with Social Security. 4% growth is not going to be achieved unless we can credibly advocate for pro-growth tax policies because we have our fiscal house in order. And so for all of us who believe, who know in our heart that the policies that the President advocated and that he spoke about today are the right policies for an America that's optimistic. We know that job one is to be credible with the people of our state and the people of our country, that we will be responsible stewards of the money they already send us, and I would contend to you that we're still a distance from making that case.
