I will admit that I have never been an avid fan of Chris Christie, the Republican governor of my home state of New Jersey. Ideological differences aside, I have never felt a personal connection to Christie, or the policies he has implemented thus far during his term. We have differing visions of how to foster the American Dream.
But in the wake of his response to the destruction brought upon New Jersey by Hurricane Sandy, I have a great deal more respect for him as a politician and as a man.
It has become incredibly rare to find leaders who can rise above the petty concerns of partisan politics to set a positive example. In a moment of crisis, Christie proved he is not a transient figure who allows partisan considerations to hold him back from upholding his responsibilities.
Even in the midst of the devastation wrought upon New York and New Jersey, there still exists a shining beacon of hope for Americans to find inspiration. Christie, an avid critic of President Barack Obama in the past, praised the president’s response to the aftermath of Sandy. In an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America, Christie stated “the administration, the president himself, and FEMA Administrator Craig Fugate have been outstanding with us so far.”
Both Obama and Christie have been seen together multiple times in the last week in attempts to raise morale for the citizens of the afflicted states, with Obama balancing his tenuous campaign schedule in the final leg of one of the closest projected presidential races in United States history.
To me, this display of bipartisanship is the most noteworthy moment of this entire presidential election year: The president of the United States, a Democrat, and one of his most vocal critics, Christie, working together only days before Election Day.
The image of Obama and Christie working so well together offers Americans a necessary glimpse into the manner in which our government was meant to function: political parties putting aside their ideological concerns to respond to the needs of those they represent.
Like elephants, politicians have considerably long memories, particularly for remembering the actions of their rivals. And while this act of bipartisan cooperation on Christie’s part may be turned against him in the future, the governor stated in an interview with Fox News that he “couldn’t care less.”
In his keynote address to the Republican National Convention this year, Christie demanded “that our leaders stop tearing each other down and work together to take action on the big things facing America.”
The fact is, the only way to enact the kind of change Christie spoke about will be through displays of mutual respect and compromise.
Amid the seemingly endless warring between the Democratic and Republican parties, two outspoken political foes demonstrated the truth of those words, coming together in a moment of shared responsibility.
It’s a refreshing change of pace to be able to watch two men whose ideals normally put them at odds put aside their differences to work together.