<p>&ldquo;We better not turn this country over to Obama&rsquo;s second mate, Hillary Clinton,&rdquo; said New Jersey Governor Chris Christie Tuesday during a speech announcing his official decision to join the ever-growing pool of GOP candidates. ;</p>
<p>His speech took place alongside family and friends at his alma mater Livingston High School. Stressing a need for compromise and cooperation, Christie called the Obama Administration a failure and bad mouthed both parties.  ;</p>
<p>&ldquo;Americans are filled with anxiety&hellip;because they look to Washington D.C. and they see a government that doesn&rsquo;t work anymore,&rdquo; said Christie. &ldquo;They see a government that doesn&rsquo;t talk to each other anymore. If Washington and Adams and Jefferson believed compromise was a dirty word, we&rsquo;d still be under the crown of England.&rdquo;</p>
<p>He concluded with the inspiring words: &ldquo;Anxiety can be swept away by strong leadership and decisiveness to lead America again.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>Christie was considered a favorite potential candidate back in 2012. But he said he wasn&rsquo;t ready. At the time, conservatives eschewed him for being too buddy buddy with Obama after the devastation of New Jersey by Superstorm Sandy. His popularity fell even more a year later with the closing of the George Washington Bridge &ndash; a scandal we remember as &ldquo;Bridge-gate.&rdquo; ;</p>
<p>Christie has emerged as a direct rival to Rand Paul in matters of national security. And he has a successful track record of ;terrorist prosecution while serving as a US attorney to back him up. ;</p>
<p>Christie&rsquo;s campaign slogan &ldquo;tell it like it is&rdquo; promises honesty and straight talk and contributes to his image as a blunt, transparent politician who refuses to speak from Teleprompters. ;</p>
<p>This is an attitude Republicans can appreciate. Christie&rsquo;s biggest challenge as the 14th potential GOP candidate will be recapturing the Republican enthusiasm he enjoyed years ago. ;</p>
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