the republican party and clear choices are emerging, not just on policy but also on character. on the very passion you just hinted at, because i sense that one of the reasons rick santorum is gaining such momentum is not necessarily that he is in reality more passionate than mitt romney or that he cares more, that he sounds like he does. a lot of romney supporters say to me, why isn't he giving more of himself to this? why isn't he beating his chest more? why isn't he giving us more passion? why doesn't he look like he wants this more? >> i don't think anybody can come to the conclusion he doesn't want it. this guy works incredibly hard, extraordinarily hard to get out and meet people and to win votes. i don't think it's that. again, i think it's -- there are certain personalities, you interview lots of people. i would not be called a reserved type, right? >> no. >> but romney is. governor romney is a reserved kind of guy and people need to

get to know him more. i have told him i think it benefits him to get out there more and let people see the family side of him, see him as a father, a husband, a grandfather, because when you see that, you see the enormous compassion he has, and how much he cares about his kids, his grandkids and their future. >> actually, i think you make a good point. i think it is that lack of personal stuff, which at the moment is giving rick santorum a bit of a benefit out there. he's out there and he has a strong family, you know that. he's a catholic like you, again, the criticism i hear about mitt romney compared to rick santorum, it was summed up by the economist magazine, rick santorum comes over as an authentic in a way mitt romney doesn't. mitt romney, because he's perceived to have flip-flopped on quite a few of his issues because he comes off as robotic actually comes off as slightly slippery, their words, not mine. >> do you accept the krirms cri

of the way he's being perceive. >> no, i don't accept the criticism because i don't think he's slippery and his issues have evolved over time and we want people always re-evaluating positions and issues to make sure it's something they're comfortable with and willing to fight for. >> here's the problem what rick santorum said at the cpac. the lesson we learned we will no longer abandon and apologize for policies and principles that made this country great for a hollow victory in november. he's banging that drum and i think he's banging it quite successfully to many conservatives. what he's saying is, i am true to my principles and they are conservative principles. if you study his record, it's hard to find much evidence of what some would say opportuni opportunistic flip-flopping. >> senator santorum also has been one of the folks been one of the biggest spenders in washington d.c. was a part of a huge spending

spree while he was in washington trying to bring tons of money back to pennsylvania. let's not go overboard with he's true to his core conservative principles. i can point out a number of ways rick has at times varied from that. he would argue -- >> give me some. >> he could argue on the other hand, that was his job as pennsylvania senator to try to bring money back to the state. i would say, yeah, that was one of your jobs but don't try to argue to me on the other hand, that is a core conservative principle. here's my view of it. i believe you should never compromise your principles. i always believe there is a boulevard between getting everything you want and compromising your principles. the job of a leader is to negotiate the vehicle on to that boulevard and move it down so we can make progress. romney will do that. i think he'll do it better than anybody offering themselves for president right now including the president who's proven he can't do that. >> be honest, the moment you heard the following words out of mitt romney's mouth, did you do what the rest of us did, went

what? i am severely conservative. >> sure, i wouldn't have used that phrase. you can't have it both ways in a sense. you want people to be spontaneous and you want them speaking from the heart. at times that means some words come out of your mouth that weren't perfect. if you want something perfectly rehearsed, if you want a performance, a theater performance, go to the president of the united states. he reads off the teleprompter, gives a theater performance. if that's what you want. if you think that's genuineness, he's your guy to vote for. happen not to. you know what, i'm out there enough unscripted, i know every once in a while words come occupant of your mouth you would have liked to pick better, in the end, people are looking to pick on governor romney now. the fact he could have used committed and used different words. he used severely and i wouldn't use it and i guess he wouldn't use it again either. the fact is, what's the difference? >> the difference is many people in the republican party actually think the last thing he is

severely conservative and that's the problem. they look at rick santorum and think he's indisputably severely conservative. that comes back to my thing at the start about the battle for the heart and soul of the party is which way is the party instinctively going to go? >> you have to look at the sum of someone's record. i looked at the sum of governor romney's record and i believe he's the best person to lead our party and our country during these difficult times. >> what is the -- you know him better than many people. for somebody like you, when i last interviewed you i was pushing you to do what everyone in the party was desperate to say, for you to run. i still think you would have been a very serious contender, you chose not to for reasons we discussed at the time and put your store behind mitt romney. what are the characteristics of him not getting over at the moment you see when you speak to him privately, that persuaded you to put your reputation behind him? >> one, i think he's got

integrity. two, i think he is very smart. three, i think he cares deeply about the issues, four, i think he has the experience as an executive to actually turn ideas and concepts into reality. all those things are inextricably importaincredibly important. i do believe this guy is a conservative and will govern in a conservative way our country. let's remember something, we all get into this hyper heavy breathing that we go through about the last election, the last time people voted. you know, mitt romney's won a state convincingly, like florida, that is a microcosm of our entire country. i'd suggest to you in some of the other places where senator santorum won, he didn't even win any delegates. this is about getting 1144 delegates. he's going to get there. >> it is. it's also about momentum. you are a political animal to your absolute fiber.

>> thank you. >> i knew you'd like that. but you know and mitt romney will know that the incredible momentum after florida, everyone was saying, february will be easy, home run into super tuesday, game over. looks a very different picture now, you have to admit that. >> sure. i'm so shocked the pundits were wrong. i have to fall over in absolute shock. we need to take a moment to revive me. >> do you want a moment of silence? >> they were wrong and continue to be wrong. the people will decide this election, any people of the republican party. i believe in the end, mitt romney will get the majority of delegates he needs to get. you guys have lots of time to fill on the cable news networks. you've got to talk about something. >> santorum surge is a juicy bone, exciting. >> congratulations but that doesn't mean i have to buy it. >> no. but it is real, there is a santorum surge. >> he won three contests in an

evening, congratulations. good for him. >> you're not feeling the surge? >> i'm really not. you've given out 10% of the delegates. talk to me when we're at 50, 60% of the delegates and we can see if anybody has a surge or not. >> when these doors shut and you speak to mitt romney. what are the key things you think he's not doing or the campaign is not doing? what does he need to do to get back on track. >> you think i'm telling you that? >> you might give me a few little teasers. >> when i have advice to give to mitt romney, i give it to mitt romney and not to anybody else? >> if you were being critical. >> i won't be. not publicly. >> you heavy been. when he didn't release his tax returns. >> that was a suggestion. >> and said you need to release the tax returns. >> i had already made the suggestion to him. >> what suggestions have you already made to him that you can repeat to me. 92 not that i'm telling you. >> there is an inconsistency there. >> no, there's not. there isn't.

>> people look at you as the passion part of the vehicle. you're in his engine and the one giving all the passion. they need it from mitt romney, he's the candidate, he's the guy that has to somehow find another gear. i suppose what i'm getting at is where's that gear going to come from? what have we not seen so far? >> it has to come from inside him and if it doesn't, he won't win. listen, the end of the day, i'm a surrogate, a supporter. i will do everything i can to help him win the nomination and win the presidency. in the end, he has to win the nomination, he has to win the presidency. so where will the next gear from from? if it's going to come from some place it will come from right here. that's part of the reason why we have campaigns for people to test that and judge it. i have seen it one of on one and i believe it's there and i believe the american people are going to see it. it's not my responsibility at the end of the day to make that happen, piers. i'll do everything i can to help him and give advice privately and say things publicly when i

think it's appropriate. what i won't do is get him elected, i can't nor can anyone else. that's up to mitt romney. >> we'll take a break and talk about the economy and want to talk to you about what mitt romney said apparently not caring about the poor. do you care about the poor, governor? >> sure do. so does he. >> let's explore that in a moment. [ male announcer ] imagine facing the day with less chronic osteoarthritis pain. imagine living your life with less chronic low back pain. imagine you, with less pain.

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governor, let's talk about the economy. there's no doubt that despite your best efforts to portray it as a continuing fiasco, the american economy is improving, and that is good news for barack obama. you can see it in the latest poll ratings, figures out today on one poll i read showed his approval rating in new jersey is significantly up now, in where it was in november. so this has to be a concern for the republicans as they go into the proper election battle, doesn't it? >> first of all, i don't think it's my obligation to characterize the economy as a

fiasco. in new jersey, it's getting better. we've take an lot of affirmative steps beyond what has happened in washington to put people back to work, 60,000 private sector jobs since i have been governor. the president should be judged on the entirety of his term. if in fact he took the steps necessary and appropriate right from the beginning to make our economy even better than what it is today. so, listen, i think there's going to be a real robust debate this fall on what the proper role of government is in the economy and whether or not the obama approach has been successful or successful enough or whether another approach by our nom ni, governor romney would be better? >> did you approve instinctively yourself of the bailout of the auto industry? >> i got to tell you the truth, i didn't spend a lot of time thinking about it. >> now that i asked you to think about. >> it -- i try to give it more

than three or four seconds thought -- >> you've only given it three or four seconds thought -- >> what i was working on at the time that was going on was getting elected governor in a state that had over 10% unemployment. $15 billion in deficits and fee increases in the eight years before i became governor. i had enough to deal with here and not have to deal with what the president's doing. >> i'm asking you because mitt romney has come under fire for continuing to be critical of the bailout, even when you have gm releasing some record profits, clearly indicative that the bailout has worked? listen, when you have mitt romney on, you should ask him. >> what do you think? >> i just told you, i didn't spend a lot of time thinking about it. >> you don't have a view of the bailout of the american auto industry. >> what i have is a view of what's happening here in this state. that's my job. >> i get that. >> i know you get it. you will continue to ask, i'm not going to give you a better answer than i'm giving you.

we can continue to do back and forth or you can go to the next car. >> the reason i'm asking and i'm sensing and your reply is giving me a sense even more you don't want to answer because you dothk the bailout was a success. >> i have given the president a lot of credit on this. >> do you think he was successful? >> you can ask it four or five different ways, i won't answer it until i have given thought -- >> is it complex? >> sure, it is. >> auto industry going bust, barack obama decides the way to recover is is do a big bailout and affects everybody and it affects everybody, if gm had gone under, huge problems for the country. it indisputably works, i suppose i would like to hear you, if you believe it, say the president was right, he deserves credit. >> i know you would like to hear

it? if you believe it. >> sure, i know you'd like to hear it. what i'm saying to you, i'm not giving to you an answer on that. i haven't thought through it enough. my job is to be governor of new jersey. i know you think i'm supposed to be conversant on every national topic at the moment and have an opinion and you'd love for me to do that. i'm not going to do it. >> do you drive a car? >> not anymore. i ride in a car. they don't let me drive. i ride in a gm car. >> what is your view ideologically of bailouts? >> my view is the government should have as little involvement in the private sector as it possibly can. from a general philosophical perspective, that's where i come from. we won't take the next leap even though you may try to into the bailout again. my view, when i have had time to study it, i will come back on and give you a reasoned opinion. i get in trouble and rightfully so when you talk about things

that important off-the-cuff, i don't think you should do that. even though it might be entertaining television, i'm not going to do that. >> are you pleased it's worked? >> i'm pleased people are working. any place people are work, general motors, caterpillar, microsoft, ibm, facebook, like in new jersey where we have 60,000 private sector jobs since i became governor and unemployment come down a full point, that's the stuff i'm happy about. >> what do you think about this issue, other people don't agree with this, you take a company like apple, one of the greatest companies ever created, one of america's great companies now, generating hundreds of billions of dollars in profit, they employ more people in china than in america. is it not time companies like appling ma appling -- apple making the money they're doing, take the lead and bring 10% of the

workforce from china back to america. i always thought if they did that, they would get such good will from the american public, they would make up the difference. >> we should let business people make nos decisions, not government. >> i'm trying to help the jobless situation in america by encouraging big companies to take the moral responsible lead by doing things that aren't necessarily 100% in the interest of their ever fattening shareholders but in the interest of national interests. >> the ever fattening shareholders are people who have pensions invested in apple and people who have iras and 401(k)s invested in apple and as those become ever fattened they have more money for retirement and kids' education and the point is i don't think demagoguing that piece is not a good thing for you necessarily to do. if you're really concerned, leave cnn and be the ceo of a company and lead them in a way that's profitable for people you

want it to be beneficial for. that would be fine. >> is it not a debate worth having. >> sure it is. have the debate. >> that's what i'm trying to do. >> i'm having it with you. >> you told me to leave cnn -- >> if you want to set policy, go to those places? >> no. it's not about setting policy, about whether enough people with influence, like yourself, went out and publicly called on very successful american companies to actually bring some of the workforce from specifically china back to america by doing it in a way that doesn't necessarily fit their shareholder need for ever more profit but serves the american national interests, wouldn't that be a good thing? >> what would be a good thing is for us to allow the people, shareholders and executives of the companies make those decisions. to the extent anybody wants to speak out on those things, they should speak out in an informed way and do that. the fact is apple has been

pretty successful doing what it's doing and very successful for its shareholders, many people middle america middle class folks counting on apple's success not only for the products they produce but also for the profits they're producing that help their retirement and kids' college education funds and help them to pay the bills from day-to-day. i think the fact that apple's successful is a good thing just even absent the jobs piece, it's a good thing for america. if there's more jobs, that's great. >> where mitt romney came out with clumsily worded comment about apparently not caring about the poor, i think we knew what he was getting at but i sounded bad and coming back on the other comments about a 10 grand bet, it allowed this sense that he's disconnected from the real americans, to get ever more attention, what did you make of that, when he said it? what do you think about where the priority should lie? which ever way you play that clip, even if you play every

single word and you take him exactly in the context he wanted it to sound like, he's still prioritizing middle class americans in his head over the poor, isn't he? >> all i can tell you is what i do. my view in new jersey is i'm responsible for every new jersian, no matter how much money they make or where they live, no matter how many children they have, lived here their whole lives or just moved here, kids in school or retired, and living on a fixed income, as the governor, as the president, you have to be responsible for everyone. you need to care about everyone the exact same way. as governor, my view is all of them deserve our attention, of course, we're not going to let the most vulnerable suffer and we haven't in new jersey and shouldn't in america. on the other hand, i'm not going to get into this class were fare business where certain people are more important than others or deserves more important. everyone deserves to have the government responsive to their concerns and needs.

>> before we go, let me clarify it. do you really believe warren buffet for example- >> i'm so tired of talking about warren buffet. what are you going to bring up next, his secretary. this is the old song. don't twist what i said. >> no, no, you haven't even heard the question. >> i know the question. >> do you really think warren buffet needs as much tax relief from the government? >> i got the question right. >> when we go to break, i will reward you for getting the question by making you answer. good, you agree. >> with your point.

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today, we'll maintain our fiscal discipline, today, it is time to put the new jersey comeback into high gear. >> we left everyone on a cliff-hanger where i was trying to press you to say, i think it's a valid question, i honestly do. >> i know you do. that's why you're asking it. every politician has to prioritize, particularly if your a politician or state governor. is it right, taking your argument to its natural conclusion that warren buffet is as much in you're head for his

economic situation as the poorest person in new jersey? >> first of all, warren buffet doesn't live in new jersey. >> if he did. >> secondly, that's not what said. you said that's theological conclusion of my statement. i disagree with you. let's look at what i've done in new jersey, okay? that's the best gage to judge a politician, not what they say in a talk show with you but what they've done. in two years, what we've done is to protect the most vulnerable here even when we had to cut $13 billion in state spending over two years, increased funding to hospitals, to take care of the poor to make sure charity care was available, increased funding to federally qualified health centers to make sure people have access to health care, made sure people at the lowest rung of our economy were being taken care of. so, of course, during difficult economic times you're most concerned about the people who have the potential to suffer the most. >> that's all i wanted to hear. >> that's -- that's logical. >> you've handed over your

budget today for new jersey, and one of the key planks of this is you want to have a 10% income tax reduction for everyone in new jersey. >> yep. >> very controversial. tell me about this. >> it's part of what i was talking about earlier. everybody shares in the sacrifice and two years leading up to this, the difficult choices we had to make the budget. tax policy should be fair to everybody. what we're doing here in new jersey is everyone will get a 10% tax cut, everyone will get their taxes reduced and even those who don't pay income taxes we will increase the earned income tax credit by 20%. even if you don't pay income taxes as long as you have a difficult job, we will help you bridge these difficult times by raising it to 20%. if they send it down here, the people down the hall figure out a way to spend it. i'd rather them keep it invest it in their families and decide how to spend knit. >> how many billionaires are there in new jersey? >> i don't know the answer.

>> roughly. >> not a xlu. >> not a clue m. >> will all the billionaire esget the 10%? >> everybody gets it. >> you know where i'm going at. >> warren buffet keeps screaming to be taxed more. >> he should just write a check and shut up and contribute. the fact of the matter is i'm tired of hearing about it. if he wants to give the government more money, he has the ability to write a check, go ahead and write it. >> let's talk about other social issues, in new jersey, the whole issue of gay marriage has blown up. you're suggesting you may bring a referendum in so the people of new jersey can vote. tell me your thinking? >> firstoff, my view and my position is marriage is between one man and one woman always has been my position and remains so. i ran that way in 2009 and told people that was my position. made myself clear, now that the legislature has passed that piece of legislation, i will

veto it. that's what i promised to do and will do. i know this is a very emotional and divisive issue in my state. what i suggested to the legislature is the only way we have to amend our constitution in new jersey which is by referendum, let's put it on the ballot and let people decide. if the people in new jersey as some of then same sex advocates suggest the polls indicate are in favor of it, my position would not be the winning position. i'm willing to take that risk because i trust the people of the state. >> are you worried -- i know you're a catholic, as is rick santorum, as am i. it's a hot debate for any catholic, never mind a politician but for a catholic, are you concerned as a politician who is very ambitious and may well have presidential aspirations in the future, i won't ask you, we'll assume that's a given, otherwise, why would you be in politics? >> listen, you're lucky i'm going to let you go on that one. >> maybe we'll come back to it. are you worried you're beginning

to be slightly out of touch given seven states have legalized gay marriage, washington being the latest given others are likely to follow? >> you're suggesting because my position is in step with 43 of the 50 states that proves i'm out of step. >> it would have been in step with 50 of the states but now only 43. >> still pretty healthy majority. >> at what point does it become politically strange. >> i won't compromise my principles for politics. >> ever? >> no. i will not compromise my principles for politics. you're saying will it become politic politically unpopular to have the position i'm having. if i have, so be it. >> do you get flak from gay friends for this? >> some, yeah. >> what do they say to you? >> we have a robust conversation about why i have the position i have and why they have the position they have. >> do they accuse you directly of being bigoted.

>> no. >> would they have a right to? >> no. >> it's not a bigoted position? >> no. >> rick santorum has taken huge heat for being apparently bigoted. he always says i'm being biblical, this my religious belief. >> it's my belief, my core belief. i tell people that. and my friends, whether they be homosexual or not, know me and they know i'm not bigoted. >> what do you think about the issue of contraception? again, i guess because you're a catholic, you would be opposed to it? >> listen, i don't have -- i don't have any problem with people using contraception. i think it's a personal choice. >> simple as that. >> yeah. >> what do you think about the whole debate that came out recently? >> i think it's a distraction. i think -- and i think that, you know, while it's a very important issue, and that there are people who feel fiercely on both sides of the question of obama-care, not on

contraception, although there is some debate about that as well, i think the larger debate being had here is the issue of obama-care and the strictures being put in place. >> their argument is the mandate, i think in new jersey there is a mandate. >> there is. >> allowed people who work for catholic institutions to actually have birth control. are you personally in favor of that? >> listen, that's the law of the state and the legislature put it in effect long before i came here and it's my job to enforce the law. the fact is this is a debate for the folks to have who are on the national ticket. they're having that, the folks running in the primary. from my perspective, i think that we should get on to other issues at this point. i think this one's been fairly well beaten over at this point. everyone has their positions. the president has his, which he's changed over the course of the past couple of weeks pretty significantly, so maybe i guess his first position wasn't a principled position because now he's backed off it because he got political heat.

that's the difference between the president and i. if i have a principled position i will stick by it. he had what i have to assume was a principled position on it and already backed off it and seemed to continue to be backpedaling. >> we will take a break. we've been running a theme on keeping america great and i want to directly get out of you what you think america needs to do as a country to keep itself great. ♪ they see me rollin' ♪ they hatin' ♪ patrolling and tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty ♪ ♪ tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty ♪ ♪ tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty ♪ ♪ tryin' to catch me ridin' dirty ♪ [ mom ] hi, there.

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let's talk about keeping america great, that america has huge problems and we have all had it and we're all doomed. what is the sense of keeping america great? what do americans need to be thinking about zbl. >> america needs to think of the extraordinary gifts this country gives to them, opportunity to live where you want to live, pick the career you want to pick and to really be restricted in this country still today by your own ambition and willingness to work hard and strive for. if you look around the world, we are still really unique. someone being able to come here and do whatever they want. you look at a guy like mark zuckerberg about to become famously wealthy officially in the next couple of months, a kid sitting in his dorm room at harvard, then turns around and creates a company that has 850

million members now and maybe $100 billion worth. >> that's the american dream. >> only in america you have a great idea. started with a great idea. it wasn't just that. he works, i know mark, he works extraordinarily hard. he cares deeply about the product he's putting out there and about the influence he's having on society. so that's still available for everybody in america. that's what we need to focus on is to make sure government doesn't do anything from a governmental perspective, to restrict americans' ability to both do it and dream it. >> you've handed over your budget today to new jersey. obviously, a bit of a difference between your budget of $29.4 billion and barack obama's last one of 3.$3.73 trillion, you wod accept that? >> yes, i would. >> what has been the ideology behind your decision making for the new jersey budget? how could that apply successfully in your view to

america? >> make the difficult decisions without regard to anything other than what you think is in the best interest of the state. for instance, we have a huge medicare medicaid problem at the federal level. here in new jersey, we have had a huge pension benefit problem. we passed pension benefit reform and seeing the benefits in our budget now for that. at the same time, i'm going to be making the single largest contribution to the public pension system any governor has made, over a billion dollar contribution in one year in this budget. you need to keep face with the people counting on you but you also need to make the difficult decisions and ask everybody to sacrifice. if i say one phrase, watcher is what we're trying to do, shared sacrifice, shared benefit. >> you were a federal prosecutor. you had 130 cases? >> in political corruption, we won 130 cases without a defeat. >> you never lost. >> no. >> you ever lost an election? >> yes. a few. >> how many? >> two. >> what did you learn from

yourself from defeats? >> always be yourself and not listen to people, the consultants and others who try to tack you and turn you and color you but to be yourself because then you have no regrets. i think earlier in my political life i maybe listened to those folks more than i should have and later on, both in my time as a prosecutor and now as governor, i'm just myself and there are ups and downs to that, of being yourself but i'm human and people see who i am. >> can you be true to yourself completely as president or is the job simply too now president clintoned on havi clintoned -- now predicated with having to do deals having to get things done. >> i don't think the two are mutually exclusive. you can be true to yourself and still make bargains and compromise. i don't think compromise is a dirty word, piers. i'm doing it all the time in new jersey and accomplishing great things. >> people say to me about chris

christie, i love that guy. he's a fighter, a character, says the right thing at the right time, all the things you'd want to hear if you ever had aspirations to be a presidential candidate. can we assume that at some stage you might run? >> i think you can assume it because you know, only god knows what life brings you. you can't assume it. men plan, god laughs, you know. so i think what i want to do is do this job as best i can. if later on there's opportunities that come my way, challenges that i want to take on that include the presidency, i certainly would not preclude that. >> the one thing i don't get in all this with you supporting mitt romney, i can never see you -- i don't not get that, he's a very capable man and politician, i don't get you ever playing second fiddle to somebody in any official capacity. i couldn't see you being a vice president for example. >> i said that all along. i think it's unlikely i'll be asked. >> it's not your bag? snow no. i've said it over and over

again. i think i'm much better as a principal than second fiddle. i think my personality is more like that. and so that's why i've said all along, i think it's highly unlikely i would ever be vice president of the united states. >> but maybe a president? >> who knows? you know, life has brought me some amazing twists and turns. being here in this office, i will tell you is amazing to me in and of itself. if life has more twists and turns for me and opportunities to do good and feel fulfilled and do good for my country that's given many so much, that would be a great opportunity. i have no idea whether that will happen or not and neither do you. in the end, you just be true to yourself and follow your inner compass. that's what i try to do everyday. >> governor, thank you very much. i thoroughly enjoyed seeing your office. i'd like to see the rest of the statehouse. >> you sure can. second oldest operating statehouse in america. let's go see it. oh will you grab us some yoplait?

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in? >> i'm trying to be in charge, and to, to give off the minute i walk through this door, to give all of the people who will be sitting here, the people of the gallery, the sense that i'm in charge. i'm the governor. and i think it's so important that people have that image of the person that does that. >> it's like a mini event, isn't it in. >> it is. it's a beautiful chambers. that's where i stand? >> when you're standing there doing your thing, your mind must occasionally dash forward to a slightly bigger stage, doesn't it? what it would be like to do a state of the union. >> i'll tell you what it does, i think to myself, how did a guy from like two regular middle class parents get here? that's what -- the budget of

three state addresses. >> you, your reputation is getting through and delivering. that must bring with it a certain, i guess a nerve, that comes with it where you think, going to be a bit tougher to live up to my reputation. >> i think it does. i think it's good to have that edge, not to take anything for granted. like i have to think for myself, i have to prove to the people of this legislature, to the people of the plstate that my plan is right way to go. >> that's a key thing for any politician at any level. it's not just having good ideas. you to have the negotiating skill to have them passed and delivered. >> that is really what being a politician is all about, isn't it in. >> yes. >> office work. >> that's why you're called politicians. >> it's not my phrase, it's someone else's, but i have always believed it's the part of

the possible. what is possible that you can make a reality? it's not just about giving speeches because if you do that, people are going to tire of that quickly. it's about the american policy, touchdowns in the end zone. it's about scoring, accomplishing, and it's what relationships you develop along the way that allows people to trust you. when i look across and say ifio do this, i promise you i'll deliver that, you have to know that i will. you have to trust me. and that's doesn't happen like this, especially with people in the opposite party. you have to spend time on relationships. i try to do that, and i think it's been successful. >> only in america remains with chris christie.

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tonight, only in america, chris christie can balance a budget. he still struggles to balance a scale. it's a big issue. the governor told me, i couldn't help but notice, you're slightly trimmer. >> i'm working on it. >> am i right? >> yes, you are. but it is a regular struggle. >> you have lost weight since i last saw you? >> a little bit. we don't take any victory laps in the battle. >> you're on a bit of a mission? >> you know, i'm intermittently on a mission. that's why i'm very reluctant to

say anything more than i'm just trying to be healthier, eating better, i have been working with a trainer on a regular basis and worked before we met today. and i'm trying because i'm getting ready to be 50. i'll be 50 this fall and i'm starting to feel my own mortality. i want to be around for my kids. you start to think about it like you don't as a young man. >> it's working. keep going, governor. >> governor christy. he is hardly the firg politician to monitor his weight. at least five american president were obese. taft tipped the scale at 345 pounds. he needed a special white house bathtub. also glover cleveland, william mcckinley, and even clinton was overweight. maybe it makes a pol