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>> new jersey republican governor chris christie campaigned in virginia today for mitt romney. he told reporters he hopes the election comes down to who will win their state. this is a 50-minute event.

>> happy to be back. >> hi.

thank you for coming. >> how are you? [applause] >> new jersey women. >> you bet. >> don't write over mitt. >> don't write over the next president of the united states. my oldest son.

he just graduated. >> give them hell today. >> thanks for coming. we have a lot to be excited about today. we are here on a corner -- [inaudible] i know there are a lot of small business representatives and employees here today. for your efforts and hard work, give them a hand. [applause] president calvin coolage once remarked that the business of america is business. his words are as true today as they were when he said them nearly 100 years ago.

small business drives our economy, fuels or communities and feeds our families. [applause] small businesses like ours represent 97.8% of all employers. we employ half of america's work force and create between 60 respect -- 60% and 80% of job growth in the country. we know how very important those jobs numbers are. i imagine you feel like i do. i need my job, and so do our employees. thankfully here at ball we have secure jobs. you will see trucks coming and going from a long hard day any minute now. i can't imagine the stress of being out of work and the anguish that would cause.

unfortunately, 23 million of our fellow americans are struggling for work today. but it does not have to be that way. [applause] mitt romney and paul ryan have a plan for a stronger middle- class. more jobs and more take-home pay. and toe heart of their plans is put in place policies that champion small business so we can grow our economy, create jobs and get america back to work. [applause] no matter who we send to elected office, they have a big job ahead of them. that is exactly the point

though. it is who we send to office. each one of us will make a big difference when we go to the polls in a few weeks. so when governor romney's team asked if they could borrow our parking lot today to celebrate a little and talk about business, i said sure. and when they said governor chris christie would be joining us, i said absolutely. [cheers and applause] but before we hear from governor christie, it is my privilege to introduce our great lieutenant governor, virginia's chief jobs creation officer, bill. >> thank you, melissa. good afternoon, everybody. how are you doing? [cheers and applause] we are 18 days away from taking back america. [cheers and applause] so i want to ask you the only question that really matters. are you ready to win? audience: yes! are you ready to win? audience: yes! >> you have to do better than that. are you ready to win? audience: yes! that's better.

let me do a couple of real quick thank yous, and then we will get governor christie up here to say a few words. i want to thank the balls. melissa ball and the entire ball family have been so supportive of the governor, of me and of small business, of the nfib, of everything we have tried to do. but it is above and beyond the call of duty to open up your office in the middle of a beautiful friday afternoon and have 500 of your closest friends come out for a rally. so let's give ball office products a round of [applause] [applause] i understand some of you got here as early as 2:00 this afternoon and maybe a couple earlier than that. thanks for coming and hanging out here with us this afternoon. i know there are a lot of places you could be today, a lot of things you could be doing today, but i trust you are hear

because you believe in the cause of good government in america. you know that to get good government, you have to work for it and invest in it. by being here today, you are working for it and investing in it. on a behalf of governor romney, congressman ryan and others, i want to thank you for everything you are doing to help take america back again. give yourselves a round of [applause] [cheers and applause] let me say just a couple of things. we are 18 days away from an election that i believe will be a defining moment in the history of our country. this election is about where our country is. the truth is our country is in serious trouble today. whether we are talking about these unacceptably high unemployment rates and things

not getting better. we are talking about the reckless policies from washington, d.c. with a $16 trillion national debt and no sign of things getting better. we are talking about the fundamental assault on liberty that we have seen from this administration over the past four years, the weakening of the standing of the united states in the international community. in all of these areas, the truth is america is a nation today that is in serious trouble. four years ago we took a very wrong path. the american people took a chance on barack obama. they were moved by his powerful rhetoric and his lofty promises of hope and change. but four years later that rhetoric has faded, and all we are left with is a record. it is in every respect a record of failed leadership for our country, and it is time for him to go. [cheers and applause] so, melissa said it right when she said it doesn't have to be

that way. we have a candidate in mitt romney and paul ryan that we can be proud of. i had the privilege of chairing governor romney's campaign. i am absolutely as confident as i can go that mitt romney is the right person at the right time with the right experience to get america back on the right track. it doesn't have to be this way. [applause] so, we have 18 days to take our country back. we have 18 days to work hard. the polls are very close. but let me tell you something. polls don't vote. people vote. this election will be won or lost in the next 18 or 19 days. and it will depend on what you and i do to identify our supporters and turn them out to the polls on election day.

so everything we can do, every event we can do like this to get our message out to the american people, to talk about how we still believe that the 21st century can be an american century. we can do it. everything we can do in these last 18 days to get that message out. because i still believe america is worth fighting for, don't you? i still believe in america. don't you? [cheers and applause] now, last but by no means least, i want to thank chris christie for being here today. [cheers and applause] i remember, governor, back in 2009 when governor mcdonald and i would be tarling around in a car or bus, and every now and then we would dial up a guy we heard was running in new jersey named chris christie. there was a buzz going around saying this guy might actually get elected in new jersey.

[laughter] you probably don't remember this call, but i remember we called governor christie a couple of days before the election and said how are things looking in new jersey. he said we are going to win, and he talked about all the reasons why. we got off that phone, and we said if chris christie can win in new jersey, bob mcdonald and bill bolling can win in virginia, and it will send a good message, and it did. and governor christie has done a wonderful job over the last three years leading the state of new jersey. this is a guy that inherited a $10 million budget shortfall. he balanced the budget the old- fashioned way. he cut spending and grew the economy. he has become an outspoken respected statesman and spokesman for our conservative republican values.

we are honored that he would take the time today to come down to virginia and help campaign for governor romney, and congressman ryan, and senator allen and our entire republican team. so, i want you to give a warm via william to the governor of the great state of new jersey, governor chris christie. [cheers and applause] >> all right, everybody! [cheers and applause] well. thank you so much. thank you for waiting. i had a lady in line here say you're late. i'm sorry, ma'am. the weather is pretty bad up there in new jersey. we got on the ground for a while. i am sorry we couldn't get up in the air and get here sooner. i know you have been waiting for a long time. i know you are not just waiting for me.

i know you are waiting for 18 days from now when mitt romney and paul ryan are going to change america for the better. [cheers and applause] now, you all mow know i am an old prosecutor. those old habits die hard. and whenever you were trying to win a case, trying to drive it home during the closing argument to the jury, i always said to my prosecutors, don't use your own words. use the words of the person that you are putting on trial. use their words to try to prove your case. they are powerful. it's a powerful way to do it. here is what we are going to do today. we are going to use the president's words. let's forget about mine for a second. let's use two instances. now a few weeks ago i watched the democrat national convention. i did it as a sacrifice and a service to my nation. [laughter] i watched it at home.

i stayed on my couch. i made my son, patrick, who is 12 years old bring me a big bottle of water because when i hear that much b.s. i start to get light-headed. i had to remain hydrated and make sure i stayed conscious because i wanted to hear every word they were saying at this convention in charlotte. one of the most amazing things i heard them say was, the president of the party at his convention said the following words. i want you to listen carefully. government is the only thing we all belong to. that was a little bit of moaning. i want you to listen harder to that. listen one more time. government is the only thing we all belong to. now listen. i'm from new jersey, and there are 700,000 more democrats than republicans. it's a blue state and a tough

spot to be a conservative republican. but even in new jersey we were taught growing up that we don't belong to government. the government belongs to us. [cheers and applause] that is this president's philosophy, that we belong to the government, that our lives belong to the government, that our earnings belong to the government, that our families belong to the government, that we are pawns for him and the millions of additional bureaucrats he has hired in little cubicles all over washington, d.c. to plot and plan all of our futures. that is what this president believes.

that statement can't mean anything other than that, that we belong to the government. i don't understand what else that could mean? that is him looking at us as his possessions of his grand plan. that has never been the country i thought we were. i have read the constitution, and i think you have read it, too. it doesn't start off we the government. it starts off we, the people. [cheers and applause] it's we, the people. we, the people who give limited power, limited power and authority to the government to help run a civilized society. we did not hand over our lives to the federal government. we did not hand over every bit of our treasure to the federal government. we did not hand over our children's future to the federal government. those things belong to us, not the other way around. but if we re-elect barack obama, we are going to be looking once again at a country that he thinks should be owned by the government, that the government should pick the winners and losers.

the government should decide whether a company like this is successful or not. i think that america should continue to pick winners and losers the way it always has based on three things. one, integrity, the integrity of each individual. [applause] two, ingenuity. who has the best ideas, the smartest ideas, the newest ideas? those are the ones that should be rewarded. [applause] and three, and most importantly, work ethic. because america has proven we will work harder than anybody to get the job done. [applause] but see, if you belong to the government, you have to worry about that. if you belong to the government, the government will take care of your needs. you don't even have to think for yourself anymore. a nice club we belong to, the

government. i want to tell you something. that is not a club i want to belong to, especially when it is not run by club master barack obama. now that community organizer may have worked in chicago, but it is not going to work as president of the united states. the second thing the president said recently was he said you can't change washington, d.c. from the inside. [laughter] i was listening to that one. i started to feel bad for the president. i know we have some media folks out there. you may not know this, but the president loves me. he really does. he loves watching me on tv. [laughter] he loves the stuff i say. he loves me. so since he loves me, i want to help the president. here is what i want to do. i want to talk to you, mr. president. i want to let you know you've been living inside 1600 pennsylvania avenue for the last four years.

if you don't think you can change washington from inside the white house, then let's give you the plane ticket back to chicago you have earned. [cheers and applause] i mean that is a scary thing for the president of the united states to say, isn't it? you can't change washington, d.c. from the inside. really? you can't change washington from the inside. it shows his arrogance. it he really believes that, if he believes that, then what the hell is he doing asking for another four years? [cheers and applause] you could change washington, d.c. from the inside? that's fine. we are happy to give you a butt ticket to the outside, mr. president. and the worst part of that is when he says that, it shows even more about his arrogance.

because what he is saying is it is not my fault. it is not my responsibility. it is not my fault. it is george w. bush's fault. it is dick chaney's fault, the coal company's fault, the gas company's fault. it's the fault of the republicans in congress. it is john boener's false, eric canter's fault. mitch mcconnell's fault, anybody's fault but mine. he says please, give me another four years, and i will figure it out. you know what, mr. president i am tired of waiting for you to figure it out. [cheers and applause] i feel bad for the president, i really do. i do. you see, he doesn't know anything about leading. he has never led anything in his life. until we made him president of

the united states, he never led anything in his life. now i don't want to be disrespectful to any legislators out here, but being in the legislature doesn't make you a leader. then he became a united states senator, and he barely showed up in washington, d.c. to take the oath of office before he started running for the president of the united states. then he spent the next two years running for president of the united states. he had been a law professor. the president doesn't know how to lead. watch he has been like the past four years. he is like a man wandering around a dark room, hand up against the wall, clutching for the light switch of leadership, and he just can't find it, and he won't find it in the next 18 days. [applause] blindly walking around the white house looking for a clue.

[laughter] looking for a clue. and the unfortunate thing for the president is this. it is that there are clues everywhere if he would just open his eyes and learn how to lead. there are clues everywhere. 23 million americans out of work want a leader in the white house that will get the government out of the way and let businesses like ball office products and others like them grow, and prosper and start putting people back to work. [applause] here is another clue, mr. president. only you and the diems in congress wanted obama care. the country didn't, and we need to get rid of it, and mitt romney will. [cheers and applause] listen up, mr. president. here is another clue from the

people. here is one little small clue. they believe they can spend their money better than government can, and they don't want your higher taxes. [applause] they want a smaller government and a smarter government that is more efficient. of course we want the least fortunate to be taken care of. america has always been a compassionate country. we take care of our neighbors whether the government asks us to or not. mitt romney knows we need to have a government that is efficient enough in other areas that eliminates other spending so that we can make sure we do the core things the government needs to do, defend the safety and security of our nation and make sure that our least fortunate are given a hand up to get themselves back on their feet so they can start working for themselves and their

families again. [cheers and applause] what we don't need, mr. president, what we reject, and what we will reject november 6, is an agenda that says government is the solution to every one of our problems. i heard the president the other night in the debate say governor romney says i want a bigger government, and that is just not true. well, governor romney is not the guy who has run up $6 trillion in new debt in four years as president. governor romney has not created new boards, commissions, czars all over government that he is paying millions and millions of dollars of our money to, to machine plate more of the economy to get his desired result. mitt romney is not the guy who is looking 20 take money away from hard working americans and redistribute it across the country based on the government's plan. he thinks the american people ought to decide how to spend their own money, not the

government. [cheers and applause] a few sundays ago before the first debate governor romney asked me to go on all those sunday morning shows for him. you might remember back then a couple of days before the first debate, the campaign wasn't flying high. people were feeling nervous about how the campaign was going and what the last month would look like. they asked me to go on those shows and deal with all those feisty hosts. i don't know why they picked me. [laughter] and so they asked me. bob schaefer, george stephen curry steph, david gregory, they are asking me what is going to happen? how could the campaign turn around? is the race really over? i said to them you wait until

wednesday night because mitt romney is going to win that debate and turn this race upside down. [cheers and applause] and you heard all the geniuses. all the geniuses on tv in the next three days said oh, governor christie stepped in it this time. he made a huge mistake. doesn't he know that governor romney is debating the almighty barack obama? doesn't he know you are not supposed to raise expectations before a debate, that you are supposed to lower them? doesn't he know you are supposed to lie to the american people about what you think. for god's sake, don't tell them the truth because they can't handle the truth. they deserve to hear the truth. mitt romney is better prepared, smarter and more ready for the presidency, and i know he would

show them that in the debate, and he sure did. [cheers and applause] you know what happens in politics. monday, tuesday and wednesday i was the dumbest politicians in america. [laughter] i was the guy that governor romney would never speak to again after daring to predict that he would win the debate and make this race a horse race again. but you know, the great thing about the media is their principles are pliable. so on monday, tuesday and wednesday they were calling me a dummy, and on thursday morning, i was albert einstein, everybody. [cheers and applause] thursday morning they are all calling my office in trenton saying how did you know? [laughter]

what did you know? when did you know it? how didn't we know? [laughter] i just looked at them and said here is why i said what i said. it is two very simple reasons. first, i know mitt romney. i have been supporting him and campaigning for him for over a year, and i have been friends with him for four. i know that every time in this campaign when mitt romney's back was up against the wall, when people were predicting he was going to finish his campaign, lose, be ended by other people, the competitive fire inside mitt romney said no. ask newt gingrich after he beat governor romney in south carolina and sat on tv i think it is pretty clear i am going to be the republican nominee. and they went down to florida, and mitt romney wiped the floor with him. rick perry said he was the front-runner in new hampshire.

governor romney stood on the stage with him in new hampshire and gave him such a whooping that he couldn't even remember which part of government he wanted to eliminate. mitt romney reduced him to saying oops. and now we go to barack obama a week ago wednesday. and you know, if i were on the president's campaign, i would have said so listen, give the guy a red bull or something. wake him up and get him moving. i watched mitt romney, and i took him seriously, unlike some others. i knew he was going to do it. you know the second reason why i said it? because i say what i believe in my heart. i don't give you political spin. i say what i think, and that is what mitt romney will do when he's president of the united states. [applause] and so now with 18 days ago, let

me tell you this. it encourages me so much to see all of you out here today because virginia is a state of consequence. i come from new jersey. we are not. [laughter] i hate to tell you that i am fairly confident that barack obama will be winning new jersey. we had a fundraiser in new jersey a number of months ago for governor romney. governor romney was there with a small group of people around 20 folks. one guy was banging on the table, you must campaign and spend money in new jersey. you can win new jersey. governor christie won new jersey. you can win new jersey. can you do it. he took a sip of his water and looked at me and said chris, is there any way i am going to win new jersey? i said no, there's not. and he said next question. on the other hand, you in the commonwealth of virginia, you

are a state of consequence. will make it different in our country's future. i see these young guy and -- guys right here. would you do in the last 18 days is not for me. it is not for paul ryan or our talent. would you do in the next 18 days is for these guys. we have already had a great

american life. we have had a life that has been blessed. because we have been americans in a country that is the most prosperous the world has ever known. every generation before us has met the test with they would leave this country better than it was left for us the matter with the challenge or the threat or the cost, the american people always rose to those challenges. not for themselves, but for them. but 18 days left a question for you in getting it is how hard are you willing to work to meet that challenge for them.

because i know we agree on this, don't want to be the first generation that decides we're going to sway ourselves for creachchure comfort that we're going to bury ourselves in the sand to say these problems are too big and that everything is too difficult and we're not strong enough to fight back. we don't want to be the first set of americans who does that. and think about this, you know you have a lot of people who helped start this great nation in this common wealth. america wouldn't be america without thomas jefferson, without james madison all from the common wealth of virginia and of course without george washington. but we had a great patriot up north too, few, john adams, john adams who understood and articulated almost as good as jefferson what it meant to be

an american and after 50 years of america, the america he fought for and put his life on the line for sh and this is what he wrote in his diary and he wrote it for us, this is what he said. he said you shall never know the sacrifices you have need secure your liberty make a good use of it for if you do not i shall repent in heaven for how we immediate the sacrifice at all. john adams understood that it was not only enough to serve his country but he needed to challenge the next generation to serve as well. and on his dying day he wrote that in his diary, not for himself but for us. so that when this challenge came, a challenge he could have never foreseen in an america who is only part of his most distant dream a continental country the most powerful and success tfl

world has seen with $16 trillion in debt and a country full of citizens who are hopeful but dispirted he never saw this challenge but he knew the challenge would come and he does not deserve to repent in heaven for the sacrifices he made because we are unwilling to meet that challenge for the next generation t. difference in the election is mitt romney and paul ryan understand the gravity of the challenge. they understand it's going to hurt to fix it. but what they believe in more than the president of the united states does is the strength and resilience of the american people to hear the truth to step up to the plate to make the sacrifices and restore our country back to a greatness that we have often had and always deserve.

and so now i want all of you in the next 18 days to decide how much of your time are you willing to sacrifice. how much of your time are you willing to put forward to make sure that america pick it is right course this time. i will tell you i am going to be all over the country for 18 days because i have four children between nine and 19 and i do not want nor will i willingly permit them to know about america by reading abet in text books i want them to live in the second american century and we have to make it happen for them. [applause] mitt romney and paul ryan can take us there. if we help them over the finish line. so i'm here for governor romney

and congressman ryan today but i'm here much more for you. i want you to understand your state of consequence, you can make a difference in america's future. you can get home and get on the phone with every friend and relative and business associate and client and customer that you have and tell them all that now is not the time to sit on the side lines. with 18 days to go they need to give you their oath they're going to vote in this election and vote for mitt romney and paul ryan because that's the way to fix this broken country. so get on the phone, go door to door. go to call centers, do anything you can over the next 18 days. go home and look at it. you can give an hour a day for the next 18 days, an hour a day. just an hour a day for the next 18 days. if you do that, i'm willing to guarantee you something,

virginia is going to turn the beautiful red of this woman's vest right here in the front and i'm going to be sitting up in new jersey watching my tv and when they put that big old map on the television set and virginia starts flashing and it comes up red, that is going to be the red carpet that leads mitt romney to the white house. so if you're willing to do that in the next 18 days i'm willing to fight with you. if you're willing to say we're going to restore america to greatness by electing leaders, leaders who know how to lead who are not afraid to lead, who are not afraid to tell us the truth and care more about getting re-elected, we got to get hid of those and worry about

putting somebody in the white house who wants to fix these problems and doesn't care whether their re-elected or not. i've asked mitt romney this question will you do whatever you need to do to fix our country regardless of the politics and he looked back and said that's why i'm running. that's why he's running for president of the united states. so i want to thank melissa and the whole family for what they do to make virginia a better place. and i thank all of you for being out here today. and i want you to know i will do everything i can do to make sure these kids have the future we have been blessed enough to have.

if you are willing to fight for it then so am i. thank you very much. [cheers and applause] [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2012]

[crowd chanting 'christie, christie'] >> thank you. thank you for having me.

okay, guys. >> you sent me a letter and i framed it. >> everybody who asked me to run for president got a letter from me. >> we are going door to door. >> we need you down here. newinia's got to carry jersey's water. >> will you take a picture with

us? >> of course i will. where is the camera? hold on one second. thank you, boys. >> thank you, governor. >> can i get a picture? >> sure you can. my pleasure. thank you.

>> tell mitt we got his back. >> good. we need it. >> great speech. no teleprompter. >> thank you. >> thank you, sir. here we go. you for aen watching long time. you're a good man. >> cut his head off. can't do that on facebook.

>> thank you. >> new brunswick, new jersey, sir. >> home of the scarlett knights. undefeated, by the way. >> thank you, governor, christie. >> governor, can i get a picture? >> sure. come on over.

excellent. >> thank you. where's the camera? >> i got a new slogan for you. >> what's that? >> move over, bruce. new jersey has a new boss. he'll go forink

it. >> no teleprompter. >> no, teleprompter only messes me up. thank you. from new york. >> here you go buddy.

would you take the picture? thank you for coming. nice spot, the jersey shore. >> thank you, governor. >> you can stay a little while longer. >> mrs. christie wants me home tonight. >> say hi to pam in michigan. >> pam, are you really in

michigan? this is chris christie. how are you? good. get them all out to the polls on november 6, all right? make him work for it. >> you get all the pretty girls. sign your cast? absolutely right. >> you won the straw poll at the tea party convention. >> habla espanol?

iquito.p thank you, buddy. >> will you kiss my baby? >> of course. excellent. you want to come to new jersey, don't you? i better get away before i push my luck. >> we want you to run for president. >> i got my hands full in new

jersey. >> i hope you do run for president. hah hah hah >> see the final presidential debate monday night on c-span and c-span radio and c-span.org. next, your calls, tweets and e- mails on "washington journal." mexicana on "washington journal ,", a top on consumer spending with neil irwin. then a look at federal oil production. production.