california. now he's expected to begin at any moment. when it happens, we'll bring it to you live right here on the fox news channel. meanwhile over the past 24 hours, speculation about a possible christie presidential run has dominated the news, but according to reports today the governor has decided that he will not enter the race for the white house. now, this news comes just hours after todd christie, his brother stated that, yes, chris has no plans to step away from his current role. he told the "star ledger" in new jersey, i'm sure he's not going to run and added, if he's lying to me i'll be as stunned as i've ever been in my life. as we monitor this major development on the road to 2012, we're keeping an eye on the podium at the reagan library, bringing the governor's speech when it happens. in the meantime joining me with analysis from washington, the author of "the new york times" bestseller, "courage and consequence," karl rove. how are you? >> i'm fantastic. how about you? >> all right.

>> i don't want to be at the christie family thanksgiving party regardless of chris christie's decision. >> i don't know if i want to know be there either if his brother is making the big announcement. i got a preview of the speech, group reveal it, because we'll cover a lot of it here, but a lot of people speculating it seems like that a number of wealthy donors have repeatedly knocked on his door, said, governor, we need you to run, get in the race. it's really not been him, it's been a lot of people asking him. >> yeah. >> sean: what do you think of what his decision is? >> look, it's not wealthy donors. there have been fellow republican governors, party activists, grassroots republican movers and shakers. i mean, this has been a pretty interesting thing to watch. in a very short period of time, since his swearing-in in january of 2010, he's become quite a figure on the national stage, because of what he's done as governor. he took on the teachers unit.

he's blunt, straightforward. he's the every man of american politics. and he's got a -- he's got quite a following. so look, i don't know whether he's going to get in or not. given the choice between trusting his brother and waiting for the governor himself to speak, i'd rather wait for the governor himself to speak. but it's -- you know, he's an interesting figure who's clearly got the capacity to jump into this race and contest it. i think a lot of people have been encouraging him to do so. >> sean: the left is advancing a narrative that i don't agree with, and that is that the reason that republicans want christie to get into this race is because, well, they're not confident in the field of candidates that they currently have. i don't believe that's the case. how would you respond to that? >> well, i agree with you. look, in june, i think it was like 15% of republicans were happy, enthusiastic about the field, which is a pretty good number for that time. tomorrow it's over 2/3 and approaching 3/4. we have four months until voting begins. we're at the point where people

are starting to gain enough information and make judgments about these people. now, i do think there's something else going on here, which is i think republicans want to get this thing right. they want to have a big robust contest. the more robust the better. and for a lot of republicans it is just beginning. so the idea of a chris christie candidacy or sarah palin candidacy or mitch daniels candidacy, all they find intriguing, because they say, look, we've got four or five months until we vote, six or seven months until my state votes, lets them go at it and see how they do. >> sean: i agree. rick perry jumped into the race and went to the top of the polls. by all accounts conservatives weren't happy with his position on immigration. you advised him to sort of modify his position on social security, and the use of the term "ponzi scheme." >> i'm not -- let me be clear. i'm not adverse to the use of "ponzi scheme." i wouldn't use it, because a

ponzi scheme is a deliberately criminal enterprise, but i get what he's talking about when he talks about a sonny scheme, which is unsustainable. my concern is, when he said in his book, by all measures it's been a failure, he alludes to it perhaps being unconstitutional, and says the federal government has no role, it ought to be turned over to the states decide. what happens if your state says we're not going to have a social security system? what happens to the money you paid into the system? how's that going to affect your retirement and the benefit? you know, every american gets a form every year saying here's what you'll get if you retire at the age of 62 or 65, here's what your benefit will look like, or if you wait until 70. if you make that kind of statement, you be prepared to defend it, particular in a general election, the democrats can be counted on to come hard and heavy at social security and medicare. >> sean: i agree. as romney refined his answer on romney care, so too perry in an

interview with me i think refined his answer on social security. he said, we're going to means test it, raise the eligibility age, etc. he says that it's a failure in the sense that it's going bankrupt, they misappropriated the funds and never put it in the lockbox. i think americans agree that that's the case. >> yeah, i think he's getting better. i do think this -- neither rom romney, nor perry, have given us a sufficient, adequate package. you need to know how all the pieces work, explain it to the american people. and perry, who leads in the polls, and the guy trailing him, mitt romney, neither has given us a sufficient social security reform package, and they've got to before they get into the general election. >> what would you recommend that perry do on a contentious issue, immigration, and his answer that he gave that did not go over

very well with conservatives in the country. what would you advise him on that? >> look, he made a big mistake by questioning the -- you know, the views of the people who disagree with him. you know, we never expect ourselves to agree with somebody 100% of the time. but in this instance i think the governor failed to do two things. one is make a defense of what he did, based on the facts of the law and shows how if few people were really affected by this and how widespread he deluded how widespread was for the legislature, but the other part of it was never, never do what he did, which is to say, in essence, if you don't agree with me then you're latterless or stupid -- you're heartless or stupid or un-american. the president says all the time, if you don't agree with me, that's not the american way. you know, what you suggest -- what my political opponents support is not at the american way. i mean, you got to stay away from that particularly on an issue like this. but speak with clarity with what the bill does, describe how it affects the state, make a

passion plea for it, but by all means don't question the -- you know, the motivations of those that disagree with you. >> sean: we're awaiting the keynote address of governor christie from the reagan library. looks like the introduction may be beginning. when that happens, we'll bring it to you live. what do you make of the surge of herman cain? >> wins the florida straw poll, after the florida debate. a poll has him in first place with a significant amount with romney and perry virtually tied for second? >> yeah. first of all, the florida straw poll -- look, i don't like these straw polls. i don't like the iowa straw poll, the florida straw poll, the -- >> how what the zogby straw poll? >> i'm not a big fan of zogby's polling. i think he's erratic. i do think this. i think herman cain became a safe vote in the-d aftermath of the debate. you saw it in the newspapers, where they quoted a lot of people, all of whom paid $175 to

be a delegate to the florida straw poll who said i came here expecting to pay for perry but after the debate i couldn't. so they wanted to vote for the guy that that they applauded for the debate, you had energy and enthusiasm, i'll give a street herman cain and -- give a street herman cain and say do everybody, better. >> sean: when somebody is introduced, they walk up to the front of the podium. as you can see governor christie, almost a unique -- well, dramatic entrance that he's making, coming from the back of the room, shaking hands as he makes his way up to the podium, making his address at the reagan library. it looks like he's making his way to the podium now. interesting way to enter a room, wouldn't you say, karl? >> yeah. look, it's an awkward room. i've spoken there. it's like a weird rectangle, oddly-shaped rectangle, so it's hard to enter the room and make a speech. but this one is -- you know, a really smart move on his part, milk the crowd, get them juiced

up from talking to people out there, they're excited about having him come out there. he's giving a major policy speech, which is, you know, to be -- you know, reagan library is a great place to do that. >> sean: what's interesting, too, avenue gives his remarks, which we expect 20 minutes, there's a question-and-answer period. i've got to anticipate that one of the questions will be, governor, are you running for president? i assume that -- >> do you think? >> sean: he won't be speaking through his brother. >> you think that might happen? maybe you're right. >> sean: yeah, that might happen. all right, can herman cain sustain -- forget about the polling. there's obviously some energy in the cain campaign. where do you think that's coming from, because it virtually came out of nowhere? >> he has a lot of energy, passion, enthusiasm he's got something that he's sunk his teeth into, 9-9-9. 9% flat tax, 9% corporate tax, 9% income tax. but now he's got to do the

tougher work of what explaining what that is, how much revenue it will generate, how it's going to work. it sounds good, i like a flat tax, but a 9% flat tax is a higher effective rate than most americans pay on their personal income taxes. a 9% income tax -- i think he made a mistake when he went on with chris wallace and didn't tell us how much money it would generate, what would the transition period look like, how do you make this thing happen. he's now got to take that to the next level. he's got to focus on iowa, because if you're herman cain and you want to break through, you've got to break through in iowa, which is the first contest. good news for him, he spent a lot of time in omaha, nebraska, right across the missouri river, and he knows western iowa pretty intimately. >> the economist for the poll on obama this week 36% disapproval

rating. a gallup poll with disapproval of government at 81%. just came off a midterm election, biggest in 70 years, the numbers don't look for the president, and tim geithner is defending the cost by a harvard economist that this jobs program he's advocating, we're paying $200,000 per job, karl. >> yeah. and look, i mean, that's the one-year cost to the job. i mean, how much is it going to cost to sustain that job next year if it's dependent on government money for its creation and sustenance? >> look, we tried this. we can't spend our way to prosperity. we did this in 2009 with an $862 billion stimulus bill. it's not worked. what makes us think that a $457 billion stimulus bill is going to work this year? >> the country is coming out

with sympathy cards for people that have been laid off and lost their jobs. 42.6 million americans in poverty. 1 in 4 children in poverty. you got 18 million americans unemployed. you got millions more underemployed. and the president doubles down on the same policy. you've worked in the white house. is there not one single person in the white house that is going to the president and saying, class warfare is not the answer, the same thing that you tried in 2009 didn't work then, i guess not going to work now? where's the advice the president is getting? >> apparently not. in fact, you watch these guys on sunday morning on the talk programs. david plouffe -- who incidental doesn't he look like eddie munster? all of them are out there saying we can spend our way to prosperity. we've tried it, it hasn't worked, try it again is their response to it. i did think axelrod had a good comment e. said this is a titanic struggle. >> sean: he did say that. >> the obama presidency is going

down with the passengers in the west wing on it. you just steered it into an iceberg. >> sean: in the same interview, he also said it's not a referendum on the president. i'm, like, of course it's a referendum. he's right that it's a choice election, but similarly a referendum on obama's policies. how could it not? >> right. well, look, that's the choice. the choice is between the president's policies or something different. what he's alluding to is that the democratic playbook for next year is going to be irradiate the republican nominee, to say and do anything in order to tell the american people, explain to the american people, you know, mislead the american people into believing that the republican nominee is unworthy of the oval office. we saw it in the last couple of days. the president said the republican approach would cripple the country. really? we saw it in his speech to the joint session of the congress, when he said, oh, here's the republican attitude, it is to, quote, shut down the government, return the money, and regulations, and tell everyone

they're on their own. that's not the way of america. i haven't heard a single republican say that. >> when he says it's going to christmas tree country, in that very same speech, he's saying to the congressional black caucus, symptom complaining, symptom grumbling, stop crying. this is his own base that he has to lecture and woo back, because he has the lowest numbers, 68% base support for him. how does he reach out to the center, the people leaving him in droves, if he has to shore up his base? >> this is what my column is about on thursday in the "wall street journal." i think he's making a grave mistake by thinking he needs to worry about the blackhawk caucus and these professional, you know -- black caucus and these premium mealy mouth and weak kneed people inside the democratic party, and apiece them by moving to the left. that makes it difficult to get to the voters whom he needs to win in order to win the election. there are two ways to strengthen your base. wins to do what he's doing, going out of his way to sound

like a left wing nut with class warfare, all this stuff, or articulating a vision that inspires people. he clearly can't do the latter, so he's doing the former. it will hurt him with independents, midwestern voters, young voters, college-educated voters, women, all of whom who have declined in their support for him larger than the national average. his problem will get worse before it gets better because of what i think is a completely flawed and stupid strategy. >> sean: so a billion dollars in class warfare you're saying is not going to work, although they seem to have doubled down on it. for all the mistakes that i thought that bill clinton made in his first two years, he had enough sense to change course, pivot, triangulate. >> right. >> sean: whether you like dick morris or not, they signed on to welfare reform and big government as we know it and that worked. >> yeah. charles krauthammer is

absolutely right. clinton by nature was a centrist, left of center, but democratic leadership council, former governor, and he was a guy who tried to make things work. he was aft all from a reasonably conservative state and survived by basically accommodating himself and maneuvering. obama is a left wing i' ideolog. >> i got interrupt here is new jersey governor chris christie. >> thank you very much. thank you. thank you very much. thank you. [applause] thank you very much. great to be here. mrs. reagan and all of the distinguished guests here, it's an honor for me to be here at the reagan library to speak with you today. i want to thank mrs. reagan for her gracious invitation. there's been a lot of thrilling things that have happened to me

over the last 20 months. people kind become a little passe after a while about things that happen. i have a former law partner who's with me tonight, who majors in passe, my friend bill palatucci. i called him and said, okay, i said something that's going to impress you. [laughter] and i read him this letter over the phone, and i said it's signed by nancy reagan. he said, "okay, i'm impressed." [laughter] it's great to be here, mrs. reagan. thank you for your invitation. [applause] ronald reagan believed in this country. he embodied the strength, the perseverance, and the faith that has propelled immigrants for centuries to embark on dangerous journeys, to come here, to give up all that was familiar for all

that was possible. he judged as good as things were and had been for many americans they could and would be better for more americans in the future. it's this vision for our country that guided his administration over the course of eight years. his commitment to making america stronger, better, more resilient, is what allowed him the freedom to challenge conventional wisdom, reach across party lines, and dare to put results ahead of political opportunityism. everybody in this room, and countless other rooms across this great country, has his or her favorite ronald reagan story. for me that story happened 30 years ago, in august of 1981. the air traffic controllers in violation of their contracts went on strike. president reagan ordered them back to work, making clear that

those who refused would be fired. in the end, thousands refused and thousands were fired. [applause] i cite this incident not as a parable of labor relations, but as a parable of principle. ronald reagan said what he meant and meant what he said. those who thought he was bluffing were sadly mistaken. reagan's demand was not an empty political ploy, it was leadership pure and simple. reagan said it best himself. he said, i think he convinced people who might have thought otherwise that i might what i said. incidentally, i would have been just as forceful if i thought management ha had been wrong ine dispute. that was ronald reagan, fairness. i recall this pivotal moment for

another reason as well. most americans at the time firmed reagan's firm handling of the strike as a domestic matter, a confrontation between the president and the public sector union, but this misses a critical point in my view. to quote a phrase from another american moment, the whole world was watching. thanks to newspapers and television then, and increasingly now the internet and social media, what happens here doesn't stay here. this is not vegas. [laughter] another way of saying what i've just described is that americans do not have the luxury of thinking that what we've long viewed as purely domestic matters have no consequences beyond our borders. to the contrary. what we say and what we do at home affects how others see us and in turn affects what it is they say and they do.

america's role and significance in the world is defined first and foremost by who we are at home. it is defined by how we conduct ourselves with each other, how we deal with our own problems. it is determined in large measure by how we set an example for the world. we tend to still understand foreign policy as something designed by officials in the state department and carried out by ambassadors and others overseas, and to symptom extent it still is, but one of the most powerful forms of foreign policy is the example we set. this is where it's instructive to harken back to president reagan. president reagan's willingness to carry out his stand at home sent the signal that the occupant of the oval office was someone who could be predicted to stand by his friends and to stand up to his adversaries.

if president reagan would do that at home, leaders around the world realized that he would do it abroad as well. principle would not stop at the water's edge. the reagan who challenged soviet aggression, who attacked a libya that supported terror was the same reagan who stood up years before for what he believed was right. all this does and should have meaning today. the image of the united states around the world is not what it was. it is not what kit be. it is not what it needs to be. this country pays a price whenever our country fails to deliver, rising living standards to our citizens, exactly the case for years now. we pay a price when our political system cannot come together and agree on the difficult but necessary statements to rein in entitlement spending or reform

our tax system. we pay a price when special interests win out over the collective national interest. we are seeing just this in the partisan divide that has so far made it impossible to reduce our staggering deficits and create an environment in which there is more job creation than job destruction. this is where the contrast between what's happened in new jersey and what is happening in washington, d.c. is the most clear. in new jersey over the last 20 months, you have actually seen divided government that's working. to be clear, it doesn't mean we don't have arguments or acrimony. i think you've all seen my youtube videos. [laughter] there are serious disagreements. sometimes expressed loudly. you know, jersey style. [laughter] a few new jerseyians out there

well, listen, here's what we did. we identified the problems. we proposed specific means to fix them. we educated the public on the dire consequences of inaction, and then we compromised on a bipartisan basis to get results. in other words, we did what government is supposed to do. we took action. that's what people expect. [applause] how do we do this? how do we do it? through leadership and compromise. leadership and compromise is the only way you can balance two budgets with over $13 billion in deficits, without raising taxes, while protecting core services. leadership and compromise is the only way. you reform new jersey's pension and health benefits system that

was collectively $121 billion underfunded. leadership and compromise is the only way you can can't highest property taxes in the nation and can't interest arbitration awards for public employees of some of the most powerful public sector unions in america at no greater than a 2% increase. in new jersey, we've done this and more becausehe executive branch has not sat by and waited for others to go first to suggest solutions to our state's most difficult problems. [applause] being a mayor, being a governor, being a president means leading by taking risk on those important issues of the day. that is happened in trenton. in new jersey, we've done this

with the legislative branch held by the opposite party, because it's led by two people who have 4a4aó&ñ that'sy call them myuse. friends. our bipartisan accomplishments a tone that's taken ahold across many other states. it's a simple but powerful message -- lead on the tough issues by telling your citizens the truth about the depth of our challenges. tell them the truth about the difficulty of the solutions. to lead america during these troubling times. in washington, on the other hand, we have watched as we drift from conflict to conflict with little or no resolution. we watch a president who once talked about the courage of his convictions, but still has yet found the courage to lead. we watch a congress at war with itself, because they're unwilling to leave

campaign-style politics at the capitol's door. the result is a debt ceiling deliberation debate that made our democracy appear as though we could no longer effectively govern ourselves. still we continue to wait and hope that our president will finally stop being a bistandner the oval office. we hope he will shake off the paralysis that's made it impossible for him to take on the big things that are so obvious to all americans and to a watching and anxious world. yes we, hope, we hope, because each and every time the president lets a moment -- >> we've got to take a break here. we will continue to monitor governor christie's speech. he's at the reagan library tonight. we'll bring you more throughout the hour, including the question and answer period, congressman and answer period, congressman connie mack, and karl rove [ junior ] i played professional basketball for 12 years. today i own 165 wendy's restaurants.

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>> that is new jersey governor chris christie. he's at the present moment delivering a keynote address at the reagan presidential library in simi valley, california. we'll continue to monitor the speech. we'll bring you more throughout this hour, including the karen question and answer session. karl, after he talked about president reagan, acknowledged mrs. reagan in the crowd, he went in to talk about new jersey government divided, but working. he said on a national level that's not happening. in washington, d.c., we watch conflict with conflict, it's not working, and put the blame on president obama as a bystander watching it go by. what did you think? >> he talked about the importance of activist leadership. he did so subtlety at the beginning by talking reagan's activist leadership, and his

role as governor of new jersey, and how through leadership and compromise they've accomplished a lot in a short period of time, and then began to move into a contrast, if you will, with the absence of southlander on the part of th --absence of leaderse part of the president. if you call the president a bystander in the oval office, i think he's got it just right. >> sean: you worked with the president. you were there for the two years when president obama had nancy pelosi, harry reid, good majorities. was there a lot of compromise at that moment in time? >> no, there was no compromise. there's another point about this administration that i want to make tonight. that is that this president is willing to go out and lie to the american people, to get something done. we saw it this past week with the cr, the continuing resolution. they told us that if we didn't pass it by friday, we were going to run out of money. then when they realized they weren't able to get it passed by

friday, they moved it to monday, then wednesday. then said don't worry about it, we've got what we need for the rest of the week. you can't continue to lie to the american people. that's what this administration is doing. >> sean: seems like the president has doubled down on this idea -- i think they assume now that the economy will be pretty much what it is. they had no chance of passing the bill that they wanted. they knew that. but then they decided to use the class warfare. really incendiary language, the attacks on the tea party, you know, republicans want blacks hanging from trees from america, sons of bitches, straight to hell. i mean, this is language coming from elected officials in d.c. didn't work if 2010. will it work in 2012? >> no. you're seeing panic in the white house. i think the president knows his last days are numbered here as president. so he's trying to do anything he can to shake it up. unfortunately for him, it ain't going to work.

fortunately for america it ain't going to work. >> sean: even david axelrod of all people acknowledged it. back to governor christie at the reagan library in simi valley. >> and the united states must become more discriminating in what we try to accomplish abroad. we certainly cannot force others to adopt our principles through coercion. local realities count. we cannot have forced makeovers of our society, other societies, in our image. we need to limit ourselves overseas to what is in our national interest so we can rebuild the foundations of american power here at home, foundations that need to be rebuilt in part so we can sustain a leadership in the world for decades to come. the argument for getting our own house in order is not an argument for turning our back on the world. i want to be clear.

we cannot and should not do that. first of all, our economy's dependent on what we export and import. as we learned the hard way 10 years ago, we as a country and a people are vulnerable to terrorist armed with box cutters and bombs and viruses, be they computer-generated or man-made. we need to remain vigilant and be prepared to act with our friends and allies to discourage, deter, or defend against traditional aggression, to stop the spread of nuclear materials and weapons, and the means to deliver them, and to continue deprive terrorists of the ways, means, and opportunity to succeed and kill our people. i realize that what i'm calling for requires a lot of our elected officials and a lot of our people. i plead guilty, but i also plead guilty to optimism. like ronald reagan, i believe in what this country and its citizens can accomplish if they understand what is being asked

of them and how we all benefit if they meet the challenge. there's no doubt in my mind that we as a country and as a people are up for the challenge. our democracy is strong. our economy is still the world's largest. innovation and risk-taking is a part of our collective dna. there is no better place in the world for investment. and above all, we have a demonstrated record as a people and nation of rising up to meet any challenge. but today the biggest challenge we must meet is the one we present to ourselves, to not become a nation that places entitlement ahead of accomplishment, to not become a country that places comfortable lies ahead of difficult truths, to not become a people that thinks so little of ourselves that we demand no sacrifice from

each other. we are a better people than that, and we must demand a better nation than that. [applause] the america i speak of is the america ronald reagan challenged us to be every day. frankly, it's the america his leadership helped us to be. through our conduct, our deeds, our demonstrated principles and our sacrifice for each other and for the greater good of our nation, we become a country emulated throughout the world. not just because of what we said, but because of what we've done, both at home and abroad. if we are to reach real american exceptionalism, american exceptionalism that can set an example for freedom around the world we must lead with purpose and unity.

now, in 2004 illinois state senator barack obama gave us a window into his vision for american leadership at the democratic national convention's keynote address he said this -- "now even as we speak, there are those who are preparing to divide us, the spin masters, the negative ad peddlers are who embrace the politics of anything goes. i say tonight, there's not a liberal america, a conservative america, there's the united states of america. there is not a black america and a white america and a latino america and asian america. there's the united states of america." well now seven years later president obama prepares to divide our nation to achieve re-election. this is not a leadership style. thinks a re-election strategy. telling those who are scared and

struggling that the only way their lives can get better is to diminish the success of others, trying to cynically to convince those who are suffering that the american economic pie is no longer a growing one that can provide more prosperity for all who work hard, insisting that we must tax and take and demonize those who have already achieved the american dream. that may turn out to be good re-election strategy, mr. president, but it is a demoralizing message for america. [applause] what happened? what happened to state senator obama when he decided to become

one of the dividers he spoke so eloquently of in 2004? there of course is a different choice. that choice is the way ronald reagan led america in the 1980s, that approach to leadership is best embodied in the words he spoke to the nation during his farewell address in 1989. he made clear he was not there just marking time, that he was there to make a difference, and then, of course, he spoke of the city on the hill and how he made it stronger. he said, i spoke of the shining city all my political life, but i don't know if i ever quite communicated what i saw when i said it, but in my mind it was tall, proud city, built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept, god blessed, and teaming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace, a city of free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity,

and if there had to be city walls the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. that's how i saw it and see it still. that is american exceptionalism. [applause] not a punchline in a political speech, but a vision followed by a set of principle actions that made us the envy of the world. not a re-election strategy, but an american revitalization strategy. we will be that again, but not until that we demand that our leaders stand tall by telling the truth, confronting our shortcomings, celebrating our successes, and once again leading the world because of what we have been able to

actually accomplish. only when we do that will we finally ensure that our children and grandchildren will live in a second american century. we owe them, as well as ourselves and those who came before us nothing less. thank you again for inviting me. god bless you and god bless the united states of america. [applause] >> sean: all right. there is governor chris christie wrapping up his address at the reagan library. we assume a question and answer period. when he mcclintock, commentary with connie mack, karl rove, plus our great american

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fox news contributor, karl rove. we expect, karl, any minute that governor christie would take questions. i assume he gets a question about whether in fact he's going to run for president. we'll hear it directly from him. this speech got a lot of momentum as it moved forward. i would use the word com excorid president obama for the words he used in 2004, saying it's a demoralizing message for america to tax and take and demonize those who have achieved the american dream. pretty powerful, tough words for the president. >> whether or not he becomes a candidate or not, it's a great road map on how to take on president obama, use his words and action to indict his conduct, by saying that the president is stirring up resentment by pitting american against american based on the size of their bank account.

i thought it was very powerful. and his call for a real american exceptionalism that emphasized, you know, growth and opportunity and achieving your dreams was a powerful rejoinedder to the president's campaign strategy. >> sean: and congressman mack, considering where he was, at the reagan library, went back to reagan optimism, a shining city on the hill as he was closing his speech, and he said when obama became a divider, there's a different choice, one vision, obama's versus another, and he described obama's as a dividing message. >> absolutely. this goes back to a credibility issue for the president. i thought the governor did a good job tonight in his speech. like you said, it built in momentum. he really laid out, i think, the differences between what republicans -- how republicans feel about our country and how do we move forward, put in that optimism in there, the shining

city on the hill, you know. he's done a great job of pointing out the differences. and the president is stuck in this campaign mode now. he's not communicating with the american people. he's trying to communicate apparently with himself. >> sean: he keeps talking about, you know, don't put entitlements over accomplishments, and he said talk straight to the american people, level with them, bring them in on their problems and together we'll solve them, not divide us. all right, when we come back, apparently governor christie has been asked the question, if he's going to run for president. we'll continue with karl rove, congressman mack, and that question when we come back tonight on where do you go to find a super business? you know, the ones who do such a super job, they're backed by the superguarantee®? only superpages®. wherever you are, wherever you're going, you'll find the super business you need. so next time, let the good guy save the day.

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>> sea it's time to reveal the results of our text voting poll. we asked if you wanted to see chris christie jump into the 2012 presidential race. look at these results. 86% of you said yes. 12% said no. 2%, you haven't made up your mind. you're not sure. now this just into us tonight from the reagan library in california, just moments ago, new jersey governor chris christie was asked directly about his 2012 intentions, and he did make some news.

let's take a look at what he had to say. >> governor christie, you're known as a straight shooter, one not given to playing games. can you tell us what's going on here? are you reconsidering or are you standing firm? >> listen, i have to tell you the truth, you folks are an incredible disappointment as an audience. the fact that that took till the second question -- [laughter] -- shows you people are off your game. that is not american exceptionalism. listen, i'll be succinct about this. i saw something great on the politico website, but they put a

minute and 53 seconds of my answers strung back to back together on the question of running for the presidency. everyone go to politico.com. i'm not going to bore with you it. those are the answers. >> sean: he's not running. >> not running. >> what did you think of the poll? >> i think it's interesting. a lot of people say people aren't happy with the field right now. i don't think that's what it is at all. i think americans are saying, we want a different president, and they want to back someone who can win. they want someone who can take out barack obama and get this country back on track. so whether it's, you know, any of the republicans that have been on the stage, they're ready fofor somebody that's going to stand up to barack obama and stand up and defend america. that's what we're looking for. >> sean: karl, one of the things, it seems that when somebody's not in the race, people have a mental image that they're perfect, and then, for

example, governor perry got into the race, and he's been running into a few issues, social security, then the immigration question. there would have been some difficult times ahead for governor christie. he's done a great job in new jersey, great on the economy. he had controversial appointments, you know, some other issues, comprehensive immigration reform that he supports, just little things that he would have had to deal w like any candidate in the campaign, right? >> oh, sure. that's what the process is about. i think you and congressman mack hit it exactly right. republicans want a bigger field in order that we emerge at the end of it with the strongest possible candidate to beat obama, and whether -- look, whether rick perry wins or not, or mitt romney wins or not, at the end of the day, their presence in the race will have made it's a stronger caved at the finish -- candidate at the finish line. the same with governor christie. i think that's why there was enthusiasm for him to get into the race, because they wanted to see how he'd perform, and knew at the end of the process, it would result in a stronger

candidate, better mentally disciplined, and a more unified and energized party to take on president obama. >> sean: some people rise to the occasion and other people crack under the pressure a little bit. won't we see that in the candidate that eventually goes through this difficult process, but this is tee-ball compared to what obama will throw at them. >> yeah. we've actually seen it. i think mitt romney has shown he's been able to withstand everything that's come at him. he's steady, he's consistent. people know where he stands. he knows what it means to create jobs. he knows how jobs are created. i think mitt romney is perfectly positioned to win the nomination and to beat barack obama. >> sean: you're submitting mitt? >> i am. >> sean: karl, i've never asked you. is there one person you're leaning toward? >> no. i'm focused on having helping crossroads get ready to have a

big war chest to help the republican nominee. the convention is still months ahead. our candidate will be largely selected but out of cash and gas, and i'm focused on making certain to help them whoever they are. >> sean: that's good. you're an anybody but obama guy? >> well, i was a hannity guy, and he broke my heart by not getting in the race. there's still. you have until october 14th. >> sean: what? >> you have until october 14th, the michigan filing deadline. >> sean: i'm not sure if i'll make it, but i appreciate your vote of confidence. we'll be looking for your column in "the journal" thursday. and we'll be looking at your penny plan, congressm thanks. >> let not your heart be troubled. we'll see you tomorrow night. >> greta: tonight, if your job review was this bad, you'd be fired. gallup las a government job review. here it is -- most ameri