Ringside: Christie is boldly walking the walk

Let me just say up front that I'm not a Jersey guy. Other than the Shore, cheap gas, tomatoes, and some super cousins of mine who live there, I don't have much affinity for New Jersey.

But then along came Christopher J. Christie. I don't agree with everything he says or does, but man has he been fun to watch. Finally, an elected official who talks straight to voters, isn't afraid to tackle government spending, delivers on promises, and gets things done.

While Gov. Christie's style is gruff and confrontational, even his detractors say he is a strong leader who is willing to stand up to entrenched bureaucracies. (Are you watching, Mayor Nutter?)

In just six months on the job, Christie has taken on big, intractable problems that past leaders have tried and failed to address. He closed a massive budget deficit without raising taxes, or even getting much of a fight from Democrats in the Assembly.

Christie took on the powerful public employees' union and won cuts in the gold-plated pensions and benefits. He pushed through a cap on local property taxes, long a bane for Jersey residents.

Christie's style and effectiveness are a stark contrast from his predecessor, Jon S. Corzine. It's as if Buddy Ryan replaced Rich Kotite.

Ironically, Corzine spent tens of millions of his own money to get elected. He was beholden to no one and his Democratic Party controlled the Assembly. Yet Corzine still couldn't get much done.

As a former Goldman Sachs executive who made hundreds of millions of dollars, Corzine was supposed to be the financial whiz who would fix the state's finances. Despite getting billions of dollars in federal stimulus money, Corzine left behind an $11 billion deficit on a roughly $30 billion budget.

Corzine's ineffectiveness coupled with New Jersey's fiscal problems opened the door for Christie to get elected. Even that was a surprise in such a Democratic state. Despite doing a knockout job as U.S. attorney, Christie was still seen as a George W. Bush crony in a state that didn't have much love for Bush.

I figured Christie's election would be his high-water mark. I didn't expect his my-way-or-the-highway demeanor would go over too well in Trenton.

But he came out swinging, and he hasn't stopped. He has accomplished more in six months than most recent governors in New Jersey - or Pennsylvania for that matter - have accomplished in their full terms. (Of course, few Jersey governors ever seem to complete a term.)

Some of Christie's moves have been over the top. There was no need to dump state Supreme Court Justice John Wallace. And Christie's call for shared sacrifice from all residents would be more powerful if he had maintained the millionaire's tax for at least another year.

Christie's reservoir of political capital would actually grow if residents believed he was governing for all of New Jersey and not just conservatives and wealthy suburbanites.

Even so, polls show strong support for Christie. His effort to rein in the high pay and benefits for public officials is resonating with voters, who are tired of seeing their taxes go up to pay fat salaries for bloated bureaucracies.

The latest controversy about waste and abuse at the Delaware River Port Authority is ripe for Christie to attack. I always thought waste, abuse, and no accountability were part of the DRPA's mission statement. So if Christie can clean house and reform that agency, then perhaps he should run for president.

In fact, if Christie is able to reform New Jersey, he would be an excellent candidate for the GOP in 2012. After all, the Republicans are searching for a leader. Who else is out there?

Please don't tell me Sarah Palin is the pick of the litter. She'll do more for Saturday Night Live ratings than she will for the GOP. Rick Santorum looks poised to battle it out with Mike Huckabee to see who can pull in 5 percent of the vote.

Of course, it all could blow up on Christie. Some scandal or controversy could erupt out of nowhere. Or voters could tire of his hectoring style.

But give Christie credit. He's tackling big problems and making tough decisions. He's doing exactly what he promised when he was on the campaign trail. And from this side of the river at least, Christie is showing the leadership that is lacking here.