In new TV ad, Christie focuses on Clinton, brushes Rubio aside

So, I greatly admire the Tim Scotts of the world and, frankly, Ronald Reagan and Marco Rubio who can communicate our message in an aspirational, hopeful way.

The Christie campaign on Wednesday released an ad responding to recent attacks from a super PAC backing Marco Rubio. “Go ahead. I hope that he will acknowledge at some point that I couldn’t care less”.

The acrimony between Rubio and Christie has grown over the last several days as both vie to place well or even win in New Hampshire, a critical state for both candidates’ presidential bids. Although he’s been struggling with fundraising and polling, Christie’s rivals are attacking him in the Granite State – a sign, the candidate says, that his campaign may be catching on. Set up by legendary Republican strategist Lee Atwater to help his candidate George H.W. Bush in the 1988 cycle, SC helped choose the winning candidate in 1996, 2000 and 2008 when Iowa and New Hampshire differed.

Now’s not the time for Christie to directly engage Trump, said Geoffrey Skelley, associate editor of Sabato’s Crystal Ball, produced by the University of Virginia Center for Politics. The Florida senator mentioned Christie’s support for Common Core education standards, an assault weapons ban and gun control, as well as a donation to Planned Parenthood.

“Once you blow it up, what are you going to put in its place?”

While President Obama has earned the nickname “No Drama Obama” for his methodical and calculated style, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said he would have no such nickname as president.

“The fact of the matter is, Chris Christie has supported Common Core and, in fact, as badmouthed Republicans that oppose it”, Rubio said.

One Republican candidate said he doesn’t blame Americans for being angry.

President Barack Obama and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie talk with local residents at the Brigantine Beach Community Center in Brigantine, N.J., October 31, 2012.

“Chris Christie has done a number of things that are very similar to the Obama agenda”, Rubio said Thursday on Fox Business Network’s “Cavuto Coast to Coast”.

A second ad from the group waded into the “Bridgegate” scandal, which sent Christie from the top tier of the Republican field down to the low single digits for much of 2015. “Not what we need in the White House.”The Rubio super PACs other ad shows image after image of the governor and President Barack Obama, smiling.

“We have isolationist candidates who are apparently more passionate about weakening our military and intelligence capabilities than they are about destroying our enemies”, said Rubio.

The speech appears aimed at trying to sell Christie as a less risky alternative to Trump.

The senator defended his record, noting that Christie has been criticized in New Jersey for spending time outside of the state to run for president.

Christie says that now that the holidays are over, voters are really starting to pay attention to their choices leading into the February 9 primary.

As to Christie’s pathway forward, it’s not unlike many of his rivals. This makes ideal political sense for an opposition party which is anticipating running against a de facto incumbent, Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state of the current administration.