Obama, Christie tour Jersey Shore to reassess Sandy recovery
President Barack Obama and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie strolled along a Jersey Shore boardwalk like old friends Tuesday, a political odd couple just hanging out together.
The two men had the common purpose of promoting the recovery of the shore from Superstorm Sandy, but that didn't mean they couldn't have some fun.
When it came time to throw a football through a hanging tire at the Touchdown Fever arcade game on the boardwalk in Point Pleasant, it was Christie who had a successful toss, an ungainly spiral that went through the tire, after Obama had tried and missed five times with his lefthanded throw.
The two leaders gave each other a celebratory high-five, and then Obama referenced Christie's re-election campaign.
"That's because he's running for office," Obama declared to throngs of tourists. Obama received the prize for Christie's performance -- a stuffed bear.
Jokes aside, Christie and Obama gave back-to-back speeches a few miles up the coast in Asbury Park and reassured affected families that their partnership wasn't for show. Christie indirectly referenced the Republican criticism he encountered late last year for praising Obama's concern for New Jersey when he said that shore communities had rallied together in response to the storm.
"Everybody came together, Republicans, Democrats, independents, we all came together because New Jersey is more important and our citizens are more important than any kind of politics at all," he said.
Obama, in turn, hailed Christie for the "great work he has done here."
"The Jersey Shore is back and it is open for business," Obama said.
Though Christie supportedRepublican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in the 2012 race, his praise of the Democratic incumbent for his speedy response to the superstorm was seen as a boost for Obama.
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