Christie to Deliver Keynote Address

Things continue to get more interesting in the presidential sweepstakes coming this fall.

Even if they lose, the Republicans are making their case for change directly to the American people.

Candor is always a good thing in a free and self governing society.

Christie says he will deliver keynote at GOP convention has the details:

"New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie will deliver the keynote address at the Republican Convention in Tampa later this month, a news report said Tuesday.

In an interview with USA Today, the 49-year-old colorful chief executive of the Garden State said he will deliver a 20-minute speech on the first night of the convention, Aug. 27, when the GOP convenes to nominate Mitt Romney for president and Paul Ryan for vice president.

Christie told the newspaper he will discuss Republican strategy and how it will take sacrifice by all Americans to tackle difficult issues.

“I’ll try to tell some very direct and hard truths to people in the country about the trouble that we’re in and the fact that fixing those problems is not going to be easy for any of them,” the newspaper quoted Christie as saying. Christie also plans to talk about his experiences in New Jersey to show that “the American people are ready to confront those problems head-on and endure some sacrifice.”

The announcement of Christie’s slot as keynote is expected to be made later today. It comes on the heels of a USA Today/Gallup poll that Romney’s selection of Ryan as his running mate is one of the least popular picks made in recent elections.

The poll, released late Monday, shows 39% of those polled rate Ryan as an “excellent/pretty good” pick while 42% rate him as “fair/poor”. Ryan received the lowest percentage in the “excellent/pretty good” rating of all VP picks over the last quarter century, and only George H.W. Bush’s selection of Dan Quayle in 1988 to be his running mate produced a higher percentage in the “fair/poor” category.

San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro will deliver the keynote for the Democrats. See earlier blog on Castro."

Thanks. Bob.