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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Coalition pans proposed spring bear hunt County hopes to spur renewable energy Inmates to get mental health, addiction treatment Missing Medford man found safe in Sweet Home White City foster parent accused of sexually abusing child Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Inmates to get mental health, addiction treatment Missing Medford man found safe in Sweet Home White City foster parent accused of sexually abusing child Cave Junction man cited for assault, DUII following crash Man crashes car during high-speed chase in north Medford Politics and Elections Commissioner candidates Talbert, Roberts duel for endorsements Falls: Jackson County sheriff's race isn't over Former sheriff calls Winters' retirement decision 'very wise' Will 'GMO effect' shape election? Dotterrer-Bates Senate race goes negative? Education Striving to make the grade Fresh produce goes home with Jackson Elementary families State mandates eye exams for kids 7 and younger Eagle Point School District goes silent on gun issue SOU's first governing board appointed Environment Josephine County ballot measure would ban commercial and government pesticide use Low water exposes Emigrant Lake's past Wagner Creek work would restore streambank Deer-killing disease won't taint meat for hunters Marijuana growers are threat to salmon, biologists conclude State news Nation - World Obituaries Lester "Les" Nugent John Kenneth Gardner No farewells were spoken Death Notices William (Bill) D. Meeker Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Sports Latest Stories Raiders shut out Eastern Oregon SOSC tackles sports tourism in region Ryder Cup players get back to work on PGA Tour Kyle Busch takes pole at Charlotte as JGR surges Georgia star Gurley suspended for alleged violation Varsity 541 College Sports Raiders shut out Eastern Oregon Georgia star Gurley suspended for alleged violation Ducks' defense gets defensive after loss Raiders rally in five sets to deny Owls again Undefeated SOU returns to Raider Stadium Pro Sports Ryder Cup players get back to work on PGA Tour Kyle Busch takes pole at Charlotte as JGR surges Peterson could be arrested again for smoking weed Pence thrives in the strangeness of October Butler, Gordon relish Royals’ postseason success Community Sports Business Latest Stories County hopes to spur renewable energy Medford airport has busiest September ever Local homeowners not borrowing against their homes Rental vacancies increase 1-800-Flowers CEO: Labor shortage an issue for Harry & David Real Estate News Rental vacancies increase Jackson County real estate sales, prices continue rebound Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford Medford's Pixel Productions moves to new quarters Tenants begin moving into One West Main People In Business Transportation Agriculture 1-800-Flowers CEO: Labor shortage an issue for Harry & David Pallet Wine Co. expands in downtown Medford Purchasers praise Harry & David's turnaround Opinion Latest Granlund cartoon: Carter faults Obama on ISIS Jim Brock: Whose fault is it, anyway? Granlund cartoon: Quiet Atlantic hurricane season Letters to the Editor, Oct. 9 George Will: Is Chris Christie running for president? Editorials Our View: Cheers and Jeers Our View: Measure 86 would allow a prudent investment Our View: Top-two primary would empower more voters Another View: Forest Service comes to its senses Our View: Equal rights measure is unnecessary Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor, Oct. 9 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 8 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 7 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 6 Letters to the Editor, Oct. 5 Guest Opinions Siskiyou Plus Spring Bear Hunt: What lies beneath? Guest Opinion: Who's to blame for 2014 wildfires? Guest Opinion: Measure 91 will snuff out local tax measures Is Ashland taking over Jackson County elections? Birds sound the alarm on climate change Lifestyle Latest stories Barry Lewis: Where are my glasses? Community blog: Do We Need Steps For Health? Community blog: Kicking it off, a game, a season, or a pint (How about all the above?) Apples and pears make great autumn duo Community blog: Lucy-Part 2 Food Community blog: Kicking it off, a game, a season, or a pint (How about all the above?) Apples and pears make great autumn duo Community blog: Cardamom makes proverbial pairing with pears New owners bring new philosophy at 2Hawk Kitchen Call: Delicious autumn vegetables have arrived Home and Garden How to create a fashionable painted floor cloth Dear Monty: 7 prepping tips for home showings Harvest your frost-tender tomatoes for storage Fall is a good time to plant certain perennials Start now for a bowl of winter sunshine Health Community blog: Do We Need Steps For Health? Community blog: Lucy-Part 2 The easiest move we ever made Dr. Jeff Hersh: Ringworm is a very common infection Community blog: "What Most People Really Need is a Good Listening to..." 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Man caught after allegedly stealing 15 pairs of Jordan shorts ... Tactical operations center to receive dedication ... Coalition pans proposed spring bear hunt ... Man caught after allegedly stealing 15 pairs of Jordan shorts ... Tactical operations center to receive dedication ... ANOTHER VIEW George Will: Is Chris Christie running for president? MailTribune.com Writer Posted Oct. 9, 2014 @ 12:01 am Posted Oct. 9, 2014 @ 12:01 am » Social News NEWARK, N.J. — Gov. Chris Christie could be forgiven if he had chips on both shoulders as big as those shoulders. This year, the first of his second term, has been overshadowed by often partisan investigations, more protracted than productive, of the involvement of several of his former aides — he fired them — in the closing of some access lanes to the George Washington Bridge. Nevertheless, Christie today radiates serenity. His critics, including many Hillary Clinton enthusiasts, hoped the last 12 months would be for him a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year. He has, however, thrived. He won two elections last November. One was for a second term as governor, in which he received 60 percent of the vote, including 57 percent of women, 51 percent of Hispanics and 21 percent of African-Americans. The other election — which was, in its way, harder fought; his rivals included other potential presidential aspirants — was to become chairman of the Republican Governors Association. In this capacity, Christie has been crisscrossing the country, campaigning for and distributing contributions to Republican gubernatorial candidates. And campaigning for other Republicans. He carried over into this year $50 million the RGA had in its coffers; he has presided over the raising of at least another $50 million; by Nov. 4 he will have perhaps raised upward of another $10 million. By then he will have been in more than 30 states in 11 months. Coyness is not in Christie's repertoire, so regarding his 2016 intentions he says he will decide in 2015 and meanwhile will not disguise the obvious — that he is doing spade work that prepares the ground for a possible presidential run. Republicans must ask each potential nominee: What brick can you remove from the Blue Wall? It is built from the 18 states and the District of Columbia, jurisdictions that have voted Democratic in at least six consecutive presidential elections and have, together, 242 electoral votes. To sharpen the question: Who can take his persona and message to, say, Philadelphia's suburbs? In a sense, Christie already has, twice. Running for governor required advertising on Philadelphia television. He is a pro-life governor elected twice in a deep blue state to which he has delivered $2.35 billion in tax cuts, and in which the government budget is now less in real dollars than it was in fiscal 2008. To those who fault him for his positions on this or that, he amiably says: "If you're looking for someone you agree with 100 percent of the time, go home and look in the mirror, because you're it." And, he adds, if someone says he agrees with you completely, "He's lying." He may, however, have taken a judicious step toward accommodating one passion of the Republican nominating electorate. In July, he established a commission "to review the effectiveness" of New Jersey's student assessments, "including the Common Core State Standards." This could be a means of stepping away from the Common Core, support for which will be a huge impediment for any Republican aspirant. When asked whether he might be a wine that will not travel — whether his occasional pugnacity might not play nationwide, or seem presidential — he laughs, noting that during his recent trip to Mexico, members of the media traveling with him seemed puzzled by his sedate, diplomatic manner. He asked them, "Do you think I have only one [golf] club, a driver, in my bag?" During a 2008 Democratic candidates debate, Barack Obama said icily, "You're likable enough, Hillary." He is not so much anymore. Is she? Christie's strength against her might be the variable that most explains most presidential elections: likability. Also, Americans often elect presidents who conspicuously lack the perceived defect of the preceding president (e.g., Jack Kennedy's youth contrasting with Dwight Eisenhower's age, Ronald Reagan's strength correcting for Jimmy Carter's weakness). Christie, who exudes executive authority, is the antithesis of today's bewildered incumbent floundering from the disappearing red line regarding Syria, to the HealthCare.gov debacle, to the Veterans Affairs scandals, to the no-one-tells-me-anything surprise about the Islamic State, to the Secret Service that cannot lock the White House's front door. Christie the zestful political combatant is also, and first, a father, with two of his four children, 14 and 11, at home. This will influence his decision about 2016. But so, he says, will this: His wife, Mary Pat, does not want him sitting in the backyard, years hence, harboring regrets about a road not taken. George Will's email address is [email protected]. 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