At Brookings Institution, Christie blasts Dems on tax cut move

Is Gov. Chris Christie promoting his New Jersey comeback to a national audience, or is he auditioning for something bigger?

In a speech at the Brookings Institution in Washington, D.C., Monday, Christie credited his ability to compromise with majority Democrats in the New Jersey Legislature for producing agreements on several issues. They include teacher tenure reform and mandatory drug treatment for nonviolent offenders.

But Christie was critical of Democrats for not guaranteeing a tax cut.

“They decided that was much more important was for me not to be able to go to the Republican National Convention in Tampa and say that I got a tax cut for the people of our state than it was to actually give the people of our state a tax cut,” Christie charged.

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Democrats set aside money in the new state budget for a tax cut, but don’t want it to take effect until revenues meet the administration’s projections.

Assembly Majority Leader Lou Greenwald, D-Camden, says Christie is on what he dubbed a “Tampa Try Out Tour” in hopes of getting a speaking role at the Republican Convention.

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