During a fawning report on Hillary Clinton's "first time kicking off the Clinton Global Initiative" on Friday's NBC Today, White House correspondent Peter Alexander also cheered the "double feature" of Clinton and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie speaking at the event: "Today it is Bill Clinton who could soon be advising his wife's next presidential bid, giving her possible rival Chris Christie the reins for a major platform to showcase his own leadership skills."
Continuing to hype Christie hobnobbing with Democrats, Alexander declared: "Chris Christie, the Jersey-shore-reopening, carnival-playing presidential pal is the former President's guest of honor, speaking this afternoon, while his Republican rivals address a conference of religious conservatives. Insiders say, for the moment, Christie is focused on 2013, not 2016, eyeing his own re-election race in a heavily blue state."
Demonstrating the media push for GOP moderates like Christie, Lauer went so far as to dismiss criticism from the Governor's Democratic opponent:
You know, but this is interesting because the Governor does a lot of these types of appearances, he's very good at them. And yet his opponent, likely – his definite opponent now – in the Governor's race, the Democrat Barbara Buono, is trying to use this against him, saying, "Yeah, he's funny on talk shows, but then here's the record in office"....I don't know if it's going to be all that successful.
Fellow co-host Savannah Guthrie observed: "No, but always a good idea to try to turn a strength into a weakness for your political opponent, we'll see if that works." Weatherman Al Roker chimed in: "I don't know if that's gonna work."
Here is a full transcript of the June 13 discussion of Christie's appearance on Fallon:
8:13AM ET
MATT LAUER: Trending on YouTube, look who is slow-jamming the news. New Jersey's Governor Chris Christie stopped by Late Night with Jimmy Fallon on Wednesday to counter criticism over his state's upcoming special election.
[ON-SCREEN HEADLINE: Late Night Laughs; Fallon and Christie Slow Jam the News]
CHRIS CHRISTIE: What we don't need is another unelected politician just sitting around in Congress. Whether it's in the Senate or the House of representatives.
JIMMY FALLON: Mm, mm, mm. Take it from my man, the Love Gov. When he sits around the House of Representatives, he really sits around the House of Representatives.
[LAUGHTER]
AL ROKER: Cheap shot.
LAUER: Maybe an outdated cheap shot...
ROKER: Exactly.
LAUER: ...as well because the Governor's slimming down a little bit.
You know, but this is interesting because the Governor does a lot of these types of appearances, he's very good at them. And yet his opponent, likely – his definite opponent now – in the Governor's race, the Democrat Barbara Buono, is trying to use this against him, saying, "Yeah, he's funny on talk shows, but then here's the record in office."
NATALIE MORALES: It's time to get to business.
LAUER: I don't know if it's going to be all that successful.
GUTHRIE: No, but always a good idea to try to turn a strength into a weakness for your political opponent, we'll see if that works.
ROKER: I don't know if that's gonna work.
MORALES: You gotta love the name, "the Love Gov."
GUTHRIE: "The Love Gov," we'll see if it sticks.
