Declaring that along 80 percent of his state's shore "you won't notice any difference" if you visit this summer, Gov. Chris Christie used a Friday appearance on NBC-TV's Today show to say New Jersey is ready for its first summer since Superstorm Sandy devastated the coast.
His timing, of course, was not by chance. This is Memorial Day weekend, the traditional start of the summer season.
The Republican governor also said he'll be glad to welcome Democratic President Obama back to New Jersey next week, so that the president can see for himself how the recovery effort's been going. As for whether he might come in for criticism from his fellow Republicans -- as Christie did after hugging Obama when the president came to the state soon after Sandy roared through -- the governor said that "I never worry about that stuff."
"What people in my state want more than anything else is for me to do my job," added the potential 2016 presidential contender.
Finally, on the issue of his health and how he's doing since he underwent weight-loss surgery in February, Christie said, "I feel good ... things are going well." Today host Matt Lauer observed that the governor is "a little bit smaller than you were the last time we stood together."
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