New Jersey Republican governor Chris Christie said Tuesday that he understands the growing Occupy Wall Street movement, adding that demonstrators have a right to be upset with the economy.
“What they’re saying is ‘The government’s not working for me anymore, the government is not being fair, the government is not helping me the way that they should,’” Mr. Christie told a crowd of supporters.
“I understand why they’re angry. Because you look down at what’s happening in Washington, D.C., it should disgust all of us,” the New Jersey Republican added. “You have a president who’s unwilling to drag people to the same room and bang heads and force solutions. You have Congress in both parties who won’t talk to each other. … At the same time we have people out in the country who are suffering. And they’re playing games in Washington, D.C.”
Mr. Christie, who announced earlier this month that he would not seek the Republican presidential nomination, also noted that the Tea Party and the Occupy Wall Street movements were closely aligned. The New Jersey Republican said the two are the results of the same frustration and simply represent a different point of the political ideology spectrum.
Mr. Christie’s comments echo similar statements made by President Obama. Speaking Tuesday, Mr. Obama also said the two groups were closely aligned.
