Yesterday’s big speech

I suspect that the most important political speech delivered yesterday was not Ed Miliband’s address to Labour conference, but Chris Christie’s one at the Reagan Library in California. The governor of New Jersey is coming under mounting pressure from the Republican establishment to run for president; they view him as the party’s best chance of capitalising on President Obama’s electoral vulnerability.

This speech was striking for its political dexterity. It is not a base-pleasing red-meat speech, but rather one designed to reach out to those who voted for Obama last time; those who grown disillusioned by how he has governed. Perhaps, the most effective part of it came when he turned Obama’s famous 2004 convention speech back on him, accusing the president of preparing “to divide our nation to achieve re-election”.

The argument for Christie is that he has succeeded in pushing through tough budgets and public sector deals in a traditionally Democratic state with a Democratic legislature.