Unlike Some Racist Republicans, Christie Doesn’t Have a ‘Physical Rejection’ of Obama

“You said something so smart. [Chris] Christie is known for physical contact – it seems so high school, you know -- physical contact with the President. We think of him not hugging or anything or they’re not, they’re not bromance material here. But they would actually walk together, been seen together. And then you have these terrible cases of people saying or somebody from South Carolina, “I was 10 feet from him the other day and it made me - from the President - it made me sick.” Or “I told him to his face I can’t stand looking at you.” Or “You lie!” This almost physical rejection of him as an African-American, let’s be honest about it. Whereas Christie hugs the guy, politically. Do you remember Charlie Crist? He gets knocked out of the Republican Party for physical contact with this president. It sounds so primitive, but it is tribal. And these, you know the American system was to bring people together, not to break out into tribes. And I think the Republican Party is doing that. And Christie is not doing that. He’s not tribalist. He doesn’t play that game.
— Chris Matthews discussing New Jersey GOP Governor Chris Christie’s re-election with Chris Hayes on MSNBC’s All In With Chris Hayes, November 5, 2013.