Why Chris Christie is a good politician - in 76 seconds. Chris Christie's rise in national politics has been faster than anyone this side of President Obama. Elected governor in 2009 in his first run for any major elected office, Christie was heavily recruited to join the 2012 presidential race. Having passed on that contest, he is now regularly mentioned as a vice presidential running mate for former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney . That's not by accident. Christie is the rare politician who appears to be genuinely comfortable being himself. He is kind of populist bull in a china shop - and people eat it up. Here's a snippet from a press conference announcing an employment initiative today that captures Christie's appeal perfectly. Yes, the Christie folks sent this clip around to reporters but the point remains the same.