'You need to be pro-life for the whole life,' Christie said. Christie pushes 'pro-life' reforms

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie argued Friday for reforms in education and the treatment of non-violent drug offenders as part of a “pro-life” philosophy that extends beyond abortion.

Christie, a possible GOP presidential contender who has been damaged by a traffic jam scandal linked to some of his aides and allies, was speaking to a gathering hosted by the Faith and Freedom Coalition, a socially conservative group. He received a warm reception, and indicated he has no plans to leave the political stage anytime soon.


“I believe if you’re pro-life, as I am, you need to be pro-life for the whole life,” Christie said. “You can’t just afford to be pro-life when a human being is in the womb. You have to be pro-life after … Sometimes being pro-life is messy, sometimes it’s difficult. Because human beings make bad choices, we are flawed. And I doubt that there’s one person in this audience who hasn’t made a bad choice, or a bad decision in your life.”

( Also on POLITICO: McCarthy to F&F crowd: Come visit)

He urged that such an approach apply to improving the education system and seeking better ways to rehabilitate non-violent drug offenders, arguing that the “war on drugs” hasn’t worked.

“What works is giving those people — non-violent drug offenders, addicts — the ability to be able to get the tools they need to be able deal with their disease,” he said, even as he reminded the audience that as a “former federal prosecutor,” he wasn’t talking about “violent, sociopath dealers.” “I doubt that there is any person in this room who hasn’t had the problem of drug or alcohol addiction touch their families or their neighbors or their friends.”

He also argued that the education system “cares more about the comfort of adults than the potential of children,” saying it should be easier to reward good teachers and fire bad ones.

( QUIZ: How well do you know Chris Christie?)

Christie, known for his often blunt, combative style, also used the speech to slam President Barack Obama’s foreign policy — and to signal that the current administration could learn a thing or two from his leadership style.

“I’m accused of lots of different things, and I’m called lots of different names; but ‘indirect’ has never been one of them,” he said. “Leadership is about telling people who you are and what you stand for, and then speaking it directly, loudly and understandably, so that not only do your supporters know who you are, but the people who are against you know who you are, too, and have respect for where you stand and who you are. And where you stand is where you’re willing to fight, and that’s what we need to do more of in this country.”

That assertive approach lays the groundwork for “principled compromise,” Christie said.

“You don’t compromise with someone that you don’t fear,” he said. “Because if you have nothing to fear, you think you’re going to get exactly what you want.”

( Also on POLITICO: W.H. unveils new immigration plan)

Christie found himself in hot water with some in the hawkish corner of the pro-Israel community several months ago when he used the phrase “occupied territories” in talking about land that is under Israeli control but home to many Palestinians. But on Friday, he was careful to praise Israel, calling it a “beacon of hope and democracy and respect for human rights” in the Middle East.

Christie, who sailed to reelection as governor last year, has long been perceived as relatively moderate on social issues, which hasn’t endeared him to social conservatives. But in Friday’s address, he sought to underscore his anti-abortion rights credentials, speaking in near-religious language in the process.

“What we did in the campaign was speak very frankly to people about the sanctity of life,” he said. “How I believe that every life is a gift from God that’s precious, that must be protected…[voters] had a right to know what was in my heart. Because when you know what’s in someone’s heart, you have a window into how they will lead.”

He said it’s Democrats, not Republicans, who are narrow-minded on the positions people within the respective parties can take on social issues.

Prior to claims that people with ties to his administration engineered traffic jams in New Jersey as part of a political payback scheme, Christie was seen as the frontrunner for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. He has denied any wrongdoing since the scandal escalated in January with the release of key documents about the suspected scheme.

In a possible nod to the future, Christie on Friday asked the audience to help ensure that this is not “the first generation who breaks that most solemn of American commitments, that is to leave this place better for the next generation than it was left for us.”

He concluded: “If that’s a fight you’re willing to engage in, it’s a fight I’m willing to engage in. I will be with you.”