November 05, 2015 04:29 PM UTC

Is Chris Christie Having Himself a Real "Moment"?

•  
• by: Colorado Pols

New Jersey Governor and Republican Presidential candidate Chris Christie is having himself a “moment.” If you have yet to watch the 6-minute video of Christie talking about addiction — it really is quite mesmerizing — then we’ll let our friends at “The Fix” explain:

As part of its “’16 and President” video series, Huffington Post filmed Chris Christie speaking about addiction during a town hall meeting in New Hampshire. An outtake, which features the entirety of Christie’s six-plus- minute riff on the subject, has become a viral sensation this week.

As of Thursday afternoon, it has been viewed nearly six million times since it was originally posted a week ago. It has been shared on Facebook more than 78,000 times. It’s also drawn wall to wall coverage on cable TV and been featured in packages on the broadcast networks as well.

In short, if elections are about moments, Christie is having one.

You can understand why.  The Christie in the video is the Christie who would have been the frontrunner had he entered the 2012 presidential race. In re-telling his mother’s long fight with addiction to cigarettes as a window into the need for a more compassionate approach to how we deal with drug addiction, Christie shows off his softer side (and that of the party he represents.) It also showcases his natural gifts as a communicator — a guy who talks like and connects with regular people.

At the same time, it is somewhat odd that a video for a liberal news site that features Christie talking about drug addiction — not immigration or healthcare or a more hot-button issue — is what’s driving buzz about the New Jersey governor. (The big question is whether all of the interest around the Christie video comes from people who are not Republicans or whether it is actually touching a real chord among potential GOP primary and caucus voters.)

You can watch the video yourself over at Huffington Post. We want to know what you think, Polsters. Is this a gen-U-ine “moment” for Christie that could propel his fledgling Presidential campaign to new levels? Or is it just a nice video?