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 "There is no political upside to it," the Republican told more
than 200 local residents who gathered to size up Christie ahead of a
summit of potential 2016 Republican presidential candidates this
weekend.
In a speech a day earlier, Christie proposed cutting Social Security
benefits for some upper-income seniors, raising the eligibility age
over time, and increasing premiums for Medicare, the healthcare
program for the elderly. Radical changes to such entitlement
programs have long been considered toxic in U.S. politics.
But Christie is trying to resuscitate his fading White House
aspirations by billing himself as a blunt truth-teller willing to
tackle the country's most intractable problems. His brief political
circuit in New Hampshire, which holds an influential early
nominating contest, is billed as the "Tell It Like It Is" tour.
The event on Wednesday was the first of two town hall meetings
Christie will address in New Hampshire this week, and he was asked
about his proposals almost immediately.
"I hope this country won't solve its problems on the backs of its
seniors," Ann Chiampa, 61, of Londonderry, told Christie.
 "My goal for Social Security and Medicare is to make sure it’s there
for the people who need it," Christie responded. "The system won’t
survive any other way."
Public worries have grown that the Social Security trust fund could
be depleted within decades, although previous efforts to reform the
program have made no progress.
Christie also called for revisions to the federal Medicaid program,
which provides healthcare to the poor, saying states should have
more control over how the program is funded and administered.
After the event, Chiampa said Christie deserved credit for
addressing entitlement reform. "They have to do something," she
said. "Or else it won’t be here for my kids."
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Chris Clifton, 71, also of Londonderry, was largely supportive of
Christie’s proposal to gradually raise the eligibility age of Social
Security to 69, but agreed with his assessment of the political
hazards. "I think it’s going to be a very touchy subject," he said.
Christie, who is still considering whether to launch a White House
bid, was once seen as an early favorite in what is likely to be a
crowded Republican presidential field for 2016.
But he has since fallen behind a pack of other prominent contenders
in opinion polls, including former Florida Governor Jeb Bush,
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and U.S. Senator Marco Rubio of
Florida.
Christie will attend a summit sponsored by state Republicans this
weekend in Nashua, New Hampshire, with a dozen potential
presidential candidates. He said he would not decide whether to make
a run until "late spring, early summer" but implied he would visit
New Hampshire several more times in the coming weeks.
Rubio, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky
have officially entered the race for the Republican presidential
nomination. Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is
running for the Democratic nomination.
(Editing by John Whitesides and Ted Botha)
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