Governor Chris Christie this afternoon made a case to the media for why the impending government shutdown is Speaker Vincent Prieto’s – and not his – fault.

Some quotes:

“I went over all the various ways I tried to compromise.”

“There’s actually 73 items of spending that I’m willing to agree to that, in the main, are Democratic priorities.  In return we need to see change in transparency with Horizon.  We’ve seen in 2006 the Speaker supported [Horizon reserve legislation].”

“We can’t assume any longer the Speaker’s reticence has anything to with principle.  We need to find out why the Speaker is doing this.  But I can tell you very clearly in that meeting, the Speaker refused to even discuss it.  Senator Weinberg any number of times tried to engage him….’he said I will not discuss the bill’.”

“So if the state government will shut down, Speaker Prieto is to blame.  If they send me a budget, I’m ready to sign it. If they send me a budget without Horizon or without lottery, I will still sign it.  But then, many of these 73 items will go.”

“I want to be aboslutely transparent and clear about what I’m going to do.”

“He had 24 votes in a chamber where he has 52 votes.  I’m at a loss here as to what to do.”

“I’ll be here.  If I have any indication there willing to send me a budget tonight, I’m willing to consider it. If they don’t, Speaker Prieto will have shut down state government.”

“I’m not going to sign away my constitutional authority on the budget.”

“He reminds me of the very very great John Kerry.  He was for it before he was against it.”

“I’ll be meeting at 5:30 this afternoon with members of my cabinet on the possibility that the legislature won’t act.  Before that, I’ll be meeting with members of the Assembly and Senate caucuses to fill them in.”

“If there’s a rare moment of sanity by the Speaker, and he send me a budget, I’ll sign it.”

“It’s complete hypocrisy and arrogance on part of the Speaker.  And, I don’t know, but we gotta find out the reason.  We’ve unmasked him on principle.  What is the motivation?  He refused to answer.”

“There’s nothing left for me to do, guys.  He doesn’t have the votes to pass a budget.  Completely embarrassing thing.”

“The Speaker hasn’t proven he can get 41 votes for anything.  So I don’t see what he can give me.  He can’t get 41 votes for his own budget.  I called a meeting to talk, and he refused.  Everyone in the room wanted him to talk about the Horizon bill – which passed the Senate.  He won’t even talk about it.”

“I’m willing to listen, but you better come with 41 votes.  I ain’t buying a pig in the poke.”

“Shutdown won’t affect many government employees, a lot are home for the weekend.  It will affect Motor Vehicles, the state parks.  Essential state services stay open.  I’ll go through a list of all that with the Cabinet at 5:30pm, and have them review with me what things will be affected.”

“I have eight years to do what I need to do.  I can’t be a guarantor, or complainer, about what happens after that.  As far as my emotion, I don’t care.  I can’t care.  I see it as a change in government [if Democrat Murphy becomes governor].  As a former Governor, thats the way it goes.  From what I read today, LG Guadagno would repeal the Horizon bill, too, if she were Governor.  Everyone has an opinion, but its different when your in the seat.”

“My weekend is going to be ruined, and you can bet a lot of people’s weekends will be ruined.  But you can bet I won’t be alone [alluding to the 120 legislators].”

“Who was the secret emissary was who couldn’t find me?  You guys all know that was baloney; I was so bored yesterday in my office I was watching the Legislature on my computer.  All I heard yesterday was the Speaker showing you guys text messages and regaling you with tales of how we hadn’t spoken; then I invite him here to speak, and he doesn’t talk.  I find that richly ironic because all he was saying was ‘I will not discuss Horizon’ and I was like ‘then what the hell are we here for?’.  He must have wagged that finger at Senator Weinberg more than five times.”

“I’m offering them two different budgets, a bigger one and a smaller one.  If you want the bigger one, then you need to pass Horizon.  If you don’t care, then just send me the budget. So I’m upset because this will inconvenience the people of New Jersey.  I’d rather not inconvenience the people because Vinny Prieto is having a hissy-fit.”

“In an election year with a lame duck Governor?  Get real.  I don’t understand how you can say I’m being unreasonable when I give them two pathways.”

“They have two pathways to send me a budget.  What am I supposed to do when they can’t agree?  I’m supposed to give up everything I want because they can’t agree?  I was elected too; by a lot more people than they were.”

“They’re not going to hold legislative hearings until after the election.  They’ve pronounced they’re not coming back until after November.  So being a lame duck is a matter of fact, but the reason this is my last leverage point is they’re not coming back.  It’s not so much an issue of lame duck as much as they’re not coming back.”

“Jon ‘I’ll-fight-for-a-good-contract-for-you’ Corzine.  I ain’t him.”

“He’s taking excess reserves.  They’re taking no risk on Medicaid.  They get paid a fee to administer.  So whether they keep Obamacare of repeal it, it won’t affect risk on Horizon.  They get paid a set fee on administering the program.  Reserves are meant to buffer against risk.  And they have no risk. So whatever happens to Obamacare makes no difference. Its a complete sophistry.”

“You know these guys, they throw their names on things all the time.  When someone shoved this bill in his face today, he went ‘Uh Oh!’.”

“Every time I look at you guys, look at the advertiser.  Horizon are huge advertisers.  I’m not saying it affects you guys, but look at the editorials – they’ve bought everyone.  Look at what happened down the street last Monday.  We know what that was – Bill Castner trying to justify his $1.4 million salary.  Want to talk to someone nervous?  Talk to him.  And Bob Marino has his head in the sand.  No one questions Bob Marino, and no one on his board questions him.  He’s the chairman and the CEO.”

“I don’t talk to Bill Castner, so I don’t know what’s motivating him.”

“I’m not going to Drumthwacket tonight, I’ll either be at Mendham or Island Beach State Park. They’ll [the Christie family] will be there, but I may not be there.  They may be the only ones.”