Last summer New Jersey governor Chris Christie gave the keynote address at the Republican National Convention. 

Christie's speech was a spirited call for the rejection of Barack Obama and the election of Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan. His concluding sentence was:

"You see, Mr. President, real leaders do not follow polls. Real leaders change polls."

In late fall Hurricane Sandy hit New Jersey. Governor Christie worked untiringly to help the people of his state recover. Shortly after the hurricane struck the president visited to show moral support to Governor Christie and the people of New Jersey and to offer the enormous assistance of the federal government.  The president was greeted on the tarmac by the governor:

The president listened:

 And he cared:

It meant a lot to the people of New Jersey and to Governor Christie. Christie praised Obama afterwards and the Republicans went nuts. Some, many, still blame Christie for causing the loss of the presidential election. When some Republicans in Congress voted against the disaster relief proposed by the Democrats Christie went nuts, directly blaming Republicans and naming House Speaker John Boehner. Christie almost certainly doomed his own presidential prospects as a Republican with that but his popularity in New Jersey has since soared and the president of course was reelected.

Today Obama went back to New Jersey:

"You see, Mr. President, real leaders do not follow polls. Real leaders change polls."