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Offline mystery-ak

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Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« on: January 09, 2014, 11:03:41 pm »
http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=76F4B258-943B-49EF-B7B4-AEEDD90356EA

 Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
By: Maggie Haberman
January 9, 2014 05:05 AM EST

Chris Christie is learning that being a Party of One can be pretty lonely when times get tough.

Democrats predictably condemned the New Jersey governor after a bombshell report Wednesday tied one of his top staffers to a burgeoning scandal that’s already been dubbed “Bridge-gate.” More notable was the dearth of Republicans who rose to Christie’s defense — and, privately, the schadenfreude expressed by some of them that a man who’s never been shy about taking shots at others was suddenly on the receiving end.

 “All these people who feel like he’s bullied and he’s put them in a horse-collar hold … will feel free to say, ‘See, I told you so,’” said one Republican who has worked with Christie.

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

That sense of glee from detractors “is going to be worse than they anticipate,” said the Republican, adding that local critics but also detractors in some of the early presidential states might now feel emboldened to take shots at a man who 24 hours ago was seen by many as the most likely GOP standard-bearer in 2016.

Many of Christie’s Republican critics weren’t ready to pounce publicly — he’s still a powerful governor, and no one knows where the scandal will turn next. But more than a few quietly savored the turnabout of Christie — a man who has attacked both parties with relish, and who’s known less for his policy positions than for the sheer force of his singular personality — under attack.

Christie has not been directly implicated, and he said in his statement Wednesday that a staffer had misled him. But the crisis, at the very least, has put at risk Christie’s reputation as a no-nonsense executive and leader.

(PHOTOS: Chris Christie’s career)

The scandal exploded midmorning Wednesday when The Record (N.J.) reported that a top Christie aide was aware ahead of time about lane closures on the heavily trafficked George Washington Bridge. Critics had alleged the partial closure was political payback for a Democratic mayor who refused to endorse Christie’s reelection — and now they had what they saw as powerful evidence in the form of email correspondence subpoenaed by a legislative committee.

Christie had been adamant that none of his staffers was involved in the lane closures.

More than six hours passed before Christie’s office released a statement, time the governor spent huddled with top aides to devise a strategy to address the crisis. Inquiring reporters and restive supporters were met with radio silence from his aides. In the meantime, fresh stories were published about the damage caused by the resulting traffic congestion around the city of Fort Lee, where the closures took place.

When Christie finally surfaced with a late afternoon statement, Christie called the conduct unacceptable and vowed, without naming names, that “people will be held responsible.”

(Also on POLITICO: Chris Christie: ‘People will be held responsible’)

But the lengthy delay left people who might be inclined to be helpful with little to say, not wanting to get in front of the governor’s own words.

“There’s nothing coming out of the governor’s office — no statement, no talking points, no anything,” said former New Jersey Gov. Tom Kean, a mentor of Christie who has recently expressed disappointment in how the governor handled a political dispute involving his son, state Sen. Tom Kean Jr.

“When there’s a leader, people these days, in modern politics, sort of wait for that,” he said a short time before Christie’s office emailed a statement to the press. “And they haven’t come. So people sort of don’t know what to say.”



Even Christie supporters were privately dumbstruck that a former prosecutor would find himself at the mercy of legislative subpoenas. They recalled that his office had already gone through a who-what-when scandal involving emails when education official Bret Schundler was fired in 2010 over a flap about a botched application for Race to the Top funds. They wondered aloud about what the next turn of the screw would be.

The details of the bridge incident are complicated and have generally been drowned out by the larger headlines — “scandal,” “coverup,” “traffic mess.”

But the nature of the scandal — a traffic jam that lasted four days — touches one of the most common frustrations of everyday life. That means it could penetrate with voters in a way other negative stories about Christie might not.
 
 

Christie has long prided himself on being a one-man band, divorced from the toxic political swamp of Washington and beholden to few party elders. His decision to take on Kean Jr. was an example of that. So was his robust — some said excessive — criticism of House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) last year over federal relief after Hurricane Sandy.

During his reelection battle, he sought out Democrats far more than he did other Republicans. He painted himself as a truth-teller who would do the right thing no matter which party it offended.

But Christie is also known for his insular circle of advisers. A dearth of dissenting voices in his immediate orbit has long been a criticism of the governor.

“He talks to very few people,” Kean told POLITICO.

The Republican who’s worked with Christie was more blunt: “Christie doesn’t think anyone in the room is as smart as Christie.”

As down and out as Christie appears to be at this moment, how Democrats and Republicans respond in the coming weeks carries its own risks. Any allegation against Christie that goes too far or doesn’t hold up will be used to discredit the broader case against him. Any number of other officials who lack Christie’s political skills have found reports of their demise to be exaggerated.

“Christie himself says he was not involved, which I do not believe he would say if he was, so that is that,” said Republican strategist Alex Castellanos. “And I do not believe Americans are going to be surprised that politics has broken out in the political world … or that politics in New Jersey, ain’t beanbag.”

When the bridge flap first made national headlines after Election Day and questions arose about the role of Christie’s appointees to the agency controlling the bridge, it took a full week for Christie’s team to respond. The governor then held a grim-faced, answer-every-question news conference about whether his office was involved in the lane closures. The answer, he said, was unequivocal: Of course not.

But that defense collapsed in dramatic fashion on Wednesday. Text messages and emails sent and received by his longtime friend, David Wildstein, one of two Port Authority officials to leave their jobs over the scandal, showed people reveling in the misery of the people affected by the traffic jams. The kids stuck in traffic on school buses because of the lane closures, he wrote in one message, were “children of Buono voters” — a reference to Christie’s Democratic opponent in the governor’s race, Democrat Barbara Buono.

That line “may turn out to be much more of a threat to Christie’s political future than Barbara Buono ever was,” Weekly Standard writer William Kristol, an occasional Christie critic, quipped in an email.

Christie’s one-paragraph statement that said he was “misled” about staff involvement likely won’t go far enough to quell the questions surrounding the mess. What will matter is how he handles it going forward, and what else emerges.

“The core question people have in a crisis is, what kind of person are you?’” said Bruce Haynes, a Republican operative at the political consulting firm Purple Strategies. “Christie’s strength is he can answer that by being who he has always been — tough but fair. He’s a prosecutor, that’s his DNA. If there’s wrongdoing, he should find it, punish it, move on to the next thing. That’s who he is and has been, and what people will expect of him now and going forward.”
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Offline happyg

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #1 on: January 09, 2014, 11:36:42 pm »
I don't like Christie, but as a republican, didn't want to see him go down like this. I believe he knew what had happened some time ago, and has no problem throwing others under the bus to save himself. He deserves whatever happens to him.

I don't understand why they had to go to the extreme of closing roads when Christie was so far ahead in the areas closed, particularly this statement:
Quote
The kids stuck in traffic on school buses because of the lane closures, he wrote in one message, were “children of Buono voters” — a reference to Christie’s Democratic opponent in the governor’s race, Democrat Barbara Buono.

That is not true. Those were "children of Christie voters" to be precise. This is a scandal for no reason. Republicans can't afford this kind of politics, especially now.

Offline evadR

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #2 on: January 09, 2014, 11:53:37 pm »
It is not reasonable to assume that Christie did not know.
I don't want to see him go down in flames either but his blowhard, bullying tactics apparently rubbed off on his people.
Too bad.
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Offline happyg

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #3 on: January 10, 2014, 12:05:31 am »
It is not reasonable to assume that Christie did not know.
I don't want to see him go down in flames either but his blowhard, bullying tactics apparently rubbed off on his people.
Too bad.

My view is that he used bully tactics to make himself look more honest. His boisterous, blunt and upfront attitude, is a ploy he uses to capture the attention of voters. He is a phony, and we've seen enough of them. We don't need republicans to pull an "OBAMA".

Offline WAYNE

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #4 on: January 10, 2014, 12:16:04 am »
  After watching him ..  I believe him . Goes against my grain butt..

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #5 on: January 10, 2014, 02:02:46 am »
It is not reasonable to assume that Christie did not know.
I don't want to see him go down in flames either but his blowhard, bullying tactics apparently rubbed off on his people.
Too bad.

For the same reason people under Obama do bad things - because they know this boss approves of this type of behavior - also people working for a governor knows what he will or will not approve of them doing.. the person at the head of a business or government sets the tone for their employees.
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Offline Chieftain

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #6 on: January 10, 2014, 02:37:41 am »
I'm waiting for the next video of Hitler finding out his Domino's Pizza was late because Christie closed the bridge....

 :silly:

Offline evadR

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #7 on: January 10, 2014, 04:49:07 am »
"..also people working for a governor knows what he will or will not approve of them doing."

UNTIL they get caught.

He knew, you betcha.
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Offline olde north church

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #8 on: January 10, 2014, 10:31:24 am »
I'm waiting for the next video of Hitler finding out his Domino's Pizza was late because Christie closed the bridge....

 :silly:

that's quite funny!   :silly:
Why?  Well, because I'm a bastard, that's why.

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #9 on: January 11, 2014, 02:50:34 am »
http://hotair.com/archives/2014/01/10/quotes-of-the-day-1610/

Quotes of the day
posted at 8:31 pm on January 10, 2014 by Allahpundit

New documents related to a traffic jam planned by a member of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) staff show for the first time how furiously Christie’s lieutenants inside the Port Authority worked to orchestrate a coverup after traffic mayhem engulfed Fort Lee last year.

Inside the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, Christie’s top appointees neglected furious complaints from Fort Lee’s police chief as well as from angry rush-hour commuters. One woman called asking why the agency was “playing God with people’s jobs.”

The Republican governor’s appointees instructed subordinates to stonewall reporters who were asking questions. They even ordered up an actual “traffic study” to chronicle the impact and examine whether closing the lanes permanently might improve traffic flow. The study’s conclusion: “TBD.”

***

Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye wrote an impassioned email to the general manager of the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 13, arguing that lane closures that spiraled into a major scandal this week were illegal…

“This hasty and ill-advised decision has resulted in delays to emergency vehicles. I pray that no life has been lost or trip of a hospital- or hospice-bound patient delayed,” he wrote. He added: “I believe this hasty and ill-advised decision violates Federal Law and the laws of both States.”

“To be clear,” Foye declared, “I will get to the bottom of this abusive decision which violates everything this agency stands for; I intend to learn how PA process was wrongfully subverted and the public interest damaged to say nothing of the credibility of this agency.”

***

In less than 24 hours, the big three networks have devoted 17 times more coverage to a traffic scandal involving Chris Christie than they’ve allowed in the last six months to Barack Obama’s Internal Revenue Service controversy. Since the story broke on Wednesday that aides to the New Jersey governor punished a local mayor’s lack of endorsement with a massive traffic jam, ABC, CBS and NBC have responded with 34 minutes and 28 seconds of coverage. Since July 1, these same networks managed a scant two minutes and eight seconds for the IRS targeting of Tea Party groups.

***

“When I read that quote, Joe, about ‘who cares about those kids, they voted for the other guy.’ The first thing that came to my mind was that’s exactly how Sunnis would talk about Shiites or Shiites would talk about Sunnis in Baghdad or Beirut,” Friedman told host Joe Scarborough on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” on Thursday.

Friedman drew a comparison to conditions that plunged Lebanon into civil war, saying the messages are “sick.”

“The Lebanese civil war started in 1975 when a school bus got shot up,” Friedman said. “And I think that’s a sign of how — sometimes you need to read a quote like that to realize how far we’ve descended, how deep the polarization has become. These aren’t fellow citizens, these aren’t fellow New Jerseyans: They are the enemy. That’s really sick.”

***

Do you have to believe the governor knowingly has said things that aren’t true?

I think when he has had previous press conferences, it’s hard to believe he didn’t have some knowledge … in some way. After the stuff started coming out about some phony traffic study? Come on, you knew this was bullshit. You should’ve been saying this back then.

Do you believe that the governor directly instructed that these lanes be shut down?

No. But at the very least, the least that could have happened is he created this climate about – that he has: We destroy our enemies. Alleged enemies. In other words, anybody that … [hasn’t] agreed with us 100 percent is an enemy, and has to be stamped out.

***

Christie says he awoke Wednesday morning, went to the gym and then got a call from an aide about a report in a New Jersey newspaper with the bombshell allegations about his aides.

He was “blindsided” and “shocked,” saying it was all new to him.

Then came this revelation:

“I haven’t had a lot of sleep the last two nights, and I’ve been doing a lot of soul-searching.”

Two nights?


If Christie found out about the emails a day before he spoke to the media, what kept him up the first night?

***

There’s another question besides that. This aide of his that he fired, the woman who sent the e-mail: “Okay, time for traffic problems in Fort Lee.” The fact that that meant what it meant means that there is a culture there. If I, in my normal day, let’s say I got an e-mail: “Okay, time for traffic problems.” I wouldn’t have the slightest idea what to do with that. But somebody did. They knew exactly what that meant. That, to me, is quite telling, on both ends. The aide sends the e-mail, and the recipient of the e-mail knew what to do with it. Okay, time for traffic problems in Fort Lee.

Okay, well, what kind of stuff like that went on before that that was essentially the education? ‘Cause I doubt there was ever a meeting, “Look, there may be a day when we’ll send you an e-mail, and it’ll say ‘Time for traffic problems in Fort Lee.’ What that means is, you close down three lanes or two lanes for a month and you cause all kinds of traffic so that we can end up blaming it on the mayor there.” I doubt that meeting was ever held.

So what the e-mail means is, whoever sent it — well, the woman that sent it and the recipient knew that that means the mayor of Fort Lee is a scumbag and it’s time to get even with this scumbag, and we’re gonna pay this scumbag back by ruining traffic in his town. So there’s a culture there. Eventually somebody will get on to that.

***

Gridlockgate — has anyone called it that yet? — is at the top of the scandal scale. It sounds like the kind of thing Nixon’s more reckless operatives might have tried, but at least they confined their mischief to their political enemies. Christie’s political hatchet-wielders directed their mischief in a manner that disrupted the lives of thousands of ordinary citizens entirely removed from and blameless in the partisan conflicts of the state’s political class…

These scandals are more consequential to American government than abusing the placement of traffic cones for a few days, and it would be good if Republicans had a candidate in 2016 able to make the comprehensive case about the systematic corruption at the heart of government today. But it is harder for Christie to make this case now, having handed his enemies a cheap retort.

***

A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that 54% of Likely New Jersey Voters believe it’s at least somewhat likely that Christie was aware that traffic lanes onto the George Washington Bridge were being closed as retaliation for the mayor of Fort Lee’s refusal to support the governor’s reelection…

Fifty-six percent (56%) of New Jersey voters believe Christie should resign if it is proven that he approved of retaliation against an elected official who refused to support him. Just 29% disagree, while 15% are not sure…

Thirty-nine percent (39%) of all voters in the state say they are less likely to vote for Christie to be president in 2016 because of the Fort Lee incident. Fourteen percent (14%) are more likely to vote for him. Another 39% say the incident will have no impact on their voting decision.
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Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #10 on: January 11, 2014, 02:52:59 am »
Glenn Beck played the video today of Obama and Christie talking about Global Warming - almost identical....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlAezaQtiA4
�The time is now near at hand which must probably determine, whether Americans are to be, Freemen, or Slaves.� G Washington July 2, 1776

Offline happyg

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #11 on: January 11, 2014, 02:56:36 am »
I heard that while driving. He mention a few things that Obama and Christie said almost verbatim.

Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #12 on: January 11, 2014, 03:54:39 am »
I heard that while driving. He mention a few things that Obama and Christie said almost verbatim.

It was really enlightening when you hear what they have both said side-by-side like this.

As for Christie........he is out there dangling in the wind because he has been delighting in sticking his finger in the eye of Republicans - from Palin to Paul and in between.  He seemed to think it would endear him to someone  :shrug: but now all of a sudden the media found his achilles heel and he is twisting in the wind finding out the media only loved him while it was convenient and the Republicans he delighted in trash-talking to make himself seem like a big cheese are giving him the cold treatment... Niki Haley did send out a tweet of support  - that was it - and Palin to her credit is defending him, even though he went out of his way in the past to denigrate her.   All the while Obama lied and only Conservatives complained.  Obama closed down roads and National Parks and only Conservatives complained.  Obama has ignored the law over and over on Obamacare, immigration, etc.. and only Conservatives complained.  Through all of this, Christie mocked and stiffed Conservatives - in addition to what he did to Romney - which I find unforgiveable - his behavior re: Sandy funding was over the top.  He was going to get the money, he knew he was going to get the money, but he had to make a lot of noise over it to trash Conservatives (again).. and then we find out a huge chunk of the money was wasted by Christie's administration.  All in all the hell with Chris Christie... he needed this bring down a few pegs... it's long overdue. 
« Last Edit: January 11, 2014, 03:56:53 am by Rapunzel »
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Offline DCPatriot

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #13 on: January 11, 2014, 05:03:07 am »
Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune


...and we don't have to look very far to find examples, do we?    :whistle:
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Offline DCPatriot

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #14 on: January 11, 2014, 05:04:42 am »
I heard today that a woman sued him and others for mental strain due to being stuck in traffic.

"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

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Offline Luis Gonzalez

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #15 on: January 11, 2014, 05:09:27 am »
Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune


...and we don't have to look very far to find examples, do we?    :whistle:

How many ambassadors did we lose on that bridge?
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Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #16 on: January 11, 2014, 05:21:37 am »
Christie brought this on himself and the Republican party. 

This is not so much about the bridge as it is Christie and his giving the middle finger to conservatives - being blatant about it as a matter of fact - which the media loved until they needed a fall guy to take the heat off the Democrats over Obamacare.   

Christie thought he was the cats-meow - after all Obama hugged him and introduced him to "The Boss"  - surely as long as he continued to trash-talk conservatives and libertarians like Rand Paul the media would continue to love him.  He didn't learn the McCain lesson the media may pretend they love you, but if you have an R behind your name if they need a foil to take the heat off of Democrats they will jump all over the slightest mis-step to hang you and if it is a big mis-step - Katie bar the door.   

And, for the record, they were not covering Benghazi.  Both parties are hiding something about Benghazi.  There is a reason Boehner will not call a select committee even though 75% of the GOP conference have sent him a letter requesting one.... so when it comes to the four dead in Libya look at Obama, the media and the GOP for why everyone wants this story buried.
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Offline Cincinnatus

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #17 on: January 11, 2014, 06:11:51 am »
Sure took Gates' book and any talk about the disaster that is ObamaCare off the radar, now didn't it?
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Offline Rapunzel

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #18 on: January 11, 2014, 06:45:23 am »
Sure took Gates' book and any talk about the disaster that is ObamaCare off the radar, now didn't it?

Yep... where are the people who have talked about Akins, etc the last few years saying it's consrrvatives who do stupid things and benefit the Democrats?  If nothing else this should probe ALL Republicans have yo be above reproach at all times and not do things the media can use to change the subject... and if you're a brash bully it is only a matter of time before the media will seize an opportune moment to take you down.
.
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Offline NavyCanDo

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #19 on: January 11, 2014, 07:01:15 am »
Glenn Beck played the video today of Obama and Christie talking about Global Warming - almost identical....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlAezaQtiA4

Glenn Beck is right Christie is a progressive and we all know it. I am just glad this is all breaking now before the presidential race  starts heating up  about 12 months from now. 
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Offline LottieDah

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #20 on: January 11, 2014, 01:04:19 pm »
Sure took Gates' book and any talk about the disaster that is ObamaCare off the radar, now didn't it?


Righto!  Pure political theatrics.  Just because Christie got lap band surgery and is losing weight does not mean he is going to run in 2016.  What a waste of ink, bandwidth and energy.

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #21 on: January 11, 2014, 02:18:22 pm »
Was this whole "bridgegate" thing a fight over judges? asks the NY Post.
Quote
The mayor of Fort Lee may soon get to fade back into obscurity.

Democrat Mark Sokolich may not have been the real target of “Bridgegate.” It could well have been a big, fat, Chris Christie hissy fit aimed at New Jersey Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg because she blocked his state Supreme Court nominees, a new parsing of the e-mail evidence suggests.

Weinberg’s district is centered in Fort Lee.

Just one day before his deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly sent an e-mail to the Port Authority requesting “traffic problems in Fort Lee,” Christie was railing at a press conference about how Weinberg and other Democrats were blocking his latest state Supreme Court nominee.

“I simply could not be party to the destruction of [Justice] Helen Hoen’s professional reputation,” he told reporters of his decision to withdraw his pick’s nomination in order to spare her the ordeal of being challenged.

“I was not going to let her loose to the animals.”

Weinberg had been in a bitter feud with Christie dating back to 2010, when the governor torpedoed the reappointment of state Supreme Court Justice John E. Wallace Jr.

“People are speculating now why this was done. The whole thing is bizarre,’’ Weinberg told The Post.

“It is the kind of culture [Christie] has presided over,’’ she said, of the political payback motive. “This is a governor who signed an anti-bullying law. I often wonder if he ever read it.’’

Weinberg also believes there’s more to the GWB story. “The governor hasn’t really come clean yet,’’ she said.

The initial theory was that Christie wanted retribution against Sokolich for not endorsing the Republican governor in his re-election campaign.
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Offline happyg

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #22 on: January 11, 2014, 02:31:22 pm »
We don't know the entire truth, yet, and possibly will never learn the entire truth. However, most of the bullies I have come across, are the weakest when pushed into a corner. Bullies can't handle being bullied. If he used his weight (pun intended) to do damage to others, then, I hope they throw the book at him. Just being a bully is enough to not want him to be president.

Offline DCPatriot

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #23 on: January 11, 2014, 02:34:12 pm »
We don't know the entire truth, yet, and possibly will never learn the entire truth. However, most of the bullies I have come across, are the weakest when pushed into a corner. Bullies can't handle being bullied. If he used his weight (pun intended) to do damage to others, then, I hope they throw the book at him. Just being a bully is enough to not want him to be president.

I wish I could agree, happyg.....but I would like to enjoy witnessing, "Payback is a bitch!"   I want a bully.   The Left needs to be bullied.

The Left needs to learn 'fear' from the receiving end....not the dispensing end.
"It aint what you don't know that kills you.  It's what you know that aint so!" ...Theodore Sturgeon

"Journalism is about covering the news.  With a pillow.  Until it stops moving."    - David Burge (Iowahawk)

"It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light it scattered the night and made the day worth living" F. Scott Fitzgerald

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Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
« Reply #24 on: January 11, 2014, 03:04:48 pm »
Yep... where are the people who have talked about Akins, etc the last few years saying it's consrrvatives who do stupid things and benefit the Democrats?  If nothing else this should probe ALL Republicans have yo be above reproach at all times and not do things the media can use to change the subject... and if you're a brash bully it is only a matter of time before the media will seize an opportune moment to take you down.

^^^^^

GOPe'ers------>   :bolt: