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General Category => National/Breaking News => Topic started by: mystery-ak on January 09, 2014, 11:03:41 pm

Title: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: mystery-ak on January 09, 2014, 11:03:41 pm: http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=76F4B258-943B-49EF-B7B4-AEEDD90356EA (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.”
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: happyg 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.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: evadR 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.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: happyg on January 10, 2014, 12:05:31 am: Quote from: evadR² 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.

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".
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: WAYNE on January 10, 2014, 12:16:04 am: After watching him .. I believe him . Goes against my grain butt..
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Rapunzel on January 10, 2014, 02:02:46 am: Quote from: evadR² 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.

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.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Chieftain 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:
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: evadR 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.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: olde north church on January 10, 2014, 10:31:24 am: Quote from: Chieftain 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:

that's quite funny! :silly:
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Rapunzel 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.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Rapunzel 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
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: happyg 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.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Rapunzel on January 11, 2014, 03:54:39 am: Quote from: happyg 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.

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.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: DCPatriot 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:
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: DCPatriot 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.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on January 11, 2014, 05:09:27 am: Quote from: DCPatriot 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:

How many ambassadors did we lose on that bridge?
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Rapunzel 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.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Cincinnatus 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?
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Rapunzel on January 11, 2014, 06:45:23 am: Quote from: Cincinnatus 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?

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.
.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: NavyCanDo on January 11, 2014, 07:01:15 am: Quote from: Rapunzel 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

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.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: LottieDah on January 11, 2014, 01:04:19 pm: Quote from: Cincinnatus 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?

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.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: mountaineer on January 11, 2014, 02:18:22 pm: Was this whole "bridgegate" thing a fight over judges? (http://nypost.com/2014/01/11/bridgegate-may-have-been-over-judge-fight/) 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.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: happyg 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.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: DCPatriot on January 11, 2014, 02:34:12 pm: Quote from: happyg 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.

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.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Lipstick on a Hillary on January 11, 2014, 03:04:48 pm: Quote from: Rapunzel on January 11, 2014, 06:45:23 am
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:
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Lipstick on a Hillary on January 11, 2014, 03:11:14 pm: Quote from: Rapunzel on January 11, 2014, 03:54:39 am
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. - his behavior re: Sandy funding was over the top. He was going to get the 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 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.

I can't find one thing here I disagree with. Christie mocked and stiffed conservatives, and that tone spread to the online GOP defender posting community. We've seen plenty of it here.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: DCPatriot on January 11, 2014, 03:21:42 pm: Quote from: Lipstick on a Hillary on January 11, 2014, 03:11:14 pm
I can't find one thing here I disagree with. Christie mocked and stiffed conservatives, and that tone spread to the online GOP defender posting community. We've seen plenty of it here.

This is getting so tiresome. :thud:
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: R4 TrumPence on January 11, 2014, 08:01:30 pm: Where was all the outrage from the media when Obama closed the White House to tours and all those school children who made up money to go were kicked to the curb? That was all POLITICAL and yet the media were silent :banging: :banging: :banging: :banging:
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Lipstick on a Hillary on January 12, 2014, 01:24:38 am: Actually, they were too busy vilifying Ted Cruz, as was a poster or two here. :whistle:
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: happyg on January 12, 2014, 01:32:01 am: Quote
Where was all the outrage from the media when Obama closed the White House to tours and all those school children who made up money to go were kicked to the curb? That was all POLITICAL and yet the media were silent

Quote from: Lipstick on a Hillary on January 12, 2014, 01:24:38 am
Actually, they were too busy vilifying Ted Cruz, as was a poster or two here. :whistle:

:amen:
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on January 12, 2014, 03:59:11 am: Quote from: Lipstick on a Hillary on January 12, 2014, 01:24:38 am
Actually, they were too busy vilifying Ted Cruz, as was a poster or two here. :whistle:

Who exactly can we be critical of, and who can't we not be critical of in this site?

I've just recently rejoined the ranks, so I may have missed the memo.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on January 12, 2014, 04:00:47 am: Quote from: DCPatriot on January 11, 2014, 03:21:42 pm
This is getting so tiresome. :thud:

Remind me someday to explain what this means.

(http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HcWmhBeiBng/Tf-Km1703ZI/AAAAAAAAFYM/cwbQtn397kQ/s1600/tournaySolvayTriangleSculpture.jpg)
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Rapunzel on January 12, 2014, 04:18:24 am: Quote from: Luis Gonzalez on January 12, 2014, 03:59:11 am
Who exactly can we be critical of, and who can't we not be critical of in this site?

I've just recently rejoined the ranks, so I may have missed the memo.

We don't ban people here for being critical of any politician. But I'm certain you realize the majority of the members here are conservative or conservative-leaning... we do have moderates - but they are the minority here and usually the differences lead to some heated threads.

BTW we had a poll on how everyone leans on this site (was not open to the public like a lot of our other polls)

http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,98223.0.html
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: EC on January 12, 2014, 08:13:44 am: Quote from: Luis Gonzalez on January 12, 2014, 03:59:11 am
Who exactly can we be critical of, and who can't we not be critical of in this site?

I've just recently rejoined the ranks, so I may have missed the memo.

:tongue2: It's good to see you back, too!

Good rule of thumb - criticize all you want, but have the facts to back it up and keep your temper. It's only a web site.

Figure every pol should be put under the scope. Don't do it, you get an Obama.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: mountaineer on January 12, 2014, 02:07:54 pm: John Podhoretz
Why Bridgegate made headlines but Obama’s IRS scandal didn’t (http://nypost.com/2014/01/11/why-bridgegate-made-headlines-but-obamas-irs-scandal-didnt/)

Most government scandals involve the manipulation of the system in obscure ways by people no one has ever heard of. That is why George Washington Bridgegate is nearly a perfect scandal — because it is comprehensible and (as they say in Hollywood) “relatable” to everyone who has ever been in a car. This is the reason this one is not going to go away so easily, even if one accepts the contention that Gov. Chris Christie had nothing whatsoever to do with it.

Government officials and political operatives working for Christie, for weird and petty reasons, chose to make traffic worse. That’s the takeaway. When they are reminded of the fact that people working on Christie’s behalf thought it was a good political game to mire tens of thousands of their fellow Americans in the nightmarish gridlock that is a daily dreaded prospect for tens of millions, they will be discomfited by that and by the politician in whose name it was done.

And yet, you know what is also something everybody would find “relatable”? Politicians who sic the tax man on others for political gain. Everybody has to deal with the IRS and fears it. Last year, we learned from the Internal Revenue Service itself that it had targeted ideological opponents of the president for special scrutiny and investigation — because they were ideological opponents.

That’s juicy, just as Bridgegate is juicy. It’s something we can all understand, it speaks to our greatest fears, and it’s the sort of thing TV newspeople could gab about for days on end without needing a fresh piece of news to keep it going.

And yet, according to Scott Wheelock of the Media Research Center, “In less than 24 hours, the 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.”

Why? Oh, come on, you know why. Christie belongs to one political party. Obama belongs to the other. You know which ones they belong to. And you know which ones the people at the three networks belong to, too: In surveys going back decades, anywhere from 80% to 90% of Washington’s journalists say they vote Democratic.

Scandals are not just about themselves; they are about the media atmosphere that surrounds them. They are perpetuated and deepened by the attention of journalists, whose relentless pursuit of every angle keeps the story going. That is exactly what has been missing from the IRS scandal from its outset; Republicans in Congress have been the dogged pursuers, not the press.

There was plenty of material. Just as journalists remain skeptical today about who exactly might have gotten the idea for the lane closures, they could have been asking without letup who got the idea to dig into conservative tax-status applications. Several officials at the IRS resigned, retired and took the Fifth, just as was the case with Christie-aligned Port Authority officials.

It’s pretty clear the questions about how high up Bridgegate went are going to be pursued far more diligently than they have been in the IRS case.

What gives?

There is a fundamental misunderstanding among conservatives about the causes of partisan media bias — the reason there is unequal coverage of scandals of this kind. It exists not because there is a conscious effort to soft-pedal bad news for politicians you like and to push hard on bad news for politicians you don’t.

It’s actually more personal — more relatable, shall we say—than that.

Journalists know the Obamans. Intimately. They know them from college, they know them from work, they know them from kids’ soccer. They’re literally married to them.

To the journalists, the Obamans don’t look like crooks and cheats. Far from it. For them, it’s like looking in a mirror.

In September, Elspeth Reeve of The Atlantic Wire took note of 24 major journalists who have taken posts at senior levels in the Obama administration. All of them have worked for decades in various news organizations, thus creating personal ties and bonds of affection with literally hundreds of working reporters and editors.

The journalists are not covering up for their friends and their spouses. They just believe the people they know could not be responsible for behaving badly, or cravenly, or for crass political advantage —and the tone they strike when such things are discussed is often one of offense, as though it is a sign of low character to believe otherwise. It would be, well, like believing the journalists themselves were crooks.

It’s fair to say that most conservatives don’t know people in the Obama administration, and they dislike and disagree with its policies. When they look at it, their dislike and lack of any personal connection make it easier for them to see officials mired in scandal and tush-covering cover-up. This is a direct analogue to the way liberals — of whom journalists comprise a central cohort — viewed the George W. Bush and Reagan administrations.

They saw people with whom they disagreed and who they thought were bad for the country and so found it much easier to believe they were acting out of malign motive and doing evil.

Christie may be entirely innocent of all wrongdoing. Or there may be some connection, even a very tenuous and suggestive one. But there will be little let-up now.

For in the end, because Christie is a Republican. Christie isn’t them.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Lipstick on a Hillary on January 12, 2014, 02:21:26 pm: Quote from: Luis Gonzalez on January 12, 2014, 03:59:11 am
Who exactly can we be critical of, and who can't we not be critical of in this site?

I've just recently rejoined the ranks, so I may have missed the memo.

Hey, you were the one pontificating about free speech a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, we both get to enjoy that luxury. :beer:
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: DCPatriot on January 12, 2014, 02:28:32 pm: Quote from: Rapunzel on January 12, 2014, 04:18:24 am

We don't ban people here for being critical of any politician. But I'm certain you realize the majority of the members here are conservative or conservative-leaning... we do have moderates - but they are the minority here and usually the differences lead to some heated threads.

BTW we had a poll on how everyone leans on this site (was not open to the public like a lot of our other polls)

http://www.gopbriefingroom.com/index.php/topic,98223.0.html

Darn it, Rap!

Just because we don't agree with the SOCONS here on EVERY issue, doesn't make us "moderates".

I am Conservative as they come fiscally...when it comes to governing. But I believe certain issues that our side dwells upon have no business in campaigns. Issues that find candidates spouting nonsense when confronted in an interview, etc.. You know EXACTLY what I mean, too.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on January 12, 2014, 06:05:03 pm: Quote from: DCPatriot on January 12, 2014, 02:28:32 pm
Darn it, Rap!

Just because we don't agree with the SOCONS here on EVERY issue, doesn't make us "moderates".

I am Conservative as they come fiscally...when it comes to governing. But I believe certain issues that our side dwells upon have no business in campaigns. Issues that find candidates spouting nonsense when confronted in an interview, etc.. You know EXACTLY what I mean, too.

Back to my picture.

Imagine that is a picture of half of the polity. The half that self-identifies to the right of center more than to the left.

As we self-define what constitutes a "real conservative" as compared to others, the volume of voters thins out, eventually reaching that pinpoint that the triangle is standing on.

Why?

Because at the end of the day, the qualification of what constitutes a real-conservative becomes everything that we each individually believe in, and grouping people who believe exactly in the same way about political and social issues creates a narrowing spiral as a result.

So the triangle is a commentary on what conservatives claim to be the "base" of the coalition that's supposed to be the GOP. It's a precarious stance when that "base" is made up of the narrowest measure of the polity in general.

Point in fact.

You and I consider ourselves conservatives. In fact, my libertarian ideology tells me that I am more of a conservative than most, yet those who label libertarian ideals that believe that the government should have little or no voice in certain matters (including social issues) label me as more liberal than themselves, while I label those who advocate the use of government force in the name of enforcing a social conservative agenda, as dangerous to the tenets of liberty and small government conservatism as their brethren on the center-to-left side of the triangle.

Since we don't agree with others here, they label us as closer to the left than they are, because they will never self-identify as less conservative than those who disagree with them on any issue.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on January 12, 2014, 06:06:40 pm: Quote from: Lipstick on a Hillary on January 12, 2014, 02:21:26 pm
Hey, you were the one pontificating about free speech a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately, we both get to enjoy that luxury. :beer:

So long as labeling others is considered part of "free-speech", then that game can be played by both sides without consequences... right?
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on January 12, 2014, 06:07:12 pm: Quote from: EC on January 12, 2014, 08:13:44 am
:tongue2: It's good to see you back, too!

Good rule of thumb - criticize all you want, but have the facts to back it up and keep your temper. It's only a web site.

Figure every pol should be put under the scope. Don't do it, you get an Obama.

Yep.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on January 12, 2014, 06:19:10 pm: A man was standing off the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge --about to jump. A passer-by arrives and tries to talk him down; he asks: "Sir, are you an American?" to which the man answers "yes."

“Where are you from?” – asks the Good Samaritan. “I am from Louisiana”, responds the distraught man.

Great! What an incredible coincidence! I am from the South as well!” – says the Good Samaritan.

The passer-by continues to engage the jumper: "What is your political affiliation, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or Independent?"

The answer was: "Republican."

"Me too, that’s amazing!” – the Good Samaritan continues. “What kind of Republican are you: Conservative, small “l” libertarian, paleoconservative, Krystolian neoconservative, or Country Club Republican?"

The jumper seems to be more engaged in the conversation ayt this point, and responds: “I am aConservative.”

The Good Samaritan gets excited: "Me too! Are you a Social Conservative, or a Fiscal Conservative?" The man on the edge, now obviously more relaxed answers "Social Conservative."

Now, the Good Samaritan gets really excited: "Me too; what kind of Social Conservative. Are you a Christian Right, or a Compassionate Conservative?"

The guy on the bridge says: "Compassionate Conservative", and with that the Good Samaritan, becoming very angry, screams: "Die liberal!" and pushes him off the bridge.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: truth_seeker on January 12, 2014, 06:36:07 pm: Quote from: Luis Gonzalez on January 12, 2014, 06:19:10 pm

The guy on the bridge says: "Compassionate Conservative", and with that the Good Samaritan, becoming very angry, screams: "Die liberal!" and pushes him off the bridge.

Great illustration of the problem at hand.

The idea of forcing women that have been raped, to carry and give birth seems to be a tripping point issue.

Republicans have given away several easily winnable seats, over that issue.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Rapunzel on January 12, 2014, 06:54:24 pm: Quote from: truth_seeker on January 12, 2014, 06:36:07 pm
Great illustration of the problem at hand.

The idea of forcing women that have been raped, to carry and give birth seems to be a tripping point issue.

Republicans have given away several easily winnable seats, over that issue.

This is a thread about Chris Christie.
Take the Akins stuff to your own thread.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on January 13, 2014, 04:03:48 am: Quote from: truth_seeker on January 12, 2014, 06:36:07 pm
Republicans have given away several easily winnable seats, over that issue.

It's an absolute race to the bottom of that triangle via ideological purity, however, the concept of what constitutes that ideological purity gets muddled when you start asking questions, as illustrated by the joke.

In another forum, sometime ago. I began a thread by posing a simple question:

"What defines a true conservative?"

IIRC, the thread went half a dozen posts before it turned into an all-out brawl.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Formerly Once-Ler on January 13, 2014, 08:25:16 am: Quote from: Luis Gonzalez on January 12, 2014, 06:19:10 pm
A man was standing off the edge of the Golden Gate Bridge --about to jump. A passer-by arrives and tries to talk him down; he asks: "Sir, are you an American?" to which the man answers "yes."

“Where are you from?” – asks the Good Samaritan. “I am from Louisiana”, responds the distraught man.

Great! What an incredible coincidence! I am from the South as well!” – says the Good Samaritan.

The passer-by continues to engage the jumper: "What is your political affiliation, Democrat, Republican, Libertarian or Independent?"

The answer was: "Republican."

"Me too, that’s amazing!” – the Good Samaritan continues. “What kind of Republican are you: Conservative, small “l” libertarian, paleoconservative, Krystolian neoconservative, or Country Club Republican?"

The jumper seems to be more engaged in the conversation ayt this point, and responds: “I am aConservative.”

The Good Samaritan gets excited: "Me too! Are you a Social Conservative, or a Fiscal Conservative?" The man on the edge, now obviously more relaxed answers "Social Conservative."

Now, the Good Samaritan gets really excited: "Me too; what kind of Social Conservative. Are you a Christian Right, or a Compassionate Conservative?"

The guy on the bridge says: "Compassionate Conservative", and with that the Good Samaritan, becoming very angry, screams: "Die liberal!" and pushes him off the bridge.

Nice update on an old classic.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: aligncare on January 13, 2014, 12:59:43 pm: Quote
John Podhoretz
http://nypost.com/2014/01/11/why-bridgegate-made-headlines-but-obamas-irs-scandal-didnt

And endlessly fascinating subject for discussion. Podhoretz covers it pretty well. But I think he's being too kind. Some journalists know they are pushing an agenda and are hiding behind a veneer of objectivity. But, not every.

I remember being taught how the Soviet Union kept an iron grip on citizens. How their newspapers were organs of the state, manipulating the people with propaganda. I remember thinking that government and journalists acted in concert by design, that there was a huge, centrally controlled conspiracy. I don't believe that anymore.

I think journalists in the Soviet Union believed they were "free" to print the truth as they saw it. The majority just happened to see it from the government's perspective. They were true believers. Just as American journalists today are true believers. Free to print the truth – as they see it. What a coincidence.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on January 13, 2014, 01:01:20 pm: Quote from: aligncare on January 13, 2014, 12:59:43 pm

I think journalists in the Soviet Union believed they were "free" to print the truth as they saw it. The majority just happened to see it from the government's perspective. They were true believers. Just as American journalists today are true believers. Free to print the truth – as they see it. What a coincidence.

The ones who didn't see the "truth" from the government's perspective, didn't get to be journalists.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: aligncare on January 13, 2014, 01:18:14 pm: Quote from: Luis Gonzalez on January 12, 2014, 06:05:03 pm

You and I consider ourselves conservatives. In fact, my libertarian ideology tells me that I am more of a conservative than most, yet those who label libertarian ideals that believe that the government should have little or no voice in certain matters (including social issues) label me as more liberal than themselves, while I label those who advocate the use of government force in the name of enforcing a social conservative agenda, as dangerous to the tenets of liberty and small government conservatism as their brethren on the center-to-left side of the triangle.

Most salient point to our political dilemma. If conservatives were ever to embrace constitutional liberty, democrats would never win another election. But, we're too busy thinking government (candidates for political office) should reflect our values. What we end up doing however is giving government (politicians) power over our values and thus the freedom to corrupt them.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: olde north church on January 13, 2014, 01:58:15 pm: Quote from: aligncare on January 13, 2014, 01:18:14 pm
Most salient point to our political dilemma. If conservatives were ever to embrace constitutional liberty, democrats would never win another election. But, we're too busy thinking government (candidates for political office) should reflect our values. What we end up doing however is giving government (politicians) power over our values and thus the freedom to corrupt them.

My teeth almost fell from my mouth when I read your post. It's quite possibly the truest thing I've ever read on a forum.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on January 13, 2014, 04:31:56 pm: Quote from: aligncare on January 13, 2014, 01:18:14 pm
Most salient point to our political dilemma. If conservatives were ever to embrace constitutional liberty, democrats would never win another election. But, we're too busy thinking government (candidates for political office) should reflect our values. What we end up doing however is giving government (politicians) power over our values and thus the freedom to corrupt them.

Exactly.

Case in point.

Last week in this forum (and other forums), many were complaining about the fact that Eric Holder announced that the Federal government would recognize same-sex marriages performed in Utah prior to the SCOTUS putting a hold on the Federal judge's decision hat struck down Utah's ban on same-sex marriages. Holder said that the marriages performed in the interim will be recognized "for federal purposes".

Most of those people accused Holder of exceeding his power, however, all seemed to have forgotten that the Federal government having the ability to recognize a marriage "for federal purposes" irrespective of whether or not the marriage was valid in a State, was the entire basis for the Federal DoMA, a GOP-led and conservative supported law.

We gave them the power over our values, and they are using that power to corrupt them.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Gazoo on January 13, 2014, 05:13:37 pm: Quote from: aligncare on January 13, 2014, 01:18:14 pm
Most salient point to our political dilemma. If conservatives were ever to embrace constitutional liberty, democrats would never win another election. But, we're too busy thinking government (candidates for political office) should reflect our values. What we end up doing however is giving government (politicians) power over our values and thus the freedom to corrupt them.

This is an absolutely wonderful statement. It truly is. It sounds good, but applying it to todays politics would require us to re visit R v Wade. and put the genie back in the bottle that the liberal feminists that burnt their bras started by dragging the federal gov into this. Until then, the new libertarian movement sound every bit as much of the arrogant preachers they think the evangelical far right are. While they sit out elections and elect the Obama's of the political world by voting for some cat named Johnson that will get 1% of the vote. We finally found a way to get libertarian ideals in, so why the moaning and groaning? I have experienced the libertarians around the net and it seems they are happy with no one. Cruz, Rand Paul? Is Cruz or Rand Paul good, or not? We have all been dealt a crappy political hand folks, but the feds have had this power for many, many years.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: EC on January 13, 2014, 05:26:42 pm: Here's a shockingly idealistic concept.

Your Representative, Senator and President. You may not have voted for them. In some states you most definitely didn't, in some you held your nose, and in some lucky places you skipped to the polling booth to pull the lever.

Might be worth reminding them that they represent ALL of their constituents. Not just their fan base. You got a Dem congress critter? Write to them anyway. Squishy RINO senator? Write. Politicians are timid beasts with short memories.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Gazoo on January 13, 2014, 05:36:05 pm: Sadly, that also sounds a lot easier then done. Take Sheila Jax-Lee, she has a base of welfare constituents, she will be voted in year after year, after year. Same thing with Pelosi, she has the high tech executives- progressive liberal base. The state of North Carolina is broker than a crack whore. Democrats controlled her for too many years. All of the dems had high taxes and wasted money on studying the sea turtle and liberal art museums while people were losing jobs. The pubs took over the legislature and Governor and most senate/congressional seats. The voters did this-for them to look at the check book and actually balance it. All lib states are broke. Republicans are not for a reason.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: olde north church on January 13, 2014, 05:58:19 pm: Conservatives will sit and marvel at the "Welfare Mentality" while they possess the same. Massa ain' beatin' me! Sho'nuf good
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Gazoo on January 13, 2014, 06:06:21 pm: Quote from: olde north church on January 13, 2014, 05:58:19 pm
Conservatives will sit and marvel at the "Welfare Mentality" while they possess the same. Massa ain' beatin' me! Sho'nuf good

That right there is some of the most thinly guised race-baiting I have seen. I deleted the black as in black welfare from my post only because, dare be mores white trash on dat dare welfare.

Obviously you're not a conservative. What are you?

a-libertarian

b-liberal disguised as a libertarian

c-Liberal/progressive

d-librarian just seein if you are payin attention

e-moderate

f-lukewarm

g-Libertarian that thinks 911 is an insider damn job

h-republican

i-republican that likes McCain

What? did I miss any?
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: EC on January 13, 2014, 06:27:31 pm: Gazoo!

EDIT, QUICK!!!!!

Everyone knows - you NEVER piss off a Librarian. They know things .....

:smokin:
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Gazoo on January 13, 2014, 06:39:45 pm: 000hehehehe

I think if someone is going to reference a certain habit of a a political label they ought to tell us their political label? And I am not assuming anyone is a :gasp: liberal progressive or a librarian just because I put that on the choices.

Oh I forgot one...

Independent. I tried registering as this and in my state and it says I am unaffiliated. So I am an unaffiliated.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: olde north church on January 13, 2014, 06:59:39 pm: Quote from: Gazoo on January 13, 2014, 06:06:21 pm
That right there is some of the most thinly guised race-baiting I have seen. I deleted the black as in black welfare from my post only because, dare be mores white trash on dat dare welfare.

Obviously you're not a conservative. What are you?

a-libertarian

b-liberal disguised as a libertarian

c-Liberal/progressive

d-librarian just seein if you are payin attention

e-moderate

f-lukewarm

g-Libertarian that thinks 911 is an insider damn job

h-republican

i-republican that likes McCain

What? did I miss any?

John Birchers are pu$$ies!
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: olde north church on January 13, 2014, 07:02:42 pm: Quote from: olde north church on January 13, 2014, 06:59:39 pm
John Birchers are pu$$ies!

But really, I'm just not afraid to call a spade, a spade.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Gazoo on January 13, 2014, 08:30:58 pm: Quote from: olde north church on January 13, 2014, 06:59:39 pm
John Birchers are pu$$ies!

Is that your answer or just a reply? BTW: don't get your panties in a wad. I am just wondering?
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on January 13, 2014, 09:06:33 pm: Quote from: Gazoo on January 13, 2014, 06:39:45 pm
000hehehehe

I think if someone is going to reference a certain habit of a a political label they ought to tell us their political label? And I am not assuming anyone is a :gasp: liberal progressive or a librarian just because I put that on the choices.

Oh I forgot one...

Independent. I tried registering as this and in my state and it says I am unaffiliated. So I am an unaffiliated.

I used to be pretty liberal, then I became a Republican, then a conservative, then a neolibertarian, then a libertarian.

Now, I have come to embrace my true political leanings... I don't like anyone.

I may be a neo-anarchist.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: olde north church on January 13, 2014, 09:09:59 pm: Quote from: Gazoo on January 13, 2014, 08:30:58 pm
Is that your answer or just a reply? BTW: don't get your panties in a wad. I am just wondering?

There's nothing not Conservative about my positions. I believe in the Constitution, for the most part. People who would put the 10 Commandments ahead of the 10 Amendments might think I'm not Conservative but I would have to say they are not. They put Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton in the White House. They choose to forget it was the Black Christians who put Obama into the White House.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: olde north church on January 13, 2014, 09:11:48 pm: Quote from: Luis Gonzalez on January 13, 2014, 09:06:33 pm
I used to be pretty liberal, then I became a Republican, then a conservative, then a neolibertarian, then a libertarian.

Now, I have come to embrace my true political leanings... I don't like anyone.

I may be a neo-anarchist.

It's funny you should put it that way. I'm closer to an anarchist these days. Not a trust fund anarchist or Fifth Avenue Anarchist.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Luis Gonzalez on January 13, 2014, 09:18:13 pm: Quote from: olde north church on January 13, 2014, 09:11:48 pm
It's funny you should put it that way. I'm closer to an anarchist these days. Not a trust fund anarchist or Fifth Avenue Anarchist.

(https://scontent-a-mia.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash2/300620_2193620635865_715516637_n.jpg)
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: aligncare on January 13, 2014, 09:18:49 pm: Quote from: olde north church on January 13, 2014, 09:09:59 pm
There's nothing not Conservative about my positions. I believe in the Constitution, for the most part. People who would put the 10 Commandments ahead of the 10 Amendments might think I'm not Conservative but I would have to say they are not. They put Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton in the White House. They choose to forget it was the Black Christians who put Obama into the White House.

But blacks always vote (D), in vast numbers. It was whites, Christian and non, who put Obama in the WH -- plus many who normally vote (R). Obama had the nation buffaloed. Obama was without doubt a phenomenon. And now a nation is paying the price for their careless vote.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: DCPatriot on January 13, 2014, 09:31:32 pm: Quote from: olde north church on January 13, 2014, 09:11:48 pm
It's funny you should put it that way. I'm closer to an anarchist these days. Not a trust fund anarchist or Fifth Avenue Anarchist.

Ah! So there IS something to that claim of the Department of Homeland Security that senior white American men are potential domestic terrorists! :silly:

At 67, it amazes me that the shooting hasn't started already.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: Cincinnatus on January 13, 2014, 09:36:53 pm: About that amusing "trust fund" picture posted by Luis Gonzalez. Back in the day SDSer Diana Oughton had to bail Bill Ayres out of some legal scrape or other and paid the bail by cashing one of her dividend checks.
Title: Re: Chris Christie’s critics savor his misfortune
Post by: olde north church on January 13, 2014, 09:42:40 pm: Quote from: DCPatriot on January 13, 2014, 09:31:32 pm
Ah! So there IS something to that claim of the Department of Homeland Security that senior white American men are potential domestic terrorists! :silly:

At 67, it amazes me that the shooting hasn't started already.

I'm just a bit younger than you but I'm not surprised at all. People are mesmerized by the illusion of wealth. That and being totally afraid of prison. What do people who have nothing have to fear about prison? Change in scenery? It's not much of lifestyle change. There are still the perks if you have connections.
If you're white, you go from "the man" to minority. Your connections are gone. There is no protection of law. Law of the jungle, baby. White men, as a rule, aren't street smart and can be a bit slow and the law lives in them. They expect to live by the rules. Not a good thing when there are no rules. Prison is basically to keep whites in line, the same ways locked doors keep honest people from robbing your home.