New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie – the “Republican” establishment’s top choice for the 2016 presidential race – has a major scandal on his hands.
ICYMI, Christie’s aides were busted shutting down access ramps to the George Washington Bridge in an effort to create deliberate gridlock in Fort Lee, New Jersey (home to a Democratic mayor who refused to endorse Christie’s 2013 reelection bid).
As we noted in our coverage of the debacle, this isn’t just petty political payback – it’s petty political payback that needlessly screwed with the lives of thousands of people.
Not surprisingly Christie is doing everything within his power to distance himself from the scandal – apologizing, firing people and protesting ignorance of the nefarious plot (a.k.a. Barack Obama’s signature move). But even if Christie was “ignorant” in this particular case (which we highly doubt), he’s still got a problem.
Writing for The Week, Marc Armbinder explains Christie’s fundamental problem by referencing Double Down – a book about the 2012 campaign.
“Double Down‘s Christie was megalomaniacal, self-possessed, and obsessed with reciprocity: You do well by him, and he’ll do well by you,” Armbinder wrote. “You fundraise without his permission in New Jersey, and he’ll cut the donors off. Loyalty trumped all. If Christie perceived you as disloyal, you were out of his inner circle. That’s in passive voice because Christie would leave it to his lieutenants to enforce this code of honor.”
Wait … honor? Among 21st Century American politicians?
That’s funny …
There’s a fundamental question here …
“Which do you prefer? The kind of ruthless, Nixonian maniac who’s willing to screw enormous numbers of people to get revenge on someone he perceives as disloyal? Or the kind of ruthless, Nixonian maniac who builds a machine that can do that without getting him personally involved?” asked Jesse Walker for Reason.org.
Good question …
Personally, we prefer “neither.” We prefer leaders who put the best interests of individual citizens and taxpayers ahead of rewarding their enemies or punishing their enemies … but then again we frequently expect too much of people.
31 comments
I don’t care about the petty bullshit of getting back at someone you don’t like, but damn, you’re in office to serve the people, not get them stuck in traffic. Keep your bullshit to yourselves and stop letting it fuck over people who have nothing to do with it. That’s what is so bad about this.
Personally I doubt Christie told his underlings to do this himself, I think they decided to do it on their own, but I’m definitely sure he was told about it afterwards. Probably had a good chuckle, too.
Agree with most of your comment
However past reports indicate that Christie is not the type to clean up shit after it hits the fan – he is the type to throw shit in the fan from a protected distance and if it blows back his way then he discards anyone that got hit
I believe he let it be known with a chuckle that if anyone knew of a way to fuck up Fort Lee’s mayor, then do it
Do you apply your haughty stardards “For The People” to your lord and failed god, Obama…????
If so, tell me where you will be marching in the streets, w/ Gay Pride zeal, to dump the sorry son of a B!*ch, Obama, from the lofty peerch to which your Sorry @$$ has placed him…
Because what Obama has done to THE PEOPLE has been far more dmaging and painful (if not criminal) than closing some lanes in a town in NJ.
Speak on hypocrite…I’d love to see you squirm in dishonst pleas, trying to get your @$$ out of this Fott in the mouth, ignorance…
Also: Personally, I know Obama tells his underlings to attack the American people (see Obamacare lies, IRS persecution) .and they all likely ‘High Five’ when they see the Americans they hate, suffer…
You should see someone about your Tourette’s.
.
Christie at his news conference pulled out the renowned “Sergeant Schultz” defense.
Who is the South Carolina version of Chris Christie? I have heard repeatedly Jean Toal is the worst at getting back at political (and personal) enemies. First runner up is Steve Benjamin. Robert Stewart had the reputation when he was relevant.
Nikki claims that title
Although (thankfully) rendered pretty much impotent by the 2012 elections, Jake Knotts has a well-deserved rep for getting back at his opponents.
Pick just about any Sheriff you can think of and you have the same thing.
You are right.
They all try to find ways of making people pay, in one way or another for not supporting them.
Knotts buddy Danny Frazier was famous for it, in his failed election bid for the House of Rep. against Rep. Rick Quinn. He probably got his guidance from Knotts and Bob Peeler, his close advisors. Knotts and the Peelers are well known for threats and vindictive tactics against their enemies.
When a Private Investigator caught Peeler with his concubine, he had the investigator investigated by SLED. An abuse of process using Governmental agencies.
These tactics came out at the Federal level with the IRS and Justice Departments abusive investigations of conservative groups in Obamas reelection.
It is the same for both parties and from Town Hall to Washington.
LMAO..this Fat F*#k could not wait to jump to his knees in 2012 and suck off Obama, in hopes of being favored by the media, and other leftwing Dumb@$$#$…
But this slothful imbecile is $#itt!*g his pants now that the some polls show him kicking Hillary’s @$$…
The Ds are scared to death, that Obama has finally been dicovered for the piece of $#!* he is…now they are un-electable. So the media will run to any R (or RINO in Christie’s case) and obliterate the fat slob…
Good for you Christie. You’re just like John McCain, after they got him the nomination. They love a liberal R…as long as he’s F*#king up the GOP…but when you F*#k with them, and their darlings, your @$$ will get kicked, you insufferable ignoramous…
Hahahahaha…you Fat Slob….
Obama can’t run for a third term, dream on scum R.
Au contraire, you ignorant F*#k. Obama WILL be on the ballot, even if his name is not. “OBAMACARE” And that should have stupid MotherF*#kers like you, who hate America, $#!tt!ng all over yourselves…
Isn’t that the same thing you said when you predicted Gingrich,
I mean Perry,I mean Santorum, I mean Romney would win?.
Well, if that’s true, why would the Dems be scared? What scares Dems are that asshats like Bachmann and Santorum get more popular than Hilliary. LOL!
Honest, moral and decent people always scare the corrupt and the wicked…
Do you need something in your mouth?
Absolutely the best laugh I ‘ve had in 2014 !!! Thank you 9 !
We’ll see if any lawsuits follow.
Google search terms: george washington bridge death
EMS responses delayed by GWB lane closures in Fort Lee
http://www.northjersey.com/fortlee/GWB_lane_closures_delayed_EMS_response_in_Fort_Lee.html
[Excerpt]
FORT LEE – Emergency responders were delayed in attending to four medical situations – including one in which a 91-year-old woman lay unconscious – due to traffic gridlock caused by unannounced closures of access lanes to the George Washington Bridge, according to the head of the borough’s EMS department.
The woman later died, borough records show.
In fairness to His Fatness, he’s just doing what 95% of pols do behind the scenes. Most of them lover power, are sociopaths are capable of doing horrendous things with glee.
They love TSA groping, starting wars, handing out benefits(at the expense of others) and a host of other sick and twisted things.
They want to get elected because they like wielding power, not because the wanted to get rid of their own ability to do so.
Addressing the firing of his chief political consultant, Bill Stepien Christie said “If I cannot trust someone’s judgment, I cannot ask others to do so, and I would not place him at the head of my political operation because of the lack of judgment that was shown in the emails that were revealed yesterday.”
He added, “as we learned from the Bush administration, make sure there are no emails.”
Nikki got that e-mail also, but it was destroyed.
i don’t where all of this will go but I certainly think Christie is a bully and it is in his blood to do this kind of thing.
They will convene a federal grand jury and if he is indicted the GOP is out of luck for 2016. Who ya gonna run in ’16 ? the old retreads like the Jeebus loving Huckabee or the Pennsylvania guy who think gays fuck dogs?
Christie may have screwed up the GOP once and for all.
Gay republicans do fuck dogs, and small chrildren, and us.
Christie claims he never asked for this Mayor’s endorsement; the Mayor is after all a Democrat. But, it will be interesting to see how this unravels with further investigation.
Wrong, he asked, but couldn’t remember if he ever saw him, until the picture on his office computer shows both shaking hands at a event. Priceless !
? “Ebony & Ivory, living together in perfect harmony, Side By Side On My Piano Keyboard, Oh Lord, Why Don’t We?
lulz
Guess what? If he lies as Governor, he’ll lie as president. He’s done.
Christie’s problem is he’s not crazy enough.
“In the photograph in question, he appears to be enjoying *camaraderie*”
You have to admit that the “camaraderie” associated with directing federal emergency funds to hurricane victims is quite delicious.
Some of the shots with him bent over in sorrowful supplication while Obama comforts him are equally delicious.
The world is a stage.
Big problem? He has a big, mouth, ass, ego, etc … No big loss. In fact good news for the Republican party. Now Conservatives can focus on a true Conservative candidate. Chris only poses as a Republican.
Mayor Sokolich was the Fort Lee GOP municipal chairman in the late 1990s.