Christie: did he know?

[bateman]

Christie, who had previously assured the public his staff wasn’t involved in the road closings, said Thursday he had fired Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly “because she lied to me.”

He said he was “blindsided” and stunned by the “abject stupidity that was shown.”

“I am embarrassed and humiliated by the conduct of some of the people on my team,” Christie said during a nearly two-hour long news conference. “There’s no doubt in my mind that the conduct that they exhibited is completely unacceptable and showed a lack of respect for their appropriate role of government and for the people that we’re trusted to serve.”

http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2014/01/09/christie-to-hold-news-conference-in-wake-of-growing-gwb-lane-closure-scandal/

[MV/Liberace!]

i think he knew, it will be categorically demonstrated that he knew, and there will be prosecutions.

[Yorkshire pud]

Made it over here too. Quite a piece about it; who would have believed such a thing? I'm not point scoring, it's just breathtaking. Piss off the motorist to get back at a mayor? Jeeeze. Playground politics at it's worst.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25671970

[MV/Liberace!]

Made it over here too. Quite a piece about it; who would have believed such a thing? I'm not point scoring, it's just breathtaking. Piss off the motorist to get back at a mayor? Jeeeze. Playground politics at it's worst.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25671970

the worst part is the delayed ambulance that resulted in a death.  this is why i'm certain there will be prosecutions.  also, numerous civil suits are sure to emerge.

[West of the Rockies]

Yorkie said:  "Made it over here too. Quite a piece about it; who would have believed such a thing? I'm not point scoring, it's just breathtaking. Piss off the motorist to get back at a mayor? Jeeeze. Playground politics at it's worst."

I quite concur.  And yet we'll hear Ruteger and co. go on about evil "Chicago politicians".  It's quite foolish to think that politics is some sort of sanitary "gentlemen's game":  it is cut-throat and brutal.  When you get caught in a web of corruption, there sure as hell better be consequences.  I think some politicians are more honorable than others, absolutely.  But I am tired of hearing the hogwash about Democratic politicians being dirty and Republicans just doing the will of the people.  Christie probably just blew whatever very slim chance he had of becoming a factor in '16.

I'm sorry to sort of twist this into a Republican v. Democratic issue.  Honestly, I think it's pretty clear that there is a ton of corruption on both sides.  But this time it was a Republican who got caught playing dirty.  Will we now hear about how Christie wasn't a "real" Republican anyway and so his downfall means nothing to the true conservative movement? 

[Yorkshire pud]

Yorkie said:  "Made it over here too. Quite a piece about it; who would have believed such a thing? I'm not point scoring, it's just breathtaking. Piss off the motorist to get back at a mayor? Jeeeze. Playground politics at it's worst."

I quite concur.  And yet we'll hear Ruteger and co. go on about evil "Chicago politicians".  It's quite foolish to think that politics is some sort of sanitary "gentlemen's game":  it is cut-throat and brutal.  When you get caught in a web of corruption, there sure as hell better be consequences.  I think some politicians are more honorable than others, absolutely.  But I am tired of hearing the hogwash about Democratic politicians being dirty and Republicans just doing the will of the people.  Christie probably just blew whatever very slim chance he had of becoming a factor in '16.

I'm sorry to sort of twist this into a Republican v. Democratic issue.  Honestly, I think it's pretty clear that there is a ton of corruption on both sides.  But this time it was a Republican who got caught playing dirty.  Will we now hear about how Christie wasn't a "real" Republican anyway and so his downfall means nothing to the true conservative movement?

The thing is though mate is a couple of things I find difficult to get my head around; 1) That anyone actually though it was a good idea. I know politicians play dirty tricks on each other all the time, smears, compromising stories etc...but it's a bleeding psychotic bunch of mercenaries who willfully do that to the population to get to a rival. And as MV says, people may have died as a result! How fucking callous is that? and 2) Thought they'd actually get away with it! Have they learned nothing since Watergate? It's incredible.

[PB the Deplorable]

...  Christie probably just blew whatever very slim chance he had of becoming a factor in '16...

Please let this be so, although I'm sure the Media will find another RINO to support through the end of the primaries, then turn on.

[West of the Rockies]

Oh, you're absolutely correct, Yorkie... the whole affair is incredibly sordid and dirty.  I suspect anyone involved would say something like, "Oh, I never intended for anyone to be hurt, just mildly inconvenienced...."  But the proof is in the pudding, as they say.  Christie comes out of this event looking like a complete jackass, despite his protestations of having no knowledge:  "I'm shocked -- shocked! -- to discover gambling is going on here..."

[MV/Liberace!]

Please let this be so, although I'm sure the Media will find another RINO to support through the end of the primaries, then turn on.

i'll never forget or forgive christie's ball cupping of obama in the home stretch of the 2012 campaign, essentially evaporating any momentum romney did or didn't have. 

fox news must be beside themselves today.

[PB the Deplorable]

i'll never forget or forgive christie's ball cupping of obama in the home stretch of the 2012 campaign, essentially evaporating any momentum romney did or didn't have. 

fox news must be beside themselves today.

Lot's of people won't forget that.  THAT was when his Presidential ambitions died. 

Unless he changes parties, which I would encourage him to do.

[Juan]

Even if he didn't know, he obviously created a culture of retaliation through attacking the citizens.  Sort of like the IRS scandals now, Nixon's dirty tricks, the allegations of Clinton goons going after women he dallied with. 

[bateman]

i'll never forget or forgive christie's ball cupping of obama in the home stretch of the 2012 campaign, essentially evaporating any momentum romney did or didn't have. 

fox news must be beside themselves today.

They were covering Obamacare this afternoon while all the other networks were doin wall to wall Christiegate. They have no idea how to handle this yet.

[ItsOver]

i'll never forget or forgive christie's ball cupping of obama in the home stretch of the 2012 campaign, essentially evaporating any momentum romney did or didn't have. 

fox news must be beside themselves today.

That was a real heartwarming moment.  :  I could hear Bette Midler singing "Wind Beneath My Wings." 

[DigitalPigSnuggler]

Lot's of people won't forget that.  THAT was when his Presidential ambitions died. 

Unless he changes parties, which I would encourage him to do.

The election of 1968 was extremely close.  Wallace grabbed the extreme right, and Nixon and Humphrey split the rest.  Humphrey lost in part because he was stuck with the extreme left.

Nixon had a scheme going into the 70's to dump Agnew and form a centrist party -- peeling off the portion of the Pubs that he took in 1968, plus the centrists from the Democratic party, and leaving others with the leftovers on the wings.  He was going to replace Agnew with John Connolly in the 1972 election and almost did the replacement in 1973 when Agnew resigned.

I've always wondered why someone doesn't follow through on this idea.  Elections are won in the center, as they say, and it would be far easier to defeat two clowns at the wings (Palin and Kucinich, anyone?) than a normal person on the other side.

Christie could be that guy, but I don't think he'll go for it.

[Yorkshire pud]

No surprises really.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-25686050

[FightTheFuture]

Of course he knew. Duh!


Please.

[UnscreenedCaller]

Of course Christie knew. It was a bush league, petty vindictive move that affected thousands of lives. Maybe his aide will fall on the sword for him, but he's going to end up having his arse handed to him when the facts come out, and they will. That's what happens when you straddle the fence.

[FightTheFuture]

The election of 1968 was extremely close.  Wallace grabbed the extreme right, and Nixon and Humphrey split the rest.  Humphrey lost in part because he was stuck with the extreme left.

Nixon had a scheme going into the 70's to dump Agnew and form a centrist party -- peeling off the portion of the Pubs that he took in 1968, plus the centrists from the Democratic party, and leaving others with the leftovers on the wings.  He was going to replace Agnew with John Connolly in the 1972 election and almost did the replacement in 1973 when Agnew resigned.

I've always wondered why someone doesn't follow through on this idea.  Elections are won in the center, as they say, and it would be far easier to defeat two clowns at the wings (Palin and Kucinich, anyone?) than a normal person on the other side.

Christie could be that guy, but I don't think he'll go for it.

Christie was relatively popular in the Northeast corridor.

That doesn`t mean he could win the South. Republicans have no chance of winning the WH unless they sweep the South.

[MV/Liberace!]

Christie was relatively popular in the Northeast corridor.

That doesn`t mean he could win the South. Republicans have no chance of winning the WH unless they sweep the South.

as i look over the political landscape, it seems the only real support (nationally) for christie has come from elites in the republican party at places like fox news.  the rank and file are not invested in this guy in any way, particularly after 2012.

[FightTheFuture]

as i look over the political landscape, it seems the only real support (nationally) for christie has come from elites in the republican party at places like fox news.  the rank and file are not invested in this guy in any way, particularly after 2012.

Exactly.

Here`s a reminder for some who may have forgotten:




FUCK CHRISTIE

[gbneely]

Yes, he knew. Worse yet, he created a culture where that type of thinking occurred and was probably encouraged.
The only good to come from this is he has been exposed as a petty and vindictive politician.

[b_dubb]

Watch the fat man shoot himself in the foot.  Not literally of course.  Does anyone think he has a chance at the Republican nomination now?  His team will have to do some seriously miraculous damage control to pull that off.  Spin spin spin Team FatMan

[West of the Rockies]

So this may not be all that original or thought-provoking, but I think that Christie is in something of the Romney mold:  a northeastern moderate Republican in a rather blue state.  As such, he would probably lean waaaay to the right during the primary in order to secure the votes of the base (which is pretty rightwing these days, IMO).  In the general, he'd veer back to the center.  This did not work well ultimately for Romney, but he had to deal with being Mormon (thereby losing a lot of the stalwart fundie vote probably) and his 47% comment.  Christie clearly lost the more rightwing voters by embracing Obama.

I think the Republican party is probably screwed in '16.  If they elect someone that makes the TPers happy, they won't win the general.  I know some are terribly excited by the idea of Cruz/Rubio/Rand Paul, but I think they are ultimately unelectable to national office.  Of course, if the Dems trot out a knucklehead or encounter some mammoth scandal of their own, that could blow it in '16, too.  If the economy continues to creep upward, if the country does not become more embroiled in over-seas conflict, it's probably the Dems to lose in '16.

If the Democratic party does NOT elect Hillary, they may lose the female/youth vote.  If they DO elect her, I don't know for certain that the Latino/black faction will come pouring forth the way they did in the past.  In particular, if the Republicans DO elect someone with ties/identification to the Latino culture.  It all makes for some interesting political theatre! 

[aldousburbank]

We're all so so fucked.

[DigitalPigSnuggler]

Does anyone think he has a chance at the Republican nomination now?

Two years is an eternity in politics.

[aldousburbank]

Two years is an eternity in politics.

We're all so so so fucked.

[MV/Liberace!]

If they elect someone that makes the TPers happy, they won't win the general.

there's really no factual basis upon which to make that argument.  the republican party hasn't tried running a conservative in a reeeeeally long time.  reagan was at least perceived to be a true conservative (although i know that's a debate in its self), and he won by sweeping margins.  although my definition of "conservatism" is no longer entirely congruent with how the limbaughs of the world see things (i think conservative means libertarian before anything else), rush is right:  conservatism wins elections when it's tried.

romney: moderate (2012 loss)
mccain:  moderate (2008 loss)
bush2:  moderate (a 2000 popular vote loss, and 2004 would have been a loss had his opponent not been a corpse)
dole:  moderate (1996 loss)
bush1: moderate (1992 loss)
ford:  moderate (1976 loss)

[FightTheFuture]

there's really no factual basis upon which to make that argument.  the republican party hasn't tried running a conservative in a reeeeeally long time.  reagan was at least perceived to be a true conservative (although i know that's a debate in its self), and he won by sweeping margins.  although my definition of "conservatism" is no longer entirely congruent with how the limbaughs of the world see things (i think conservative means libertarian before anything else), rush is right:  conservatism wins elections when it's tried.

romney: moderate (2012 loss)
mccain:  moderate (2008 loss)
bush2:  moderate (a 2000 popular vote loss, and 2004 would have been a loss had his opponent not been a corpse)
dole:  moderate (1996 loss)
bush1: moderate (1992 loss)
ford:  moderate (1976 loss)

Bold Colors - No Pale Pastels

[West of the Rockies]

MV, who among the "true believer conservatives" DO you think genuinely has a shot at winning?  Santorum?  Palin?  Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, Bobby Jindal?  I am not political expert (obviously enough), but I think that any of these people would be akin to when Jesse Jackson was mentioned as a possible candidate.  Might make a small slice of the base happy, but win a general election?  Not in this century.

[ziznak]

heard an interesting point about this whole thing.  It's really gonna help destroy those dirty jersey stereotypes isn't it?