I'm pulling for Christie for GOP nomination in 2016.

[Smarmie Doofus]

Kicking his ass up and down the block would be infinitely more satisfying than any other scenario.

What a loathsome, repugnant, malevolent creature.

He's like the bad guy out of an old Capra film or a thirties era gangster flick. A missing link in the moral and ethical evolutionary chain of which we like to THINK ( at least!) we are the end product . I guess what I'm saying is: the dude needs an ass-kicking.

From today's NY Times ( the Christmas edition. Tee-hee.)

>>>>In 2010, John F. McKeon, a New Jersey assemblyman, made what he thought was a mild comment on a radio program: Some of the public employees that Gov. Chris Christie was then vilifying had been some of the governor’s biggest supporters.

He was surprised to receive a handwritten note from Mr. Christie, telling him that he had heard the comments, and that he didn’t like them.

“I thought it was a joke,” Mr. McKeon recalled. “What governor would take the time to write a personal note over a relatively innocuous comment?”

But the gesture would come to seem genteel compared with the fate suffered by others in disagreements with Mr. Christie: a former governor who was stripped of police security at public events; a Rutgers professor who lost state financing for cherished programs; a state senator whose candidate for a judgeship suddenly stalled; another senator who was disinvited from an event with the governor in his own district.

In almost every case, Mr. Christie waved off any suggestion that he had meted out retribution. But to many, the incidents have left that impression, and it has been just as powerful in scaring off others who might dare to cross him.

Now, the governor is dogged by another accusation of petty political revenge. Two close political allies ordered the abrupt shutdown of two local access lanes on the George Washington Bridge in September, gridlocking Fort Lee, N.J., for four days. The borough’s mayor said it was punitive because he had declined to endorse the governor’s re-election.

The governor mocked the suggestion as preposterous. But Democrats in New Jersey — and privately, some Republicans too — say it would hardly be out of character for Mr. Christie. As the governor prepares to run for president, the accusation has reinforced his reputation as a bully.

“Every organization takes its cues from the leadership as to what’s acceptable and what’s not, and this governor, in his public appearances, has made thuggery acceptable,” said Assemblyman John S. Wisniewski, the Democrat leading the hearings that have exposed the role of the governor’s aides in the lane closings. >>>>

more ( if you can stand it) at: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/25/nyregion/accounts-of-petty-retribution-reinforce-christies-bullying-image.html?hpw&rref=nyregion&_r=0

[Cirque du So-What]

1. Careful what you wish for

Quoting George Carlin, 'never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.' The capacity of repugs for ignoring the most heinous of sins when it comes to one of their own is well-documented. Taking into account the miniscule attention spans of millions of other Americans who pay little attention to political issues - along with all the others who aspire to be a ruffy-tuffy-wuffy just like Christie - and you have the makings of a political fiasco in 2016. 2016. That's several political eternities away. This GW Bridge incident won't even register on the radar screen of any of the pundits that the corporate media allow to bloviate on the air by that time anyway.

[Logical]

2. I agree. Never underestimate the stupidly of the American Public. Example Bush (2004) and Duck Dyn!

[Cirque du So-What]

3. One could fill a book

with examples like that. Not even the 'third rail' of being caught in a hotel room with a live boy or a dead prostitute can deter the true believers from supporting the repug on the ballot. Speaking of books, it's a subject worthy of scholarly dissertation. I'd buy a copy.

[Logical]

5. So true. n-t

[Smarmie Doofus]

12. The True Believers are By Definition a Minority.

And it's hard to believe they can find a majority of Americans to like this guy.

Sex scandals, while titilating, are generally trivial and I think .... usually justifiably... people look past them.

Christie's baggage is of another variety altogether: he's a *nasty* fuck. I'm not so sure we've had a fuck THIS nasty run for national office... at least not in the last 100 years.

Yes, I know, Nixon ( and many others) had people do similar things ON THEIR BEHALF.... but all were able to maintain distance while mouthing soothing platitudes.

I don't think many average folks ( and no, I do not have a high opinion of the judgement of said "average folks&quot will buy a platitude emanating from the mouth of Christie. He's actually willing to play the part of a nasty, entitled fuck.

In *public*.

I think if he's nominated, he's toast.

DEMS sure won't have trouble uniting around whomever is chosen to run against Christie. It will be an imperative. It will also be *enjoyable*.

[HereSince1628]

4. I dunno, Scott Walker is obviously planning a run...

Seeing his ass kicked up and down the block would also be infinitely satisfying

[NastyRiffraff]

6. I'm torn

So many knuckle-walkers to choose from:

Chris Christie, Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin (?)

Oh me oh my!

[MoonRiver]

7. DISAGREE!

He's the only Pug in the clown car who has a shot of defeating us.

[Lizzie Poppet]

15. Strongly agree!

Christie is a legitimate threat to win, while the more bagger-centric candidates would be much more easily marginalized.

Of course, that also assumes the Democratic nominee won't also be easily marginalized. While I'd live to see Elizabeth Warren in the Oval Office, I can't help but worry that it would be too easy for the media to depict her as some sort of fringe-left oddball.

[etherealtruth]

24. I definitely worry about that, too

I don't agree with the guy or his policies ... I think he is a bully; however, he is NOT batshit crazy and he appeals to a lot of "non-insane" voters (obviously, not democrats ... but folk that don't align with a particular party)

[Douglas Carpenter]

8. I think Christie might win - however mistaken it may be - he gives off the impression of someone

who is tough but has a heart - a real standup guy. The media loves him - someone who wants to get things done, He may be just as much a rightwing ideologue as Rick Santorum - but that is not what the public is likely to perceive. I think even against Hilary he would have somewhere around a 50/50 chance of winning

[alterfurz]

18. as they say, Christie would like to think of himself as Tony Soprano...

...but temperamentally he's way more like Ralph Cifaretto.

[Smarmie Doofus]

19. That's not the Christie the NYT depicts:

>>>>>who is tough but has a heart - a real standup guy.>>>>>

Far from it: nasty, creepy, secretive, menacing, thin-skinned, underhanded, and childishly vindictive.

And surrounded by likeminded parasites.

Media always loves a "tough guy w. a heart of gold" .... but that's not who this creep is.

[safeinOhio]

9. I agree with mixed feelings.

Nothing was better than to watch Mitt & wife on election night as they bowed their heads to eat humble pie severed by the 47%. That was made possible by the brilliant person that ran against him. Rinse and repeat my friends.

[jazzimov]

10. Can you imagine this guy in charge of the NSA?

Whether or not they are surveilling Americans today, they will be if this guy takes office!

[Squinch]

11. Walker, Walker, he's our man!

Love to see him Palinized.

[hollysmom]

13. Christie is a bully who was bullied as a child

retribution is his calling card. I can't believe the media sucks up to him the way they do. Sandy? he is still sitting on the money, so little has been done. He probably put that on to get Bruce to say something nice about him since Bruce was not a supporter.

[Smarmie Doofus]

16. Interesting. There is, in fact, a distinctly juvenile quality to his particular...

... brand of spiteful retaliation.

What's your source for his being bullied? I'm sure it's true but I want to know more.

[hollysmom]

17. I saw him talking about always being overweight and

drew an inference from that. His behavior seems to fit the revenge bullying. should have added I think that....

[Motown_Johnny]

14. I'm thinking Santorum would be the most fun. n/t

[DonCoquixote]

20. The problem with CC

Is that he can turn to the sort of people that are too ashamed to vote GOP and say "hey, those rednecks and Ayn Rand types HATE ME!" The GOP is desperately looking for someone to wash off the stink of obvious failure and malicious greed, which is why CC would the answer to their prayers. Yes, Hillary would look good against him, but she would have a number of flaws:

1) Unless she decides to turn left, her nomination would be the ultimate "fuck you" to the left. It is one thign when Obama turns center, it is another when the person who helped the Democrats tell the left to fuck off is coronated. No, do not play that "It was all Bill" chord, we all know she was a "partner" to quote Bill himself. Unless there is a reason to turn out, the same people that have won might very well say "hey, if we are going down, let's take everybody with us." Yes, yes, we all know that giving the GOP the Oval Office would be to enable this Congress to run amok, but after years of reading the Third Way treat the left like some old aunt that people wish would die already, people might not care.

2)The Veep: So far, CC's hot pick is Susanna Martinez, a churchy, bigmouthed, Latina conversative Governor. Think Sarah Palin with 50 more IQ points, and a lot more cunning. CC could also pick Marco Rubio, who could make sure Florida is a literal Bloodbath, as the same folks that are mad that Elian went home are even MORE angry that Obama shook Castro's hand. Even if Hillary picks Julian Castro, Martinez can undo a lot of progress among Latinos, especially if she manages to portray Julian as Hillary's lapdog. Now, if Hillary does not pick Castro, things can get really bad, especially if she picks someone like Cory Booker or Rahm Emmanuel, people who got their power by stomping lefties.

[Iggo]

21. No way. I'm for Frothy.

[Demo_Chris]

22. Christie is a serious threat to anyone we have to offer. nt

[Enthusiast]

23. "What a loathsome, repugnant, malevolent creature." I agree.

He might be serving this very purpose. The actual Republican nominee won't be known for some time. In the meanwhile Christie serves as a convenient punching bag. Is Christie a bit too obviously loathsome?

[Smarmie Doofus]

25. Nah. I think he's just a creep.

He's a throwback. Like something out of central casting but genuinely evil and creepy.

Maybe ....in a convoluted sort of way.... we should appreciate him for his lack of pretense. I'd like to think that it wouldn't occur to someone like even Nixon to tell his operatives to cut academic research funding over trivial disputes or strangle an entire metro area in traffic because the mayor of the other party endorsed the candidate for governor of his party.

It's hard for me to get excited about the rest of the GOP hopefuls. They mouth the usual platitudes and carry-out their assigned function. I expect no more and no less. They don't anger me. Maybe that's the function of pretense. Perhaps I need that.

OTOH, Christie makes me want to kick his ass. Quite literally. Maybe that's a good thing from the DEM party pov.


*IF* he's the candidate.

[Enthusiast]

26. Good take. nt

[djean111]

27. All the things you think will sink Christie are things the GOP both admires and has gotten away

with. Thuggery is quite acceptable to the GOP. If the GOP voters had even understood how Mitt got his money - they would have admired that, even if it was their own jobs and pensions he got his fingers into. If Mitt's tax return would have been made public, and would have shown he paid no taxes - they would have admired that, too.
The only people who are appalled at Christie's thuggery and temper are people who were not going to vote for him anyway.

Honestly, the only way to perhaps get at him would be to show lots of pictures of him embracing Obama.
Even "Democrats" (which doesn't mean what I thought it meant, these days) supported him for governor.
"Democrats" have given him a lot of useful campaign fodder right there.

[Smarmie Doofus]

29. Hmmm... You said a mouthful. Christie's kind of an oddball GOP star... so some of the usual rules...

... don't apply.

>>If Mitt's tax return would have been made public, and would have shown he paid no taxes - they would have admired that, too.>>> I

I take issue w. this. I don't think that the typical GE voter can figure that out; or appreciates the significance; or chooses to analyze it. Hence the need for GOP contenders to do the "nice guy" thing. That's reeeaaaaallllly hard for Christie to do. ( Primary voters... maybe yes.)


>>>The only people who are appalled at Christie's thuggery and temper are people who were not going to vote for him anyway.


I don't think this holds either. I've heard decent, apolitical people around here speaking admiringly of him . For instance when CC was yelling about teachers and their pensions about 1-2 years ago. And that makes sense: he gets to be an entertaining Ralph Kramden-ish buffoon while exploiting the public's jealousy over public sector workers' perceived privileged status, re. tenure and benefits, etc. That's a crowd-pleasing one-two punch.). But the Battle of Ft. Lee seems to have lifted the lid on a whole pattern of behavior that ... in the first place.... seems to be veering off in the direction of criminality even it hasn't gotten there yet.

And in the second place, is perceived as unseemly in a candidate for president. Serious candidates have "people" to do that sort of thing. Esp if it's of a nature that is that sleazy. ( And I frankly don't think a "serious" candidate would get down to the CC's childish, petulant , vindictive, tactics over such inconsequential political nonsense.)

He's a loose cannon. Full of arrogance, hubris, and stupidity. He's going to overreach and .......he's going down.

[Rowdyboy]

28. A worthy sucessor to Dubya. Chris Matthews will glom on early, declaring Christie has "atty-tude"

and America will be swept off its feet by another bully-boy pseudo-cowboy. Thanks, but no thanks. I don't trust the media or the American people nearly enough to in any way hope Christie even has a shot.

[unblock]

30. dangerous, he's a wildcard and could make the unexpected happen.

no argument that he's flawed and someone steady like Hillary could beat him.

but he's the republican's best shot at fielding someone who arguably has some (twisted) sort of "charisma".

dangerous.