I think rumors of Christie's demise may be greatly exagerated.

[CAG]

I've seen and read much of the stuff that came out today. I can already envision RW talking points that will come out;

- Its just a traffic jam, there are traffic jams everywhere.
- Road construction is everywhere, causing delays everywhere.
- Christie had no knowledge of what his staff were doing (he was "misled&quot .
- This is just another example of dirty politics - both sides do it!! (I've already seen them trying to resurrect the discredited IRS/Tea party story).
- It just hurt all those east coast liberals (see: Sandy), it didn't hurt "true" patriotic americans in the heartland.

AND, most importantly, he's the media's darling! They love him! Can you imagine CNN giving up on this guy?? CNN and Fox are going to ride him all the way thru 2016, he's golden for ratings.

Even if he gets thrown out of office because of some proof that he was involved, I STILL think these forces will prop him up and downplay these events. These events will be out of the news cycle WELL before 2016. Just think of how many times politicians come back from scandals, I think it'll probably happen here. I hope not, I hope his political career is toast, but my gut gives that chance around 10%.

[CAG]

1. Big typo in the above, apologize; substitute "'murkins" for "americans" in my last RW talking point

[Oilwellian]

2. Not when there's a death involved. He's toast and could possibly face charges. n/t

[Niceguy1]

27. maybe if the person was young

but politics aside we don't know why the person arrested, except that at 91 years of age..

but it still sounds sleazy

[pepperbear]

26. He was never the tea party/ right wing darling...they're hating him now

more than when he shook the President's hand during Sandy. I'd think that this would come up in the Republican primaries, if he made it that far.

[Fumesucker]

3. It's Christie's version of a "Bimbo Eruption"

Those didn't stop Bubba from becoming POTUS.

[TDale313]

4. I wish I could say you were wrong.

Sadly, I can't. I hope you are, but not convinced this will stick. Especially if the main stream media doesn't want it to.

[LanternWaste]

5. One death due to emergency vehicle delay contrasted against an email stating

One death due to emergency vehicle delay contrasted against an email stating "Is it wrong I'm smiling" is far too negative a picture to be defended by the RW in any meaningful way. Add to that the RW's previous disillusion with the gov for his commendation of Pres Obama's response to Sandy compels me to believe he's already a dead man walking.

[jberryhill]

28. Remember "Mitt Romney Killed My Wife"?

Cause and effect is not established, and overplaying an accusation like that can backfire.

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

6. I agree. This too shall pass. The Corporate Media is too in love with Crispie Creme.

They'll embrace him.

[lumberjack_jeff]

7. We'll create our own reality.

The aide said that guys like me were "in what we call the reality-based community," which he defined as people who "believe that solutions emerge from your judicious study of discernible reality." ... "That's not the way the world really works anymore," he continued. "We're an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you're studying that reality—judiciously, as you will—we'll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that's how things will sort out. We're history's actors…and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do."

[HipChick]

8. This will dog him..like Palin's scandals dogged her

[Jim Lane]

38. I disagree. Palin got a pass and so will Christie.

In the summer of 2008, amid speculation about whom McCain would choose as a running mate, I was sure it would not be Palin. I thought that Troopergate would be too toxic.

It had some similarity to Bridgegate in that it involved a governor using political power to go after someone he or she didn't like. (Palin's sister had been divorced from an Alaska state trooper. The trooper also had some minor disciplinary issues that were dealt with internally and resulted in some correspondingly minor punishment. After the divorce, Governor Palin pressured the Public Safety Commissioner to reopen the case and fire the trooper, who was then involved in a custody battle with Palin's sister. In July 2008, Palin fired the Commissioner when he wouldn't do so.)

These facts were known before McCain picked Palin. In October 2008, the state legislature released the results of an independent investigation by a retired state prosecutor, who concluded that Palin had violated ethics laws. Nevertheless, the scandal didn't stop McCain from picking Palin and, AFAIK, didn't play a big role in the election.

Maybe, as some DUers have said, a governor deliberately causing a traffic jam will have more impact. Everyone can relate to traffic jams. OTOH, by the time of the 2016 campaign, this will be comparatively old news. The electorate seems to have a fairly short memory about such things.

[terip64]

9. This has only just begun.....n/t

[blkmusclmachine]

10. +1. Damn "lib'rul" media!!!

[Hoyt]

11. He should be toast, but right/white wingers are callous folks who will probably

reward him.

[CAG]

12. Just like they will reward all of those who voted against Sandy

[uponit7771]

13. Someone died do in part to traffic jam

[CAG]

19. Why do you think the media and repuke voters will care about that 6 months from now?

[A-Schwarzenegger]

14. May his wounded crawling hide remain in the race, oozing

blood & bile all the way to the finish line.

[IDemo]

15. David Gregory looked like his favorite dog had died tonight

He seemed devastated.

[bklyncowgirl]

16. Here in Jersey there seems to be universal outrage.

I was listening to a local call-in show that usually leans right and everyone was outraged. How dare he cause a TRAFFIC JAM.

When you live in New Jersey you take traffic very personally.

[CAG]

20. He doesn't need to win a New Jersey primary to successfully run for the repub ticket, though.

[jeff47]

33. Winning the primary doesn't get him to the white house.

First, the teabaggers hate Christy for embracing Obama. So that's going to be a big problem in the primary. This event upsets all the non-teabaggers. That means he has no constituency left to win the primary.

But that's the primary. After winning that, he would have to win the general election. And this event is not going to get him any centrist votes.

And that's just this scandal. Romney rejected Christy as VP because of all the dirt his people found on him, and that was before this incident. So there's apparently lots more dirt out there.

The guy's not going to the White House unless he goes on a tour.

[Common Sense Party]

17. "You'll be stone dead in a moment."

He will survive this. This will blow over pretty quickly.

The media loves his bombast and they love being passive-aggressive about heavy people. They want to keep talking about him.

[SummerSnow]

18. His party doesnt care and will say its a vast liberal conspiracy ....

to destroy him in 2016

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in 5...4...3...2..1

[Shankapotomus]

21. This is not like downloading porn

on the White House computers.

This is some cynical and malicious abuse of power. This is playing a maniacally vicious "God" and treating people as if they were playthings. And then laughing about it.

Christie's is a psychologically sick administration.

[CAG]

22. How is that different from most repub politicians? Isn't this the type of stuff many repub voters

just love to see from their pols?

[Shankapotomus]

24. Regardless of what republican voters

want or like, I don't think Christie can squirm out of it.

[CAG]

25. I hope you're right

[ProSense]

23. I don't know what will happen, but

"Even if he gets thrown out of office because of some proof that he was involved, I STILL think these forces will prop him up and downplay these events."

...if Christie is "thrown out of office because of some proof," he's burned toast.

It's time to get over the superhero caricature of Republicans. Christie thrived in NJ because too many people bought into the media hype. The go-along crap has to stop.

He's down (and has a lot of explaining to do). Kick him, don't invent justification to revive him.

Here Are The 4 Most Incriminating Email Exchanges In The Chris Christie Bridge Scandal
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/01/08/3134241/emails-tie-christie-aide-bridge-closing-scandal/

Bridge Closures Led To Emergency Response Delays, Disrupted Treatment For 91-Year-Old Woman Who Died
http://thinkprogress.org/justice/2014/01/08/3138621/report-bridge-closures-led-emergency-response-delays-death/

[Cha]

36. Excellent!

[WinkyDink]

29. It might play in Peoria, but not Jersey.

[avebury]

30. Democrats need to focus on:

1. Christie is nothing more then a bully
2. Christie lost control of his own office, how can he be expected to run a country
3. Christie, a former prosecutor, was involved in the coverup.

Tell us Governor, which version is the correct one? A well funded PAC could find several ways to spin this disaster in a way that might burn him with the moderates that might consider voting for him in a national election. It is all about the spin.

[spooky3]

31. I'm not sure: (1) this feels a lot like

The beginning of Watergate, FWIW; (2) people can see directly how actions like this affect or could affect them directly, unlike many govt actions; (3) even if this outrage dies down now, it is something that will be VERY easy for Dems to talk about during a presidential campaign.

[Kingofalldems]

32. It was a 4 day planned traffic jam.

Suppose there was a terrorist attack? This is huge.

[Capt.Rocky300]

34. Hopefully, by the time this is over.......

the Hindenburg won't be the only overly inflated gas bag to go down in flames in N.J.

[winter is coming]

35. Dirty politics is spreading lies about your opponent.

Fucking with the lives of a Democratic mayor's constituency because he didn't endorse your scummy Republican ass isn't dirty politics: it's indicative of a petty and spiteful nature. And an old lady died. This one's gonna follow Christie the rest of his life.

[Cha]

37. Right.. this is way beyond petty and dirty politics. It's Stupid Reckless Endangerment

of Lives. Even if someone hadn't died.. you don't create an intentional potential situation where someone could. That is if you have a gawddamn brain in your head. Lookin' at you Bridget Kelly Gang.

[Ganja Ninja]

39. Republican's don't resign in disgrace.

They revel in it. On planet GOP it gives them street cred as a tough political brawler. He may look like an asshole to everyone else but to the rank and file GOP voter he's one of them. They identify with assholes.