Loretta Weinberg opinion piece attacking Christie, Port Authority in April 2012
There are already a number of topics here on Rachel Maddow's fascinating story last night suggesting that the real target of the Christie administration's wrath, in the GWB scandal, had been NJ Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, whose district includes Fort Lee. On August 12, 2013, the day before Bridget Kelly sent the email saying it was time for Fort Lee to have traffic problems, Christie had gone on a rant during a news conference about those Senate Democrats, warning of "ramifications" coming as a result of their opposition to his nominees to the Supreme Court (which they had been blocking after Christie broke with tradition and refused to renominate John Wallace, the only African-American on the state's highest court.
I posted and then deleted a topic last night, after googling to see if I could find a specific quote from Christie referring to the Democrats' opposition as a "roadblock." I didn't find such a quote, but did find one from the Senate Minority Leader using that terminology, in an article published the same day as the damning email from Bridget Kelly ( http://www.njtvonline.org/news/video/christie-denies-tenure-to-hoens-to-protect-her-from-reconfirmation/ ) . But that terminology is common anyway in such situations.
So I think Rachel is correct, and Christie would have been thinking something like
If they want to play games and set up roadblocks, we'll show them a roadblock
and he could well have still been rankled by Barbara Buono's daughter calling him a "giant roadblock" just a couple of months earlier, referring to his veto of the gay marriage bill.
So creating a giant roadblock could have seemed like the perfect revenge.
As for where to create it...Weinberg, as Rachel pointed out, represents Fort Lee.
And Weinberg had already lambasted Christie for the way the Port Authority was working under his crony there, and the way New Jersey's working class was being hurt by their policies.
From her opinion piece in The Record, April 30, 2012:
http://www.northjersey.com/news/opinions/weinberg_050112.html
Opinion: Give New Jersey’s working class a break
Monday April 30, 2012, 4:46 PM
BY LORETTA WEINBERG
The Record
OK, GOVERNOR, you and your $290,000-a-year man at the Port Authority – the one with the tollpayer-funded car and the generous housing allowance – had your “Gotcha!” moment with Sen. Frank Lautenberg over his claiming a toll perk as a former commissioner of the Port Authority. Bravo. The tone of political discourse is certainly all the richer for this latest bit of character assassination in the U.S. Capitol.
Now that we’ve gone through that bit of political theater of the absurd, can we get back to the important issues affecting the people that we all represent?
Can we finally get an accounting of why tolls are so high at the crossings between New Jersey and New York? Can we find a way to bring down some of the planned increases in those tolls? Can we, for once, cut the middle-class drivers commuting to and from work a break from politics, and a break from back-breaking tolls?
These continue to be serious issues, and people expect answers. Instead, they’re met with more political gamesmanship. And unfortunately, the latest dust-up over lavish Port Authority perks and burdensome toll hikes isn’t the first time – nor will it likely be the last – that Governor Christie and his administration attempted to paper over legitimate concerns with partisan sleight-of-hand.
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Since Christie took office, the state has paid $217,700 for his liberal use of a helicopter to travel to and from public appearances – and in some cases political events. Just think how many tolls $217,700 could have paid for. And how many tolls did the governor avoid paying by flying over the toll booths?
The governor would, I’m sure, defend his use of the helicopter as the cost of doing the people’s business. Certainly, there are times when the state’s chief executive has to get somewhere quickly, and there are times when a helicopter is a safer alternative than driving to your destination.
But given the number of days he’s spent on national politics rather than New Jersey public business, I think the taxpayers of the state should expect to get something for their troubles.
-snip-
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