Christie Tries to Work the Room and Fails

[Cha]

In his latest townhall, Chris Christie tried to resort to his old style of working the room. This time his ability to charm, deflect, intimidate and obfuscate didn't have that same old Christie magic. Here's why: people are no longer afraid and they are pissed.

For Christie, Awkward Return to a Setting He Once Ruled

When Chris Christie started to talk over a complaining questioner, a signature tactic of the bellicose, pre-scandal governor, the audience here briefly turned on him. “Answer the question,” some shouted.

When he took a microphone from a long-winded speaker, the man startled Mr. Christie by snatching it right back.

And when he singled out a young woman as his inspiration for repairing the Hurricane Sandy-battered coastline, he failed to grasp that the girl’s mother — sitting just a few feet from Mr. Christie — was angry with him for not doing enough.

“He’s full of it,” she said.

It worked — at least for a while. Christie entered his 110th town-hall-style event in Port Monmouth, a blue-collar Shore town battered by the storm, without his self-promotional video. The Springsteen soundtrack was dialed down. So was the Christie swagger and sarcasm.

But then Tom Largey, a Sea Bright resident whose home was badly damaged by the storm and who is living with relatives, confronted Christie.

Why was so much money, Largey asked, being spent on private contractors to handle the storm recovery, particularly Hammerman & Gainer, the Louisiana-based company that was quietly let go by the administration in December? After all, New York did just fine without hiring outsiders.

The crowd lustily applauded Largey, not Christie. The calm empathizer was now seething, defensive.

"What's your suggestion on how I should have done it?" Christie shot back. "Should I have hired thousands of new government employees to be able to administer these programs?"

"Answer the question!" barked one woman. Heads turned in irritation. Two men loudly cleared their throats

More..
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/02/21/1279320/-Christie-tries-to-work-the-room?detail=email#

I apologize if this has been posted.. I hadn't seen it before.

It's really good to see that more people in New Jersey are finally catching on to the sociopathic schmoozer!

[Pretzel_Warrior]

1. Kick

[MADem]

2. Holy shit! He's run outta gas...!

He's flopped across the "REJECT" pile!

He'll need to go sit by Marco Rubio, I guess.

They can commiserate over one of those teensy, tiny, itty bitty bottles of water....!

[Cha]

3. What a 180 Degree Turnabout,

eh MADem?! Finally! Mr Chutzpah gets out there business as usual .. only the Town Hall Folks.. they ain't buyin the SOS!

Glug glug

[MADem]

4. Couldn't happen to a nicer guy....! nt

[ProSense]

23. Or is it hot air?

[MADem]

71. Maybe a bit of both....nobody light a match, now! LOL! nt

[tofuandbeer]

5. I sure hope this wiped that scary smile off his wife's face.

[Cha]

6. Another weird facet to the

ongoing Christie saga.. Why does Mrs Christie have the same smile on her face no matter what's going on? Is it frozen in time?

[SummerSnow]

31. Like this?

[Cha]

35. Yes, SummerSnow.. and this..

[SummerSnow]

40. I always wondered why she was smiling like a cheshire cat when her husband was screaming at her?

Weird

[tofuandbeer]

64. Ah!!!! No!!!!!

[tofuandbeer]

62. +1

[RufusTFirefly]

69. Mrs. Christie's still smiling because she knows it could be worse...

She could be Toronto Mayor Rob Ford's wife...

[Cha]

70. Oh dear, Rufus!

[2naSalit]

72. BOTOX nt

[Stardust]

86. She bugs me, too, with her scary, phony Stepford smile. (Maybe I'd be smiling like that, too, if I

had to sleep with that repulsive man.)

[dballance]

11. You mean that Stepford smile?

I don't think her robot mind is programmed to do anything else.

[malaise]

7. This

“He’s full of it,” she said.

[Cha]

8. Yes.. With crap like this..

"What's your suggestion on how I should have done it?" Christie shot back. "Should I have hired thousands of new government employees to be able to administer these programs?"

"government government government" "Big Bad Government" "And, little ol me with my Expensive Contractors.. Suck on it New Jersey"

[El_Johns]

25. sounds like some DU posters; deflect & put words in people's mouths.

[Cha]

26. Sounds like you're a net nanny and have no imagination.

[El_Johns]

27. ?

[Cha]

34. I'm sorry, I thought you were

talking about me putting words in Christie's mouth. But, now that I come back and read it again after my run.. I see you were talking about Christie. Right?

[El_Johns]

36. No, I was just making a general observation about similarities in christie's tactics v. some DUers.

Nothing to do with you personally, though I can see it might have been interpreted that way, since I was replying to you.

No harm.

[Cha]

37. Thanks.. I really do

apologize.

[El_Johns]

38. I appreciate that you continued the discussion to uncover the misinterpretation. Many don't, thanks.

[Cha]

9. ..

[nxylas]

10. I was always taught to stand up to bullies

Usually, that advice results in a pounding. So nice to see that wasn't the case here.

[Cha]

13. Ye-ah! The Town Folks Pushed Back on

the Bully! Way to have a Town Hall Meeting

[IrishAyes]

50. Any pounding you might endure by a bully, unprotected by onlookers, is NOTHING compared to

the pounding you'd give yourself if you failed to stand up for justice. That's the price of character. Steep, but worthwhile. As a matter of fact you don't really have any other option.

Besides, when bullies realize they can't keep you down even if they might knock you down sometimes, they'll be a little more inclined to think twice because they're also lazy.

Personally, I like to encourage them to think thrice (at least) by leaving all the bite and claw marks possible, regardless of who 'wins'. Maybe that knocks me down a notch or two on the honor scale, but I've also noticed if they think - right or wrong - that their intended target welcomes the chance to whip their butt, it saves a lot of wear and tear on both of you. That's one reason the xenophobic trogs here don't pick on me directly very often; years of experience taught them I'll fight the devil himself and come back for more. That in itself, by my lights, means I've earned my peace and quiet. If I've been cut down to a mere 5', there are plenty of other folks walking around short a few body parts too.

[davidpdx]

12. Very interesting

It's getting really ugly for Christie. Too bad someone didn't smack him.

[Cha]

14. Said he got the microphone

snatched right back after he grabbed it from a "long winded speaker".. Ooops, that hasn't happened ever in the existence of his "109 Town Hall Meetings".

Christie was really ugly to the people of New Jersey and the Just Desserts are not pretty.

[TxDemChem]

15. Whoa!!!

Well, I understand their anger.

[Cha]

17. Yeah, considering what's been exposed about

Christie's Sandy Scams.. I think the Town Hall Folks were rather subdued. These are their homes and their lives they're talking about.. and Christie's been over paying expensive private contractors and withholding funds in one case in particular.. extorting for a political favor that wasn't forthcoming.

Hey, why doesn't he whip up a Town Hall in Hoboken?!

[TxDemChem]

20. Lol. The citizens of Hoboken

Would chase him down and beat him silly. Every week, the news about his administration gets even worse. And now the Port Authority looks like a joke as well. Hubby said it's like a comedy version of Goodfellas.

[Cha]

22. The citizens of Hoboken would metaphorically tear him

limb from limb. Yeah, Christie might do well to dodge Hoboken and Ft Lee for as long as he's in office.

[bkanderson76]

16. Bring the heat....it is well deserved. May this enlighten many.

[Cha]

18. Yes, may it have

far reaching tentacles.

Christie asked for it and more..

[Laxman]

19. Consider The Fact...

that they tried to stack the room with supporters AND held this in an area that was a Christie stronghold. He's still got his supporters out there but a lot of New Jersey residents are starting to see the emperor has no clothes. (picture THAT!-or not)

[Cha]

21. I choose..

Not! Yeah, I didn't think of the "of course, they tried to stack the room"! I did read that about a stronghold but it's seeping through.

I did mention up thread that they should hold a Town Hall Meeting in Hoboken.. do ya think the little chicken scats would go for that?

[1monster]

24. Having a vivid imagination, that suggestion to picture the emperor with no clothes made an instant

picture in my mind. AAAAARRRRRRGGGHHH! I need some mind bleach! Gotta scrub THAT image from my mind.

[arcane1]

28. It's sad that being a rude asshole was once considered a good thing.

It's nice to see him on the receiving end finally

[Cha]

41. So many in New Jersey loved his rude assholeness.. for so long..

that's why this Town Hall is so surreal. No doubt to Christie, too.

[DirkGently]

29. Yep. A manipulative blowhard goes down.

Christie's finger-shaking and looming over people and sarcasm have worked well for him up until now.

But all kinds of cats are leaping from their bags. Bridgegate and the Sandy money shenanigans appear to be just a taste of dedicatedly corrupt and childishly vindictive regime.

[Stardust]

85. "But all kinds of cats are leaping from their bags." <---- I love that! Indeed, it's so true. nt

[SummerSnow]

30. Hey, whatever happened to his buddy and number one fan...

Rudy Goolie ?

[Cha]

43. Good Question! Is

Ghoulie still supporting Mr "I don't know nothing"?

[IrishAyes]

51. Hey, they're birds of a feather. When Rudy tried to move his girlfriend into the mansion with his

wife and family, wifey had to take him to court to stop it.

[Cha]

84. What a mess that was

IrishAyes. I was living in New York at the time.

[SummerSnow]

32. Seems like some of his voters finally got it.

[Raine1967]

39. Does anyone have video of this?

Oh how I would love to see it.

This really does go beyond the Bridge closing -- this goes to a serious mishandling of federal funds -- money that was supposed to go towards recovery not private development investment.

[Cha]

44. Couldn't find a vid, Raine but see this.. christie blames Obama, FEMA, Feds for Sandy Aid Problems..

At a Town Hall Meeting, Christie Blames Obama, FEMA, Feds for Sandy Aid Problems

"In a bit, we’ll get to how Christie unleashed a barrage of anti-government, anti-Washington and pro-privatization rhetoric in response to questions about Sandy assistance. But for most of the attendees at the town hall, it was a chance to listen and ask questions of a very personal nature, hoping against hope that the governor and his aides would promise to help. Before the event got underway, your Christie Watch reporters talked to quite a few audience members, and all had tales of woe, of heartbreak and discouragement, even desperation. Joe Wernock, an out-of-work construction and demolition man from Keansburg, lost nearly everything and recovered only $20,000 from insurance. “I want to find out what’s going on,” he said. “The insurance company said that they can’t insure me now unless I lift the house, and I can’t afford to lift the house. They’re fighting with everybody, the people across the street, the guy down the street.” Ron and Jessica Sickler, of Fort Monmouth, said that their house is gutted. “We pay the mortgage in Fort Monmouth and we pay rent in Tinton Falls,” said Jessica. “I think the funds could have been handled better.”

More..
http://www.thenation.com/blog/178483/town-hall-meeting-christie-blames-obama-fema-feds-sandy-aid-problems

Good article.

[Raine1967]

46. Wow.

Responding to Christie, Representative Bill Pascrell (D-NJ) said:

When Hurricane Sandy bore down on the Northeast, I fought alongside my colleagues to ensure the federal government delivered the resources New Jersey families desperately needed to rebuild their lives. Instead of playing partisan politics and passing the buck, the Governor should focus on correcting the botched rollout of the state-run RREM [Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, Elevation and Mitigation] program that has left scores of New Jersey families out in the cold.

The federal government cannot be blamed for the state’s lack of transparency, lost applications and the mysterious firings of Sandy contractors. More than a year after the storm, there are still folks not back in their homes that deserve answers. It’s time for Governor Christie to take responsibility for his administration’s mismanagement and do what’s right by the people of New Jersey.

The GOP gave Christie free reign to spend that money as he saw fit. (States rights and all) I really wish I could find that link. I bookmarked it on my older computer.

This has been reminding me for a while of what has been happening in New Orleans after Katrina.

[Cha]

47. Wow.. thank you for that.. I missed it! thank you, NJ Rep, Bill Pascrell!

Wonder what Pres Obama thinks of weasley Christie. No respect? yeah.

Christie's lying his damn head off for his political life. so ugly.

[SummerSnow]

53. found it!!! Christie blames Obama

[Cha]

54. Thanks! I bet that's

gag reflex inducing.

[Raine1967]

55. He is lying.

Lying liar.

Thank you Summer for the video.

You know, I find it amazing that Bill Maher -- (who I have a love/distaste relationship with) would give Dr. Maddow a hard time for covering this story -- is missing the big picture here.


Thank you again for this video.

[SummerSnow]

56. Those were my same thought's. I didn't get that.

[Raine1967]

57. Sandy money has gone towards redevelopment.

in other words : DEVELOPERS, looking to redevelop.

He's lying. He's misusing Sandy funds and it's coming to light. That woman asked a great question.

For Christie to trie to say that secondary homeowners were *less than* and blame it on Obama and Congress is just so dishonest.

[Politicalboi]

73. Like Christie has to explain it to Obama

Maybe Christie is thinking of Bush who had to watch a tape of what happened in NOLA. That right there tells me he's lying. I hope this asshole goes to jail. Thanks for the video.

[2naSalit]

74. The whole event can be found...

Here (in three segments on this page):

http://newjersey.news12.com/multimedia/gov-christie-town-hall-meeting-part-2-1.7156819


Or here (the whole thing in one piece):


http://www.c-span.org/video/?317910-1/gov-chris-christie-town-hall-meeting

I don't have the software to divvy his up so... if someone can stomach watching to find that cherished part and splice it out, I'm sure they'd win the day.

[Cha]

75. Thanks, 2naSalit.. I can't stomach actually watching

Christie anymore.

And, I'm really sleepy but I'm fighting to stay awake so I can go to bed early tonight.. Hawaiian time.. so I can get up early in the morning.

[flamingdem]

42. K+R

[Cha]

45. If you have any time, flamingdem.. you should check out this

article from The Nation on that very same Town Hall where he blames everything on Obama, FEMA, and the FEDS.

http://www.thenation.com/blog/178483/town-hall-meeting-christie-blames-obama-fema-feds-sandy-aid-problems#

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=4552971

Is he a freaking sniveling monster or what. I want him to go down.

[flamingdem]

67. Thanks Cha!

You're probably already following Kornacki but here's the show Up With Steve:

Christie’s relationship with Democrats
The Up panel discusses how New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has conducted politics in the past by cutting deals with Democrats in his state, sometimes at the expense of Republicans.

http://www.msnbc.com/up/watch/christies-effort-to-investigate-himself-166497347691

I think this is 2/22 and 2/23

[Cha]

68. No I haven't been keeping Up with Kornacki..

lot going on in RL now.

Have you seen who David Wildstein's lawyer is?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=354801

Thanks

[sheshe2]

48. C-Span

http://www.c-span.org/video/?317910-1/gov-chris-christie-town-hall-meeting

start at the 18 minute mark...I only just started to watch.

Cha, use the link in your OP!

Excellent as always, Cha. Christie is indeed going down!

[Cha]

60. Thank you for the link to the C-Span's vid of

Christie's Town Hall, she.

I'm about to fall off to sleep so I don't think I'll be watching. Not "boring" sleepy.. which I think it should denote, anyway.

As for Christie going down.. check out this promising turn of events..

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1251&pid=354801

up late and up early..

[sheshe2]

61. Sleep~

I will check out the link, thanks.

[Hoppy]

49. He also tried to be governor and failed.

[Cha]

59. You got that right, Hoppy! nt

[SummerSnow]

52. So where was this .....

and this....


and this...


and this...
?ve=1&tl=1

and this...


and this...


and lets not forget this...

[Cha]

65. Said he didn't show his "promotional video" as he usually does..

I wonder why?

[cntrygrl]

58. Remembering how humble

this bully was when he needed government help after Sandy. Then the rug was pulled out from under him. He's a punk and the sooner he's out of there, the better off the citizens will be. But I want to add that it isn't just this lard-azz. It seems that politicians and corrupting go hand in hand - always has and always will as long as they are able to steal their way to the top. Such a pity.

[Cha]

66. Good point, cntrygrl..

Oh, yeah.. there's more republicon governors who are under scrutiny now.. from Scott Walker in Wisconsin to Pat McCrory of North Carolina.

[cntrygrl]

87. Or maybe even this

[link:|

[Cha]

88. Oooops!

[Lifelong Protester]

63. Dish it back, folks, and I am hopeful

that you supporters there will now WAKE UP.

The guy treated Jerseyites poorly. To say the least.

[Cha]

78. As Laxman noted upthread.. this

Town Hall Meeting was in one of his "strongholds".. and even they were a little bit Pissed!

Christie fooled a lot of people for a LONG time!

[johnnyreb]

76. Kick for republicon governors under scrutiny

And for proud defiant Americans.

[Cha]

79. Finally after 5 years

Christie's under the microscope! Thanks to Christie's own corruption and the intrepid local reporters who Rachel is always giving a shout to!

[marble falls]

77. How quickly they fall. Good.

[SunSeeker]

80. Thanks for these quotes. The MSM said the townhall went well.

The MSM did not offer any quotes, their only substantiation for their conclusion was that no one asked about Bridgegate.

This is why I keep checking DU...and your posts in particular, Cha!

[Cha]

81. The corporatemediawhore$$$$ M$M.. they wouldn't be

happening to be covering for Christie like always.. would they, SunSeeker!?

These Town Hall People at Port Monmouth are worried about Sandy Funds for their homes and their lives.. which Christie blamed on Obama, FEMA, and the FEDS. So, he thinks he good. The M$M didn't call him out on that did they?

Let mr "I don't know nothing" try having a Town Hall in Hoboken. Not gonna happen.

Mahalo, SunSeeker~

[applegrove]

82. Great catch Cha.

[Cha]

83. dkos mailed it to me

yesterday.. I couldn't believe it hadn't been posted. Here was Christie in his element.. shootin' the breeze with his fans only this time they wanted him to "Answer the Question!" and saying things like "he's full of it." and "RESIGN CHRISTIE"..

Heard the US M$M said Christie did fine.. brawawawawawaaaaa

mahalo applegrove~