How Chris Christie is trying to turn bridge-gate into a partisan scrum. And how it’s working.

[DonViejo]

Last edited Wed Jan 22, 2014, 12:23 PM - Edit history (1)

BY CHRIS CILLIZZA AND SEAN SULLIVAN

Over the weekend, MSNBC's Steve Kornacki ran an interview with Hoboken Mayor Dawn Zimmer (D) in which she alleged the administration of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) had threatened to withhold Hurricane Sandy relief money unless she agreed to back a development project he favored.

Christie's office not only denied Zimmer's allegations -- and CNN documented the fact that her story had changed somewhat from an interview last week -- but also took the time to blast the network on which they first ran. The statement from Christie's office is lengthy (you can read the whole thing) but here are the key bits:

"MSNBC is a partisan network that has been openly hostile to Governor Christie and almost gleeful in their efforts attacking him, even taking the unprecedented step of producing and airing a nearly three-minute attack ad against him this week."

"MSNBC has dedicated nearly twice as much coverage to Governor Christie over the last week and a half than CNN, and three times as much as Fox News."

What Christie is up to is somewhat obvious but also has the potential to be quite effective. Start with this basic premise: The whole hullabaloo over the traffic closures in Fort Lee made major donors -- Christie's most obvious "base" in the party -- skittish and amounted to another strike against him among grass-roots conservatives already skeptical of the whole being-nice-to-President-Obama thing].

more
http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2014/01/21/how-chris-christie-is-trying-to-turn-bridge-gate-into-a-partisan-scrum-and-how-its-working/

[semby2]

1. It's not working

That's a dumb article. The strategy isn't working at all. Just yesterday Cuccinelli called for Christie to resign from the RGA chair.

People in his office have resigned and one has pled the fifth. Christie and his cronies look far too guilty for them to now change the story to be a partisan witch hunt. It's too late.

[bigdarryl]

2. There are a lot of republican legislatures who voted for this investigation

Chris Cillizza is an idiot he doesn't live here in NJ where I do.And I can tell you a lot of people in his party here hate him

[NCLefty]

9. I agree it's dumb. That clause looks like click-bait.

Wait, what do you mean it's working??? MUST CLICK!!!

[Jim__]

3. I wonder if any republicans were stuck in the GWB traffic jam.

Something tells me they're not going to see this as a partisan issue. People aren't very forgiving of someone who shits on them.

[global1]

4. How Did Dawn Zimmer's Story Change Somewhat From An Interview Last Week?.....

What did CNN document?

[Liberal_Stalwart71]

5. I live and work in D.C. It ain't working. And one of the reasons why is this...

Even if MSNBC's Griffin caves--and maybe he will--it really is the local Jersey reporting that has been on top of this story from Day #1. And the Jersey media is really the New York media. And the New York media is really the tri-state area media. And the tri-state area media may have the ability to penetrate the mid-Atlantic region, which may have the capacity to penetrate the D.C. circuit. Either way it goes, the attempt to blame the so-called "librul media" will not really make it. Plus, MSNBC hosts have been unafraid (for once) to challenge Christie and his team to come on their show and deny the claims outright.

[Arkana]

6. It isn't working. If it were, Christie's support wouldn't be dropping among Independents as well.

[Beacool]

7. I think that it's death by a thousand cuts.

Even if investigators end up not being able to prove a direct connection to Christie, it is evident that people very close to him thought that this was acceptable behavior and would meet the governor's approval.

It's one thing to bully his way through the state and another thing to try to do so at the national level. A president needs to be tough, but there's a fine line between being tough and an overbearing, vindictive, Tony Soprano wannabe. People expect a little more class and decorum from their presidents.

Besides, the conservative base of his party despises him. How is he going to win the Republican nomination?

[jenmito]

8. The "nearly three-minute attack ad" was a 30-SECOND FAKE ad portraying what a REPUB.

attack ad could easily look like from another Repub. in a primary.

[davidpdx]

10. Christie has his political team out in force spreading the meme that it's all the liberal media

including Ghuliani (Mr. I can only say sentences with a noun, a verb, and 9/11).