Looks like Christie has a vindictive side

[Adam]

Emails Tie Top Christie Aides to Lane Closings, Despite Denials

A series of newly obtained emails and text messages shows that Gov. Chris Christie’s office was closely involved with lane closings on the New Jersey side of the George Washington Bridge in September, and that officials closed the lanes as retribution against the mayor whose town was gridlocked as a result.

Mr. Christie has insisted that his staff and his campaign office had nothing to do with the local lane closings, and said that they were done as part of a traffic study.

But the emails show that Bridget Anne Kelly, a deputy chief of staff in Mr. Christie’s office, gave a signal to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to close the lanes about two weeks before the closings occurred.

“Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,” she emailed David Wildstein, Mr. Christie’s close friend from high school, and one of his appointees at the Port Authority, which controls the bridge.

Actual e-mails here.


I suspect this may well be Christie's political un-doing.

[Gingersnap]

I always assumed all politicians misused their offices to bring grief to real or pretend enemies.

[Adam]

I always assumed all politicians misused their offices to bring grief to real or pretend enemies.

Indeed, but lots of people out there like to carry this banner that Christie is "different" and "reaches across the aisle." Clearly, this is not actually the case when it comes to his future political aspirations.

Heard on the radio tonight that he is effectively blaming underlings and says he didn't know about this. I find that extremely hard to believe given that the people involved are long-time friends who basically got patronage jobs, but then this is a prime example of politics as usual in action, I suppose.

[Michele]

This actually sounds like something the Obama administration would do..NYT article and timeline excluded, of course.

If Christie really had nothing to do with this, he'd better get out front on it fast and make sure heads roll, friends or not. It could work to his advantage to actually fire all the people who had anything to do with this because it would show that he cares more about the public than his political cronies.

Now this could cause even more problems for those guilty and for the governor.

[Gingersnap]

This actually sounds like something the Obama administration would do..NYT article and timeline excluded, of course.

If Christie really had nothing to do with this, he'd better get out front on it fast and make sure heads roll, friends or not. It could work to his advantage to actually fire all the people who had anything to do with this because it would show that he cares more about the public than his political cronies.

Now this could cause even more problems for those guilty and for the governor.

That's pretty awful. Typical of politicians, though. Act first, think never.

I don't even care if he knew nothing but his hand-picked appointees did it all. He had to know their character when he chose them.

This is hubris in action. Doing some good is no excuse for any bad when it comes to ego.

[Adam]

Embedded Tweet

Ouch!

[Billy Jingo]

This is a two-fer. Democrats want him kneecapped because he is a Republican that could win in 2016 and Republicans want him kneecapped because he isn't a batshit crazy Tea Party asshole.

[Billy Jingo]

He really screwed up when he did his job well as governor after a natural disaster. Nothing, absolutely nothing, pisses off the Tea wing of the Republican Party more than effective governing.

[Adam]

This is a two-fer. Democrats want him kneecapped because he is a Republican that could win in 2016 and Republicans want him kneecapped because he isn't a batshit crazy Tea Party asshole.

Well, you're half-right, anyway.

[Billy Jingo]

Well, you're half-right, anyway.

You don't think he could win in 2016?

[Adam]

You don't think he could win in 2016?

I rather doubt it, but you are correct that the Democrats think so.

[Billy Jingo]

I rather doubt it, but you are correct that the Democrats think so.

You don't think the Tea Wing of the Republican Party hates him? Seriously? The man actually said something nice about the president. That is some serious tribal Republican apostasy, right there.

[Adam]

You don't think the Tea Wing of the Republican Party hates him? Seriously?

Hate? No. Most are unhappy that he turned out not to actually be a conservative after all of the media hype. I knew this ages ago, but a lot of others were slower to catch up.

The man actually said something nice about the president. That is some serious tribal Republican apostasy, right there.

That's just asinine. Believe it or not, Republicans, and even hard-core conservatives have said nice thing about Obama and suffered no ill consequences. You seem to be having a problem with projecting the irrational, visceral hatred that the Left harbors to this very day for George Bush upon conservatives, and it simply is not true. Of course it helps that such projection fits in nicely with the bigoted Leftist stereotype that all those eeeevvvvviiiiiilllll teabaggers are racists, despite how laughably untrue that stereotype is.

[Billy Jingo]

I didn't say anything about race.

[Adam]

I didn't say anything about race.

Scaryblackguy.