I know this is going to cause all sorts of fits of angst in the comments, but I really do like Chris Christie. No, I don’t like his policies, overall, and no, I don’t like the party he belongs to, but I do like the guy. I like blunt talkers. He was just on CNN with that horrible human being Piers Morgan, and once again, I was just impressed with how straightforward he is. I liked his warning the other night, when he told people, basically, “all of you idiots who ignored our warnings and didn’t evacuate, well, hunker down, because things are too bad for us to come get you right now.” I like someone who can basically say “Hey, I don’t care for Obama’s vision for America, but the guy has been great.” I like someone who gets obviously physically pained by stupid bullshit (like the Fox crowd this morning and their Romney fluffing). And I remember this, which was one of his shining moments:
We all bemoan the fact that the majority of the Republican party is fucking insane, and they are. But we should be also willing to (grudgingly) admit “Hey- here’s a guy I don’t agree with much on issues, but I know where he stands and I can work with him when I need to.”
You don’t have to like his positions, and trust me, I don’t, and maybe his abrupt and in your face nature pisses off a lot of you. But every time the national spotlight is on this guy, I think that this is a Republican can be worked with. It’s called the loyal opposition. His behavior the past few days and his concern for his citizens demonstrates the former, the rest of his career shows a solid opposition to liberalism.
What more do you want from a Republican?
redshirt
Christie’s a guy you could have a beer with. Or 12. And several – many – hamburgers.
Raven
To drop dead.
Robin G.
Oh, Cole, you optimist.
Let’s wait and see what he’s like on the trail.
Another Halocene Human
If by “work with” you mean “use his official position to lie on another elected official during a crisis, knowing full well that nobody reads the Corrections on Tuesday”.
He also lied about the big NJT tunnel to Manhattan, fwiw.
beergoggles
Oh great, Cole’s going Sully on us for Baron Harkonen..
Joel
A decade ago, one might have said the same for Romney…
Mike E
@Raven: To paraphrase that president/alien scene in the stupid Independence Day movie.
Baud
Christie’s ok if you grade him on the curve of the Republican Party. I just wish Democrats were judged by the same standards as Republicans. If Democrats work with Republicans, the left calls them weak and traitorous, and if they stand pat, the Village calls them petty and partisan.
And don’t get me started on what would happen if Democrats tried to lie like Romney…
Raven
@Mike E: I don’t do science fiction.
The Other Chuck
Lena Dunham was one of his shining moments? Or is the blog’s caching gone wonky again? I’m telling you right now, I do NOT want to watch Chris Christie describing his first time.
Gwangung
Christie is a jerk, an ass and not much of a human being. But, as Cole says, Dems can work with him.
As bad as he is, that makes him almost angelic for Republicans.
var
Shorter John Cole: Christie is the kind of guy who gives you the wingnut bullshit straight up, rather than in code. Which makes him cool, somehow.
geg6
I suppose you could call him a sorta, kinda non-insane GOPer with severe anger and self-esteem issues. He’s not the worst wingnut out there. I seem to think I’ve heard he’s quietly pro-choice?? and he certainly isn’t anti-immigrant or anti-Muslim as I think I’ve heard him stand up for people who are immigrants and Muslims (I could be wrong about this).
He’s certainly no Rockefeller Republican, of the type I used to be able to understand and even, rarely, vote for, like, for example, John Heinz. But he may be the best of a bad bunch, I guess.
Elizabelle
Agree with JC.
Can’t stand the politicking “Obama’s an idiot” Christie, but the guy can be appealing and do the right thing too.
T Bogg’s Outlaw Jersey Whale behaved himself well in this crisis.
(Still don’t know what’s up in spat with Atlantic City mayor. But give Christie his due, or look as peevish and small-minded as the Teabots.)
Joe Buck
He’s basically launched his 2016 campaign. Maybe we can kill it in advance by praising him a lot.
Robert
The man lied to the democrats in the state to get controversial legislation passed and then left them to fail on the issues he said he’d push his party to vote for. He’s a blunt liar. He also hates teachers, gay marriage, and libraries. The fact that we can tout him as a sane Republican says a whole lot about that party.
He’s blunt, but I don’t trust him. I will give him credit for doing a fantastic job when we’ve had big emergencies: the blizzard, Irene, and now Sandy.* Otherwise, he’s a bully who talks a big talk about compromise but refuses to budge an inch. He’s lied too often already to ever regain my trust.
*Of course, in his true blunt and lying fashion, he said he’d consider postponing Halloween trick or treating in the state by today, but then changed his mind to deciding tomorrow morning. Meanwhile, people who actually plan in advance for outdoor family activities are left hanging on whether or not the Governor is going to wave his magic wand and change the date, even in communities not effected badly by Sandy. Halloween is not the biggest issue to some, but I’m a home haunter and now he’s screwing with months of planning, construction, and promotion.
The Other Chuck
I have to admit, I hate Chris Christie with the intensity of merely one burning sun.
dmsilev
@Joe Buck: If that’s indeed the case, he must be hoping that either the fever will break among the GOP base or that said base will forget the nice things he’s just said about the Kenyan Antichrist.
Tbone
Christie is no fool. He sees what Romney’s faux move to the center has done, and figures the tea baggers will be too dumb to remember he once worked with the kenyan usurper. 2016 will be here soon enough.
Raised By Wolves
With all the (supposed) education on bullying in the last few years, I can’t for the life of me figure out why anyone except another bully would like CC. It’s already bullies vs. cowards on the national scene, I guess it’s just going to keep heading towards fascism because that is ultimately what all bullies want – power without accountability. Adult bullies, by the way, are also sociopaths. They are capable of just about anything, the only limit is what they think they can get away with. I SO look forward to our future…
hoodie
If Christie wasn’t in a party full of nutcase extremists, maybe. Hell, there might have been a Republican party at some time in which Boehner was a guy you could make deals with. But it doesn’t matter now, because the nuts control everything, and guys like Christie don’t have much of career if they get known for chumming with democrats, particularly Obama. Maybe Christie can get away with that in Jersey, but just look at what happened to Charlie Crist. In other words, you’ve got to be kidding.
PeakVT
I like blunt talkers.
There’s a line between blunt talk and being an asshole, and Christie is on the wrong side of it 90% of the time.
ranchandsyrup
@beergoggles: Well played. Gonna steal that one.
Violet
To go to hell.
Green Caboose
He’s a complete and total asshole. But he’s not your modern wingnut. He’s your old style party boss. If he thinks he’s Presidential material he’s sadly mistaken … Richard Daley (either J or M) knew their limits and so should he. This act won’t fly nationally. But at some basic level he understands that re-election depends on delivering shit to voters.
I hate him, hope he loses next time, and he’s done a lot of evil things. But that’s who he is.
TFinSF
That’s sort of like being the thinnest kid at fat camp. Christie hated that kid.
Humanities Grad
OT, and sorry for the threadjack, but for the second time in a week, somebody tried to steal my Obama/Biden sign. This time, I caught her in the act.
And it’s a problem, because she (or a relative) lives just two houses down from me. Screaming match ensued between me, the thief, and her morbidly-overweight-prime-candidate-for-Obamacare relative (at least I think it’s a relative). In retrospect, me shouting “What the hell is wrong with you?” at the top of my lungs was poor judgment, but the adrenaline had kicked in.
Got my sign back, called the cops. Don’t want to press charges, because I don’t want to start a neighborhood feud (yeah, yeah, I know, like _I’m_ the one who started it…). But this election CANNOT come soon enough, it makes people so fucking stupid.
khead
The occasional contrite admission of being wrong about something….. instead of the always guaranteed loud “fuck you” no matter what – all in principled opposition, of course.
Lynn Dee
I agree with pretty much everything you say, John, pro and con about Christie, but I would add one thing: It’s possible to be a blunt straight shooter without being a bullying asshole. Christie crosses the line too often for my taste.
GxB
@Robin G.:
Please tell me you’re not referring to an Appalachian trail…
I see John’s point here, I think CC is a horrid, loathsome bully, but his disdain for bullshit is just as apparent to the right as left. It’ll be interesting to see if he gets broken by business as usual gang in the run-up to ’16.
geg6
@PeakVT:
Yeah, he’s truly a repugnant asshole. That’s not blunt, Cole. That just a dick.
Geoduck
I wouldn’t vote for Christie for anything, but as a fellow fat person, I do have some respect for the man for being able to get himself elected governor of a US state. Look at the culture in which he operates: any time his name comes up, on any online forum, in any context, and the immediate result is a string of fat jokes. For this reason, among others, he’ll never be president, though I imagine he’ll give it a shot in 2016.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I offer you a Tweety-esque “Hah!”
That’s how I feel, and as much as I tend to like his bluntness over the last few days, I can’t get past moments like “Somethin’s goin’ down tonight, sweetheart, and it ain’t jobs”. Not even a boor and a sexist bully, but a poseur wannabe boor and sexist bully, who watched too many episodes of the Sopranos (so did I, over and over again), coupled with his pious baloney-ish, would-be wide-eyed naïf affectation when he announced that “Maryanne and I” have decided to sit out 2012. There’s a combination of nastiness, phoniness and arrogance there that I find off-putting.
General Stuck
So do I. But for a politician they need to have a solid feel for when and to whom they are blunt to. I am impressed by Christie with his reaction to Sandy, and dismissal of politics as usual this close to a reckoning of an election. But not so much when he blows his top over some trivial matter that someone annoys him with. He just seems like a blow hard bully then. And one with right wing ideology, or center right.
I can be also too, very blunt, on line and in real life, but I like to think I punch up or at least even, and for a good reason.
Evolving Deep Southerner
Amen, Cole. I’ll jump in the flames with you. I’ve been thinking about Christie all evening.
It’s fucked up to say, on the one hand, “Obama’s showing leadership in a crisis,” and Christie’s “positioning for 2016.” Fuck that double standard.
And the fat jokes. The fucking fat jokes. God damn, that’s a juvenile and stupid avenue of response. It’s like the mouthbreathers talking about ugly/fat/butch women or effeminate men or whatever. It’s right there between slapstick and toilet gags on the humor meter, and it doesn’t show the “intellectual party” in its best light.
Baud
@Joel:
Remember when McCain was a maverick…
Good times.
Mike E
@Raven: After that piece of shit, I don’t blame you
Fnarf
Christie HAS to be “good” in situations because he’s responsible for a state. He’s governor, and people in New Jersey are going to come for him with torches and pitchforks if he starts spouting “the Lord loves those who help themselves” garbage right now. Romney and the other GOP blowhards aren’t responsible for anything; they can say anything.
eemom
OT, and at the risk of persuading Cole to make it a permanent feature on the blog: is anyone else hearing that “Congratulations you won” thing again?
jdrs0819
What opposition do I want? I want conservatives like Sully to represent the “far right.” Anyway, you can get snookered by the Mavericky shit all you want, Cole, but no one who still belongs to the GOP deserves to be credited for anything. That party needs to die first.
beergoggles
@ranchandsyrup: Don’t forget the gom jabbar.
What? Too much?
Gwangung
@GxB: being a bullying asshole might actually enable him to run rough shod over th w gut elements. That’s the one thing they’ll pay attention to in their party.
Southern Beale
The thing about Chris Christie is, it’s all an act. Last time there was a weather emergency in New Jersey he let everyone know he was going to Disney World with his family and fuck everyone else.
He’s a selfish prick.
GxB
@Joe Buck:
You might be on to something there. Libs lovin’ CC – they’ll lose their shit trying to figure that one out.
? Martin
@PeakVT: Well, so is every New Yorker and New Jersey resident. When you’re nut to nut with your neighbor, blunt becomes a way of life.
Christie is okay with me. He’s not fake, and that counts for a lot. When he says dickish things, he genuinely believes those things, and that I can deal with. Willard is the polar opposite – a guy so fake and full of lies that if he told me the sky was blue I’d genuinely question it.
Michael57
I think I see what Cole is driving at, though. It’s so rare to see a Republican trying to just do his friggin’ job these days. Most of them are caught up with ideology or too busy currying favor with the nutcase leaders of their party. Christie and Obama had a job to do the other night and they actually did it. A guy like Christie, even if I think his ideas are wrong, if I’m Obama I think I can work with him enough of the time to make government actually possible.
eemom
@The Other Chuck:
Splendiforous.
Schlemizel
well, now its pretty clear why JC was a Republican. HEY! Jeffery Dahmer had a lovely singing voice! SO FUCKING WHAT?
Take a look at what Chrusty has done while in office and explain how his being a blunt asshole makes up for the asshole part.
AxelFoley
@var:
Dems have been falling over themselves today basically saying this. One “reasonable” Republican shows up and they fall in love with him.
SMH
There ain’t NO Republican in office today I’ll give props to, even if they give President Obama some credit. Fuck ’em. Fuck ’em all. Christie Cream included.
Raven
@eemom: Hey, did you know that Southern Dragon died last night?
Hannah
I was just thinking the same thing, and hoping I’m right.
LD50
Well, he’s an improvement over, say, Richard Mourdock, who won his nomination by promising to oppose absolutely everything Obama tried to do, just because.
David Fud
The fact that he is basically running against the Tea Baggers is something creditworthy. Granted, he is in a blue state so it is much easier, but if he didn’t have a spine, he would have rolled over and fed his nominee to the bigots.
So, while he is a Republican, with much of what that implies, he isn’t a Tea Bagger, with all that that implies. He is much more in the mold of Reagan or Bush the elder than Santorum or Gingrich or Romney, and that is something to be encouraged (relatively speaking) – even if we (and I do) violently disagree with his policy positions. It basically means that he tells the evangelical grifters and the racists to f&(% themselves, which is so refreshing that it makes me wish our Democratic party could manage some of that kind of talk about Guantanamo and bigotry in general.
He did kill the tunnel, so there is that suckage, but at least he is a mostly consistent politician.
The Other Chuck
Look, I get that the fat jokes are crass, but there’s fat and there’s Chris Christie fat. Can’t make it across the South Lawn fat. Makes William Howard Taft look like James Madison fat. It’s a legitimate concern if he’s running for higher office, and frankly when one is such a bully as Christie, who literally throws his weight around in physically intimidating people, he doesn’t exactly place himself any levels above where the fat jokes are coming from.
Meanwhile 27% or more of the country castigates the current FLOTUS for thinking that the epidemic of obese kids is actually a problem. So fuck that shit. I’m fat too, but I don’t demand special pleading either.
Luthe
Chris Christie: fucking up NJ’s educational system, its affordable housing laws, attempting to fuck up higher ed, and constantly having his veto overridden by the Dems in the Legislature. Oh, and having the State Supreme Court tell him to STFU.
lamh35
I know this has already been front-paged, but my NOLA peeps on FB are just loving the bulls*hitt from from Michael Brown. This mofo who was head of GWB’s FEMA when Katrina drowned NOLA trying to knock Obama administration for responding TOO QUICKLY to Hurricane Sandy! WTF! Get out of here with that mess. Maybe if GWBush, and Nagin and Blancho woulda responded quicker to Katrina, so many lives including my damn grandmother would not have been lost!!!! This is the kinda stuff that really p*** me off!!! a-sandy/
I swear to God, I’m not a violent person, but if I ever were to meet “Brownie” and I actually knew who he was, I’d smack the every.loving.sh*tt out of him and I’m pretty sure, I won’t be the only one.
Just Some Fuckhead
Here’s what Christie said about the President when it wasn’t politically expedient to get his disaster relief funds as soon as possible:
“It’s time to end this era of absentee leadership in the Oval Office and send real leaders to the White House.”
eemom
@Raven:
Jeez, no I didn’t. Never go over there anymore. I’m very sorry to hear it.
Keith G
@Humanities Grad: Was it possible for you to employ the castle doctrine?
pseudonymous in nc
I’m actually with John here.
You can dream of a GOP implosion, or you can hope for a GOP that is capable of believing in “small government” while also believing in good government, when the current incarnation operates on the Norquist principle of beating government with a stick then saying that it doesn’t work.
Christie’s a bully with a big ego, and he’s been picking unnecessary fights during the storm, but he apparently has a basic comprehension of good government. I’ll take that; I like the idea of a politics that doesn’t require a preliminary debate on whether good government is a good thing.
@jdrs0819:
Don’t hold your breath.
amy c
I’m all mixed up when it comes to Christie. I don’t agree with a word that comes out of that bombastic asshole’s mouth (well, except the pro-Obama stuff that came out today.) In fact, he reminds me of the know-it-all, shut-up-little-lady type men that plague my East Coast Italian-American family. Which are some of my least favorite people, sometimes. Ugh.
However. Christie is fat. And 99% of the time, people who criticize him – people with whom I agree on most things, most of the time – have to throw that in there when they talk about him. “That fat fuck Christie.” “He’s a big, fat, asshole.” And THAT makes me defensive. Yeah, he’s wrong just about all the time, but what does fat have to do with it? I never want to defend him, but I can’t abide people throwing in “fat” with all the other things about Christie that they don’t like, as though it’s a deep, grievous moral failure.
Heliopause
The big question is how genuine his schtick is. If he runs for Prez will he still be John Maverick McCain The Next Generation or will he be Mitt Severely Conservative Romney The Next Generation? I’d bet on his selling his soul like Romney did, but we’ll see.
Jade Jordan
Look away from the shiny object John. He is the fat ass who killed the tunnel from NY to NJ to impress his wingnut friends. That will have long term implications.
Everything he does is to position his lard ass for 2016. The demographics will skew even less old white mean man so Moderates will be back in style.
He doesn’t want Obama revenge campaigning against him for the 2016 candidate.
No worries, unless he get the surgery like Huckabee he will die of a heart attack on the campaign trail, he can’t walk 50 feet let alone keep up a campaign pace.
Why are you so impressed with a greedy man being… uummmm greedy for FEMA money.
DCLaw1
A prominent Republican governor who is respected by Republicans and “independents” said good things about President Obama concerning a matter of major importance and salience in the final week of the campaign. Of course many Democrats are singing the Republican’s praises, but they shouldn’t bullshit themselves about the reasons why.
eemom
And I’ll just reiterate what I said earlier, FWIW, which is nothing because nobody ever listens to me: can’t we just fucking ENJOY the fact that Christie did good for Obama, and stabbed Romtron in the back, a fucking week before the election, without beating our brains out about (1) why he did it or (2) whether or not it makes him the new republican Jesus??
Sheeyit.
The Other Chuck
@lamh35: This blog is the #1 google hit for “skull fuck a kitten” and that’s a quote from a front page article. You don’t have to censor any words except obscene ones like these:
* s o c i a l i s m
* c a s i n o
* s h o e s
(yeah really, footwear)
Corner Stone
Give me a fucking break.
Looking forward to the fund raising Cole’s going to do for the Christie ’16 run, er, amble for the WH.
Forum Transmitted Disease
I do prefer being told that I’m going to be raped in the ass before it happens, so yeah, I appreciate his candor. He’s a bully – most politicians are. He’s a jerk – most politicians are. He nurses grudges and has an enemies list – find me a politician who doesn’t. He’s willing to do what it takes to get the job done, and if that means working with the other party, you can go fuck yourself if you have a problem with it. That I appreciate and is quite rare in the GOP.
Most importantly, he’s so fucking fat he can’t sit on a chair and will almost certainly be dead before the 2016 silly season, so in that respect I’ve got no problems with Baron Harkonnen at all.
LD50
@The Other Chuck: If in 2014 we hear that Christie’s lost 80 lbs. and now jogs every day, then and only then will we know that he plans to run in 2016.
Ripley
A fat, inconsistent, anger-prone white dude with a big insecure streak that comes out as meanness. Can’t for the life of me see what the appeal is, Cole.
Oh. Wait.
Jay C
I neither like or admire Chris Christie, and wouldn’t vote for him on a bet, but – as I said in the other thread – his responses to Sandy have been absolutely right-on: and he deserves credit for that.
Maybe it IS just self-interest: post-Katrina, it would be political suicide for any Governor to even be remotely perceived as slacking off on the reaction to a major disaster: but in this case, Christie’s interest and those of the People of New Jersey coincide, and he should be congratulated for it.
var
maybe we can get a picture of him and Obama kissing each other on the cheek and turn it into a parade float or something.
fuddmain
@eemom: I’m with ya.
I enjoyed this quote from twitter:
@TheDailyEdge
EXPERTS: Romney campaign may have suffered damages in excess of $1B as a result of Hurricane Christie
arguingwithsignposts
@The Other Chuck:
Cosigned because I lol’d.
Cassidy
Why aren’t we talking about Star Wars episode 7?
Humanities Grad
@Keith G:
Don’t believe so. Several unfortunate complications.
1) Said thief wasn’t actually on my property when I confronted her (she’d gotten into the neighbor’s yard).
2) I don’t own a gun (yet–likely to change soon, as I’ve got a daughter rapidly approaching teenagerhood)
3) While I’m a generally unscrupulous S.O.B., blowing someone away for trying (ineptly) to steal a yard sign just seems like a tad bit of an overreaction on my part. I mean it’s not like she was walking around the neighborhood with iced tea and skittles….
Matt McIrvin
I think I saw this movie 11 years ago, and it starred a guy named Rudy.
m o t o r i k
John Cole is like a battered wife who runs back to her abuser when he sobers up for a single second and promises to get his shit together.
Hey Cole, to be clear: this comment isn’t “angst,” it’s pity, mixed with contempt. Mostly the latter.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Ripley: lolz
parrot
angst! emission in 3 … 2 … 1 …
GxB
@Gwangung: And that’s what will be interesting. Since he seems to have no qualms call out the anti-Muslim knotheads at least, and he doesn’t appear to bow to the religious nuts – that’s a couple big legs supporting the current GoP. Since it’s all about toeing the lizard people’s line to get the $$ support – there’s an awesome potential for a power struggle there.
All said though, his personality is very off-putting to the mushy middle. I don’t think he can be a viable candidate without a substantial make-over.
Svensker
He is an asshole but he’s vintage Jersey asshole, and that’s somewhat endearing. And just to hear him say that the “sharia law” crap is simply crap is worth some big props. I forgive him a lot for that.
I’m not thrilled that he’s the governor but given what a complete asswipe dick Jon Corzine turned out to be, we’re lucky we got Christie and not some nutjob like Rep. Scott Garrett (who makes Michelle Bachmann look sane).
Sterling
@geg6: Christie is vocally anti-abortion: “I am pro-life, I believe in exceptions for rape, incest and the life of the mother. That’s my position, take it or leave it. “
David Fud
@eemom: Your own
personalRepublican Jesus.Sorry. Continue on.
Unsympathetic
Christie killed the tunnel – himself.
John, he’s only a good governor about half the time.
He’s a TERRIBLE leader when all of his decisions are looked at dispassionately. No grading on a curve – of course he’s better than “personal space” McDonnell and “I used to be the wonk” Kasich.
In a room full of blind Republicans he’s got one eye, and that’s not saying much.
Citizen Alan
Fat jokes about CC don’t bother me. Al Gore was never nearly as overweight as CC and that didn’t stop fat jokes about him that continue to this day. I’ll be damned if I tolerate a double standard that forbids us from making fun of him while Repukes can refer to Dems who are just 30 pounds over their ideal body weight as “bloated hogs.”
pillsy
Chris Christie is a lousy governor and not much of a human being, and I can’t wait to vote against him again in 2014.
That being said, I’d rather be stuck with Christie than any of the other fucking clowns that the Republicans have been passing off as governors recently.
dr. bloor
@Just Some Fuckhead:
He’s a cheap-ass, rage-driven bully. He’s always held himself above the law and the people he purports to serve, and he always will. I’m pleased he put Romney on the spot today, but he never, never, never says anything that he doesn’t think will work to his advantage.
Tony the Wonderhorse
I mostly agree John, for a Republican, he’s closer to human than most and a man that you can deal with.
In a pool of idiots, he is less idiotic than the average. I’d enjoy playing poker with him, nuff said.
beltane
This will probably work in Christie’s favor for the NH primary. It’s an open primary with a lot of fickle independents who skew right but are often pissed at the Republican party. I don’t see it playing well with Republicans outside of the northeast however.
Corner Stone
Shorter Cole:
“Hey! That guy just drowned 99 kittens!…but he put a comfy tartan scarf on the last one. So he’s good with me.”
Upper West
@Green Caboose: That’s the smartest comment I’ve read on Christie all day. His re-election as Gov. is not assured, and tying himself to the President, who will win NJ easily is very smart politics for the state.
That being said, his killing of the NY-NJ tunnel should damn him to political and/or actual hell. Who knows — a state of the art tunnel might even permit access to and from NYC during as storm like Sandy.
But beside that, it condemned generations to greater pollution, congestion, gas costs etc.
I can never forgive him for that.
LD50
The reasons why Dems get overexcited by Republicans who aren’t total sociopaths seems simple to me: it’s inevitable that the GOP will slime back into the White House some day, and we all hope it’ll be someone who isn’t as dishonest and amoral as 95% of them.
Corner Stone
This is why we can’t have nice things.
PeakVT
Well, so is every New Yorker and New Jersey resident. When you’re nut to nut with your neighbor, blunt becomes a way of life.
Oh, nonsense. There are plenty of perfectly nice people from the NYC area. The wise guy/street tough thing is a reaction by people in marginal groups – first ethnic whites, and then other groups – to being marginalized. Why Christie, the son of a certified public accountant who grew up in a wealthy suburb, acts this way has more to do with him than the New York area.
Upper West
@Unsympathetic: In the land of the humongous, gigantic sociopaths, the merely corpulent asshole is King.
Fuck him for the tunnel.
trollhattan
“Leave the gun, take the canoli.”
–C. Christie (not so long ago)
Heliopause
@Cassidy:
I’m guessing Leia has twins and names them Napoleon and Hope.
lamh35
http://t.co/pNQ0eF6h
General Stuck
@David Fud:
Any kin to Elmer?
var
@LD50: You are defining sociopathy down. Christie is a total sociopath; he’s just not as evil as, say, Jim DeMint. He would totally burn teh gays at the stake but would not piss all over them while doing so.
Jane2
Over the past couple of days, Christie has showed that he knows the difference between politicking and governing, and it serves him well, simply because it’s a rare occurence in politicians of any stripe these days.
beltane
This asshat deserves mention here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2012/10/30/1152833/-Republican-Campaign-Manager-Outed-As-Tweeter-Of-False-Storm-Info
A hedge fund manager/Republican strategist was caught tweeting false info about the storm yesterday. WTF is wrong with these people.
gogol's wife
@eemom:
I agree. I have hated everything I’ve heard about or from Christie from the moment he entered the public stage, but his reply to Doocy was so beautiful that I’m loving him today. Tomorrow I’ll hate him again.
Lynn Dee
@Evolving Deep Southerner:
Who’s criticizing Christie as positioning himself for 2016? Well, someone somewhere is, I suppose. But why pay attention to them?
No, Christie’s been great on this, IMO. My main objection to him is when he uses his power to be a bullying asshole. That, to me, is inexcusable.
DaveInOz
If Christie is serious about a run for the presidency then he’ll prefer an Obama win now so he can run in 2016. If Rmoney wins, he would probably have to wait until 2020 and Rmoney may have made the Republican brand toxic again by then if not by 2016.
nancydarling
My problem with Christie is that, all too often, he punches down.
PeakVT
@Cassidy: Hey, one epic disaster at a time, okay? Let’s get New Jersey through the current one before we worry about what damage another lousy Star Wars movie might do to the country.
Just Some Fuckhead
Here’s what Christie said about the President when Christie’s fellow Republicans blew up a debt deal:
“What the hell are we paying you for?”
redshirt
LOL. We’ve reached the point when basic sanity in a Republican is reason to cheer. FSM help us.
Patricia Kayden
What is Christie’s stance on abortion, gay rights, unions, etc.? I don’t think he would be so beloved by Rightwingers like Ann Coulter if he were a moderate Republican.
Wonder if he’ll be forced to walk back some of his praise for President Obama by next Tuesday.
MikeBoyScout
Cole,
One word – Psychopath
He may be entertaining, but he chooses to affiliate with psychopaths.
Just Some Fuckhead
Here’s what Fatpants said about President Obama in the wake of almost four years of unprecedented Republican obstructionism:
“I feel badly for the president. Maybe he’s still a little tired from last Wednesday night; maybe he’s a little … maybe he’s just a little disoriented … I want to help the president, because he loves me,” Christi began, tongue in cheek. “Mr. President, you have lived inside 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue for four years. If you can’t change Washington from inside the White House, then let’s get you the plane ticket back to Chicago you’ve earned.”
JustRuss
Would that be the same Piers Morgan that Bill O’Reilly called out for being a Liberal Media Elite (along with Brian Williams!) in his latest column in my Sunday paper?
John O
Christie strikes me as above all authentic, which is appealing. His boorishness becomes endearing because it seems so sincere.
He can be a dick, but I get the feeling most of all he just has a low bullshit threshold, which makes him the type you can love and hate from time to time. From far away, he’s an “appealing” Republican. If by appealing I mean, “not completely loathsome.” Up close I don’t think so.
eemom
Another thing: I got no end of shit for making ONE lousy fat statement about Chris Christie ONCE, about a year ago — and now look at this thread, and every other one on this topic today.
Fucking community standards — how do they work?
baldheadeddork
In 2002, while serving as US Attorney for New Jersey, Christie drove the wrong way down a one-way street, hit and injured a motorcyclist, then flashed his badge and title to get out of being arrested, or even ticketed.
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2009/09/gop_gov_candidate_chris_christ_2.html
Then he lied in 2009 during the campaign when he was asked if he had been sued as a result of that crash.
http://tpmdc.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/09/christie-caught-in-apparent-lie-about-2002-traffic-accident-lawsuit.php
Sorry, Cole. He’s not a blunt talker, he’s a power-tripping piece of shit who can’t think outside himself even after he puts someone in an ambulance. Fuck him until the day he dies.
weaselone
I agree that Christie is a Republican that Democrats could work with. The problem is that we don’t need Republicans that we can work with serving as the governor of New Jersey or a senator from Massachusetts. What we need is senators, congressman and governors we can work with from the south and central states. That the northeast and mid-Atlantic states can occasionally cough up a vanishingly rare moderate Republican isn’t particularly helpful. I would much rather have them produce the occasional woolly mammoth, mastodon or sabre-toothed tiger instead of these political dinosaurs.
BGinCHI
If CC was the worst the GOP had to offer, it would still be a miracle to me that anyone was fooled by them, but the country would be a lot better off.
Romney is miles worse. Millions of miles.
GxB
@nancydarling:
Well put.
Amir Khalid
I think Christie’s kind words about Obama reflect the reality of the situation. Both men must work together for now, and need to be on good terms while they do. And if Christie’s learned his lesson after being away on holiday while his state suffered last winter, good for him. Aside from tbat, though, beware of strangers bearing gifts.
Corner Stone
Bunch of sick fucks. Christie beats up on people with less power than him. WTF do you think he’s like when the god damn cameras aren’t on him?
stupidicus
you’re right, I’ve never understood the “hey, this guy does something I like, ergo I like him” no matter how frequently or egregiously they trample on others. You’re basically telling all his victims that this one character trait trumps what he does to them, and makes him likable no matter how dispicable he might otherwise be.
I’m almost as sick of this kinda crap outta my fellow lefties as I am those like CC.
Gee, I bet he loves his family and friends, and puppies and kittens too — just like Hitler likely did. Wow, whatta a high bar you set, no?
suzanne
I get what you’re saying, because I have a huge soft spot for curmudgeonly assholes. Hell, I’ve been one since I turned sixteen. But what I really want from a Republican is to have a compassionate heart under the shell.
dr. bloor
@John O:
No, he has total contempt for anyone who doesn’t agree with him or gives him what he needs at any particular time. It was easy for him to praise Obama today because he needs to get his state back together ASAP and to enhance his image as a politican.
This “he’s appealing because he’s a plain talker” is at the level of legitimizing Bush because he’d be fun to have a beer with, no more and no less.
Corner Stone
“Derp. Some Republican asshole stopped beating us about the head and shoulders for a 24 hour period. Let’s derp his derp!”
smith
First off, Christie’s responses during this hurricane have been very good. The dis against Romney is an added bonus. But he’s the governor – he’s SUPPOSED to be a leader and act like one. Now we’re crediting politicians for behaving the way they’re SUPPOSED to behave during a crisis.
Are the fat jokes about Christie a cheap shot? Yeah, probably, but as Citizen Alan said, we STILL – to this day – get “Al Gore is fat!” remarks from the village idiots whenever he says anything. Same with Michael Moore. And god forbid if you’re a Democratic female politician who doesn’t look like a supermodel.
Christie is morbidly obese. He can’t walk 50 feet without having to collect his breath (or taking a helicopter). He can’t take a few steps without breaking into a sweat. Nationally, few people are going to vote for a guy they think has a great possibility of having a massive heart attack while in office.
He also has a horrible temper and hates being questioned on anything. I don’t think his health (or his mental state) can survive a grueling primary, an intense, even more grueling presidential campaign, etc.
shecky
Christie is a big fucking obnoxious Baby Huey of a man. But I will say in his favor that he possesses a practical side that his party is sorely lacking. A quality that seems to elude (perhaps always has eluded) the pathological Confederate flavor that overwhelms Republicans these days.
Just Some Fuckhead
Here’s Christie further elaborating on the President’s response to Christie’s fellow Republicans unprecedented obstructionism, in a mock conversation with the President:
“It’s anybody’s fault but mine. Please, give me another four years, and I will figure it out. You know what, Mr. President? I am tired of waiting for you to figure it out.”
Another Halocene Human
@LD50: Bingo.
Hill Dweller
I realize we’re focusing on Christie, but Malloy, Cuomo, Booker, Bloomberg and McDonnell have also been singing the President’s and FEMA’s praises.
burnspbesq
@Svensker:
Don’t even think that. Garrett is your worst nightmare, squared.
Christie is the ur-Jersey Guy. I grew up with that, so it doesn’t faze me in the slightest. The way to deal with someone like Christie is not to cower when he goes off, it’s to push back twice as hard. “Fuck you.” “No, fuck YOU.” Once the initial posturing is dispensed with, you can get down to business.
Pick up the nearest dictionary and read the definition of “bluster.” Cross-reference the definition of “schtick.”
I have a lot of issues with Christie. His mouth is not one of them.
Rekster
@Joe Buck: I was thinking the same thing about the 2016 campaign after seeing CC all over the news today. You may have hit the strategy to put the kibosh on him early, lets all shout his praises loudly.
Also, too, Ann Coulter may have been right in her Christie comments. Ugh, that was nasty for me to type!
suzanne
@eemom:
That’s because you didn’t just double-down on it. You defended your decision to call Christie a “disgusting fat fuck” for hours, through about four threads, even though multiple people told you that they were personally fucking offended.
It’s not right to insult Chris Christie by calling him fat. Everyone else in the world who struggles with their weight and/or prejudice/discrimination suffers when you do that. (And everyone doing it on this thread should STFU.) Besides, all you needed to do was call him a Republican.
Another Halocene Human
@Corner Stone: Somebody pass the smelling salts, cause I’m about to pass out in shock from agreeing with a CS comment.
Election Follower
The biggest difference between this and Katrina is the quality of state and city leadership. Unlike Kathleen Blanco and Ray “Motherfuckin'” Naigain, Bloomberg, Christie, and Cuomo know how to govern, and NYC isn’t an utter freaking basketcase like New Orleans.
Election Follower
The biggest difference between this and Katrina is the quality of state and city leadership. Unlike Kathleen Blanco and Ray “Motherfuckin'” Naigain, Bloomberg, Christie, and Cuomo know how to govern, and NYC isn’t an utter freaking basketcase like New Orleans.
Just Some Fuckhead
Here’s Christie speaking to a group of Republicans a few months ago:
“(Obama) is the most ill-prepared person to assume the presidency in my lifetime. This is a guy who literally is walking around in a dark room trying to find the light switch of leadership.”
David Fud
@General Stuck: More related to Egghead than Elmer.
Plus, my ancestors lost a d somewhere, leaving me a letter short.
burnspbesq
@pillsy:
I sure hope you’re not waiting to vote against him in 2014. The next gubernatorial election is next year.
DPS
I recall a phrase from many years ago that describes this attitude. It was something like “the soft bigotry of low expectations.”
Anyway, between the hair-trigger blind rage and the seven hundred pounds, he may well go Breitbart before 2016.
danimal
Others have been effective in taking down Christie, but I want to affirm Cole on one point in the post:
Piers Morgan is a useless, most likely corrupt, obnoxious jackass. His show can not get cancelled soon enough.
amk
@Raven: +1.
Wasn’t this guy holidaying when that snow storm hit NJ last year ?
And remember, all his ‘serious preparedness’ came because fema tipped him (and other states) well in advance.
So he now showed some minimal competence as a govnor, bfd.
@Hill Dweller: egg.sack.lee.
Prolly, cole is having his seven year itch and is itching to get to back to his party.
Just Some Fuckhead
But that wasn’t enough personal nastiness so he followed it with this:
“He has sat in the Oval Office and cared more about posing and preening and making partisan politics the rule of the day in Washington D.C. than he’s cared about progress.”
aimai
@Another Halocene Human:
YUP.
aimai
Just Some Fuckhead
And finished with this:
“Now listen, this country’s problems are too serious, too serious, to spend another day with a bystander in the oval office.”
lamh35
@Election Follower: NOLA native here, I notices you didn’t mention GWB or Brownie.
It’s all on Blanoc and Nagin right????
Another Halocene Human
@Another Halocene Human: Wait, I take that back: you called BJ commenters “sick fucks”.
I was so shocked at our point of agreement that I took leave of my senses. Never mind.
ranchandsyrup
@beergoggles: Who plays Feyd? Ryan? Rubio?
vheidi
@beergoggles: #5 Thanks for this – no problems for us in bkln, but our fair city is in a deal of trouble
Kay S
Christie is a true dick who thinks lovin’ The Boss gives him a pass. He will undoubtedly revert to type, it is just a question of when. Now it’s prudent to praise the Prez, but later on…?
John, I have to say that this post reminds me of a long-ago post of yours saying something to the effect of, “Gosh, I can’t help it, I just like Ronald Reagan,” and you were then pelted with hundreds of reminders of his crimes by your faithful readers. Thanks for the memory.
SenyorDave
Christie has spent much of his time demonizing teachers. He’s a scumbag who is talented at getting the middle class to turn on each other. He also really seems to dump on the poor every chance he gets.
He’s not as bad as most Republicans – that is the best I can say about him.
amk
@Corner Stone: This
Stop fucking falling for fucking optics, cole.
And the NJ crisis is not even close to resolving.
Corner Stone
@Another Halocene Human: God dammit! I had already framed your previous statement of agreement and called my disabled mother to come over and view the printout!
You won’t get away with this!
arguingwithsignposts
@eemom:
Wait, what?
blingee
LOL…wrong way Cole going the wrong way as usual. Once a Republican always a Republican. Once a Greenwald fluffer always a Greenwald fluffer. Tell me what I should NOT invest in Cole and I will invest in it. Your lack of sensibility is just astounding sometimes.
Just Some Fuckhead
Here’s Christie addressing the very issue you bring up, John, about how he and the President have differing visions for America. He acknowledges they don’t agree on a lot but said his main problem with the President is..
“I don’t think he has the first idea of how to use executive power, nor much of an interest in it.”
burnspbesq
@danimal:
The fact that Piers Morgan is an Arsenal supporter is almost enough to make me root for Spurs. Not quite. But it’s close.
Mark S.
Cole and Christie
Sitting in a tree
Is that too juvenile? Ten hour work days fry my brain.
Just Some Fuckhead
I could do this all night.
Cassidy
@eemom: I’ve mentioned it a couple of times in other threads and said my peace. I’m allowed to feel it’s wrong and you all can disagree. We’re adults.
J.D. Rhoades
@? Martin:
As we say down heah: “If that sumbitch was payin’ in cash, I’d ask for a cosigner.”
TomInNOLA
This is more Fat Supremacism from Cole.
Another Halocene Human
@Corner Stone: I wasn’t trolling you.
Carry on being vile.
jeffro
@amy c:
I understand where you’re coming from. However, I think calls for “austerity” from a guy who’s built like him are pretty hard to swallow. He looks like he’s literally never wanted for anything, so when he badmouths teachers or whoever, well, “fuck that fat fuck” tends to be a common reaction.
Bruce S
Fuck Chris Christie. Low Bar. The guy’s a total jerk and a jackass. Just because he’s “not insane” doesn’t mean he’s not an asshole. Same goes for that piece of shit, Joe Scarborough. Chris Christie is just a low-brow, loudmouth version of David Brooks. Fuck all of them.
J.D. Rhoades
Christie’s a complete pragmatist, which means he’ll be your best buddy if it benefits him. It also means that hand slapping your back may have a knife in it when the time is right.
Jibeaux
I don’t love his style myself, but prefer it immensely to Romney and I positively love it when he’s asked dumbass questions on Fox & Friends. So, hypocrisy, I guess, or jealously that Dems can’t get away with it without being shrill.
arguingwithsignposts
@Bruce S:
I’m not sure I see that analogy. David Brooks has never run for any office. He just sits and pontificates all day.
hrprogressive
Christie is an honest asshole. I can at least respect that.
He’s not a deluded fool the way the tin-foil crowd is, he doesn’t quite publicly browbeat people into accepting his own personal twisted version of Christofascism the way others do, and he doesn’t appear to speak out of both sides of his mouth at once.
He’s in the wrong party, and I wouldn’t vote for him given a better alternative. But at least I can sit back and go “Well, shit.” instead of “YOU IMBECILE YOU’RE SO CRAZY WTF OMG”.
amk
Trash talking is not blunt talking.
Judas Escargot, Acerbic Prophet of the Mighty Potato God
Mitt Romney is dog shit.
Chris Christie is civet shit.
Yum yum yum. I too was grateful when I heard it.
Corner Stone
@Another Halocene Human: I think you may be at the wrong watering hole amigo. You may want to loosen that giant stick you have wedged up your ass.
koolearl
@Matt McIrvin: Bingo. Like Giuliani, Christie is localized entity that will not translate nationally for the republican nomination. That, and unless he gets in better physical shape, he will be unable to stand the physical rigors of campaigning.
Johannes
@nancydarling: This. Just what I thought on reading Cole’s otherwise reasonable post.
Corner Stone
@hrprogressive:
Which party does he belong in?
Just Some Fuckhead
@Corner Stone:
Cocktail party with heavy h’orderves.
JWL
Christie is just a bullshitting bully, Cole. One who has time and again proved his fealty to the powers that be in the republican party.
Still, you “like the guy”?
Then again, you probably liked Ronald Reagan’s spew.
Before you wised up about the GOP, I mean.
Billy K.
You’re absolutely right, JC. Thanks for saying it.
lacp
Chris Christie: Straight-Talk Express v 2.0
This man is not your friend.
Smiling Mortician
@Just Some Fuckhead: Do. It’s like the ghost of Obi-Wan entreating us to reject the fucking dark side.
Bruce S
@arguingwithsignposts:
It’s not about being a politician, it’s about being a bloviating GOP asshole who is often given a pass by liberals because they’re only 90% full of shit.
catperson
I agree with those who say he’s only admirable on the Republican sliding scale. i.e. He’s not crazy and he’s not a religious freak. And he’s just another sexist bully in a party of sexist bullies. Though he’s blunt, he’s also dishonest about policy (in governance, not just campaigning.) I don’t think he deserves the adulation he gets but he’s certainly among the best of a crazy extremist group of assholes.
Also, it kind of bums me out that people always go to the fat jokes.
MikeJ
@catperson: I disagree about the not crazy part. He is crazy, but you have to apply the double Republican sliding scale. He’s not crazy *for a Republican*. He’s batshit insane for a human.
J.D. Rhoades
@lacp:
Granted.
Is he someone we can deal with?
eemom
@suzanne:
“everyone doing it on this thread should STFU”
I’m sorry, but consistency demands you engage each of them individually in a personal jihad ad infinitum.
Semi-retreat from hostilities revoked. GFY, you self-righteous little twerp.
catperson
@MikeJ: Well, there’s a certain amount of cognitive dissonance required to be a modern Republican but he honestly hasn’t struck me as crazy. But I only know the stuff that makes the national news. Is there more?
eemom
@Corner Stone:
Actually not. The reason we can’t have nice things is that Cole puts up some screamingly obvious trollbait like this and we all bite.
And yet, here I still am. Kill me now plz. kthxbai.
toschek
Election Follower Says:
The biggest difference between this and Katrina is the quality of state and
cityfederal leadership. Unlike Kathleen Blanco and George “Motherfuckin’” Bush; OBAMA, Bloomberg, Christie, and Cuomo know how to govern, and NYC isn’t an utter freaking basketcase like New Orleans … was five days after the hurricane when the FEDERAL GOVERNMENT finally decided to stop stitting on it’s hands and start handing out POISONED trailers to homeless families.@ EF btw, you are a complete asshole and waste of oxygen, why don’t you go fucking off yourself already?
Corner Stone
@J.D. Rhoades:
You mean like Karl Rove down at the crossroads?
You fucking “pragmatists” have been big on selling the rest of us down the river, all the while looking for that mythical Republican who “you can deal with”.
Well you know what? Those guys stick their stinger into you every time, just halfway across the river.
Good luck making the swim to the other bank.
Cacti
I like that George Dubya Bush fella. He’s a compassionate conservative who can work with Democrats, and he seems like the kind of guy you could have a beer with.
Corner Stone
@eemom: This ain’t trollbait honeycakes. This is who Cole is.
Nobody should forget that.
TR
I live in NJ and while I dislike Christie’s policies, I respect him as a politician, which is more than I can say about 99.9% of the GOP.
If we want to nudge Republicans back to sanity, we need to encourage the few who are sane.
Lyrebird
Way late, I know, but what more could I want? Well, a Republican who’s not nasty to teachers just for fun. But otherwise I agree w/JC, and I have relatives who are like moderately smaller Chris Christies… In some ways I wish the R party had nominated someone more like Christie, more like a *real* human being (I’ll have to atone for that, but anyhow), and in other ways I’m glad they showed their true colors.
(“They” being the power brokers, not “they” being everyone who calls themselves Republican… There are plenty of decent folks in the latter category, but very few in the former.)
Vulture/Voucher 20-NEVER ! ! !
Corner Stone
@Billy K.:
What is he absolutely right about? That there’s a prominent bully Republican who’s been saying shit over the last 24 hours that makes sense?
Cole is a fucking moron and so are you if you agree with him on this post.
Slaughter
When Obama wins, sneak over and stick the sign in her yard, preferably up against the house where she may not see it for a while.
Cacti
@Corner Stone:
I find myself having a rare moment of agreement with you.
Christie manages to act like a human being in the face of a disaster, and it suddenly makes him “one of the good ones”?
Bush was able to muster that much immediately following 9/11. It didn’t make him a man of principle.
Slaughter
That was in reply to comment 27.
Doug Woodard
John – You guys share the same personality type, Enneatype Eight. Check this out. I think you’ll find it interesting. http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/TypeEight.asp#.UJCf8GlNYVM
eemom
@Corner Stone:
[swoon]
bygones be bygones, enemy of my enemy, ‘n all that. All is forgiven. Let’s you and me make beautiful music together.
moonbat
Why do we like or not like politicians based on their personalities? Chris Christie may be a straight shootin’, beer drinkin’, poker playin’ everyman, but his policies for New Jersey have uniformly sucked. I don’t care if he’s a mensch. He’s just as committed to destroying teacher’s unions, and every kind of union, as a Kascish or a Walker. He hurts the infrastructure of his state to score political points and his tough “you don’t need no stinking safety net” speech given at the convention a couple of months ago, if applied to national policy, would be an absolute disaster. So what if he stops all the partisan bullshit long enough to accept disaster relief from the federal government. That’s his job! He gets no extra points from me for that.
The Other Bob
@Geoduck:
The comments about his weight and the questions he gets asked about it is unacceptable.
Supposidly a fat guy cannot get elected President? How about a black guy with a funny name?
MoZeu
@Lynn Dee: Exactly
suzanne
@eemom:
That’s so awesome how you fight the good fight for your God-given right to demean fat people. Thank God for you.
sdhays
I think the people who say “fuck Chris Christie” for being a lousy governor and bully and those who say there’s at least something to respect in him are both right. Chris Christie represents the far left of the modern Republican Party. He doesn’t come off as mind-numbingly stupid, which is what seems to be another highly important quality Republican primary voters seem to look for nowadays. Even more strikingly, he is the only prominent Republican politician who will occasionally and forcefully push back against the most extreme elements of his party. In the modern Republican Party, this type of thing is exceedingly rare, even in races for dog catcher, let alone in national or state politics.
But this is, in itself, a tragedy. His bullying and ideological determination to cut off New Jersey’s nose to spite its face (particularly with the regard to the tunnel) don’t warrant praise. I’m not a New Jersey resident, but he strikes me as a pretty terrible governor who doesn’t deserve a second term. (Of course, if New Jersey Democrats didn’t keep nominating Wall Street crooks, he might never have gotten a first term.) So, just being different from the morons who currently make up 90% (at least) of the modern Republican Party doesn’t make him worthy of support.
So here’s my liberal hippee let’s-all-hold-hands view: you’re all right. He’s better than other Republicans, but not nearly better enough.
1badbaba3
Nicely done, Mr. Cole. 3MDougJ could not have done it better. And you showed remarkable restraint not mentioning Applebees.
Christie is doing his job. Hurrah. Being on the tee vee all day is a great incentive not to fuck up, like Romney has since the spring. His motivations are not privy to us, but his actions and their results very much are. Not so much impressed with the results so far. Even less so with his people skills. His type of personality will not allow him to survive the rigors of the modern Presidential campaign. The daily grind will expose his quick temper, and will stress his body beyond endurance. Poor Grampy Walnuts hasn’t been the same since his run. So stressed out it short curcuited his judgement. Which led to all his famous fuck ups ( nation of whiners, how many houses, the lame response to Obama in Berlin, the fundamentals of the economy are strong, and of course, Sister Grifterella)
Besides, he’s just being nice to Obama to keep his slap-fight with the Atlantic City Mayor out of the news. So far it’s working.
Some Loser
Christie is an evil asshole. He says decent things sometimes? What. Shit, I messing up this post. You guys know where I am going with this.
Seriously, is this how far our standards for a decent governor/guy has fallen? I wish I could meet this bastard so I could have the pleasure to spit on him.
The guy isn’t honest, and he sure as hell ain’t decent. He gets a couple of things right, but then, so did Hitler. We don’t give out rewards for doing the minimum. We shouldn’t applaud or apologize or give a fuck that Christie can go a second without stepping on his dick.
Fuck you, Cole. Fuck you commenters who agreed with Cole. How about we start treating these offices of Government with respect? How about we develop some goddamn standards?
WarMunchkin
Okay, what the fuck? Christie is the guy who cancelled a major stimulus project – a tunnel between NJ and Manhattan – because he felt it cost too much, even though it would have gotten a tremendous return from commuters and been a massive benefit to NJ citizens. Meanwhile he spent a ton of money on new casinos.
The exact reason you described is pretty much why many people voted for him.
You saying “a Republican who can be worked with”. Seriously? Why is it that there always seems to be this desire to find the Heralded Republican who will be biparitsan and lovely?
dswagz
Oh yes, surely you can work with him. But you might not want to expect him to work with you. Even when he promises to.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/i-wanted-to-punch-him-in-his-head-nj-state-senator-unleashes-tirade-against-christie/
Lovely.
Great guy.
FlipYrWhig
Come the fuck on. The whole notion that there’s something admirable about being “blunt” is absurd. Chris Christie isn’t “real.” Being a colossal dickface is his act. It’s his brand. It’s a consciously-adopted persona tailored specifically for the purposes of impressing people who like to say that, ooh, politicians are too cautious and too politically correct, they’re all the same, but not that guy, he’s a loudmouth who says what he thinks. It’s an incredibly cheap ploy. I can’t believe anyone falls for it. It’d be like saying, hey, you know what poster on Balloon Juice I like? Political Observer. Sure, he’s a dick, but calls ’em like he sees ’em and you always know where he stands.
Tripod
So he’s got enough sense not to get himself Kathleen Blanco’d. Not exactly a high bar, but in American politics we work with what we’ve got.
Shalimar
I don’t know about the positive words for Obama’s disaster management. This is Christie, so I’m sure there is a behind-the-scenes feud with Romney’s people involved in this. I do like the blunt words for idiots who ignore evacuation warnings though, probably the first thing Christie has ever done that I thought was more effective than average. As someone who lives 300 yards from the Gulf of Mexico, it would be nice to see politicians here in Florida be more blunt with fools who want to ride the storms out.
FlipYrWhig
@sdhays: Remember when the better-than-the-other-Republicans guy was John McCain? How did that work out?
eemom
@suzanne:
You miss the point, little one. Again. Come back and we’ll talk some more when you’re old enough to reach the upper shelves of common sense (and no, that has nothing to do with demeaning fat people).
On second thought, I’ll probly be dead by then — so just do what you can not to fuck up the next generation too badly. E.g., go easy on dumbass buzzwords like “patriarchy.” You’re welcome.
Radio One
this has probably been stated dozens of times just in this thread, but to state the obvious, if Christie wants to win the GOP Presidential primary in 2016, he’s going to have to piss off the liberals.
I think he’s formidable, but the next election is still four years away. And there are plenty of strong Democratic candidates waiting in the wings for 2016.
PanurgeATL
@Humanities Grad:
One of my FB “friends” (a guy whose face I knew from high school) openly bragged about ripping Obama signs off telephone poles today. I guess that’s a little different…
Gil O. Teen
Christie’s plain-spoken act is somewhat refreshing when compared to the GOP’s usual variety of obfuscating word salad, but it’s still just another form of bullshit.
I’m nowhere near NJ and so have no firsthand knowledge of his governorship, but from published accounts, he appears to be nothing more than a loud-mouthed, compulsive bully with no useful ideas about public policy. The notion that he’s the sort of Gooper that Democrats “could work with” seems mostly just an indication of the depravity of the rest of the present-day Repukes.
Arclite
@Humanities Grad:
Do you live in a state with Stand Your Ground laws? Cuz that could solve your problem right there.
Mike D.
I think this is all completely right 90% of the time – namely precisely when the point isn’t “working with” people in the politicl sense, though maybe in the executive sense – ie. when he & Obama cut the bullshit in order to get done what needs to get done. But most times, it’s a pure act, so i hope John isn’t falling for it the rest of the time (and we never hear him talk like this at those times, so I actually expect he isn’t).
The blunt dickface exact is exactly what you don’t want when you’re actually trying to work with someone on stuff where you don’t want the same thing either by values or constituency, but where a product has to be finished – like, say, a budget. You need the BS that helps smooth over the rough edges of an ugly compromise. OTOH, the dickface act actually can occasionally ramrod through the dickface’s preferences, so genrally liking Christie’s act means maybe at some point seeing that happen to you with respect to his policy preferences.
This act is something to like only on someone who doesn’t have opposed values and preferences from yours. I would in all seriousness take that under advisement after this moment has passed should you have occasion to reassess your overall view of Mr. Christie, JC.
priscianusjr
I just remembered that even Rudy Giuliani made a great impression on me for a couple of days after 9/11.
Sly
People like Chris Christie the same way people liked Joe Pesci in Goodfellas; from a distance, and with the assumption that whatever damage he does probably won’t be done to them.
OmerosPeanut
I don’t want to even consider forgiving him for killing the tunnel project. That was exactly the kind of short-sighted idiocy that has left this country with a decayed, and now politicized, infrastructure network.
Unsympathetic
@J.D. Rhoades:
No. This man is the LEADER of the Democratic party in NJ answering your question:
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/i-wanted-to-punch-him-in-his-head-nj-state-senator-unleashes-tirade-against-christie/
bob h
Wait til NJ elections officials tell him they don’t have time to prepare for the election. He’s said he “don’t care about no goddamn election”.
Maude
Christie stinks on his past policies.
He has a very bad cold and is still out and about.
I like him because he doesn’t like the media.
He is getting federal help for NJ.
65% of NJ is without poser now.
His take down of Romney was sweet.
Applejinx
@FlipYrWhig:
He lost.
I for one welcome the new face of the Republican Party:
-embracing the role of federal government in disaster relief and helping the poor
-righteous contempt, indeed rage, at stupid religious prejudice
-aggressive pivot away from a ‘white male confederacy’ demographic to really, seriously start trying to win ethnic votes by addressing peoples’ needs and rights
I’m completely with John Cole here (if I didn’t help motivate this discussion in the previous Christie backstab thread). Wake the fuck up and be political for once in your lives, people. If you’re not thinking politically smart right now, when will you?
YES it is worth celebrating having a prominent Republican and the likely 2016 Presidential nominee, be not 100% lockstep psycho. It is a BIG deal to have him go off the reservation in any way, and extremely important, and YES that is how far we’ve fallen. What planet are you living on? This is not just the snark parade. These things matter. Wingnuts singling out issues where they refuse to be psycho (EVEN as purely a political tactic) is a big deal.
YES it’s still good even if Christie is doing it purely as a tactic, because what it says is, peak wingnut PASSED. If the political rallies have become lame and it takes all Fox’s strength to keep the wingnuts digging their hole deeper, it’s a losing strategy. For Christie to correctly identify it as such is profoundly exciting. It means the smart pols on the right wing must now push the Overton window leftward to fight for Democratic Blue Dogs.
YES it is a good thing to present the appearance that there are lots of Blue Dog votes to be had. And lastly…
YES, it would be a great thing for the Democrat in 2016 to run against a man with significant health issues, who cannot stand the physical demands of campaigning, who has a nasty bullying temper and a boneyard of skeletons in his closet. Who do you WANT to run against? Some healthy guy?
brantl
@beergoggles: FTFW! That’s fucking terrific. Baron Rarkonnen! Perfect. And Cole?
Yeah, we can ask that the MF’er tell the truth, which he hasn’t done since he’s been elected. We can ask that he stop the stealth campaigns against everything decent, claiming they are something else.
Shawn in ShowMe
I trust that Christie is a guy who you can work with in a national weather emergency where his state is in the eye of the storm. Any other time? Not so much.
If Christie is someone you can work with, then I shudder to see the public display of affection from Cole once Mitch Daniels enters the race.
virginia
I like him too, John, for all the reasons you state. He looked totally shaken and stirred early yesterday morning on the national teevee. I appreciated his praise of our President and am hoping against hope that this disaster will prove a turning point for him. He has Huey Long potential and that ain’t necessarily a bad thing. The perfect not the enemy of the good as a general motto is the way I roll — and I see potential for change in Christie. And by that I mean individual potential for individual change in the individual known for the moment at the Governor of NJ. And I also LOVE the way he takes down our moronic press. And I love New Jersey — all of it all the time always. Feel so so sad for the state —
virginia
@Sly: I suspect this is all accurate and the distinction you draw is fine and on target but it remains, yes, one of many many ways folks can like. Or think they like. I hear you.
Triassic Sands
There’s a sucker born every minute.
The question is, when Christie is finished telling you what a stupid mofo you are, will he be willing to work with you? You know, actually compromise. Or is all the “straight talk” just a front to attract people who like “straight talkers.”
This was a remarkably naive post.
accidentalfission
Mr. Fiscal Responsibility took a helicopter to his kid’s little league game on the taxpayer’s dime and then couldn’t waddle the 100 yards from the chopper to the bleachers. He had a car drive him to the bleachers.
John Cole, your blog is awesome but your brain holds some residue of Republicanism.
titan3
I really think Christie has a good shot at the Presidency in 2016. After 8 years of a skinny, cool African American President, don´t you just see the media seeing starbursts with a big, blunt Governor from New Jersey running for President?
Joey Giraud
@Corner Stone:
No, Cole is at core an authoritarian, like many Juicers.
Half my family are authoritarians, I still love em.
am
Meh, Christie has given my family some stress (state employee pension related) through his term, but he is doing well by NJ in this crisis. Cole, haven’t read much of this thread, but what I did read was not kind to you. I’m with you. I don’t agree with him, and I’ll be willing to try to beat him in a fair electoral fight. But afaik he hasn’t had corruption problems in his administration, he has appointed openly gay people to his administration, and he hasn’t try to ram through “voter fraud” disenfranchisement legislation like WI, PA, et al.
Not getting my vote unless he switches parties, but he’s not the major problem in this country.
mainmati
@beergoggles: Yes, exactly, Baron Harkonnen! Because, he’s all about himself.