Any minute now the NJ Assembly’s Transportation Committee will release more than 900 pages of emails from David “first under the bus” Wildstein, a man who will never need to use the Carlos Danger name generator. In the meantime enjoy Ride the Lightning played by a bluegrass band.
Chat about whatever.
***update***
Several news sources say the docs are out. Traveling now so you will have to hunt around for the gory details.
Cacti
David Wildstein, the guy went to high school with the governor and held a high level position in his administration?
Christie barely even knows him.
schrodinger's cat
We had snow overnight. Again. Are you ready for your new Viking overlords?
Corner Stone
@Cacti: Who the hell is Donald Wilderschtein? Never heard of him. And he’s a notorious liar, too.
/Gov Christie
Corner Stone
No, Chris Cilliza. The Dems should not “take a step backward” at this point.
Go F Y.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Corner Stone: Did you catch Mrs Greenspan refer to the “quiet launch of a presidential campaign”? Do you think maybe she might not be that bright?
Corner Stone
For those who couldn’t see it, you really need to catch the MSNBC interview Andrea Mitchell had with State Sen Weinberg.
Weinberg basically held court for several minutes and destroyed Gov Christie. There is absolutely no way his story can withstand the holes she was punching through it with both hands. Like Manny Pacquiao imitation, she knocked him the fuck out.
shortstop
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Ya think? But what she lacks in smarts she makes up for in smug dismissiveness, so it all evens out.
Corner Stone
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: They all had so much riding on a Christie campaign. They can’t bear the thought of giving him up. Especially for some stupid bridge scandal bullshit. I mean, they can’t even trade his campaign run off for a dead girl/live boy sex scandal!
So, they are hating the truth of all this.
Valdivia
@Corner Stone:
ooh. I wish I had seen that.
Suffern ACE
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: The only presidential campaign ever untaken out of spite to clear one’s name in a traffic controversy. If he didn’t need to clear his name, he’d never be running. He has Mr. Smith levels of integrity and the GWB access is his national boys camp.
srv
In other cultures and other times, these people would literally fall on their swords.
Dr. Spock’s corrosive impact on our society continues.
Corner Stone
@Valdivia: It was brutally efficient, with no wasted moves.
Your top two appointees resign and you don’t ask them why? *karate chop*
Patrick Foye says laws may have been broken and you don’t call him to ask what laws, or any of my guys in this? *knee to the gut*
He didn’t know anything about this when I specifically told his very own Chief of Staff that I was not going to drop the bridge thing? *elbow smash to the chin*
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Suffern ACE: Oh hell, I think Christie started running for president the say after his first election, and his ego and ambition have only grown as the Morning Joe-Politico crew have fallen harder for him
Jebediah, RBG
I’ve got a CD called “Pickin’ on Wilco,” similar idea – bluegrass versions but with no vocals. I like it.
Fuzzy
There are photos of all these non-Christie associates coming out now along with more e-mails. The man is a huge, noxious, lying bully but I wish all this had waited to be exposed after he won the GOP nomination. Somebody please us the IMPEACH word.
Fuzzy
There are photos of all these non-Christie associates coming out now along with more e-mails. The man is a huge, noxious, lying bully but I wish all this had waited to be exposed after he won the GOP nomination. Somebody please us the IMPEACH word.
Villago Delenda Est
@Corner Stone:
Exactly. Go for the throat. Kick this vile asshole to the curb, and stomp on him there.
No mercy, no quarter for Christie. None.
Fuzzy
There are photos of all these non-Christie associates coming out now along with more e-mails. The man is a huge, noxious, lying bully but I wish all this had waited to be exposed after he won the GOP nomination. Somebody please us the IMPEACH word.
Calming influence
@Corner Stone: I’m digging around the Googles for video of that, but so far no joy – do you have a link?
Villago Delenda Est
@Fuzzy:
OK, FYWP just replicated your comment, but it was a good one. Over in Wingnuttia, they’re screaming “IMPEACH” about Obama because, well, figure it out yourself. He’s a Democrat, and he’s near.
Meanwhile, Christie fucks over northeastern New Jersey and they’re defending his ass.
NonyNony
@Fuzzy:
No, because during the presidential run people have already picked sides and they’ll defend him to the death once he’s the nominee.
This way it’s open for his political enemies to skewer him from the right while he’s being investigated.
Plus the debate during a campaign would be all about whether the Democrats in DC had politicized the investigation by being Democrats during a campaign. That particular form of squid ink is a nonstarter now, so that’s good.
Corner Stone
@Calming influence: Not up on their site yet. Just happened about 20 minutes ago. Hopefully they’ll have it up soon.
Valdivia
@Corner Stone:
swoon.
Thanks for the blow for blow report :)
Calming influence
@Corner Stone: Thanks. This one with NJ Sen. Barbara Buono ain’t bad either…
aimai
@NonyNony: I agree. It would have been totally lost at that point.
Botsplainer
Crazy Train, done in Bluegrass…..
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMrAbPSUhA4
Slugger
I know that the cold weather here totally invalidates any concern about global warming, but I decided to look at the rest of the world since “global” means more than the football field in Green Bay. Today’s high will be 37 with a low of 32 in Moscow. If January 1942 had been like this, we’d all be speaking German.
Belafon
In Garland, TX, this morning, 0 visibility fog cause a pileup on I-30 with 6 18-wheelers and 7 cars, resulting in a fuel spill and potential damage to the bridge crossing Lake Ray Hubbard. They shut down traffic in both directions. This caused problems for the people going west since the only other bridge across the lake is a smaller bridge you have to go through Rockwall to get to, or go completely around the lake.
I live in Rockwall and work in Greenville, and after I got to work, a wreck in Royse City (in between), and completely shut down I-30 (west bound until tomorrow, east bound until this evening). About 1/3 of the company lives west of here, and we’re all trying to find alternate routes home. Some people are going to learn about routes that they never thought existed.
ETA: The one county road that runs parallel to the highway is one lane each direction. It will be packed, especially since it runs through the mentioned Royse City.
WereBear
@schrodinger’s cat: Love that one!
Just Some Fuckhead
@Cacti: Christie said he was an athlete and Wildstein was a mathlete and never the twain shall meet.
drkrick
@Jebediah, RBG: There are about two dozen of them out at this point, everything from Pickin’ on The Beatles to Pickin’ on Widespread Panic to Pickin’ on Santana(?!?). Some of them seem like better ideas than others, but since they probably represent about three hours of recording time each I’m sure it’s a money maker.
GregB
I am more than a little creeped out by the graphic of Doctor Oz massaging some woman’s CGI front butt.
Calming influence
@Slugger: @Belafon:
That’s because fat Algore.
Trollhattan
@Suffern ACE:
GWB=-George Washington Bridge and George W Bush.
Coincidence? I think not!
At this point, Christie is like that man-killing orca Sea World keeps using in the shows. Want to pretend he’s not going to do the same thing, again? Okay, then you get into the pool.
Corner Stone
Ahhh, the benefits of clean coal.
Villago Delenda Est
@Just Some Fuckhead:
Well the “mathlete” part makes sense if you’re conducting traffic surveys on the GWB.
Corner Stone
Please, please, please! I need the release! The Release!!!
Corner Stone
ma ma ma ma…My Baroni!
Paul in KY
@Just Some Fuckhead: Christie was on the HS eating team? Or was it bowling?
ranchandsyrup
@Corner Stone: Leak came from a tank owned and operated by Freedom Industries.
Trollhattan
@Villago Delenda Est:
Well, yes, because this awesome use of governatoring revenge power erases a lot of the cooties he gathered hugging president blah man just a year ago. Maybe he IS one of them, after all.
Corner Stone
MSNBC is really pushing TRMS theory hard core.
Trollhattan
@Paul in KY:
It’s a head-scratcher. Curling? Golf? Pool? Shotput performed with canned hams?
schrodinger's cat
@WereBear: Thanks! I love the kitteh expressions. BTW BJ has already fallen to the Maine Coon, a cousin of the Viking Kittehs.
Corner Stone
The Weinberg interview on Andrea Mitchell is now on her MSNBC page.
Corner Stone
@ranchandsyrup: The Hand of The Free Market strikes again!
Corner Stone
Somebody should do a photoshop of Christie as Gandalf standing on the GWB and shouting, “You Shall Not Pass!!”
ranchandsyrup
@Corner Stone: They can take West Virginians’ lives but they’ll never take away their Freedom, Inc.
Like if William Wallace wore a coon skin cap.
beltane
@ranchandsyrup: Freedom isn’t free!
The Pale Scot
@Valdivia: Find the interview Here
Be patient, MSNBC = MS = crappy media loading on the website.
Mike E
@Corner Stone: It’s like the Villagers’ palpable disappointment in diplomatic efforts in Syria vs. bombing the shit out of them; epic (& expensive) graphics can’t pay for themselves when there is no war coverage to drive up advertising revenue…
Trollhattan
@Corner Stone:
Or, the Black Knight with no arms or legs.
“I’m invincible!
“You’re a looney.”
“Have at you!”
“What, are you going to bleed on me?”
Stacy
@Corner Stone: Loved it.
Hilfy
Is the poisoned water in part of WV affecting Cole and the piglets? Does anyone know?
Comrade Mary
Oh, you guys are where Toronto was last Halloween where we were waiting for our first chunk of IPOs. Cherish these moments of anticipation, and may your payout be bigger than ours.
Bill E Pilgrim
Hilarious. From Weigel:
…Gates wrote, in his memoir.
schrodinger's cat
@Bill E Pilgrim: Tender fee-fees are tender.
Bill E Pilgrim
@Corner Stone:
I’ll have to find that and see it, this is exactly what I’ve been thinking, what the hell? If he meant to allay suspicion that he was involved by saying “I didn’t want to know why she did it, I didn’t ask her” he accomplished precisely the opposite.
Corner Stone
@Bill E Pilgrim: “I was offended by his suspicion that any of us would ever write about such sensitive matters.”
/he noted in his small journal tentatively titled “My Memoirs of Sensitive Shit”
Bill E Pilgrim
@schrodinger’s cat: Well and also a lack of even the most rudimentary self-awareness, apparently.
“How dare the President suggest that I would ever do what I’m doing at this very moment!”
@Corner Stone: zacktly.
sparrow
@Slugger: And you can still thank the Greeks for that outcome.
Belafon
@Bill E Pilgrim: That’s going to make me laugh the rest of the day.
Fester Addams
@Trollhattan: That is a brilliant analogy.
Corner Stone
If Gates were on twitter he’d hashtag #ShitObamaSays
Just Some Fuckhead
@Hilfy:
Does anyone really care?
Violet
@Hilfy: The WV contaminated water problem is near Charleston, which is in the southern part of the state. I checked out all the counties affected last night because I used to work near there. Cole lives in the northern part of the state, not too far from Pittsburgh. So he’s probably not affected by this water issue.
Bill E Pilgrim
@Just Some Fuckhead: Typical Chicago-style politics. I mean, comment.
Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.)
there’s also this. These creeps are so fucking loathesome that there just aren’t words that get it across. “Fucking loathesome” only gets you to within about 100 miles of their true awfulness. I’ve said this before many times, about many such creeps, but I don’t understand how these people can live with themselves.
Gene108
What to do with all the NJ Dems, who endorsed Christie in 2013?
How to purge them from NJ politics?
scav
Anybody else thinking of that poor woman, Grandma Millie who, after paying all that money for sweet electricit, is probably still out waiting to pick up her grandkids after their school bus ride?
There’s just a certain flavor of smug sickishness that permeates certain environments.
slippytoad
First thing at the convenience store this morning: newspaper headline, Christie’s face with the caption “I am not a bully.”
Now, I don’t know about the rest of you folks, but the very physical appearance of Chris Christie screams “insecure blowhard bully.” I looked in my dictionary and the picture next to “Asshole Bully” was in fact his.
I just am enjoying the fact that all the hateful crap GOPers have been doing for so long has become socially unacceptable, and they’re fighting with that very idea, while simultaneously blaring a self-deluding myth of superiority that, on a daily basis, becomes laughable.
These little tiny-minded, hateful and childish people have finally run out of facade to hide behind.
Calming influence
@Corner Stone: A more direct link: http://on.msnbc.com/JNK6oD
Violet
So more people claim to be Independent but that label just seems to be a cover because they didn’t want to admit they were Republicans or Democrats. Now there’s date to back it up. These guys did a study on it, testing people’s views:
scav
@scav: oh, and FYWP? I typed and meant dickishness, Dickishness, DICKISHNESS so stop going all mealy mouthed and pious on me.
Corner Stone
@Calming influence: Oh, I’m already blitzed out and can’t take any more Weinberg action. If I watch that again I may ask her for her hand in marriage. Or at least carnal bliss.
Violet
CNN saying the documents have been released.
Bill E Pilgrim
New Yawkhah Cover
Elizabelle
@Violet:
The emails have landed.
Out on some errands. Back for the dirt later.
ETA: Friday Document Drop! It’s like the good times of the GW Bush Administration. Oh.
Just Some Fuckhead
@Corner Stone: Did you ever find us a link?
Bill E Pilgrim
@Just Some Fuckhead: Found this.
Comrade Mary
So the Daily News wasn’t all that impressed by the press conference yesterday. Huh.
GregB
@scav:
I am also reminded of the troglodytes that Jack Abramoff so grossly dismissed when referring to Native Americans.
It seems to be a thread that runs deep with these political types.
bemused
Most people including me are astonished that Christie and/or his minions created this huge mess for some obscure, petty retribution reason and feel there must be some other more clear goal in their minds. I am beginning to think that maybe these people and a whole lot of other Republicans have become so invested in a scorched earth obsessive fantasy, they completely lost their shit.
Comrade Mary
@Bill E Pilgrim: Awesome. She was asked one question and then spent over 4 straight minutes — uninterrupted — destroying him. I think she was asked a second question and just kept going after that, too. Wow.
scav
To fill the small gap as email is scoured, OT break, look who else is blessing their stars that there’s a big event on this Friday? Le Target. 70-140 million customers affected, one didn’t have to shop there during the time-frame to be impacted, other personal information was taken, and the infos already out on the alternative market. NYT version and ChiTrib.
shortstop
@Trollhattan:
I am so stealing that.
@scav: But is sickishness really so wrong?
Violet
CNN has some journalist with a NJ paper on right now. The female host asked him a question about something and he responded, “Nothing Christie says here has much credibility.” Bwahahaha!
Spankyslappybottom
Re Maddow’s hypothesis about why Christie & Co did this: I found it VERY suspicious that Christie yesterday went way out of his way to push the Ft. Lee angle.
muricafukyea
Yay, Ad Block Plus is blocking all the ads on this site again including that annoying as fuck Newsmax headline ad.
Paul in KY
@Trollhattan: The hamput! (not at all like hiding the bacon).
WereBear
Crap!
Fortunately, I only shopped there with a Target card which has long since been canceled.
Bill Arnold
@Slugger:
Heatwave in Argentina
Heatwave in Australia
I know the southern hemisphere doesn’t count (unless icebreakers are stuck) because the constellation Orion is upside down among other silly reasons, but still, it’s something to consider.
slippytoad
@Violet:
I long ago made the observation that 99% of the “independents” who showed up in my neck of the Internet were Republicans suffering from embarrassment and butthurt after losing an election.
They were so over-the-top conservative and over-the-top fee-fee sensitive about being called a Republican, or being specifically identified as sharing a view with conservatives, I often would just laugh in their faces and say “really, really who do you think you are kidding here?”
I don’t know any former Democrats who now call themselves “independent.” I do see a lot of conservative phonies who start with this kind of construction: “I’ve been a loyal lifelong Democrat” which is not how liberals talk because political loyalty is not a value we share much, followed by some obviously-conservative observation that is meant to be a devastating self-criticism of liberalism. Which is actually almost always weak sauce and a bucket of worthless piss.
Bottom line: “Independent” means “Embarrassed refugee from Republican Party” to me.
NonyNony
@Violet:
That is unsurprising. Being a Republican or a Democrat means more than just that you hold certain opinions – it also means that you belong to a group. When you belong to a group in the modern day 21st century USA, your membership seems to mean that you condone everything done by that group. If you don’t, then your choices are to work hard to change the group from within, quit the group, or live with having to defend the good things Y the group does in the face of people asking you how you can be a part of a group that supports and condones X.
As an analogy – I know a lot of former Catholics who have left the Catholic church not because of crises of faith or because they object to church doctrine, but because of how the Church has handled child abuse cases. These folks haven’t stopped believing the things they believed before, they just refuse to belong to the Church as an organization.
I know a lot of Democratic voters like that as well – vote straight ticket Dem every election, but will balk if you call them a Democrat because they can’t support everything the Democratic Party does. And these days I know a lot of Republicans like that too. (I’m a Democrat and I hate the Democratic Party too – honestly, though, I think it’s part of the Democratic group identity to hate the Party and how it functions … or how it refuses to function in the case of the Ohio Democratic Party…)
scav
@shortstop: Nope, sickishness works too, but I wanted a little more zing in this particular rant. Rather a stone ground v. yellow mustard sort of decision: All depends on the exact sandwich, sides and mood
Paul in KY
@Bill E Pilgrim: Could have been a worse cover, IMO.
Cassidy
PSA: If you’re into Hong Kong action movies and open world video games, Sleeping Dogs is free on Xbox Live if you have a gold account.
Poopyman
Since it’s an OT, this warms the cockles of my heart:
But that’s not the cockle-warming part, this is:
Stand behind Daniel Spuck as he fights for the Stillers’ playoff hopes! Because really, standing in front of this guy would just be stupid.
slippytoad
@bemused:
I’ve been aware of this very unsavory aspect of Republicanism (and it seems to be 99% Republicanism, not a problem both parties have) for only a little while, but it does explain a lot about how they act.
The kind of person who self-selects for Republicanism clearly believes that they are 1. In charge. 2. Not to be questioned. 3. Lord God Himself.
This explains much of their arrogant, asshole attitude regarding guns, religion, and indeed almost everything I have a problem with Republicans about. Such as their idea that this isn’t really a democracy, my vote only counts if they say it does, and so on.
But, the point is these are very, very VERY insecure people who feel they must be constantly validated by everyone around them. I don’t know about y’all but “insecure and needing constant Mommying” is not my definition of the personality type I desire in a leader.
I would have been surprised, 10 years ago, to see this happen. After watching the god-awful shitwreck that was the Bush administration, and the number of foot-in-mouth blowups that happened because Bush was a pissant bully and surrounded himself with pissant bullies, I had gotten to the point where expecting a Republican to act like a little pissant who has gotten way too big for his britches, is just natural.
These people want that personality type, they usually ARE that personality type, and furthermore they feel 100% entitled to be that personality type, even after they’ve been repeatedly told no, that is now how adults act.
I don’t know what we as a society can do but I’ve got to tell you I’m so sick of the little pissants of this world. I can’t think of a thing that aggravates me more than these mediocre, small men and women who don’t know their place in this world — and think it is to lord it over the rest of us.
kc
@schrodinger’s cat:
Love!
Poopyman
By the way, does any network have a Junior White House Correspondent? because otherwise, being called Senior White House Correspondent would just be unnecessary and narcissistic.
And we know the networks would never do that.
Trollhattan
@Poopyman:
Definitely one of the best TDS riffs–every correspondent is “senior.”
Suffern ACE
@Poopyman: The promotion schedule is as follows:
White House Correspondent
Senior White House Correspondent
Supervising Senior White House Correspondent
White House Analyst
Senior White House Analyst
Supervising Senior White House Senior Analyst
Weekend Replacement Anchor
Gravenstone
@Slugger: In yesterdays Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the first LTE was a smug little two line ditty about how this cold snap totally disproved global warming. The next two LTE just happened to be long, thoughtful explanations about the difference between weather and climate, and how the polar vortex is totally consistent with current understanding of global climate change. I was frankly impressed that the editorial staff basically set Cletus T. Bumfuck up like that so the other writers could conveniently kick straigh through the uprights.
Bobby Thomson
TPM has the docs. They support the “Yes, there was a study, but the Governor’s people gloated about the inconvenience to Fort Lee and the Mayor” explanation.
bemused
@slippytoad:
When people take such heavy risks, totally ignore the ramifications or the thoughts they may have to pay for their actions and pay big down the line for minor gratifications, that is obsession in my book. Pissants with big psychological issues.
Gindy51
@Bill Arnold: It is so hot in Oz that bats are literally falling from the sky to die.
http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/533510/20140109/bats-drop-dead-australia-heat-wave-queensland.htm#.UtBZh7TfUjc
burnspbesq
@bemused:
That, pretty much. There is no rational explanation for this.
Richard Fox
I’m trying to decide if this is akin to “Night of the Long Knives” or the 8th Thermidor, year II. Since I rather liked Robespierre (in spots at least) I’ll go with that. Besides I DON’T like Godwin, so I’ll (neatly) avoid any reference to who know who..
Amir Khalid
@Poopyman:
@Trollhattan:
I reckon the title should be parsed as “reporter on the White House beat with the rank of senior correspondent”. You have to be quite senior to be assigned the White House beat, so there are no plain old “White House correspondents”. Also, you don’t want to be a “junior” correspondent to anything, because it makes people think of you as Jimmy Olsen.
Gindy51
@slippytoad: I’ve always said I am Independent. It means I don’t have the ease of just voting for a D or R. I have to THINK about who I vote for. In all the years I have voted, since 1972, I have not once voted for a Republican because according to my research on the candidate, they do not represent how I think the world should be nor do they give a crap about me as a middle class person.
Trollhattan
@Gindy51:
Wow, that’s horrible. I’ll guess you’re headed for a wildfire season to match that heat. Good luck!
More locally, we skirted the cold snap entirely, thanks, but at some continued cost.
http://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-blogs/clark/more-on-the-drought-the-numbers-are-frightening/21798188
burnspbesq
Presented without comment, because all three of my sisters went to the same high school as this fine upstanding public servant and there is nothing I can say about that that won’t get me in trouble at the next family gathering.
http://www.northjersey.com/columnists/Kelly_Image_of_former_Christie_aide_Bridget_Anne_Kelly_doesnt_fit_resume.html
Trollhattan
@Amir Khalid:
Jeff Gannon is on line 3.
Poopyman
@Amir Khalid: You just gave Jimmy-Jeff Guckert-Gannon a happy.
Ruckus
@scav:
I’m considering legal action as I’m one of the people affected. Was it incompetence? Was it stupidity? Not sure I give a crap which. My bank had to block my card and left me stranded with not enough cash in my pocket and no card to purchase food or gas.
kc
@Bobby Thomson:
Yes, though it is funny that everyone referred to the “test” in quotation marks throughout those emails.
And apparently it was “hasty” and “ill-conceived,” as Foye said in his letter telling them to knock it the fuck off. The word “unprecedented” may have appeared in there too (I just skimmed, need to re-read). Locals weren’t notified. It looks pretty thrown together. In other words, not a genuine, necessary test or study and done with very little advance planning and no coordination. Weird.
Now I see a (possible) political rationale for the closure, though: “See how it hurts when we cut off your access to toll lanes for a couple of days? Imagine how you’ll like it when we do that permanently. We’ll can manufacture a reason. Play ball or else.”
/wild speculation
LanceThruster
@Slugger:
Was sagst du?
Cervantes
@Corner Stone: Not to mention Christie’s private call to Cuomo a while ago, asking him to rein in the Port Authority’s investigation.
Did she mention that?
LanceThruster
At least Caribou Barbie never impeded her Bridge to Nowhere in an act of political retaliation.
Bible Spice ams gots some integrity!
Cervantes
@Just Some Fuckhead: Not sure about athletes and mathletes but Christie was in law school with that mayor of Fort Lee. (They were a year apart.)
catclub
@kc: Also, I realized all the references to DW were to David Wildstein.
Gravenstone
@kc: I realize those out here in the hinterlands of flyover country aren’t as “enlightened” as the East Coasters. That said, our DoT typically announces major changes and things that will impact large numbers of drivers (such as flow tests) weeks, if not months in advance. Is it any wonder then, that the GWB “test” seemed rather hasty and ill executed?
kc
@Gravenstone:
They do the same in SC, and that is one of the most striking things about this. Patrick Foye sounds furious about the lack of notice in his email shutting it down.
feebog
So it only took a month from Kelly’s email to Wildstein to concoct a bogus “study” and implement the retaliatory strike. What is curious to me is that a lot of midlevel type managers seemed to buy into this “study” without asking a lot of questions. I know the Port Authority is a big organization and I know that most of these guys were simply following instructions, but you would think that someone might have been a tad more curious. Just through the first few hundred pages posted at TPM, maybe something else will show up.
kc
Patrick Foye was pissed!
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/pat-foye-bridge-illegal
kc
@feebog:
you would think that someone might have been a tad more curious
I wonder if someone wasn’t more curious, and perhaps suspicious, and leaked to the WSJ that the thing was highly irregular.
Violet
@kc:
Somehow I read that as “medieval managers.” Heh.
Corner Stone
@kc: I think the most awesome thing about that email is he sent one email, one time, after a few phone calls. And the lanes were opened again.
Yet the fucking governor couldn’t be bothered to even call one person to ask, WTF?
That should put Christie in the hard place.
schrodinger's cat
@kc: Thanks!
Corner Stone
Foye sounds like a bad ass.
Jay C
@Gene108:
Kinda hard: NJ is one of those states where “machine politics” rules the place a little more so than elsewhere: supposedly, Big Chris was so obsessed with not just winning re-election, but winning by a landslide, that he based his campaign on a two-front strategy: one was to play up his post-Sandy heroics and pump his resultant “popularity” by a barrage of storm-related feel-good ads; the other was (more in keeping with Jersey politics) to work under-the-table deals with various Dem bosses: he wouldn’t mess with their pet projects or patronage; they’d jump on the Christie bandwagon, and make sure the opposition was poorly-supported.
It worked – but if Christie’s personal “popularity” takes a hit (and the Bridgeghazi shit is certainly chipping away at it), the Dems will probably scuttle away from him like medieval villagers when the lepers came to town: once his facade is shattered,and he’s shown to be the blowhard bully he is, he won’t have much leverage left save maybe a veto or two. And maybe not even that: once Christie’s dictatorial dickishness becomes the common meme, standing up to him can only made opposing pols look better by comparison.
kc
@Corner Stone:
Imagine those phone calls. “What the FUCK are you doing? WHO authorized this?”
Corner Stone
@kc: “You fucking FUCK! I’m gonna find you and rip your G-D BALLS OFF! You freakin’ make me look bad? No, now I’m gonna make you look DEAD!”
kc
@Corner Stone:
“I got your head in a fuckin’ vise. I’ll squash your head like a fuckin’ grapefruit if you don’t give me a name!”
kc
@kc:
Then again, maybe not. That’s just how I imagine everyone in New Jersey and New York talks . . .
Corner Stone
“Hey Bobbie, how about this? You open those *bleeepin* *bleep* lanes and then I won’t have to *bleep* your *bleepin* *bleep* *BLEEEP* tomorrow when I *bleepin* find you. How’s that *bleeeeepin* sound you *bleep* bleep* *BLEEEEEEP*!? Yeah, nice *bleepin* day to you too, you *bleep*. Love to the wife and kids, eh?”
kc
@Corner Stone:
The TNT version!
kc
@kc:
“Open those monkey-lovin lanes or I’ll crawl all up your melon-humpin’ butt and forget you like you never been forgot!”
“Forget you!”
“Forget me? Forget ME? No, forget YOU, mountain-climber!”
Betsy
@Hilfy: probably, in the form of licorice farts
Bobby Thomson
@kc: That explanation makes a lot more sense. A lot more sense.
Corner Stone
Ha! What a bunch of cocks. And not the good kind of Cocks.
“Robert Durando, the manager of the George Washington Bridge, received an email on Sept. 9, the first day of the lane closings, about a customer’s complaint that the Port Authority “doesn’t care about their customers and they are playing God with people’s jobs.”
The woman said her husband was 40 minutes late to a job that he had just gotten after being out of work for over a year.”
Corner Stone
That has to be a pen name.
Corner Stone
“By eliminating two of the toll lanes” dedicated to local traffic, “this traffic was forced to queue on local streets.”
Sonovabitch. Hoocoodanode?
gogol's wife
@Corner Stone:
Wasn’t he the hero of Pride and Prejudice?
kc
@kc:
Never mind, looks like some WSJ editors just got stuck in traffic and then started following up on some NJ newspaper stories . . .