Christie aide tied to "traffic problems" in Fort Lee

POSTED BY: ElvisChrist
UPDATED: Thursday, January 16, 2014 20:37
VIEWED: 8130
PAGE 1 of 1

ELVISCHRIST

Thursday, January 9, 2014 12:14 AM (P)

"Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee."

That's the e-mail from one of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's top aides to his friend and Port Authority director David Wildstien, who responded "Got it," before closing three lanes out of four on the George Washington bridge last summer, in what is being called political retaliation for the town's mayor not endorsing Christie's reelection bid.

Christie has repeatedly denied anyone connected with his campaign or his staff had any involvement with the closures, but the e-mails that were only released after being subpoenaed seem to tell a different story. The e-mail strings bring up things like "retaliation" against "Buono voters" in Fort Lee and point to a punitive action aimed at punishing the town for not endorsing Christie.

http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/christie-bridge-scandal-emails

NIKI2

Thursday, January 9, 2014 12:29 AM (P)

Yeah, I've seen this one everywhere. I'm not going to hold Christie accountable for something one of his aids did unless someone can show he knew about it and condoned it. Maybe I'm naïve, but he's just never struck me as that kind of guy. I wouldn't believe such a thing of McCain or a number of other Republicans either without some kind of connecting proof.

Now Michelle Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Ted Cruz and a number of others, I'd be less hesitant to be suspicious about "retaliation"...JMHO.

M52NICKERSON

Thursday, January 9, 2014 2:32 AM (P)

I tend to be with you on this one Niki. Christie does not seem like that kinda guy. It seems as if he is the type of person that would want to work with people who did not endorse him and change their minds.

I do not fear God, I fear the ignorance of man.

NIKI2

Thursday, January 9, 2014 6:35 AM (P)

Omigawd, this is dangerous...we're "The Left", remember? We're supposed to hate...I mean HATE...and revile, and mock, and want to kill, anyone even slightly on The Right...what's wrong with us??

MAL4PREZ

Thursday, January 9, 2014 7:01 AM (P)

I find it hard to believe that Christie knew nothing about this.

But let's be generous and say he didn't. That means he stood up and defended his staff who most certainly and intentionally did this thing, and he poo-poo'ed the accusers rather than taking the trouble to open his eyes and find out the truth.

I once came close to thinking that this could be a decent (though rough around the edges) guy. No more. I mean, ok, even if he means well, he is not an ethical leader of ethical people and he should not be in a leadership position.

Any way you look at it: 100% fail for Christie. It's all over for him. You can quote me in the predictions thread.

*-------------------------------------------------------------*
MAL4PREZ: Clearly [The Rap]'s doing nothing but trolling now.
STORYMARK: And not even cleverly.
RAPPY: [My trolling] did its job, did it not? Easiest marks in the 'verse.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=57146
*-------------------------------------------------------------*

NIKI2

Thursday, January 9, 2014 7:17 AM (P)

Well, to me he's no worse and in many ways far better than SO many out there. And whether it's true or not, he's speaking up:

Quote:
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) has acknowledged that the New Jersey bridge closing scandal has reached his office.

In a statement issued Wednesday afternoon, Christie responded to the revelation that one of his close aides discussed plans to close lanes on the George Washington Bridge last year.

“What I've seen today for the first time is unacceptable," Christie said. "I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge."

Christie, meanwhile, had in recent weeks dismissed the suggestion that the lane closures were a scandal, and made jokes about the idea that his office was involved. He adopted a very different tone in his statement on Wednesday, promising that "people will be held responsible for their actions.”

"One thing is clear: this type of behavior is unacceptable and I will not tolerate it because the people of New Jersey deserve better," Christie said.

Christie's statement was prompted by documents obtained Wednesday by TPM and other media outlets. One of the documents showed Bridget Anne Kelly, Christie's deputy chief of staff for legislative and intergovernmental affairs, emailing in August with David Wildstein, one of Christie's appointees to the Port Authority. (Wildstein announced his resignation from the Port Authority late last year.)

The documents are heavily redacted in parts, making it hard to tell if Kelly meant the traffic problems were the motivation for the closure, or whether she was anticipating the traffic as an effect of the order. http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/christie-statement-bridge

Considering the alternatives and the way the game is played in this country today, I'm not gonna throw Christie under the bus. Besides, if this does kill him, it's not hard to imagine that what would replace him will be far, far worse...

MAL4PREZ

Thursday, January 9, 2014 8:19 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
Considering the alternatives and the way the game is played in this country today, I'm not gonna throw Christie under the bus. Besides, if this does kill him, it's not hard to imagine that what would replace him will be far, far worse...

There is way too much use of this phrase: "thrown under the bus". That suggests that a completely innocent person was thrown right in the danger zone just so others could escape free and easy.

No matter, this claim does not apply is this case.

Christie is no innocent, not in any way this situation could be viewed. He's the boss. The buck stops with him. It is especially unpardonable that when the truth began to come out he did not even consider it. His response was belligerent. He tried to shove the blame onto the people who were the true victims: the Fort Lee politicians. He never once even consider that maybe something abusive had happened.

If this document release had never come out, he'd still be crowing the same old song he's had since it went down. He only came clean when he was caught and he had no choice.

At best, Christie is a blind/deaf/dumb bully. And that is truly the best scenario. I wonder what will come out when the redacted parts of these emails are sorted out, and even more details come to light...

*-------------------------------------------------------------*
MAL4PREZ: Clearly [The Rap]'s doing nothing but trolling now.
STORYMARK: And not even cleverly.
RAPPY: [My trolling] did its job, did it not? Easiest marks in the 'verse.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=57146
*-------------------------------------------------------------*

ELVISCHRIST

Thursday, January 9, 2014 12:17 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by MAL4PREZ:
Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
Considering the alternatives and the way the game is played in this country today, I'm not gonna throw Christie under the bus. Besides, if this does kill him, it's not hard to imagine that what would replace him will be far, far worse...

There is way too much use of this phrase: "thrown under the bus". That suggests that a completely innocent person was thrown right in the danger zone just so others could escape free and easy.

No matter, this claim does not apply is this case.

Christie is no innocent, not in any way this situation could be viewed. He's the boss. The buck stops with him. It is especially unpardonable that when the truth began to come out he did not even consider it. His response was belligerent. He tried to shove the blame onto the people who were the true victims: the Fort Lee politicians. He never once even consider that maybe something abusive had happened.

That's it exactly. He belittled those who asked him directly, made fun of them, acted like it was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard when it was asked if it *might* be political retaliation. And now it's been pretty conclusively shown to have gone directly through his office. He's got egg all over his face on this one.

AURAPTOR

Thursday, January 9, 2014 4:17 PM (P)

But Obama gets a pass from y'all on KNOWINGLY lying about O-Care ?

Huh.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

MAL4PREZ

Thursday, January 9, 2014 5:05 PM (P)

All right, whoever keeps farting just floated another one. Cut it out!

;)

*-------------------------------------------------------------*
MAL4PREZ: Clearly [The Rap]'s doing nothing but trolling now.
STORYMARK: And not even cleverly.
RAPPY: [My trolling] did its job, did it not? Easiest marks in the 'verse.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=57146
*-------------------------------------------------------------*

MAL4PREZ

Thursday, January 9, 2014 5:09 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by ElvisChrist:
That's it exactly. He belittled those who asked him directly, made fun of them, acted like it was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard when it was asked if it *might* be political retaliation. And now it's been pretty conclusively shown to have gone directly through his office. He's got egg all over his face on this one.

And I forgot about his cattiness with the three lanes thing. What he said about one town having three lanes and that gets him sauced. Really? Even if the emails hadn't come out, that quote shows something pretty bitchy about his mentality.

*-------------------------------------------------------------*
MAL4PREZ: Clearly [The Rap]'s doing nothing but trolling now.
STORYMARK: And not even cleverly.
RAPPY: [My trolling] did its job, did it not? Easiest marks in the 'verse.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=57146
*-------------------------------------------------------------*

NEWOLDBROWNCOAT

Thursday, January 9, 2014 9:27 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by MAL4PREZ:
I find it hard to believe that Christie knew nothing about this.

But let's be generous and say he didn't. That means he stood up and defended his staff who most certainly and intentionally did this thing, and he poo-poo'ed the accusers rather than taking the trouble to open his eyes and find out the truth.

I once came close to thinking that this could be a decent (though rough around the edges) guy. No more. I mean, ok, even if he means well, he is not an ethical leader of ethical people and he should not be in a leadership position.

Any way you look at it: 100% fail for Christie. It's all over for him. You can quote me in the predictions thread.

What he said.

And remember this one-- every time Obama comes to L A the local TV stations discuss in loving detail ALL the freeway and street closures, with an implied, "this is all OBAMA's fault." Ne'mind that it was at the recommendation of the Secret Service or the local cops.

Or the "IRS scandal"-- remember, that was ALL Obama's doing, or certainly ALL his fault, ALL his intention.

SO let's blame an incidental consequence on Obama, but not the deliberate malicious act of a subordinate on Christie.

Seems like " the buck don't stop there."

BTW, I like Christie too, myself. But if he isn't gonna identify who is responsible, and clobber that guy, that makes him an accomplice, at least. How 'bout we hold him to the same standard Obama is held to by The Right?

AURAPTOR

Thursday, January 9, 2014 9:33 PM (P)

Using the IRS to harass & target political rivals , ala Lois Lerner & the tea party patriot groups, not a problem for some. But closed traffic lanes?? Bloody murder!!

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

ELVISCHRIST

Thursday, January 9, 2014 10:07 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by NewOldBrownCoat:
Quote:
Originally posted by MAL4PREZ:
I find it hard to believe that Christie knew nothing about this.

But let's be generous and say he didn't. That means he stood up and defended his staff who most certainly and intentionally did this thing, and he poo-poo'ed the accusers rather than taking the trouble to open his eyes and find out the truth.

I once came close to thinking that this could be a decent (though rough around the edges) guy. No more. I mean, ok, even if he means well, he is not an ethical leader of ethical people and he should not be in a leadership position.

Any way you look at it: 100% fail for Christie. It's all over for him. You can quote me in the predictions thread.

What he said.

And remember this one-- every time Obama comes to L A the local TV stations discuss in loving detail ALL the freeway and street closures, with an implied, "this is all OBAMA's fault." Ne'mind that it was at the recommendation of the Secret Service or the local cops.

Or the "IRS scandal"-- remember, that was ALL Obama's doing, or certainly ALL his fault, ALL his intention.

SO let's blame an incidental consequence on Obama, but not the deliberate malicious act of a subordinate on Christie.

Seems like " the buck don't stop there."

BTW, I like Christie too, myself. But if he isn't gonna identify who is responsible, and clobber that guy, that makes him an accomplice, at least. How 'bout we hold him to the same standard Obama is held to by The Right?

Also, remember that Obama was personally responsible for setting all the security measures at every U.S. embassy and consulate, and personally set the work schedules for them and personally phoned individual security personnel and ordered them to stand down.

Oh, and he personally sold weapons at gun shows to Mexicans and didn't do background checks.

Christie says this isn't the kind of atmosphere he's fostered in the governor's office. Anyone who has ever sat through one of his shouting tirades aimed at teachers and reporters knows that he's lying when he makes that assertion.

In response to a death that occurred during the lane closures: "It doesn't matter." Wow. What would people say if someone said something like that about a death on Obama's watch?

AURAPTOR

Thursday, January 9, 2014 10:44 PM (P)

Christie's apology speech is lasting longer than the lanes were closed down. At least he's fired someone for lying to him. Unlike what Obama did, per OCare or the closing of the WW2 memorial. ( done so at the direction of the WH, specifically to hurt the people. )

If Christie knew, then he's no better than Obama, and should easily win 2 terms when he runs for President.

Right?

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

STORYMARK

Thursday, January 9, 2014 11:11 PM (P)

"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

NIKI2

Thursday, January 9, 2014 11:23 PM (P)

Yeah, and Obama PERSONALLY closed down all the national parks, you betcha...

But no, I choose NOT to think/talk/behave like them, thank you.

Update:

Quote:
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday said he was "embarrassed and humiliated" by the conduct of "some people on my team" over an unfolding political scandal, saying he knew nothing of their activities to apparently punish a local mayor by creating traffic jams in and around his community.

Christie, who apologized to the town of Fort Lee and the residents of the state at a nearly two-hour news conference in Trenton, said he fired a senior aide at the center of the uproar involving the alleged abuse of authority that political commentators suggest could mean bigger problems for the potential Republican presidential candidate in 2016.

"I am stunned by the abject stupidity that was shown here regardless of what the facts ultimately uncover. This was handled in a callous and indifferent way," he told reporters the orchestration of traffic jams near the George Washington Bridge through a transportation agency, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

Christie asked anyone with knowledge of the incident -- which exploded with the release of e-mails between top Christie aides on Wednesday -- that affected Fort Lee residents, commuters, and apparently public safety over several days in September to come forward with information.

"I am responsible for what happens under my watch -- the good and the bad," he said. http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/09/politics/christie-bridge/index.html?hpt=
hp_t1]

STORYMARK

Thursday, January 9, 2014 11:26 PM (P)

Interesting how he spent "two sleepless nights" thinking about how to deal with this, which he supposedly found out about yesterday.

"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

NIKI2

Thursday, January 9, 2014 11:45 PM (P)

Looks like the feeding frenzy is on FOR THE RIGHT:

In an effort to come up with a name for the scandal surrounding last year's lane closures at the George Washington Bridge, a fan of the apocalyptic right-wing pundit Glenn Beck offered an idea that was inspired by Christie's weight:

Quote:
#fatandfurious new name for Chrissy scandal on the gb program blaze tv. Came from a listener named mason! https://twitter.com/intent/user?original_referer=http%3A%2F%2Ftalkingp
ointsmemo.com%2Flivewire%2Fglenn-beck-chris-christie-bridge-scandal-fat-and-furious&screen_name=glennbeck&tw_i=421295799692034050&tw_p=tweetembed]

It got better, as Beck tried his best to turn #FatandFurious into a meme:

ELVISCHRIST

Thursday, January 9, 2014 11:52 PM (P)

I'm going to reach across the aisle and join with my conservative rivals in calling for Christie's immediate impeachment. I'm 100% certain that they will be calling for such measures, since it's clear there was a scandal, a cover-up, and several lies involved here, and people were definitely hurt in the process.

Or maybe those rules only apply if the person in charge is... black?

WHOZIT

Friday, January 10, 2014 1:18 AM (P)

Poor Chris, he's pissed off EVERYBODY so now NOBODY will come to his aid...sad

MAL4PREZ

Friday, January 10, 2014 1:23 AM (P)

Hey whoooooooooooooozit.....

      /       \
     | *  Y    |
      \__ | __/

                * waiting for your kiss!

*-------------------------------------------------------------*
MAL4PREZ: Clearly [The Rap]'s doing nothing but trolling now.
STORYMARK: And not even cleverly.
RAPPY: [My trolling] did its job, did it not? Easiest marks in the 'verse.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=57146
*-------------------------------------------------------------*

WHOZIT

Friday, January 10, 2014 1:31 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by MAL4PREZ:
Hey whoooooooooooooozit.....

      /       \
     | *  Y    |
      \__ | __/

                * waiting for your kiss!

*-------------------------------------------------------------*
MAL4PREZ: Clearly [The Rap]'s doing nothing but trolling now.
STORYMARK: And not even cleverly.
RAPPY: [My trolling] did its job, did it not? Easiest marks in the 'verse.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=57146
*-------------------------------------------------------------*

Is that a pimple on your fat ass?

STORYMARK

Friday, January 10, 2014 1:57 AM (P)

Not man enough to keep your word, eh zit?

Its okay - we knew already.

"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

MAL4PREZ

Friday, January 10, 2014 2:14 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Storymark:
Not man enough to keep your word, eh zit?

Its okay - we knew already.

And note that this is the first time he didn't hide from my reminder. He replied because he finally came up with an insult. Usually it doesn't take the zit so long...

Speaking of which: No, that's not a zit on my very fine ass, it's a pair of zit lips LOL!

*-------------------------------------------------------------*
MAL4PREZ: Clearly [The Rap]'s doing nothing but trolling now.
STORYMARK: And not even cleverly.
RAPPY: [My trolling] did its job, did it not? Easiest marks in the 'verse.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=57146
*-------------------------------------------------------------*

FREMDFIRMA

Friday, January 10, 2014 2:29 AM (P)

And now, you BEGIN to understand why I want reliable people in place, for when it all starts to go to hell for them, and those reliable people can interpose themselves between any Big-Red-Buttons and the powers that be.

Because they would, absolutely, turn this country into a radioactive wasteland rather than see it in any hands but their own.

-F

WHOZIT

Friday, January 10, 2014 3:40 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by FREMDFIRMA:

And now, you BEGIN to understand why I want reliable people in place, for when it all starts to go to hell for them, and those reliable people can interpose themselves between any Big-Red-Buttons and the powers that be.

Because they would, absolutely, turn this country into a radioactive wasteland rather than see it in any hands but their own.

-F

The only Prez to push the big red button was Truman, a Democrat. He pushed it twice.

WHOZIT

Friday, January 10, 2014 3:50 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by whozit:
Quote:
Originally posted by FREMDFIRMA:

And now, you BEGIN to understand why I want reliable people in place, for when it all starts to go to hell for them, and those reliable people can interpose themselves between any Big-Red-Buttons and the powers that be.

Because they would, absolutely, turn this country into a radioactive wasteland rather than see it in any hands but their own.

-F

The only Prez to push the big red button was Truman, a Democrat. He pushed it twice.

OH AND NEVER FORGET! Doctor Who loves to push big red buttons...it's a fact.

AURAPTOR

Friday, January 10, 2014 4:23 AM (P)

On the one hand, it sure seems that this sort of retribution politics stuff has gone on before now. One short sentence, one brief reply, and wham-o, we have a bridge all but closed down. I wonder what other e-trails will be followed up and if these sorts of shenanigans have occurred before now.

On the flip side... Benghazi - not a scandal. Fast and Furious - not a scandal. IRS targeting - not a scandal. Selected shut down of govt services - not a scandal...

close a few lanes ? HUGE NATIONAL SCANDAL!!!!!!

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

NIKI2

Friday, January 10, 2014 10:25 AM (P)

The new stuff about Chris Christie and Supreme Court Justices John E. Wallace Jr. and Helen Hoens has me wondering...

ELVISCHRIST

Friday, January 10, 2014 12:18 PM (P)

I have to wonder if any of those who think Obama should be impeached for [insert "scandal" of your choice here] believe that Christie is now unworthy of the office. Would they vote for him for President?

I think I can safely say that in light of the various scandals surrounding President Obama, I will never again vote for him for President.

Anyone willing to make the same pledge regarding Christie?

ELVISCHRIST

Friday, January 10, 2014 12:31 PM (P)

Also hilarious is the kind of amateur pettiness involved, and the idea that these morons were communicating back and forth via G-mail, as if they thought that would protect them from their e-mails being subject to public records laws.

Say what you want about Obama, believe what you will, but nobody has ever turned up the "smoking gun" communication - e-mail, memo, letter, directive, etc. - that puts the order to do any of this kind of stuff coming from him, or even coming out of his office through a deputy chief of staff. There is no "time for some security problems in Benghazi!" e-mail or any "they're Romney voters" memos coming from the White House to the State Department or the IRS.

ELVISCHRIST

Friday, January 10, 2014 1:58 PM (P)

Seems legit.

AURAPTOR

Friday, January 10, 2014 2:03 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by ElvisChrist:
I have to wonder if any of those who think Obama should be impeached for [insert "scandal" of your choice here] believe that Christie is now unworthy of the office. Would they vote for him for President?

Running against Hilary? I suppose so.

Quote:

I think I can safely say that in light of the various scandals surrounding President Obama, I will never again vote for him for President.

Anyone willing to make the same pledge regarding Christie?

I know of 1 minor " scandal" involving Christie's office. He fired 2 folks involved, and answered every question asked of him, up front, for 2 hours, with no script.

This puts him light years ahead of anything Obama's done in response to HIS actual scandals.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

ELVISCHRIST

Friday, January 10, 2014 2:10 PM (P)

8 videos of Christie not being a bully:

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2014/01/chris-christie-bullying-videos

NIKI2

Friday, January 10, 2014 7:42 PM (P)

EC, yeah, what struck me (once I started paying attention to it) was "how stupid can you get??" Whatever the reason behind it, what they did was so amazingly moronic, brainless and idiotic, one wonders how anyone could BE that stupid. Also that anyone has that much power.

Which still doesn't make me think Christie had anything to do with it; I may not like a lot of things about the guy, but I've never thought of him as stupid. And EC, nobody HAS come up with any e-mails connecting Christie, and I doubt they ever will. I haven't read yet just how "close to the top" this staffer was, do you know?

Whatever the REASON was behind it, whether someone was pissed off about the endorsement thing (which just doesn't seem reasonable, after all I've read) or it's that other thing, until I see some facts saying otherwise, it seems to me some idiot(s) got all pissed off about something and went for retribution. Okay; why has only one other person been fired? Surely it took more than one person to coordinate this, and obviously at least one other person KNEW what they were going to do...?

But what I'd really like to know is why Christie chose to go against all historical precedent in the John Wallace thing. I can't believe it's just because he was the only Black justice, surely there has to be more to it than that. And the "game" he and the Dems played makes me sick, it's so typical of the political bullshit people in power play and the "animal" thing pisses me off. I'd love to know what started all this, and given the timing and Christie going off the rails the way he did the day before the lane closure, all this makes more sense as the "reason" behind the "retribution" than the endorsement thing does.

I noticed Christie said he didn't ask the staffer her reason for doing what she did, that he's not interested. Well, if it IS connected to the Wallace/Hoens bullshit, it would make sense he wouldn't want to know, wouldn't want anyone paying attention to all that; open up a whole new can of worms 99.99% of us never knew about which also doesn't make him look real good. He railed on and on for two hours, but he never did answer that question, which for me is a real important one…in fact he specifically AVOIDED asking the question himself, which seems to me the first thing anyone would ask: "WHY the hell…???"

I find it amusing that our Local Troll insinuates that the IRS thing and Fast & Furious (he neglected to mention the NSA thing) "weren't" considered scandals…that sinks to about the same level of stupidity as the lane closure itself. Of course they were, and just like Christie, Obama wasn't involved. I don't consider Benghazi anything but something really awful that happens in wars, just like all the times it happened under Bush…if it wasn't a scandal then, it's not one now. But to pretend there's anyone anywhere who doesn't view the IRS, NSA and Fast & Furious bullshit as scandals, what a joke! But then, we expect no different…

So yeah, I want some answers...but not to the questions they're asking, and I'm waiting, Darrell...

BIGDAMNNOBODY

Friday, January 10, 2014 8:30 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by ElvisChrist:
I think I can safely say that in light of the various scandals surrounding President Obama, I will never again vote for him for President.

Anyone willing to make the same pledge regarding Christie?

Way to go EC! Declare not to vote for the guy that can no longer run! You are a shining example of principles that we should all follow.

SHINYGOODGUY

Friday, January 10, 2014 9:25 PM (P)

Where do I start. Let me say this, that I seriously, seriously doubt Christie (a very much hands-on kind of Governor, knew nothing or at least had an inkling of his staffs goings on).

Notice I used seriously twice in the above paragraph, that's to show how serious I am about my doubts regarding Christie's responsibilities, given his characteristics prior to this scandal. In other words, he has shown that, throughout his tenure as governor, he is a man that takes bullish action come hell or high water. Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead!

I don't believe a word coming out of his mouth. There, I said it.

I'm going to list my thoughts rather than submit a barrage of comments:

Item:

1. Personal opinion - he strikes me as a man who is in control of every aspect of his office; if a mouse farts in his office, he wants to know about it because it's his show

2. Observation - funny how he was in total seclusion on Wednesday when the e-mails were released. He only released a written statement; the notorious camera-hungry news whore was conspicuously AWOL from the media. He's normally not a camera shy wallflower.

3. Demeanor - during the news conference he was quite subdued and contrite. It appeared to me that he was not outraged, but seemed to behave more like someone squirming on the hook. He read a scripted response at first, then he answered questions more as a defense attorney than as an outraged Governor. Does anyone get the feeling that this man can be duped? Does anyone get the feeling that he doesn't micro-manage his office and maintain a tight leash on his staff. El Generalisimo has spoken.

4. State Senator Loretta Weinberg - who's district includes Fort Lee, has been targeted by Christie himself due to political opposition to his ramrod ways. She posed a rather interesting question, which, by the way, I also thought to be an unanswered question: Why, when his two top political appointees resigned amid controversy regarding the lane closures, didn't he take a serious look into why they resigned. They resigned sometime in early December, don't you think that they would have given Christie the heads up when they were called to testify before the committee. After all, he did appoint them.

She said, how can he claim no knowledge of the scandal until Wednesday morning at 8:50 a.m., when it was covered by major media outlets, including newspapers for a period of some 4 months. Someone on his staff must read the papers and check the news to keep him current, otherwise he'd look like a fool (no stretch there) when talking to the media and his constituents.

Good point. Does Christie strike you guys as a fool? A man easily duped?

To me, if this was over a Stop sign in the Fort Lee area, I would consider it beneath the governor's undivided attention. But we're talking about the World's busiest bridge, that millions use, including commercial interests, as well as life-preserving EMTs. His response, to joke about placing cones in the lanes in disguise. Why didn't he ask the Traffic Commission to look into the matter and get to the bottom of the "traffic study" that didn't exist?

These, once again, are two of his appointees for crying out loud.

Senator Weinberg also brought up another interesting point. The initial e-mail: "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee," and the response "Got it." The e-mail, she says, meant something to Wildstein. How else would he know to respond in such a manner. This had to be pre-planned and the signal was given. Ask yourself, did Bridget Anne Kelly get up the morning of August 13th and suddenly decide to stir up trouble for Fort Lee residents?

Fort Lee Mayor Sokolich, did not recall ever being approached for his endorsement. To me, he's just a pawn in this whole sordid affair. Every talking head and political analyst have been hard pressed to figure out the stupidity of this move. There is a theory, being floated by Rachel Maddow, that it has to do with Senator

AURAPTOR

Friday, January 10, 2014 9:41 PM (P)

Benghazi IS 1000 x worse than this, but that doesn't mean this is a 'nothing'issue. it's ugly, petty and should down right infuriate every American who has to put up with this crap from our elected PUBLIC SERVANTS.

They're not our lords and masters.

I don't know if there'll be another shoe to drop or not, but as of now, Gov Christie has done more to address the situation than Obama has in ALL the other true scandals - combined.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

ELVISCHRIST

Friday, January 10, 2014 10:02 PM (P)

I am waiting for Congress to call hearings on the federal level. This is a federal matter, since it has to do with disrupting interstate commerce. Expect more subpoenas and more facts to come to light.

Also, expect right-wingers to completely gloss over this whole mess.

AURAPTOR

Friday, January 10, 2014 10:05 PM (P)

2 fired already. How many fired over Benghazi ? Fast and Furious ? IRS ?

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

SHINYGOODGUY

Friday, January 10, 2014 10:12 PM (P)

I agree with you on that. Let's say we believe he knew nothing (doubtful), then it would appear this guy has no control over the staff in his office and that there's no accountability, either on he or his staff.

That doesn't bode well for his national aspirations (and they call Obama irresponsible and lacking in leadership). In his state he has the busiest bridge in the world, if anything negative went down on that bridge then it would have a negative affect on his administration. Instead of joking and ridiculing a town within his jurisdiction, he should have called for an immediate investigation into the matter. No matter who actually started the ball rolling.

If he doesn't see that, then how could he be expected to run a country and respond appropriately to both domestic and international crisis.

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by MAL4PREZ:
I find it hard to believe that Christie knew nothing about this.

But let's be generous and say he didn't. That means he stood up and defended his staff who most certainly and intentionally did this thing, and he poo-poo'ed the accusers rather than taking the trouble to open his eyes and find out the truth.

I once came close to thinking that this could be a decent (though rough around the edges) guy. No more. I mean, ok, even if he means well, he is not an ethical leader of ethical people and he should not be in a leadership position.

Any way you look at it: 100% fail for Christie. It's all over for him. You can quote me in the predictions thread.

*-------------------------------------------------------------*
MAL4PREZ: Clearly [The Rap]'s doing nothing but trolling now.
STORYMARK: And not even cleverly.
RAPPY: [My trolling] did its job, did it not? Easiest marks in the 'verse.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=57146
*-------------------------------------------------------------*

NIKI2

Friday, January 10, 2014 10:24 PM (P)

Okay Shiny, you made some very valid points. We may never know all the answers, but I'd sure like some.

1. I haven't followed Christie that closely, so I bow to your opinion, which I admit corresponds to what little I DO know about him.

2. There we disagree; I find it perfectly consistent for a politician to keep a low profile in order to meet with his people and figure out how to respond to something like this.

3. While I find his demeanor not surprising (and politically pretty astute), I was struck with a different impression: that he talked and talked and talked, while never addressing a major, salient point ("Why?"). For a normally garrulous person, it seems to me an effective way to look like you're taking responsibility, while at the same time not addressing a major point. What surprised me was his great amount of detail as to why the endorsement didn't make sense as the answer...surely he would realize that if he shows that, people are going to look around for what IS the answer?

4. "...has been targeted by Christie himself..." -- So there's been trouble there before? That lends weight to some of what's been speculated. "Why, when his two top political appointees resigned amid controversy regarding the lane closures, didn't he take a serious look into why they resigned." Another salient point, which I didn't know about. I admit, I haven't delved into this in depth until now, so I've probably missed some stuff…but along with "why did you do it?", "why did you resign?" might have been a very pertinent question for him to have asked. Of course, given the fubar of the lane closure, the screw-up alone WOULD have been sufficient reason to resign, but if Christie micro-manages as much as you and others indicate, one would have thought he'd have asked.

The reeeeely bigger question, for me, tho', remains "Why did you do it?" --which question Christie says clearly he doesn't care about. That's a pretty amazing statement, to me!

Did he actually "claim no knowledge of the scandal until Wednesday morning at 8:50 a.m"? I've been seeing it around the news for ages, I can't imagine him having claimed that…unless you mean he claimed no knowledge that it WAS a "scandal" until then… That, then, goes back to him not being directly involved, about which I'm still on the fence.

"Why didn't he ask the Traffic Commission to look into the matter and get to the bottom of the "traffic study" that didn't exist?" I'm still on the fence in that this might well be something a GOVERNOR might ignore, given traffic snafus, even huge ones, happen daily, as to snafus by traffic managers. Here I look to what even someone who hasn't followed him closely recognizes as a very big ego who might well be willing to ignore "traffic problems" as beneath his attention. Mind I say MIGHT.

"This had to be pre-planned and the signal was given." Obviously it was pre-planned; obviously there were more than two people involved. I don't know enough about the specifics to know if anyone beyond those two people had to know it was anything underhanded, nor how much planning and time would have had to go into it. If it's possible it could have been put together in a day or so by just a couple of people, and the people in question knew what Christie was going to do about Justice Helen Hoens the day before, I can see two or three (pretty stupid) people feeling powerful enough to do what they did, being pissed off enough about the whole Wallace/Hoens/Democrats thing to decide to do it on their own. I guess the major reason I don't see Christie as being behind it personally is it was SO stupid, SO obvious, and caused SUCH a huge mess that surely someone was going to look into it eventually…

I hadn't caught that Weinberg is a member of the Judic

ELVISCHRIST

Friday, January 10, 2014 10:30 PM (P)

Did someone hear a troll?

http://www.fart-sounds.net/fart_sound_board.htm

SHINYGOODGUY

Friday, January 10, 2014 10:31 PM (P)

Insulting and belittling is his M.O. Imagine him running the country and scoffing at the state of Georgia, or Virginia or even New York. How would that play out in the world stage? What would his presidency consist of?

No, he's done.

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by MAL4PREZ:
Quote:
Originally posted by ElvisChrist:
That's it exactly. He belittled those who asked him directly, made fun of them, acted like it was the stupidest thing he'd ever heard when it was asked if it *might* be political retaliation. And now it's been pretty conclusively shown to have gone directly through his office. He's got egg all over his face on this one.

And I forgot about his cattiness with the three lanes thing. What he said about one town having three lanes and that gets him sauced. Really? Even if the emails hadn't come out, that quote shows something pretty bitchy about his mentality.

*-------------------------------------------------------------*
MAL4PREZ: Clearly [The Rap]'s doing nothing but trolling now.
STORYMARK: And not even cleverly.
RAPPY: [My trolling] did its job, did it not? Easiest marks in the 'verse.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=57146
*-------------------------------------------------------------*

SHINYGOODGUY

Friday, January 10, 2014 10:32 PM (P)

What!?

You've got to be kidding me? That is a huge leap, even for you?

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:

But Obama gets a pass from y'all on KNOWINGLY lying about O-Care ?

Huh.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

SHINYGOODGUY

Friday, January 10, 2014 10:34 PM (P)

Right!

Quote:
Originally posted by NewOldBrownCoat:
Quote:
Originally posted by MAL4PREZ:
I find it hard to believe that Christie knew nothing about this.

But let's be generous and say he didn't. That means he stood up and defended his staff who most certainly and intentionally did this thing, and he poo-poo'ed the accusers rather than taking the trouble to open his eyes and find out the truth.

I once came close to thinking that this could be a decent (though rough around the edges) guy. No more. I mean, ok, even if he means well, he is not an ethical leader of ethical people and he should not be in a leadership position.

Any way you look at it: 100% fail for Christie. It's all over for him. You can quote me in the predictions thread.

What he said.

And remember this one-- every time Obama comes to L A the local TV stations discuss in loving detail ALL the freeway and street closures, with an implied, "this is all OBAMA's fault." Ne'mind that it was at the recommendation of the Secret Service or the local cops.

Or the "IRS scandal"-- remember, that was ALL Obama's doing, or certainly ALL his fault, ALL his intention.

SO let's blame an incidental consequence on Obama, but not the deliberate malicious act of a subordinate on Christie.

Seems like " the buck don't stop there."

BTW, I like Christie too, myself. But if he isn't gonna identify who is responsible, and clobber that guy, that makes him an accomplice, at least. How 'bout we hold him to the same standard Obama is held to by The Right?

STORYMARK

Friday, January 10, 2014 10:42 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by BIGDAMNNOBODY:
Quote:
Originally posted by ElvisChrist:
I think I can safely say that in light of the various scandals surrounding President Obama, I will never again vote for him for President.

Anyone willing to make the same pledge regarding Christie?

Way to go EC! Declare not to vote for the guy that can no longer run! You are a shining example of principles that we should all follow.

Good thing you're so ahead of the curse.

"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

STORYMARK

Friday, January 10, 2014 10:44 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
What!?

You've got to be kidding me? That is a huge leap, even for you?

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:

But Obama gets a pass from y'all on KNOWINGLY lying about O-Care ?

Huh.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

The warm, wet one has been increasingly desperate in his attention seeking. Don't buy in.

"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

SHINYGOODGUY

Friday, January 10, 2014 10:46 PM (P)

Yep, that was strange. This is a man who loves hamming it up for the news cameras. He certainly took his sweet time calling for a press conference and "firing" those responsible, merely because they lied to him. What about possible criminal implications, violation of state laws, etc.

What about all those people in Fort Lee and people of NY (those commuting into NJ)? Also, he called for a press conference exactly at the time his "friend" Wildstein was to testify before the State Transportation committee. Curious, isn't it?

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by Storymark:
Interesting how he spent "two sleepless nights" thinking about how to deal with this, which he supposedly found out about yesterday.

"Goram it kid, let's frak this thing and go home! Engage!"

NIKI2

Friday, January 10, 2014 10:49 PM (P)

Well, it's a beginning:

Quote:
As Christie apologized publicly for the abrupt lane closings seemingly ordered by some of his staff, and which he said he did not know about beforehand, the office of the U.S. Attorney in New Jersey said it was launching an investigation. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/09/us-usa-newjersey-bridge-chri
stie-idUSBREA080MB20140109

SHINYGOODGUY

Friday, January 10, 2014 10:53 PM (P)

There was a script he was reading from at the beginning of his Presser.

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
Quote:
Originally posted by ElvisChrist:
I have to wonder if any of those who think Obama should be impeached for [insert "scandal" of your choice here] believe that Christie is now unworthy of the office. Would they vote for him for President?

Running against Hilary? I suppose so.

Quote:

I think I can safely say that in light of the various scandals surrounding President Obama, I will never again vote for him for President.

Anyone willing to make the same pledge regarding Christie?

I know of 1 minor " scandal" involving Christie's office. He fired 2 folks involved, and answered every question asked of him, up front, for 2 hours, with no script.

This puts him light years ahead of anything Obama's done in response to HIS actual scandals.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

MAL4PREZ

Friday, January 10, 2014 11:04 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
Well, it's a beginning:
Quote:
As Christie apologized publicly for the abrupt lane closings seemingly ordered by some of his staff, and which he said he did not know about beforehand, the office of the U.S. Attorney in New Jersey said it was launching an investigation. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/09/us-usa-newjersey-bridge-chri
stie-idUSBREA080MB20140109

I didn't watch it, but all the quotes have seen are lacking in two basic words: "I'm sorry." Does anyone know if he actually uttered such a thing?

All I've seen is a bully trying very hard to paint himself as the victim, which is what bullies do.

(BTW Niki - I've found that quoted html addresses always need a return after them to make formatting work all right. Like when I quote your post. Just sayin.

)

*-------------------------------------------------------------*
MAL4PREZ: Clearly [The Rap]'s doing nothing but trolling now.
STORYMARK: And not even cleverly.
RAPPY: [My trolling] did its job, did it not? Easiest marks in the 'verse.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=57146
*-------------------------------------------------------------*

MAL4PREZ

Friday, January 10, 2014 11:08 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
There was a script he was reading from at the beginning of his Presser.

Shiny, please:

We've been making progress with this. Don't open the door and let it back in!

*-------------------------------------------------------------*
MAL4PREZ: Clearly [The Rap]'s doing nothing but trolling now.
STORYMARK: And not even cleverly.
RAPPY: [My trolling] did its job, did it not? Easiest marks in the 'verse.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=57146
*-------------------------------------------------------------*

NIKI2

Friday, January 10, 2014 11:17 PM (P)

I can't find anywhere that he said specifically "I'm sorry". He said "I apologize" and a lot of other things. From the transcripts I'm finding, it actually looks like he's far more upset about

Looks like some are picking up on some of the same questions we are:

Quote:
•How did Christie not know? There were 117 days between when the Bridgegate story broke and when the governor learned that one of his Deputy Chiefs of Staff, Bridget Kelly, had called for the lane closures. One of his close confidants whom he just selected to run the New Jersey Republican Party, Bill Stepien, is also implicated. Despite the fact that increasing national attention was being paid to this story through the fall, Christie — who has a background as an aggressive prosecutor! — had no idea some of his closest allies were involved. Why was he so oblivious? Christie has been reduced to insisting that his staff has been out to control and lying to him about what they're doing. That's not an ideal talking point to have to lean on.

•Why would Christie's appointees have thought this was a good idea? Politicians survive scandals of staff misbehavior all the time. But in this instance, the misbehavior was conducted on Christie's behalf, in order to execute a political strategy to benefit the governor. How did Christie create a culture in which his appointees in his administration and at the Port Authority would get together and assume this was something the governor would want them to do?

•Why didn't anybody narc on Bridget Kelly? The governor says Kelly lied to him and said she had no involvement in the bridge lane closures. But Kelly wasn't the only person who knew Kelly was involved. In August, she emailed David Wildstein, Port Authority Director of Interstate Capital Projects: "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." Wouldn't Wildstein have told the governor, in the process of tendering his resignation, that Kelly had told him to do it? Bill Baroni, Christie's top appointee at the Port Authority, was also checking in with Wildstein about whether "Trenton" was happy with the handling of the closures. Why didn't Baroni tell the governor his staff had known?

•When did Christie really learn about his staff's involvement? Christie described discovering the story in the Bergen Record yesterday morning after his workout. But he also said he hasn't slept well "the last two nights" because of his soul searching. If Christie didn't know about this story until Wednesday morning, why did it cause him to lose sleep on Tuesday night? http://www.businessinsider.com/four-uncomfortable-questions-from-chris
ties-press-conference-2014-1#ixzz2q1KPBNPi]

He has said:

Quote:
At the news conference, Christie said he planned to go to Fort Lee on Thursday to apologize to Mayor Mark Sokolich in person. Sokolich accepted Christie’s news-conference apology but urged the governor to delay his visit, saying he suspects the whole story has yet to come out. http://www.thedailyjournal.com/viewart/20140109/NEWS01/301090039/Chris
tie-m-sorry-U-S-Attorney-launches-probe]

I think Sokolich has a good point....

Also, I'm getting the same impression from what I'm reading/hearing of Christie's statements as this:

Quote:
Christie focused repeatedly not on the lane closings themselves but on how upset he was that his staff didn’t tell him the truth when asked, saying he was “heartbroken” and “betrayed” by his tight-knit circle of advisers. He said he saw the emails and text messages for the first time on Wednesday, and was “blindsided” by what he read.

“What did I do wrong to have these folks think it was OK to lie to me?” he asked. http://www.thedailyjournal.com/viewart/20140109/NEWS01/301090039/Chris
tie-m-sorry-U-S-Attorney-launches-probe

Not "what did I do wrong to make these people think I'd want them to do such an insane

NIKI2

Friday, January 10, 2014 11:28 PM (P)

Quote:
BTW Niki - I've found that quoted html addresses always need a return after them to make formatting work all right."

... Oooo, ooo, ooo, I may owe you a BIG BIG "thank you", Magons, if that's true. I've been trying to figure this out forEVER!!

I found this take on Christie's apology-athon interesting (and no, I still can't find anywhere that he actually said the words "I'm sorry", and I'm going to quit looking..."I apologize" is close enough for me).

Quote:
He was, he said, heartbroken. Embarrassed. Sad. Disappointed. Humiliated.

By the end of an extraordinary and exhaustive 107-minute news conference, Chris Christie had transformed himself from a belligerent chief executive, famed for ridiculing his detractors, into a deeply wronged father figure, shaking his head, whispering his words and verging on tears.

The bravado had vanished. The certitude was gone.

In its place was an entirely new vocabulary of self-doubt and a once unthinkable spectacle: Governor Christie acknowledging a “crisis in confidence,” sleepless nights, second-guessing and nonstop soul-searching.

Political apologies generally follow a robotic sequence. The public figure caught doing wrong offers a terse, often grudging, sometimes distant and always uncomfortable expression of remorse.

But Mr. Christie is not every other politician. He said “sorry” the Christie way: excessively, vaingloriously, in large, vivid and personal terms. At times, he divulged oddly intimate details and reactions — the 8 a.m. home workout session after which he discovered the “heartbreaking” news of his aide’s misconduct, and his late-night chats with his wife about the episode.

He seemed to want to talk the scandal away, droning on for so long at the State House that reporters started repeating their inquiries, even asking for his response to a news story that had popped up as he was talking.

“What was on display,” said Mike Murphy, a longtime Republican consultant who has advised former Gov. Mitt Romney, “were all the strengths of Chris Christie and all of the weaknesses.”

“He just does not come in small doses,” Mr. Murphy said.

Mr. Christie may have fielded every query tossed his way on Thursday (more than 90), but there remained scores of unanswered questions about his involvement in the imbroglio, which his forceful performance did little to satisfy.

Even as they marveled at his stamina, Republican leaders privately worried that Mr. Christie was cementing a reputation for the most unwelcome quality in the world of political professionals: unpredictability.

There were moments when the straight-talking governor seemed to slip into self-denial. Despite the absence of any concrete evidence, he suggested that perhaps there really had been a traffic study in progress when an aide in his office, working with a Christie appointee, closed lanes and paralyzed traffic in Fort Lee, N.J.

Mostly, he kept apologizing. Twenty times, in all. To the people of New Jersey. To the mayor of Fort Lee. To members of the State Legislature. Even to the news media. He kept finding new ways to flagellate himself, ticking off his “mistakes,” owning up to his “failure” and repeatedly declaring, “I was wrong.”

He seemed to lean on the lectern more than usual, holding himself steady and repeatedly fidgeting with his suit jacket.

His normally voluble and prosecutorial manner, the very attribute that has catapulted him onto the national political stage, was replaced by a newly contemplative and somber tone.

But this version of Chris Christie — the chastened, penitent public official — was hard to keep up, and he occasionally lapsed into a familiar pique.

When out-of-town reporters began to shout questions at him, disrupting his system of calling on journalists, the governor shot them a chilly stare. “Guys,” he said, “we don’t work that way.”

And his temper flared when he denounced, in harsh and scol

SHINYGOODGUY

Saturday, January 11, 2014 12:18 AM (P)

I admit, I fell into the trap.

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by MAL4PREZ:
Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
There was a script he was reading from at the beginning of his Presser.

Shiny, please:

We've been making progress with this. Don't open the door and let it back in!

*-------------------------------------------------------------*
MAL4PREZ: Clearly [The Rap]'s doing nothing but trolling now.
STORYMARK: And not even cleverly.
RAPPY: [My trolling] did its job, did it not? Easiest marks in the 'verse.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=57146
*-------------------------------------------------------------*

NIKI2

Saturday, January 11, 2014 12:22 AM (P)

Welllll, okay; just don't do it again.

AURAPTOR

Saturday, January 11, 2014 12:36 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
What!?

You've got to be kidding me? That is a huge leap, even for you?

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:

But Obama gets a pass from y'all on KNOWINGLY lying about O-Care ?

Huh.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

How is it a leap?
Explain.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

SHINYGOODGUY

Saturday, January 11, 2014 2:29 AM (P)

Hey Niki,

I have been following this story closely because I'm among those that almost got suckered into believing that Christie was a changed man. It is my belief that he's playing a role, one that is trying desperately to appeal to independents - obviously for his national aspirations.

Having said that:

My initial impression of the Presser was that he was trying like hell to distance himself from the issue at hand, while craftily weaving his way through the mindfield. He made it known from the start that he just found out about the scandal and that he was shocked it involved his office.

2. We agree, to disagree. This is point of view and totally subjective.

3. His demeanor, again, totally subjective. But he was surprisingly detailed with his response about the endorsement speculation because it was the one true thing in this whole debacle. He was practically salivating to answer that charge because, as I believe, he wasn't seeking an endorsement from the Mayor of Fort Lee. He must have known that he would not get it (Sokolich said as much), so why pursue. It only proved to add to the confusion as to why someone would do this.

The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced of the Weinberg theory. Christie went off on the Dems within the state the night before the email from Ms. Kelly was sent out the following morning at 7:30 a.m.

4. I did a little digging, it turns out that Wildstein was hired by an appointee, Baroni, and not appointed by Christie directly. Still, I would agree that normally this is not a matter a governor would involve himself with. But, when you have the Chair of the State's Transportation Committee, Wisniewski get involved, then it becomes serious. This is a state lawmaker, he of course, ignored him. He should have had someone look into the matter, as a matter of course. He dismissed it and now it's biting him in the ass. At this point, it seems that Christie is trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube. Shows poor leadership, no matter what.

"The reeeeely bigger question, for me, tho', remains "Why did you do it?" --which question Christie says clearly he doesn't care about. That's a pretty amazing statement, to me!"

I agree. That was a stupid statement to make, and none of the reporters questioned him on that.

He did state, at the outset of the Press Conference, that he only came to find out about the scandal at 8:50 a.m. Wednesday. That's incredible. An astute politician, claiming ignorance. That is, not to say that he knew what was going on (there's no proof of that, yet). But, this was in the newspapers and media for some time. He, as I stated earlier, ignored it in the hopes that it would go away.

There is another theory that he was waiting on the new assembly being admitted into office and that he would have a favorable assembly that would have not pursued an investigation. But all that was for naught, once the reporter exposed what he found in the emails from Christie's office.

It either shows incompetence or arrogance. Incompetence is bad, but arrogance is much worse because he is "shitting" on the trust of his constituents, the very people that voted for him.

Well, no matter if he knew or not. The bottom line is that Christie has shown that his arrogance and contempt toward anyone opposing him is his M.O., and has reared it's ugly head to bite him in the ass. He's now scrambling to affect damage control.

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
Okay Shiny, you made some very valid points. We may never know all the answers, but I'd sure like some.

1. I haven't followed Christie that closely, so I bow to your opinion, which I admit corresponds to what little I DO know about him.

2. There we disagree; I find it perfectly consistent for a politician to keep a low profile in order to meet with his people and figure out how to respond to something like this.

WHOZIT

Saturday, January 11, 2014 3:34 AM (P)

They're going to release 1,000 pages about "Bridge Gate", Barry's whores in the MSM will read this, but they won't read the 2,000 pages of "Obamacare"....cause they're whores.

Don't get me wrong, I'm no fan of Christie, he's a R.I.N.O...and as fat as one.

NIKI2

Saturday, January 11, 2014 4:21 AM (P)

Well, I guess I'm starting to doubt my original impressions more and more.

"But he was surprisingly detailed with his response about the endorsement speculation because it was the one true thing in this whole debacle. He was practically salivating to answer that charge because, as I believe, he wasn't seeking an endorsement from the Mayor of Fort Lee. He must have known that he would not get it (Sokolich said as much), so why pursue. It only proved to add to the confusion as to why someone would do this." --yeah, that one struck me the same way, and at the same time made me wonder why he WAS "salivating" all over it, since debunking that idea would naturally make people look elsewhere…didn't seem like the smartest move.

"He should have had someone look into the matter, as a matter of course. He dismissed it and now it's biting him in the ass. At this point, it seems that Christie is trying to put the toothpaste back in the tube. Shows poor leadership, no matter what." --I agree, especially given this:

Quote:
Port Authority Executive Director Pat Foye wrote an impassioned email to the general manager of the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 13, arguing that lane closures that spiraled into a major scandal this week were illegal.

Foye's email, addressed to Robert Durando and other Port Authority officials, fumed that he was not included in the decision, which he said was damaging the public safety and the economy. He ordered that it be reversed.

"This hasty and ill-advised decision has resulted in delays to emergency vehicles. I pray that no life has been lost or trip of a hospital- or hospice-bound patient delayed," he wrote. He added: "I believe this hasty and ill-advised decision violates Federal Law and the laws of both States."

"To be clear," Foye declared, "I will get to the bottom of this abusive decision which violates everything this agency stands for; I intend to learn how PA process was wrongfully subverted and the public interest damaged to say nothing of the credibility of this agency."

A mere minutes later, Durando responded, "We have restored the 3 toll lanes to Ft. Lee." http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/pat-foye-bridge-illegal

There are apparently indications Christie met with this guy around that time, too.

"He did state, at the outset of the Press Conference, that he only came to find out about the scandal at 8:50 a.m. Wednesday….But, this was in the newspapers and media for some time." --I really think he meant he heard about the E-MAILS then; he's been responding to the lane closure for quite some time, I've seen the sarcastic "Yeah, I was out there wearing coveralls" bit.

All in all, I'm afraid I have to abandon my earlier position. Whether he was directly involved or not, and if so, how much, etc., etc., aside; his handling of it has been piss poor and arrogant, and his apology-athon strikes me as insincere politispeak at this point.

ETA: Jon Stewart had fun with it, and I found one thing particularly ironic/funny. Christie said he was going to over to Fort Lee to apologize in person, to which Stewart ruminated, "at rush hour, I wonder, with police escort, etc.?" and suggested Christie might want to "Skype that one". Amusing.

AURAPTOR

Saturday, January 11, 2014 4:45 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
What!?

You've got to be kidding me? That is a huge leap, even for you?

SGG

How is it a leap?
Explain.

No explanation given?

You must not be able to explain it,which means it isn't any sort of a leap, at all.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

MAL4PREZ

Saturday, January 11, 2014 5:15 AM (P)

I'll give this much: apparently, Christie did actually say that he was sorry. Kudos. :/ But of course, he was apologizing for the evil people who abused his trust, and not for anything he himself may have done wrong. Because in his bully brain he did nothing wrong. Ever.

Has anyone followed up on his quote that he had "two sleepless nights" yet he only "found out about it" one day before?

The whole thing stinks, and Maddow put forward an explanation that may very well prove to be the truth of it. If these morons were dumb enough to use gmail for the already released mails, I'm guessing they left more tracks that will come out eventually.

As has happened often with our resident trolls, we can ask them to just come back and settle the question when all the info is out. Funny how they never do that. They just disappear.

Except for whozit, of course, whose lips will forever be firmly attached to my left ass cheek.

*-------------------------------------------------------------*
MAL4PREZ: Clearly [The Rap]'s doing nothing but trolling now.
STORYMARK: And not even cleverly.
RAPPY: [My trolling] did its job, did it not? Easiest marks in the 'verse.
http://www.fireflyfans.net/mthread.aspx?bid=18&tid=57146
*-------------------------------------------------------------*

AURAPTOR

Saturday, January 11, 2014 8:47 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by MAL4PREZ:
I'll give this much: apparently, Christie did actually say that he was sorry. Kudos. :/ But of course, he was apologizing for the evil people who abused his trust, and not for anything he himself may have done wrong. Because in his bully brain he did nothing wrong. Ever.

But this isn't about what HE did, so why would you say he never EVER did anything wrong ? He's the gov. HIS people did this. Of course he's going to apologize.

Unlike Obama, who literally DID do something wrong, lying to the American people, and then gave a non-apology apology, saying he was sorry for others who FOUND THEMSELVES in this predicament. For what HE actually did to them.

Quote:

Has anyone followed up on his quote that he had "two sleepless nights" yet he only "found out about it" one day before?
Has anyone followed up on Obama's 57 States comment ? Or the multiple use of 'corpse'-men, for corpsmen ?

Quote:

The whole thing stinks, and Maddow put forward an explanation that may very well prove to be the truth of it. If these morons were dumb enough to use gmail for the already released mails, I'm guessing they left more tracks that will come out eventually.

Doens't take a ruttin genius to figure that one out. Hell, I even stated that , per their e-mail, it sounded all the world like they'd done something like this before. If not traffic related, some sort of similar tyrannical abuse of power.

It's how big govt has become in our time. Party affiliation be damned, state or federal, it doesn't matter. We're the dupes, and " they " are our lords.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

NIKI2

Saturday, January 11, 2014 7:12 PM (P)

Just spotted this:

Quote:
Governors Spoke Privately About Bridge Controversy

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie called New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week to complain about a Cuomo appointee's handling of a growing controversy over traffic pattern changes on the George Washington Bridge, a person familiar with the matter said.

Mr. Christie, a Republican, complained in a private phone call to Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, that Patrick Foye, the executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, was pressing too hard to get to the bottom of why the number of toll lanes onto the bridge from Fort Lee, N.J. was cut from three to one in early September, according to this person. The lane closures occurred without notice to local authorities, officials have said, and snarled traffic for a week in the small borough on the Hudson River bluffs.

Messrs. Cuomo and Christie share control of the Port Authority, which oversees Hudson River bridges and tunnels and the region's airports and is rebuilding the World Trade Center complex in Manhattan.

A spokesman for Mr. Christie said the governor talks to Mr. Cuomo regularly "on any number of mutual-interest topics. Those conversations are private."

Mr. Baroni told lawmakers in November that the incident was the result of a traffic study to determine if the lanes should be permanently taken away from the local access ramp in Fort Lee and used for traffic coming from the local highway.

That statement didn't precisely match the authority's initial written response to complaints about the lane closures, which said the authority was studying "traffic safety."

Mr. Foye, testifying under oath on Monday after receiving a subpoena, said he didn't believe Mr. Baroni's version of the events was true. "I'm not aware of any traffic study," he said.

Republican lawmakers have defended the Christie administration and its authority appointees, and said a Democratic legislative inquiry into the lane closures was a partisan exercise.
http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304477704579254012
674389146

If this call really took place and Christie really tell Cuomo to rein in Foye, I do not see how that doesn't gravely undermine the credibility of the story Christie told in his epic press conference on Thursday. When an issue rises up to governor level, it's something pretty important. And I don't think you tell someone to rein in an investigation unless there's something you don't want getting a close look.

No, it doesn't mean Christie was in on it or even knew the full dimensions of the story. But that's pretty hard to reconcile with his claims on Thursday that he thought nothing was amiss and that none of his people had done anything wrong until he heard about those emails on Wednesday morning. That doesn't make sense.

NEWOLDBROWNCOAT

Saturday, January 11, 2014 9:40 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
Insulting and belittling is his M.O. Imagine him running the country and scoffing at the state of Georgia, or Virginia or even New York. How would that play out in the world stage? What would his presidency consist of?

Or the first time he gets into it with a foreign leader, and insults Kim Jong Un, is it? ; or the boss ayatollah in Iran; or even some ally of ours, like the Brits or Japanese.

AURAPTOR

Saturday, January 11, 2014 11:10 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by NewOldBrownCoat:
Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
Insulting and belittling is his M.O. Imagine him running the country and scoffing at the state of Georgia, or Virginia or even New York. How would that play out in the world stage? What would his presidency consist of?

Or the first time he gets into it with a foreign leader, and insults Kim Jong Un, is it? ; or the boss ayatollah in Iran; or even some ally of ours, like the Brits or Japanese.

Like a President scoffing at say...Arizona? Over Immigration ?

Or insulting on our long time allies, England and Israel ?

Man, that would be bad.

Oh wait... we've already done that recently.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

ELVISCHRIST

Sunday, January 12, 2014 5:31 AM (P)

Ironically, there's not major traffic tie-ups in New Jersey because of all the bodies Chris Christie has thrown under the buses. - Andy Borowitz

AURAPTOR

Sunday, January 12, 2014 5:46 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by ELVISCHRIST:

Ironically, there's not major traffic tie-ups in New Jersey because of all the bodies Chris Christie has thrown under the buses. - Andy Borowitz

" What difference, at this point, does it make ? "

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

1KIKI

Sunday, January 12, 2014 7:22 AM (P)

RUSH LIMBAUGH is a BLUE PILL ADDICT!

As evidence of "rape mentality"
Tuesday, July 30, 2013 8:11 PM
MAL4PREZ
And just remember, according to Rappy, the term befitting a women who wants the insurance she pays for to cover medications affecting her reproductive organs is whore

Wednesday, July 31, 2013 4:23 PM
little rappy
The term applies

http://static.someecards.com/someecards/usercards

As evidence of "rape mentality"

Tuesday, July 30, 2013 8:11 PM
MAL4PREZ
And just remember, according to Rappy, the term befitting a women who wants the insurance she pays for to cover medications affecting her reproductive organs is
whore

Wednesday, July 31, 2013 4:23 PM
little rappy
The term applies

SHINYGOODGUY

Sunday, January 12, 2014 8:51 AM (P)

You want an explanation!

Here's one:

Did you know that 26 States have Native American names?

Betcha didn't know that, huh!?

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
What!?

You've got to be kidding me? That is a huge leap, even for you?

SGG

How is it a leap?
Explain.

No explanation given?

You must not be able to explain it,which means it isn't any sort of a leap, at all.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

AURAPTOR

Sunday, January 12, 2014 10:40 AM (P)

That is interesting, but explains nothing .

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

1KIKI

Sunday, January 12, 2014 11:46 AM (P)

RUSH LIMBAUGH is a BLUE PILL ADDICT!

As evidence of "rape mentality"
Tuesday, July 30, 2013 8:11 PM
MAL4PREZ
And just remember, according to Rappy, the term befitting a women who wants the insurance she pays for to cover medications affecting her reproductive organs is whore

Wednesday, July 31, 2013 4:23 PM
little rappy
The term applies

AURAPTOR

Sunday, January 12, 2014 12:19 PM (P)

Why do trolls respond to posts which weren't even directed at them, at all ?

Oh,they're trolls.

Got it.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

REAVERFAN

Sunday, January 12, 2014 6:45 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by ElvisChrist:

8 videos of Christie not being a bully:

http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2014/01/chris-christie-bullying-videos

I saw that, too. He's NOT the reasonable guy his PR people try to say he is. He's just a prick. He's a shitty governor, and would make a disastrous president.

ELVISCHRIST

Sunday, January 12, 2014 8:42 PM (P)

Looks like our local troll is staying right on script.

AURAPTOR

Sunday, January 12, 2014 8:47 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by reaverfan:

He's a shitty governor, and would make a disastrous president.

What makes him a bad governor ? Didn't he just win re-election by a massive landslide ? I agree, *IF* he's found to have known / orchestrated any of this, his image would and should take a huge hit, but presuming he's really clean on this, what else can you point to that shows him to be a bad governor ?

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

SHINYGOODGUY

Monday, January 13, 2014 4:23 PM (P)

He's dumped all over state civil servants, except cops (mainly because they protect his sorry ass), firefighters, but mainly teachers. And, as far as I have heard, many Sandy victims have yet to receive relief from their applications to rebuild.

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
Quote:
Originally posted by reaverfan:

He's a shitty governor, and would make a disastrous president.

What makes him a bad governor ? Didn't he just win re-election by a massive landslide ? I agree, *IF* he's found to have known / orchestrated any of this, his image would and should take a huge hit, but presuming he's really clean on this, what else can you point to that shows him to be a bad governor ?

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

SHINYGOODGUY

Monday, January 13, 2014 4:29 PM (P)

Did you know that Ohio means Great River, in Iroquois?

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by AURaptor:
Quote:
Originally posted by NewOldBrownCoat:
Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
Insulting and belittling is his M.O. Imagine him running the country and scoffing at the state of Georgia, or Virginia or even New York. How would that play out in the world stage? What would his presidency consist of?

Or the first time he gets into it with a foreign leader, and insults Kim Jong Un, is it? ; or the boss ayatollah in Iran; or even some ally of ours, like the Brits or Japanese.

Like a President scoffing at say...Arizona? Over Immigration ?

Or insulting on our long time allies, England and Israel ?

Man, that would be bad.

Oh wait... we've already done that recently.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

SHINYGOODGUY

Monday, January 13, 2014 4:41 PM (P)

Hey Niki,

I saw a report on TV that spoke of one of his staff, I believe it was Durando, sent a copy of that scathing e-mail from Foye to another staff member who was to be named the new chief of staff (a woman, I forget her name), since Christie is naming his current chief of staff to be the new Attorney General of NJ. Christie expects him (Dowd) to be confirmed quickly.

Mighty convenient, isn't it. Ordinarily that would not be a problem, but when you have a potentially explosive situation revolving around abuse of power, well, just ask our right-winged friends what they think of Obama and you'll get a good picture.

If it's true that the e-mail was forwarded to another staffer on his team, well, it just begs the question - can we really believe that Christie didn't have an inkling of trouble brewing on the horizon? Of course, his remarks are of the e-mails from his deputy chief of staff. Even if he knew nothing, not likely, you have to wonder about his management style and skills. This man cannot be president any more than Rappy can.

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
Well, it's a beginning:
Quote:
As Christie apologized publicly for the abrupt lane closings seemingly ordered by some of his staff, and which he said he did not know about beforehand, the office of the U.S. Attorney in New Jersey said it was launching an investigation. http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/01/09/us-usa-newjersey-bridge-chri
stie-idUSBREA080MB20140109

NIKI2

Monday, January 13, 2014 7:43 PM (P)

I can't find anything about Durando sending Foye's email to Egea, but it's getting interesting (O'Dowd's nomination doesn't look to happen all that quickly, now…). I wonder at the "consider legislation reauthorizing it"--surely they wouldn't dare NOT reauthorize the subpoena power, in the midst of all this…

Quote:
Regina Egea, then the director of Mr. Christie's Authorities Unit and now his incoming chief of staff, received word of the lane closures and resulting traffic chaos in Fort Lee, N.J., just three hours after the closures were ordered to be reversed by a New York official on Sept. 13. Mr. Christie appointed Ms. Egea as his chief of staff in December, taking over for longtime top aide Kevin O'Dowd. Mr. O'Dowd was nominated in December to become the state Attorney General, with a confirmation hearing originally set for next week. Senate Democrats have said that hearing is now up in the air since the bridge emails were released.

The Assembly's subpoena power for documents and testimony related to the closures issue expires Tuesday, when the current legislative session ends. There had been some doubts as to whether Democratic leaders would push to renew the subpoena power, but the Assembly's incoming speaker said he would hold a session Thursday to consider legislation reauthorizing it.

The documents reveal that some of Mr. Christie's closest aides had a clear picture of the problems unfolding in Fort Lee from the first morning of the lane closures.
On Tuesday, Sept. 10, Mr. Baroni received an email from Tina Lado, the New Jersey director of government and community relations at the Port Authority. Ms. Lado was a primary contact for Mr. Sokolich as he tried in vain to learn the purpose of the lane closures and asked that they be reversed, records show.
Mr. Sokolich didn't understand what was happening, Ms. Lado wrote to Mr. Baroni, adding that the mayor "said that he is trying to 'keep a lid on this' (politically) and is getting pressure from members of Borough Council who want to take some action." http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303393804579314500
006896102?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303393804579314500006896102.html

Curiouser and curiouser…it appears a lot of people knew what was going on; that Christie might not have been in the loop is harder and hard to buy:

Quote:
Although Port Authority staff knew the closures would happen, Fort Lee officials have said they did not. That appeared intentional. In emails between Durando and Fulton about the second day of closures, Durando replied that he would tell his staff.

“Just to your staff -- right?” Fulton replied just three minutes later.

The Fort Lee mayor, Mark Sokolich, repeatedly contacted the Port Authority to find out what was going on. "Please call me as soon as possible in hopes that we can resolve this issue and reverse a policy change that is wreaking havoc on Fort Lee …. the otherwise cooperative and supportive host community to the busiest bridge in the world,” Sokolich wrote in a letter.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/politics/politicsnow/la-pn-bridge-emails
-chris-christie-aides-20140110,0,6208095.story#ixzz2qHytuMzK

What a mess…these guys seem to have been astronomically stupid about emails…

AURAPTOR

Monday, January 13, 2014 9:23 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
He's dumped all over state civil servants, except cops (mainly because they protect his sorry ass), firefighters, but mainly teachers. And, as far as I have heard, many Sandy victims have yet to receive relief from their applications to rebuild.

SGG

Well, as we saw ( correctly ) in Wisconsin and with Scott Walker, the public SERVANTS needed a big tall glass of wake up juice. Christie gave it to them, and from all I can tell, he's running the state fairly well. His persona aside, he's doing the things necessary for getting the state back in order in these tough economic times.

As for Sandy, who the hell didn't see that comin' ? Big govt, whether its state or federal, is perpetually slow to act. Bush got falsely grilled for that, when he even tried to get there before the storm hit, sending help and then gov Blanco said " thanks, but no thanks.".

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

SHINYGOODGUY

Tuesday, January 14, 2014 10:57 AM (P)

The latest I heard was that Sokolich was sought after for an endorsement, this came from Sokolich himself.

This definitely is not over, there is far more to this than meets the eye. So far, 4 of Christie's people, who were picked by him directly, have been involved and left under duress. There are at least 4 more: Egea, Samson, O'Dowd and ????

Also: the special investigative committee is going to subpoena Kelly and Stepien within days

Plus Wildstein's attorney has hinted at exchanging immunity for his testimony. Apparently he knows where the skeletons are buried.

Now, it turns out, it's been reported that Christie misused Sandy funds.

The plot thickens.

SGG

AURAPTOR

Tuesday, January 14, 2014 4:20 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:

Now, it turns out, it's been reported that Christie misused Sandy funds.

The plot thickens.

SGG

" Misued " ? Hardly possible, with Obama's blessing, now is it ? Of course,in the REAL world, using millions of $ to cut a promo ad for state tourism is insanely excessive, but hey, these were shovel ready jobs, after all.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall

SHINYGOODGUY

Thursday, January 16, 2014 11:28 AM (P)

As I was watching All In, I kept thinking "who is this Samson guy?" I quickly found out as the topic was precisely why hasn't he been questioned. I wondered why. Turns out he was included in the email trail left by Baroni, who sought his superior's advice and counsel. This Samson guy, it turns out, is quite a mover and shaker, on both sides of the aisle, in New Jersey politics - and, get this, Christie's admitted mentor.

Baroni's email described Samson as helping to quash Foye's involvement. All this points to Christie in every manner possible, yet, he claims, he knew nothing of this beforehand. Let's go back to his statement during his marathon press conference where he claimed having little to no contact with Wildstein (who's he?). Well, on The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell, he showed a picture, from the Wall Street Journal, of Christie at a public event on 9/11 laughing it up with Wildstein (within arm's length) and there pictured smack dab in the middle of the two men was - Samson.

This shows one of two things: either Christie is that dumb or that arrogant. By the way, the state legislative body in charge of the investigation has hired former U.S. Attorney Reid Schar, who was the lead prosecutor in the Blagojevich corruption trials in 2010. "Blago" is serving a 14-year sentence. This is deadly serious.

On another front, Senator L. Weinberg spoke of a meeting with the Port Authority back in Sept. (Weinberg's district includes Fort Lee and is Christie's nemesis) where she sat and was treated to utter silence from the Port Authority officials other than "Good morning" and "meeting's adjourned." From my point of view, this lady is tough as nails and I wouldn't mess with her. Still though, Christie has a lot of explaining to do. That Wall Street Journal picture, published today, is damning evidence that he certainly knows Wildstein. He obviously lied about that, plus the e-mail that actually names Samson and his involvement. Schar is an experienced prosecutor, well versed in the art of deflection and denial.
This should prove interesting tomorrow.

SGG

Quote:
Originally posted by Niki2:
I can't find anything about Durando sending Foye's email to Egea, but it's getting interesting (O'Dowd's nomination doesn't look to happen all that quickly, now…). I wonder at the "consider legislation reauthorizing it"--surely they wouldn't dare NOT reauthorize the subpoena power, in the midst of all this…
Quote:
Regina Egea, then the director of Mr. Christie's Authorities Unit and now his incoming chief of staff, received word of the lane closures and resulting traffic chaos in Fort Lee, N.J., just three hours after the closures were ordered to be reversed by a New York official on Sept. 13. Mr. Christie appointed Ms. Egea as his chief of staff in December, taking over for longtime top aide Kevin O'Dowd. Mr. O'Dowd was nominated in December to become the state Attorney General, with a confirmation hearing originally set for next week. Senate Democrats have said that hearing is now up in the air since the bridge emails were released.

The Assembly's subpoena power for documents and testimony related to the closures issue expires Tuesday, when the current legislative session ends. There had been some doubts as to whether Democratic leaders would push to renew the subpoena power, but the Assembly's incoming speaker said he would hold a session Thursday to consider legislation reauthorizing it.

The documents reveal that some of Mr. Christie's closest aides had a clear picture of the problems unfolding in Fort Lee from the first morning of the lane closures.
On Tuesday, Sept. 10, Mr. Baroni received an email from Tina Lado, the New Jersey director of government and community relations at the Port Authority. Ms. Lado was a primary contact for Mr. Sokolich as he tried in vain to learn

ELVISCHRIST

Thursday, January 16, 2014 12:57 PM (P)

There is a troll here who keeps trying to insinuate that this is all Obama's fault somehow.

NIKI2

Thursday, January 16, 2014 7:47 PM (P)

You expected otherwise?

AURAPTOR

Thursday, January 16, 2014 8:37 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by ElvisChrist:

There is a troll here who keeps trying to insinuate that this is all Obama's fault somehow.

Really ? Where? Cite examples, please.

Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... but not everyone must prove they are a citizen

I'm just a red pill guy in a room full of blue pill addicts.

" AU, that was great, LOL!! " - Chrisisall