Christie *still* deserves all the blame for a lack of administrative control...I mean seriously, is he running things in that state or not?

Screw-ups and errors happen, but he surrounded himself with truly malignant, corrupt people.

and almost everyone has bought into the "If Christie can prove deniability then he's off the hook" -narrative...

I've worked in a university setting for years, and know COUNTLESS instances where chancellors, athletic directors, coaches, department chairs, vice-presidents, etc. have been dismissed (or at the minimum heavily demoted) because something happened "under them".... Didn't matter a whit if there was no prior knowledge or direct involvement (and I've seen the actions of staffers way, way down the totem pole cost the careers of presidents and veeps); they still have to take full responsibility...

It's awfully hard to accept that the person you look up to turns out to be a cad. It's hard for most of us to admit we were wrong. Pretty normal human reaction. Seems to me it's a reflection back on oneself. If you judge a person one way and he fails - that reflects back on YOUR judgment and your failing on the ability to size people up. "I was wrong about him/her..." That's a hard one to admit or accept, and therefore to admit or accept that your own judgment is faulty. Not everybody can do that, especially if they're in love with his bombast.

I happen NOT to be in love with his bombast. I find it off-putting, and I've never liked it when people throw their weight around and get in-yer-face and confrontational. I find it hard to like people who do that. And I'd never vote for him because he's a CON, and whether he himself is harmless or blameless - it's the people he'd bring in with him who are plenty enough to be a MAJOR concern! We have to remember that! It's not just the candidate - as some insular island unaffected by anybody around him or her. It's the people that candidate brings into office with him or her - what those particular folks are up to - and what their agenda is - that's worrisome and can't be overlooked.

For example, the PNACers. They're still trying to get back into power. They feel their objectives were short-sheeted and that Iraq was such a fiasco because their ideas weren't allowed to play out to their fullest. It just wasn't ENOUGH. That's why you hear many candidates and politicians and consultants and other active participants lamenting that the GOP's main problem in getting back to the White House is that its candidates aren't CONservative ENOUGH. Take Randy Scheunemann just for one example. A PNACer who still believes in a "liberated Iraq" somewhere out there in Pie-in-the-Skyland. He was neck deep in it during bush/cheney of course, but he came slithering back through the mccain/palin channels hoping to get back into the White House. He was foreign policy advisor to that campaign, and he was the primary debate coach for the pathetic madame palin. I believe he was also lurking around the romney/ryan campaign, too, with the same objective. And he's just ONE example. There are legions of them. And they won't give up because they think they have a big-ass job that remains unfinished.

We need to keep track of these assholes, watch where they go, who they align with, where they turn up, and what they're up to when they do turn up again. They're truly dangerous.

There seems to be a new form of conservative...well I guess that is a NeoCon, who deem bad even criminal behaviour as the least important reason they support a politician.

Like Ford, who also inexplicably still has high poll numbers and is running again, Christie will be seen as incorruptible, infallible, as long as he keeps up with the talking points about low taxes and cutting waste (ie. low taxes for his corporate buddies by cutting services for his duped constituents). I think what is happening with that poll is that a good portion of those polled, if you pressed them, would admit they do not believe Christie. But, they would sputter, it's more important that he stay in office and continue to do the good work that Republicans do because the alternative is ....well a world of guns being taken away, socialized everything, skyrocketing taxes, and a "feminized" society.

Does he deserve it? No, but alot of people voted for him and at least for now are sticking with him even if they have their doubts. If another shoe drops, those numbers will change.

Uninformed, or gullible ?

I was referring to the people of New Jersey who still support Christie.

I think to poll about it now is premature.


rocktivity

Arg!!!!!!!!!!!!

People don't like to think that the person that they voted for is wrong, bad or involved is such a scandal. Let's see what the polls will show after more info comes out or when one of Crispy's inner sanctum rats on him to save themselves.

That if he's in the dark. Than he's incompetent and he's a weak ass leader.

you mean that's not true?
Dammit, another belief shot down.

that directly ties him to this scandal? Other than speculation?
People that voted for him don't want to believe that their guy would do this and until there's concrete evidence that he knew and directed this shutdown, their going to believe that he was in the dark.

under him under control. That said, IMO, he provides an environment wherein bullying and running rip-shit over people as a way of business is condoned.

Anyone, one would think, would have to know this would blow up in their faces.

About him, I do wonder if he knew. I think he's too smart and too much of a bullying manipulator to have thought something like this could be done.

Bottom line, I think he probably had selective hearing engaged, probably unconsciously.

This is just more proof.

it's not too much of a shock to hear that people still believe in this monster.

I actually got bored pointing out that Christie was a republican and an asshole on the many pro-Christie threads ("I know he's a republican but I really like this guy&quot at Democratic Underground. Now, suddenly, the NJ Democrats who have been lied to by their own leaders about this bully are so bad.

Soon enough everyone in the state will get the chance to know the truth and change their minds.

He is obviously such a bully, such an extreme bully.

Maybe it is because I had to watch out for a lot of bullies in my school life since I am rather small and was always younger than my classmates. I recognize their danger more easily than a lot of people do.

He's a complete asshole and very abusive to anyone who shoots an uncomfortable question his way. I don't get it. Is it a Jersey thing, rudeness isn't an issue in their community anymore?

in" sort of thing.

Why would his aide go to the trouble of doing something like this off her own bat? .even for a republican this doesn't make sense.....why did that other guy take the fifth? Only one reason I'd say!
Was the aide really fired or will she end up working somewhere else in the seedy republican system !!!

deep inside three others somewhere that will reward her.

almost no one believed that Nixon himself, or his atty general orchestrated the whole damn thing. So, now, most don't want to believe Christie lied. Give them time, they will. Why? Like Nixon, someone will tell the truth to avoid time in the slammer. Elites don't like slammer time.
and...........that is indeed coming................as sure as Christie's next lie is coming....

that an American president could do such petty, horrible things.

We have the same problem with regard to Bush's war in Iraq. I myself could not believe that an American president would stoop so low as to lie America into a war. It is such a hideous thought, such an abominable deed -- to kill people based on a big lie. But it happened. And now we have Al Qaeda for real in Iraq.

Dishonest bullies are dangerous in politics. Both Bush and Christie were/are dishonest bullies in politics. Watch out.

I too could not believe that Bush, or his staff would stoop so low (your words) as to lie us into war.
It is such a hideous thought...

I felt exactly the same thing. War, killing for a lie? He couldn't be that bad...but he was worse..torture, etc..
.. But Bush did indeed lie, and for that lie maybe 150,000 people died. Who knows, and Bush didn't and doesn't give a damn about them. He has said that he has no regrets, and the media in the last few months has picked up on this nice old guy who paints pictures. He should be in jail painting pictures, with Cheney..

pollsters? Democratic pols in NJ are as corrupt as Rethugs. Party affiliation means nothing - they are all brothers underneath their red or blue jerseys. It's all about the Benjamins. And not just in Jersey. Fuck 'em all 'cause they fuck all us all the time. And fuck all media complicit in perpetuating the myth of good guy Christie - a smug racist, homophobic, bully of a shithead.

Idiocy runs rampant in this country.

This will not go away until all inquiries have been satisfied.

Give it a couple weeks. As more comes out.

Ultimately, most of them want their local representative to figure out how to "get something" out of this for their towns.

NJ runs on favors, bribes, extortion, and grudges.

The state where my abusive fuck of an ass, redneck, bully of a stepfather was born.

Why am I not surprised.



-p

If he did, he has been exposed as a someone not to be trusted to lead. And if he didn't, if this was actually done behind his back (which I doubt), then he has no control over his staff and can not be trusted to lead. Either way, he has to shoulder the blame and he should lose his job or certainly not be a genuine candidate for a higher office.

Anyone catch Jimmy Kimmel last night? Even The Boss doesn't believe him, it seems.

sort of like "he couldn't be that stupid..." ... hmm, yes, he can