A Literal Bully Pulpit

Chris Christie has had a bad couple of weeks. For those out of the loop, he’s been accused of closing the George Washington bridges as political retribution, he’s under investigation for misusing relief funds for tourism ads, and now the Mayor of Hoboken has said that relief aid was withheld because she refused to condone a redevelopment plan endorsed by the Christie administration. The recurring theme of Christie’s administration bullying people to get their way has played out over his term but these last two weeks have really brought the issue to the forefront.

Very rarely does somebody accidently shut-down a bridge during peak hours, with no warning. This is the type of “gaffe” that does not get easily swept aside by the voting public. Anybody who has sat or I285 or I75/85 knows the frustration and anger that unexpectedly being stuck causes. Now imagine you are an elected official whose office is solely responsible for that jam. You’re going to have a bad week. Don’t think the firing of one aide and resignation of a friend is going to end this. All that does is gut your inner circle of staff and call into question your hiring preferences. If you’ve had two people go down acting like thugs, chances are you’ve got more on staff. This is a culture that has been instigated and fostered by people at the top in Christie’s office.

Whether or not he implicitly ordered the closure of the GW Bridge between NY and NJ, his office seemed to think that it’d be okay to punish regular folks as political retribution. This kind of act isn’t spontaneous. Christie’s office was run like a Mafioso’s den and his toughs went a little too far. It’s not like this kind of stuff was anything new to Christie. Part of his tough-guy appeal stemmed from the fact that he wasn’t afraid to step on toes and burn bridges. When you have to go on camera saying you’re not a bully, multiple times? Well… if it walks and talks like a duck… Americans like a politician who will fight for them. What they won’t tolerate in high office is a thug. (See Nixon) Even staunch Republicans are finding it hard to defend him. Sure, they’ve come out against the “liberal media” coverage but they aren’t defending the man himself. That says a ton when the base you need to win a primary doesn’t even believe you enough to help out. Add in the fact that Bruce “The Boss” Springsteen, Jimmy Fallon, and Jon Stewart have enlightened the demographic that doesn’t keep up with politics, and you’ve just made a very bad first impression on many voting Americans. It becomes increasingly difficult to see how Christie manages to run for President after this.

The image of a bully with a Sopranos-style staff isn’t going to win any elections. And that’s why Governor Christie has been so quick to jump into the public spotlight with his “me and myself” campaign to try and stop the hemorrhaging. Democrats need to avoid overreaching. If he doesn’t obstruct or obfuscate the investigations, let the rest play out normally. If Christie is really telling the truth, then he’s a poor manager of an office. If he’s lying, then he’s probably going to jail.