It appears that Gov. Chris Christie emerged from his Washington Bridge cesspool smelling like a plump blushing rose.
It might be said that anyone who would tie up traffic on the world’s busiest bridge because a mayor of a city didn’t endorse him was one mean, nasty-ass son of a bitch, a low, petty politician. But after the governor spent two hours contending he was victimized by his staff and didn’t know the gun was loaded, he was given the benefit of the doubt. That is to say, no one said it amounted to a very big pile of rose fertilizer. Here’s how the New York Times viewed all those gubernatorial mea culpas:
“What makes Mr. Christie’s claim of victimhood hard to accept is his own history of vindictive behavior. For instance, a Rutgers professor lost financing for a project because he voted against the governor on a redistricting commission. A Republican colleague who had a disagreement with Mr. Christie was disinvited to an event in his own district. Mr. Christie has denied that he sent signals to his staff to punish anyone who crossed him. ‘I am who I am, but I am not a bully,’ he said Thursday. But he has set a tone that makes abusive actions acceptable.”
“I am who I am..” What do you suppose that means? And she is who she is; and he is who he is. And you are who you are. And this explains what? It rings hollow, off key, doesn’t set right — like heart burn. Look at the e-mail correspondence between his aides. One person has a smile. The other knowingly approves. This is self congratulations, the equivalent of chest-bumping NFL, high-fives, some air-pounding fists. Whoo-whoo, you lose!
Politics today is a lot like football. There may be some politicians who play the game to make things better, but they are as rare as the Hope Diamond. It’s become a contact sport. It’s not just winning, but in-your-face victory, romp and stomp, beat hell out of the other guy. It’s the politics of loathing by the loathsome. Some of it borders on hate. We have come to the point that it is necessary to have organizations that promote civil discourse/behavior because there are so many bullies and nasty creatures infesting the nooks and crannies of this country. New Jersey is no exception.
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