What Is Chris Christie Doing Right?

[no_hypocrisy]

http://nymag.com/news/features/chris-christie-2013-8/

IMO, a puff piece, lauding Christie's style with the omission of his policies and his close ties to ALEC. The sad fact is there are a lot of NJ dems who support him as he cuts their union pensions and benefits. My friend loves his brazen and brash NJ attitude (no nonsense). Forget his weight and girth. Christie's policies and possible run for the White House make him dangerous for the rest of the country.

[Scuba]

1. Bernie Maddoff's bagman.

[KharmaTrain]

2. Good Media...

...Christie knows how the play the cameras and the people behind them. He comes off as a "regular guy"...likes Springsteen and compared to the rest of his inept and corrupt party, the guy looks semi-normal. It's all PR and perception that trumps the substance...as is usually the case with any successful politician these days. Add to the highly positive coverage he got during Sandy and he's been riding the wave that pretty much wipes out any negatives anyone can find about him. He's the new McCain of 2000...the "maverick" of the party and this plays well with the beltway stenographers.

Keep in mind that New Jersey sits within spittin' distance of the Midtown Manhattan studios of the networks and it doesn't take much for him to pop over and smooze with anyone and everyone. This dude's crafted his image carefully despite his weight problems.

That said, his future in the rushpublican party is tenuous...he's "too moderate" for a party that just released a poll that shows members feel isn't "conservative" enough. There's a lot of resentment that the party settled for the "most electable" in '08 and '12 and lost big. That's why you're seeing mostly teabaggers like Cruz, Paulbot Jr. and Rubio (who'll be anyone you ask him to be) out there making noise and the "moderates" keeping a low profile. I see a strong push in '16 to unite around one wingnut and it's not gonna be Christie...

[BumRushDaShow]

5. However

he doesn't get as much of a pass in South Jersey, where the media market is covered by Philadelphia (probably half our news... ugh). The 2 halves of Jersey are like day and night.

[KharmaTrain]

6. No National Media In Philly...

...and he's consider a golden boy by the networks who live in Midtown Manhattan. I'm hopeful the voters inside New Jersey view their governor with far greater scrutiny than the national corporate media who obsess on personalities. Inversely, I see the same treatment given to Cory Booker...

[BumRushDaShow]

10. " No National Media In Philly..." - Who owns NBC?

And where is the HQ of that owner?

[KharmaTrain]

11. NBC Is Still At 30 Rock...

Yes...Comcast corporate is based out of Philly but the TV operations are still firmly planted in New York & LA. The last Philly show I can remember making it national was Mike Douglas...

[BumRushDaShow]

16. Yes but as folks may have noticed from watching channels like MSNBC

The control is firmly here at the tallest building in our skyline -



And yes, I had the opportunity to be in a Mike Douglas Show audience almost 40 years ago. Pretty cool.

Note that a good chunk of folks appearing on the various NBC networks are from Philly (Tweety, Mrs. Greenspan, Cramer, etc - where a bunch of "contributors" or "fill-ins" are coming from here too like Rendell, Prof. James Peterson, Smerconish, etc).

[JustAnotherGen]

13. +1 on your analysis

Spot on in re Christie AND Booker.

I think what is REALLY needed by Democratics, Liberals, Progressives and Indies in NJ - is a strong hard look at Buono AND a strong GOTV effort.

It would have been easier to GOTV ONCE this fall - but we are going to have to do it twice. In an ideal world - the 'star' Booker would have made it easier to just press down the D-Line. Anyone who thinks Christie did not set that special election (it did not HAVE to occur in October - Lautenberg died at a time that would not have had too much lag) precisely for this reason is either an idiot or naive. He doesn't play nice- and he is ALREADY running for President.


When you get a chance - look at the TOTAL number of votes cast in NJ in the 2008 Presidential Election then look at the total number of votes cast in the NJ 2009 Gov race.

No Democratic Party member who 'claims' Liberal or Progressive or even Moderate values cannot in good conscience sit home this November when we have a STELLAR solid Democratic Candidate in Buono running.

Corzine - folks had issues with. It's not that they voted for or against Christie . . . they just sat at home in disgust. There is nothing to be disgusted about with Barbara Buono.

[sufrommich]

3. Chris Christie would be dangerous if he could

make it through the republican primaries,but he can't.Recent polls show republicans think moving farther to the right is the ticket to the presidency.I think Rand Paul has a better chance than Christie.

[JustAnotherGen]

14. He's friends with Rove

All they've gotta do is steal a few southern states and it's his.

I don't believe Paul or Rubio could beat him in the blue states. No way - no how.

But he's friends with the guy who stole two national elections. I think they can get the right people into play in a few Southern states to give it to Christie.

[sufrommich]

19. I think Rove's political power in the GOP in on the wane.

I think it's been on the wane since election night 2012 and his performance when Ohio was declared for Obama,his "political genius" persona was killed that night and hasn't recovered.

[JustAnotherGen]

20. He doesn't have to be out there

If Clinton is our nominee - the Republicans know they have a snowball's chance in hell of winning with Rubio, Paul, etc. etc.


He's got to be behind the scenes making sure Diebold does their job. That way they can have someone who could pull votes from NJ, PA, Ohio, etc. etc. over to Christie. If PA doesn't get the voter ID issue hammered out - that could easily go to Christie via voter suppression alone.

[BumRushDaShow]

4. The problem with New Jersey is

there are too many corrupt politicians (of both parties) - see the revolving door mayors of Atlantic City, Camden, and Trenton).

[n2doc]

7. About the only thing he has done right is to piss off the t-baggers

Other than that, he is a Koch-sucking scumbag.

[BillyRibs]

12. You are sooooo right!

[Ohio Joe]

18. +1 - nt

[dembotoz]

8. image is all and he is dangerous

wolf in sheeps clothing
you get the idea

[HereSince1628]

9. Brazen and brash seem to be very appealing American attributes

Isn't the entire tea-party movement based upon those traits?

American has an infatuation with the revolutionary rebel that puts the jingle in our jingoism.

[CK_John]

15. Policies mean nothing or very little it's all about persona. He's loud, in your face,

and perceived as a decision maker.

[tabbycat31]

17. His spokesman is the biggest genius in NJ politics

[JustAnotherGen]

22. +1

[ProSense]

21. People get what they deserve.

I can't believe people still buy this asshole's bullshit.