# So, we should get used to saying "President Christie?" Yea or nay? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [November 21, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448 "2013-11-21T17:12:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 11
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/201 "2014-01-08T16:03:41Z")
I guess Christie’s chances depend on his willingness to move right during the primaries. Considering the loudest Republican response to Romney’s loss (“he wasn’t conservative enough”), I doubt the primary electorate will embrace him without that. Post-primary, the question will be how far he had to move right and how gracefully he can shed whatever it was he said. ---
**Author:** ![adaher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/dec6dc/32.png) [@adaher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adaher)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/202 "2014-01-08T16:13:17Z")
You have to be able to move right credibly, and the smart way to do that is to emphasize where you’re conservative while glossing over where you’re not. And being more partisan than your opponents. That’s how Dean became the darling of the left despite a pretty moderate record. No one could beat Dean in GWB hatred, which is what Democratic primary voters wanted more than anything else. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/203 "2014-01-08T16:20:22Z")
> [@](#): > > Quoth **adaher** : > > There’s nothing predictive there. It’s an observation of the past, not the future. Why did the President order the closing of national parks that didn’t even require staffing? If it was not to cause as much pain as possible, what was his motivation? I don’t know why I’m bothering, but he didn’t do that, because there is no such thing. All national parks require staffing, and he didn’t close them, the Republicans in Congress did by shutting down the government. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/204 "2014-01-08T16:59:32Z")
> [@jayjay](#): > > I think he means McCain’s 2000 run against Dubya. > [@Chronos](#): > > I think he meant in the primaries, when McCain ran against Bush. My apologies, adaher. I lost the proper reference. > [@BobLibDem](#): > > The George Washington Bridge Scandal has legs. [An email](http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/08/chris-christie-traffic_n_4561448.html) from Christie’s Deputy Chief of Staff on Aug. 13 said “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” I see a number of articles on the leaked emails. The [Wall Street Journal](http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303393804579308331794186904) has a very similar one, which will make it much harder to attack than the Huffington Post. And an even longer account appears on [NorthJersey.com](http://www.northjersey.com/news/christie_kelly_bridge_lane_closures_emails.html). When the WSJ gets involved every other news organization will have to follow it up. The pettiness of the revenge and the fact that it affected schoolchildren is what’s making it linger. And the blatantness of the emails are too delicious to ignore. Try2B Comprehensive, that’s why this minor incident is more telling than ALEC. Backroom influence is impossible to bring across in a campaign. The displays must be public. Congress is public. ALEC is not. > [@Chronos](#): > > I don’t know why I’m bothering, but he didn’t do that, because there is no such thing. All national parks require staffing, and he didn’t close them, the Republicans in Congress did by shutting down the government. Don’t be ridiculous. Obama was the cause of the shutdown. [Ted Cruz said so](http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/12/sen-ted-cruz-blames-obama-reid-for-government-shutdown-talks-coloring-book/). ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/205 "2014-01-08T17:13:10Z")
> [@What\_Exit](#): > > Funny, I remember it the other way around, Christie rejected the tentative proposal of an offer to be the VP on the ticket. No formal offer was made but Christie wisely rejected the strong possibility of the offer. > > Also why do you suppose Christie would have many skeletons in his closet. It is hard to be the Governor of NJ without said skeletons already being exposed. The Democratic party in NJ has had 2 chances to dig very deep. Christie problems are pretty much out in the open, if he wins, he will challenge Taft for largest President and he often shoots his mouth off. He is blunt, he has shown a strong willingness to buck the status quo and sacred cows. There was some information leaked in early November about why Romney rejected Christie (described [here](http://thelead.blogs.cnn.com/2013/11/05/mitt-romney-apologizes-chris-christie-double-down-leak/)). I didn’t follow it too closely, and looking back, the supposed ‘scandal’ was a Justice Department investigation into his overspending with travel on a trip. The Democratic Party did have a chance to find dirt on him in both elections, but there’s really nothing like the trial a candidate goes through when running for President. Not only are there better resources and higher stakes, but the bar for the hypothetical wrongdoing is much lower. In the end, though, I think Christie’s main problem is the same thing that makes him a popular governor: as you said, he’s careless about what comes out of his mouth. This makes him seem human and relatable, but it also makes for a campaign like a ticking time bomb. For his opponent, it’s only a matter of waiting until he puts his foot in his mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/206 "2014-01-08T17:48:43Z")
I’m shocked (honestly) to see that Christie’s office apparently [was involved](http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303393804579308331794186904) in creating bridge traffic jam. > [@](#): > > A top aide to Gov. Chris Christie told an executive at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey it was “time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee” before the authority closed lanes onto the George Washington Bridge in September, triggering a week of massive traffic jams, documents show. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/207 "2014-01-08T17:50:38Z")
Silly me. I thought ALEC meant “A lesser-evil candidate.” ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/208 "2014-01-08T18:26:26Z")
I think Christie is unfit for office, and [I’m not alone.](http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2014/01/gov_chris_christies_officials.html) There is absolutely no doubt that Christie staffers planned to make mischief and then rejoiced in it, even dismissing the affected school kids as children of parents who vote the wrong way. This is a shocking abuse of power and they put people in real danger with no qualms. Time for a recall. ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/209 "2014-01-08T18:32:03Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I think Christie is unfit for office, and [I’m not alone.](http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2014/01/gov_chris_christies_officials.html) There is absolutely no doubt that Christie staffers planned to make mischief and then rejoiced in it, even dismissing the affected school kids as children of parents who vote the wrong way. This is a shocking abuse of power and they put people in real danger with no qualms. Time for a recall. Yeah, you don’t mess with commuter traffic in the Greater New York City area. That’s their third rail (no subway pun intended). ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/210 "2014-01-08T18:32:10Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > I think Christie is unfit for office, and [I’m not alone.](http://blog.nj.com/njv_editorial_page/2014/01/gov_chris_christies_officials.html) There is absolutely no doubt that Christie staffers planned to make mischief and then rejoiced in it, even dismissing the affected school kids as children of parents who vote the wrong way. This is a shocking abuse of power and they put people in real danger with no qualms. Time for a recall. [Indeed](http://www.motherjones.com/mojo/2014/01/chris-christie-bridge-lane-closure-slowed-search-missing-child): > [@](#): > > “There was a missing child that day. The police had trouble conducting that search because they were tied up directing traffic,” says Jan Goldberg, a Fort Lee city councilman who works with local emergency personnel. Police found the missing child, a four-year-old. “But with the streets in the condition they were, I would venture to say that the search took longer,” Goldberg says. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/211 "2014-01-08T18:32:18Z")
Such a strange and stupid scandal. It’s almost cartoon-villain like… “if you don’t endorse me, I’m going to… snarl your town’s traffic!” Weird, buffoonish stuff. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/212 "2014-01-08T18:34:22Z")
[Adaher-Spoof-Bot-2000] Christie trying to mess with traffic should increase his favorables with liberals… after all, liberals love it when the government gets involved with their lives! [/Adaher-Spoof-Bot-2000] ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/213 "2014-01-08T18:36:02Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > [Adaher-Spoof-Bot-2000] > > Christie trying to mess with traffic should increase his favorables with liberals… after all, liberals love it when the government gets involved with their lives! > > [/Adaher-Spoof-Bot-2000] And a Liberal plan to get people to use mass transit more. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/214 "2014-01-08T18:55:28Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Such a strange and stupid scandal. It’s almost cartoon-villain like… “if you don’t endorse me, I’m going to… snarl your town’s traffic!” > > Weird, buffoonish stuff. Particularly because his election wasn’t in any real doubt, and that endorsement meant nothing. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/215 "2014-01-08T18:56:56Z")
> [@adaher](#): > > You have to be able to move right credibly, and the smart way to do that is to emphasize where you’re conservative while glossing over where you’re not. And being more partisan than your opponents. That’s how Dean became the darling of the left despite a pretty moderate record. No one could beat Dean in GWB hatred, which is what Democratic primary voters wanted more than anything else. Good point, but Christie is not going to be the best Obama hater in the field. ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/216 "2014-01-08T20:30:24Z")
Well, the traffic jam story has picked up legs. Now that WSJ has it, both the NYT and WP have picked it up. I have doubts about it’s ability to really hurt Christie, but it could help establish a narrative that he doesn’t want and force him on some defense. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/217 "2014-01-08T20:37:36Z")
[DrudgeReport.com](http://DrudgeReport.com) > [@](#): > > JERSEY: Emails Tie Top Christie Aide to Lane Closings, Despite Denials… > **[HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News](https://www.huffpost.com/)** > > Read the latest headlines, news stories, and opinion from Politics, Entertainment, Life, Perspectives, and more. > [@](#): > > BRIDGE TROLL > > SCANDAL SPREADS… TOP AIDE EMAILED: ‘Time For Some Traffic Problems’… EXEC GLOATS: Victims ‘Are The Children Of’ Democrats… REPORT: Closure Slowed Search For Missing 4-Year-Old… FLASHBACK: Christie Stands By Appointees… Stories Of Retribution Trail Gov… Christie Goes Into Hiding…NJ’s Biggest Paper: If He Knew, He’s ‘Obviously Lying And Unfit For Office’… Two realities. ---
**Author:** ![Truman\_Burbank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecc23a/32.png) [@Truman\_Burbank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Truman_Burbank)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/218 "2014-01-08T20:39:02Z")
**Jonathon,** CNN is carrying it too, and I disagree. I think he’s sunk as a Presidential candidate. It’s not too abstract for the average voter to care about or comprehend, it’s blatant, and impossible defend beyond “I had no idea my direct reports were taking it upon themselves to behave in this way”. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/219 "2014-01-08T21:33:12Z")
> [@Jonathan\_Chance](#): > > Well, the traffic jam story has picked up legs. Now that WSJ has it, both the NYT and WP have picked it up. > > I have doubts about it’s ability to really hurt Christie, but it could help establish a narrative that he doesn’t want and force him on some defense. I disagree. We’ve all been in traffic jams and can relate to those who were victimized by Christie’s boorish, vindictive behavior. That he would do this and make people suffer in the way that we all have is something that is going to stick. It defies credibility that the Deputy Chief of Staff is going to do this on her own. If she gets subpoenaed by the legislature and if she doesn’t fall on her sword for Christie, that cinches it. He’s done. As he might be by now anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Fiveyearlurker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/da6949/32.png) [@Fiveyearlurker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiveyearlurker)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2014, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448/220 "2014-01-08T22:09:03Z")
He is claiming now that he had no idea this was going on. Any chance this excuse passes the smell test? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448.md?page=10) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-we-should-get-used-to-saying-president-christie-yea-or-nay/674448.md?page=12)