Chris Christie-Accounts of Petty Retribution Reinforce Christie’s Bullying Image [View all]

[Gothmog]

The George Washington Bridge incident that has been reported on by Rachel Maddow and others is not an isolated incident. Christie has a history of making people who irk him pay for their sins http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/25/nyregion/accounts-of-petty-retribution-reinforce-christies-bullying-image.html?hp

But the gesture would come to seem genteel compared with the fate suffered by others in disagreements with Mr. Christie: a former governor who was stripped of police security at public events; a Rutgers professor who lost state financing for cherished programs; a state senator whose candidate for a judgeship suddenly stalled; another senator who was disinvited from an event with the governor in his own district.

In almost every case, Mr. Christie waved off any suggestion that he had meted out retribution. But to many, the incidents have left that impression, and it has been just as powerful in scaring off others who might dare to cross him.

Now, the governor is dogged by another accusation of petty political revenge. Two close political allies ordered the abrupt shutdown of two local access lanes on the George Washington Bridge in September, gridlocking the borough of Fort Lee for four days. The borough’s mayor said it was punitive because he had declined to endorse the governor’s re-election.

There is a pattern here of Christie taking petty retribution against people who oppose him. That same pattern makes the story about the George Washington bridge a potentially good issue if Christie is the GOP nominee. The leadership of the GOP is already taking steps to eliminate debates and caucuses to try to give Christie the inside track for the 2016 nomination. While the tea party may hate Christie, I can see him getting the nomination because the GOP leadership will be desperate to win. The DNC is doing a good job of developing the facts on this issue in case that Christie is the candidate.