Two weeks before the Iowa Caucuses, 53-year-old New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie makes a last-ditch plea to New Hampshire voters, ripping GOP rivals Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), claiming they have about as much experience as President Barack Obama. Christie contends that Obama lacked the experience and savvy to competently run the White House. Delivering his last State-of-the-Union Speech Jan. 12, Obama’s rebutted GOP charges that the country was in worse off than when he took office Jan. 20, 2009. Christie wants New Hampshire voters to trust him, a former U.S. Attorney and two-term New Jersey governor. Forget about Christie’s Sept. 13, 2013 “Bridgegate” scandal where the governor’s staff closed down three lanes of traffic on the double-decked George Washington Bridge, leading to agonizing gridlock for commuters into Fort Lee, New Jersey.
Christie bashed Rubio and Cruz for lacking the experience needed to be president. “The U.S. Senate is like school—they tell you where to go, what time to show up, what kind of questions you’re going to get,” Christie told voters at a packed firehouse in Goffstown, N.H. What Christie didn’t tell voters was anything about “Bridgegate.” Firing key members of his staff and New Jersey Port Authority, including his Chief-of-Staff Bridget Anne Kelly, former Deputy Chief of Staff Bill Baroni and Port Authority Director David Wildstein, Christie denied involvement. “That’s not the way it works when you’re a governor. I tell you, the issues come at you from every direction at all hours of the day and night,” Christie told New Hampshire voters. Denying any role in “Bridgegate,” Christie insists that every issue, “day-or-night,” passing by his desk is something a governor must take responsibility.
Since taking office Jan. 19, 2010, Christie took a “hands-on” role managing every facet of the governor’s office. His categorical denials about what he calls “rogue” elements in his staff don’t match what’s known about the staff members fired following the scandal, especially his former Chief of Staff Bridget Kelly. Press reports describe her as highly conscientious, committed to her job, career and not likely to do anything to jeopardize her future. All fired employees directly or remotely tied to “Bridgegate” have taken the Fifth, refusing to divulge the governor’s role. Christie fired Kelly insisting she “lied” to him about the scandal. But whatever the details, including Christie’s own investigation that exonerated him by Gibson, Dunn and Crutcher, he claims he was duped by his staff Not knowing what happens under your nose is almost as bad as ordering the Bridge lane closures.
Christie hopes that ripping Rubio and Cruz give him a leg up in New Hampshire, looking today like real estate mogul Donald Trump should win by a big margin. Christie thinks that if he derails Rubio and Cruz, he’ll live to see South Carolina. Touting his executive experience doesn’t make sense for Christie whose Bridgegate scandal shows, at the very least, a loose management style. Claiming he knew nothing about it doesn’t make sense, especially the way he ran a tight ship. “When the American people elected [Obama], they knew he had never run anything bigger that a 30-person Senate staff,” insisted Christie. Christie infuriated the GOP base “hugging” Obama Nov. 20, 2012 for responding so generously with federal disaster relief for New Jersey in the wake of Oct. 22, 2012 hurricane Sandy. Praising Obama for his Sandy leadership doesn’t match Christie’s campaign rhetoric.
Taking swipes at Trump in Obama’s the State-of-the-Union speech and the GOP post-speech response by South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley show the Party establishment is sweating it out before Iowa and New Hampshire. Trump’s consistent lead in the polls mirrors the public’s disgust with Washington’s business as usual: Complete gridlock. Obama spent time in his State-of-the-Union lamenting Washington’s bitter partisan politics. Promising to work harder with Congress in his last year, Barack said nothing of his role in adding to Washington’s partisan divide. When he signed the Affordable Care Act into law March 23, 2010 without one Republican vote, he alienated the GOP so badly they refused to work with him on bipartisan legislation. Despite running in 2008 as a post-partisan president, railroading Obamacare prevented the president from a cordial relationship with GOP Republicans.
Fighting to the finish before Iowa and New Hampshire, Christie makes his best case against his nearest GOP rivals, Cruz and Rubio. Touting his executive experience in New Jersey, Christie ignores completely his role in the Bridgegate scandal that no doubt violated federal and state laws. Whatever the scenario, it showed that Christie was asleep at the switch in the New Jersey governor’s office or, worse yet, played an active role ordering his former Chief of Staff Bridget Kelly to snarl traffic to punish Fort Lee Mayor Mark Sokolich for not backing his reelection bid. Pointing fingers at Cruz or Rubio or ripping Obama’s executive experience exposes Christie’s glass house. Whatever Christie’s Bridgegate baggage, he’s in no position to rip other for inexperience or incompetence. Claiming he knew “nothing” about Bridgegate, Christie opens up a can of worms for his campaign.
