No Smoking Guns Yet, But the Noose is Tightening Around Chris Christie

[babylonsister]

http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/01/no-smoking-guns-yet-noose-tightening-around-chris-christie


No Smoking Guns Yet, But the Noose is Tightening Around Chris Christie

—By Kevin Drum
| Wed Jan. 29, 2014 10:31 PM GMT



The New York Times is pretty clearly expending a lot of resources on the various Chris Christie scandals. So far they haven't produced any smoking guns, but they're sure digging up some stuff that doesn't look good for Team Christie. First up is a look at the Christie political team, which was apparently obsessed with winning votes in Democratic-leaning towns. This wasn't because the votes themselves were all that critical to Christie's 2012 reelection campaign, but because winning in these places "would validate the governor’s argument that he would be the most broadly appealing Republican choice for president in 2016":

Staff members in the governor’s office created tabbed and color-coded dossiers on the mayors of each town — who their friends and enemies were, the policies and projects that were dear to them — that were bound in notebooks for the governor to review in his S.U.V. between events.

....Officially known as “intergovernmental affairs,” the operation was a key element of the permanent campaign that allowed Mr. Christie to win twice in a largely Democratic state. It was led by Bill Stepien, his two-time campaign manager and deputy chief of staff, and then by Bridget Anne Kelly, who succeeded him in his role in the governor’s office.

....By many accounts, the person in the front office who handled most of the politics was Mr. Stepien.....He mapped out the list of mini-Ohios and mini-Floridas where Mr. Christie might win what they called “persuadable voters.”....Those 100 or so towns would receive special attention — state aid, help from the Port Authority, a town-hall-style session with Mr. Christie — in hopes that by the time the governor ran for a second term, he would have friends there; even if local officials did not endorse him, they would not be working for his Democratic opponent.

The point of this piece is to demonstrate three things. First, winning votes in cities like Fort Lee really was important to the Christie team. Second, they were pretty ruthless about going after those votes. Third, Christie himself met regularly with his team to discuss their tactics in minute detail. The strong inference is that (a) Shutting down lanes on the George Washington Bridge to intimidate a mayor who wasn't playing ball was right up their alley, and (b) if they did this, Christie almost certainly knew about it.

snip//

It's pretty obvious that stories like these are going to keep dripping out. The Times has several reporters assigned to bird dog this story, and once the New Jersey legislature starts subpoenaing people, there's going to be continuing grist for an endless succession of lurid headlines. By themselves, neither of these stories moves the bar much. But as a harbinger of things to come, they're pretty ominous for Christie. Buckle up.

[Gothmog]

1. The NYT article is great

Christie is going to have a hard time convincing voters and donors that he was not involved is these scandals

[Ninga]

2. So, given what I have read, Christie mostly using phone/in person methods to communicate...

absent a paper "smoking gun" ... suggests to me that more than one Christie appointee will need to somehow convey "he knew" ? does this mean wholesale immunity for whistle blowers? Will the committees and Feds have enough to turn the screws and make them squeal??

Stay tuned....

[Lint Head]

3. Circumstantial evidence can convict a person of murder much less a political conspiracy.

Many successful criminal prosecutions rely largely or entirely on circumstantial evidence, and civil charges are frequently based on circumstantial or indirect evidence.

[riverwalker]

4. Binders Full Of Mayors

Staff members in the governor’s office created tabbed and color-coded dossiers on the mayors of each town — who their friends and enemies were, the policies and projects that were dear to them — that were bound in notebooks for the governor to review in his S.U.V. between events

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

5. Sounds very Nixon-like, doesn't it?

Except in an era of cellphones, texting, internet research and all of the other modern marvels its way more insidious and dangerous.

[Calista241]

9. They also had Nixon on tape. n/t

[leftyladyfrommo]

6. How is this different from politics as usual

all over the place.

Seems to me that politics has gotten to be pretty awful in just about all of the campaigns.

[Dread Pirate Roberts]

7. This was only part politics

this stuff is what happens when politics, policy, campaigning, governing and ambition all get confused. Governing and policy get perverted and sacrificed to ambition and politics. That's not normal. Somebody has to be governing.

[leftyladyfrommo]

8. Seems to me like this is the new normal.

I don't really trust any of the politicians in our area any more. You just have to be careful and not get caught like Christie did.

Sad.

[WillyT]

10. K & R !!!