Joy Behar Is Right: Chris Christie is “Toast”

[malaise]

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/johncassidy/2014/04/joy-behar-is-right-chris-christie-is-toast.html
<snip>
Whatever else you do this week, carve out half an hour to read my colleague Ryan Lizza’s piece about Chris Christie and New Jersey politics. It’s Robert Penn Warren meets Carl Hiaasen on the west bank of the Hudson. By the time you get to the end of it, I bet you’ll find yourself asking the same question I did: How could we ever have taken this bully seriously as a Presidential candidate?

In an era when elected officials are about as popular as burglars and bank C.E.O.s, the answer is that Christie cleverly created a public persona as a plain-talking, non-ideological Honest Joe—an anti-politician, almost—and the media, or much of it, went along with the spin. Even President Obama, by embracing Christie on the Jersey Shore shortly after Hurricane Sandy struck, contributed to Christie’s image as a decent man stuck in a bad profession and a nutty party. (Obama had his own motivations, of course; in the last stages of a Presidential race, he was eager to be seen reaching across partisan lines and dealing with the storm.)

Thanks to the Bridgegate scandal, and the torrent of e-mails, internal documents, and unvarnished interviews it unleashed, we have been able to see the real Christie, and it isn’t an edifying sight. It’s so ugly, in fact, that Christie will almost certainly not survive its public display. “I really don’t know about the Presidency,” Joy Behar, the former co-host of “The View,” said to Christie at a recent political roast in Newark, which Ryan recounts in his piece. “Let me put it to you this way, in a way that you’d appreciate: You’re toast.” Behar may have been joking: she is a comedienne. But, with a federal grand jury busy hauling in Christie’s aides to explain what they know about the Bridgegate scandal, there can’t be many people who disagree with her analysis.

On the basis of what we’ve seen over the past few weeks, what we have here is not some tribune of the common man with a sharp political brain. It’s a dark, Nixonian character who plots and rages, who ruthlessly exploits his office for political ends, who intimidates opponents and colleagues alike, who publicly trashes his former aides when he deems it necessary, and who even double-crosses his oldest allies.

------------------------------------------

:

[Xipe Totec]

1. The Jersey Barrier is coming down. Hard. nt

[malaise]

2. He was clearly not amused

Bullies hate that day when payback is delivered.

[freedom fighter jh]

3. Brave woman

"Don't look at me that way; you're scaring me."

I wouldn't have said that. If anyone looked at me that way, I would look for the nearest hiding place.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

4. sound on my pc doesn't work...what's the gist of her clip?

[malaise]

5. You're scaring me, don't bully me

you're toast - that's it

[Sienna86]

6. It was a roast for a former governor and Christie was on the guest panel

Behar tells Christie he has had a couple of tough weeks. He says/jokes that he can't believe she is getting paid to do this. She responds I can't believe you are. He jokingly tries to take her cards. She tells him he can't scare her, and not to bully her. Then she ends by telling him "you're toast!"

[mercuryblues]

7. Nothing like

a scandal with your coffee.

When this first broke I knew Christie's chances of winning the presidential election was nil. I did think he would run as arrogant as he is. As more was revealed, I figured there is no way he would even win the primaries, I still thought he would try. Then as more came out I knew he wouldn't even enter that. Just finish his term as Gov'ner and rake in millions after office. Investigations against republicans take a long, long time. when they leave office they seem to be dropped.

The idea of him being dragged from office for a perp walk now seems more and more likely. Not holding out any hope for that though. But if it does happen some amoretto is going in my coffee that day.

What gets me is that his mentor Kean, had to know about his personality and what Toastie was capable of, yet he backed him and encouraged him into the political spot light. Everyone around him had to know how vindictive he was and it seemed not to matter. It begs the question, what does Toastie have on them? Will he be loyal to the people who helped him all these years and go down quietly? or will he start naming names in hopes of getting a light sentence for himself.

[malaise]

15. Right now he and Samson have way more serious issues

like staying out of prison

[FloridaBlues]

8. Mr bully

He didn't look to happy. Good on Joy!

[malaise]

14. He sure didn't

Welcome to DU

[riqster]

9. I have always liked her work.

Good on her!

[Laxman]

10. Here Is The Link....

to Lizza's piece in the New Yorker. It is well worth the time it takes to read.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2014/04/14/140414fa_fact_lizza?currentPage=all

[CTyankee]

11. That piece is wonderful! I was shocked all over again...

one of the best parts was about how he and his dad tried to block another kid from being the starting pitcher on the high school baseball team. It seems CC learned from his father...

[malaise]

12. Excellent read

Did I miss that 1000th post?

[DURHAM D]

13. Thanks for posting.

I didn't see anything new but if you are just now tuning into the scandal the article provides context.

However, I am disappointed that David Samson was left out of the equation. Oh well... perhaps next time.