Christie Views Lane Closings on George Washington Bridge as Overblown

[Botany]

Source: NY Times

TRENTON — It began with a few orange traffic cones in September, when local access lanes to the George Washington Bridge abruptly closed for four days, gridlocking Fort Lee, N.J.

But after legislative hearings, the resignations of two of his confidants and demands for more answers, the allegation that drivers were made to suffer for the sake of petty political payback has grown into a major irritation for Gov. Chris Christie.

Facing reporters on Friday to announce the resignation of a second close associate in a week, Mr. Christie said the fuss about the two men’s having ordered that lanes leading to the George Washington Bridge be shut — and whether they had done it to punish Fort Lee’s mayor for failing to endorse Mr. Christie — had been “sensationalized.”

It was merely a mistake, he said, or rather, “a mistake got made.” The article that said he had called Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York to complain that the controversy was getting too much attention? “The story was wrong.” The resignation yesterday, by the man at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which controls the bridge? “This was a change I was going to make anyway,” Mr. Christie said.

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/14/nyregion/on-lane-closings-christie-says-hell-turn-the-page.html

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[George II]

1. Christie himself is overblown.....

...anyone who lives in Fort Lee (I lived there for three years a while back, less than a mile from the bridge) knows that when there is an accident, backup in the Bronx, or just about anything, the traffic backs up and ALL local streets in the town get clogged.

Those lanes are highly used, and the backups would have started within minutes of the closings.

If it was a "mistake", why did it go on for four days?

[DallasNE]

12. Also, If He Was Planning On Firing This Person Anyway

Why would he wait to fire them until just now and what was reason for firing this veteran person. That comment is too handy to make sense.

[mucifer]

2. Here in Chicago mayor daley bull dozed a tiny airport in Chicago

because he wanted a nature preserve there. He did it in the middle of the night. He kept getting elected after that. There was some outrage. But, he was king here.:

Ten years ago Saturday, Richard M. Daley sent in bulldozers under cover of darkness to carve giant X’s into Meigs Field’s only runway.

Daley initially claimed he did it to protect Chicago from a terrorist attack.

But he later acknowledged the obvious: He had wanted to convert Meigs into a park as far back as 1995 and seized the opportunity when he could, reneging on a handshake agreement with then-Gov. George Ryan to keep Meigs open until 2024.

http://www.suntimes.com/news/cityhall/19147426-418/10-years-later-the-nighttime-raid-that-destroyed-meigs-field.html

That was the jr daley. Not the one who bashed heads at the democratic convention. That was his dad.


My point here is that often these powerful figures don't get touched by scandal.
I don't think christie will pay any price for what he did just like our mayor (who is a dem btw).

[George II]

3. Yes, I remember that - everyone loved that little airport....

...the big difference is that Daley Jr. had a long family history in city politics and it was a city issue.

Christie has a short history in politics, and he disrupted traffic to and from New York City and State. But I think you're right, when it comes time for his next campaign this will be forgotten.

[whathehell]

6. I've lived for significant amounts of time in both North Jersey & Chicago..

so I'm afraid I'd have to respectfully disagree, because Chris Christie isn't Richard Daley, and Chicago --

the entire Midwest, I'd say -- is quite different than places like New Jersey, my hometown of Philly and New York.

The people in the latter tend to be quite a bit "tougher", for lack of a better word, and they do NOT forgive easily,

especially for the kind of stunt Christie apparently pulled -- Causing a HUGE and lengthy traffic jam that went on for DAYS

on the busiest bridge in the nation out of petty political spite?...Like Rachel said, it's like something out of the Sopranos,

and I don't believe Jersey and New York will be forgetting that one soon -- In fact I'd say the rather Tony Soprano-like

Christie is in for some substantial political payback.

[QuestForSense]

16. As they say in New Yawk, from your mouth to God's ears.

[whathehell]

21. You betcha! n/t

[MADem]

4. Hmmm. Could this be a "roll out" of sorts?

Who's trying to re-shape (pardon the pun) Christie's reputation as a tough-talking, no-nonsense, take-the-bull-by-the-horns, make-a-damn-decision kind of guy (which is the image he wants associated with himself), and rework that into a "petty, vindictive, angry, retributive asshole?"

Cui bono?

Who's flogging this "meme?" And is it simply a meme, or is it the plain old truth?

Even if the lane closings were not retribution, even if Mr. Christie did not know about them, the accusation of nasty politics goes to the heart of one of the governor’s vulnerabilities as he prepares to run for president. In how many other states, after all, do pollsters routinely ask voters whether they agree that their governor is a bully?

[Laelth]

5. Busted.

It almost certainly was political pay-back. Glad this is getting some coverage.

-Laelth

[TheBlackAdder]

7. Flashbacks of the LOST $400 Million Race-to-the-Top Money. Accuse 2 people, then find a patsy!

Remember when Christie personally fumbled the Race to the Top funding several years ago.

This was right before he scuttled the NJ-NY train project, costing the state tens of millions.

===


He tried to blame if on a couple of people.

Then, when each of the excuses fell through, he found a patsy in his "FRIEND" Bret Schundler.

Friend or no friend, if you get in his way, he'll literally squash you.

===

This is why so many Democrats supported him this last round.

The first two years in office, if a town or politician went against him, their district suffered.

He rules with an authoritarian fist. You either play ball with him, or he will exact vengeance on your constituents.

[Ikonoklast]

8. The Port Authority is the most corrupt organization in this country.

Cuomo uses it to reward his buddies, too.

The feds need to look into every single nook of that massively corrupt, bloated, incompetent organization.

[Atman]

9. Can you say "Lying, vindictive sack of shit?" Sure you can.

Good luck on your Presidential bid, Mr. Laneblocker.

[TwilightGardener]

10. "Mistakes were made" = "I got caught being a vindictive asshole".

[Botany]

14. The NY Times dropped the hammer yesterday

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/12/13/nyregion/investigating-political-hack-work-near-the-george-washington-bridge.html?ref=nyregion&_r=0

"And second, the hack who closed the lanes got his job at the Port Authority through the patronage of Governor Christie, a high school classmate. Governor Christie’s man was on a corner in Fort Lee at 7 a.m. on the first day of the lane closings, watching the traffic monstrosity build, according to recent testimony at hearings in New Jersey."

********

This could end Christie's Presidential run before it gets started. I'll give him credit for doing
a good job before, during, and after Hurricane Sandy but to close 1/2 of the busiest bridge in
the world because a mayor of another party didn't endorse you comes across as being
a petty little prick.

[Enthusiast]

25. Precisely.

[Javaman]

11. trying to play down the colossal fuckup...

he's sweating.

[Martak Sarno]

13. Obstruction?

And I thought that "Jersey Barriers" were made of concrete!

[George II]

15. I posted this elsewhere about another incident a couple of years ago...

Shortly after Christie announced, to a huge uproar, that he wanted to close Monmouth Park racetrack, coincidentally the major road leading to that racetrack, Route 36, between the Garden State Parkway and the track, was obstructed for "construction", causing massive delays - a 10 minute drive to Monmouth Park took more than an hour.

The construction began a week or two before the season started, not sure when it was completed later that summer.

Then Christie pointed out how attendance at the track had dropped!

[SunSeeker]

23. Wow. So this is not the first time he's pullled this kind of stunt.

But it appears this is the first time it didn't get swept under the rug.

[dawn frenzy adams]

17. THE LAST THING YOU SHOULD DO...

is give a big, bloated, bloviating bully like this more power. You don't want this clown no where near the red button.

[FSogol]

18. Asshole who takes limos and helicopters to local little league games thinks that lane closings are

no big deal.

Christie and his supporters:

[LiberalElite]

19. NO it's not "overblown"

you got caught, you juvenile, vindictive THUG.

[onehandle]

20. Last night Rachel said that Christie was 'throwing his weight around.'

Her words, not mine.

[Overseas]

22. Of course he does. Nothing to see here. Move along. Guess that's the plan.

Glad people aren't buying it.

And he has other wheeling and dealing that will be scrutinized too.

[Enthusiast]

24. Christie, no good.

[Nye Bevan]

26. A mere third-rate lane closure?

Won't amount to anything.

[CreekDog]

27. oh if you thought Obama or a democrat did it you'd say differently