Why does stuff stick to Chris Christie like barnacles to a whale,

[Binders Keepers]

but Trump can get away with the most outrageous, egregious crimes and actions? A single scandal, Bridgegate, was enough to torpedo Christie, who had been riding high. His approval rate now languishes around 15 percent (and that was before "Beachgate"--maybe it's closer to 3 today). Yet Trump pulls all sorts of ridiculous crap and maintains around 35-40 percent approval. What will it take to put a dent in that number? Closing a toll bridge?

[marylandblue]

1. They built their brands on different things

Christie built his brand on being a reasonable republican. Bridge proved he was just a dick. Trump built his brabd on being a dick. The only thing that can hurt him with his base is starting to act reasonable.

[Binders Keepers]

2. Good insight.

[Corvo Bianco]

4. Mhmm. The more I speculate on what went wrong, the more I realize assholes simply like assholes.

Trump is a consistently reliable asshole--who is also dumb--and they luvvvv it. His supporters don't call him dumb, but when they refer to Trump as a "straight shooter", a fellow dick incapable of fancy thought processes founded in logic, they get hearts in their eyes.

Christie never overtly branded himself as the guy who will represent only the shittiest among us. He's a giant douche, but he has a law degree and he had a grown-up conversation President Obama once. If Christie hadn't sprinkled complete sentences and common manners on top of his mob persona, he could have a 35% approval rating too! The little shits want someone who is shitty like them, 100% of the time.

From what I've seen, this specific asshole-to-asshole bond (MAGA) is compulsory and FAR stronger than the bonds with their crummy families who use appeals to human decency to try to change the *real* them. Lol, silly approach if I may say. Trump is their president, their glorious public figure that will always perfectly represent, justify, and embolden their deplorable worldview. The view that the right to be an asshole is a right that trumps all others.

That 35% number will not go down, because 35% of the country have a new religion that finally makes sense of their rottenness. You can't persuade somebody to walk away from their own redemption. As with Christianity etc., you're not going to shake that belief system. Because they need that belief system.

Wish you weren't such a dick your whole life, Dad!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

3. Trump had been a celebrity for years - he has always been rich and flashy

and during the '80s became well-known in the NYC social scene and as a sleazy, dickish, wealthy and controversial real estate developer who slapped his name on everything. Then he got to be a reality-show host on a major TV network. He's never been out of the limelight (he made a point of staying in it). Christie, on the other hand, started out as a lawyer, got into local government, and later became a U.S. Attorney before he ran for governor. He wasn't well-known until relatively recently and he's not filthy rich. He managed to get himself widely loathed by being an asshole as a governor but he didn't have Trump's offsetting advantages of national celebrity and wealth.

[pansypoo53219]

5. the trumpets have not felt the results of their choice yet. YET!

[Skittles]

6. there were actual convictions in Bridgegate

I am hoping to see convictions with Trump Inc's collusion with Russia to influence an election