Trump & Christie to voters: ...remember all that bad stuff we said about each other, never mind!!!

Right wing voters love Trump because he's been brutally honest about the bullshit Republicans have been peddling for years, calling them out on it, with voters nodding in agreement. He called out Walker's lousy economic and jobs record; Christie on Bridgegate and the 9 state credit downgrades; Rubio's mindless repeated pitch; Cruz' campaign of lies.  Every Republican campaign dirty trick is currently being used against their own candidates, and I'm loving it.

But you have to laugh at Chris Christie's endorsement of Trump, after everything these two said about each other...truly horrible things that obliterated the others character, things they can never take back. Will Republican voters play along with this charade?

I started the clip below with Christie's contradictory comments, along with Rubio and Trumps juvenile playground shouting match and criticisms. This is what passes for "adults" in Republican world?

CHRISTIE ON TRUMP:

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FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2016 file photo, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and Donald Trump talk during …

WRONG TEMPERAMENT: "Donald's a great guy and a good person, but I just don't think he's suited to be president of the United States. I don't think his temperament is suited for that and I don't think his experience is. He's got great experiences in doing things in business, but ... if he doesn't get what he wants from (then-House Speaker) John Boehner, he can't fire him. " — On Fox News in August.

PAJAMA MAN: "He sits in his jammies in Trump Tower and phones in. You guys don't let any of the rest of us do that." — To Sean Hannity, after Trump announced he would skip a January Fox News debate. Christie also drew a pointed contrast to Trump in saying he didn't "whine and moan and complain and walk away" after he was relegated to an earlier undercard debate.

MUSLIM BAN: SAY WHAT?: "This is the kind of thing that people say when they have no experience and don't know what they're talking about. We do not need to endorse that type of activity, nor should we." On Michael Medved's radio show in December, after Trump called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the U.S.

A REAL CHARACTER: "Showtime is over. It's time to pick a president. We're not picking a legislator-in-chief. We're not picking an entertainer-in-chief. We're not casting a TV show. This is real." —During a December visit to New Hampshire, during which he also labeled Trump "a real character."

TRUMP ON CHRISTIE:

A BRIDGE TOO FAR: "Here is the story: The George Washington Bridge, he knew about it." — Addressing Christie's role in the bridge scandal, speaking in New Hampshire in December. Two of Christie's former aides have been charged with closing two lanes of the bridge to tie up traffic as political payback. Christie has denied any knowledge, and a state-financed investigation cleared him. Trump added that Christie "can't win because of his past."

A CHILD: "It was unbelievable. He was like a little boy: 'Oh, I'm with the president.'" Mocking Christie's enthusiastic welcome of President Barack Obama to New Jersey after Superstorm Sandy. Trump, speaking in New Hampshire in December, said Christie acted like a "little child."

NO HELP: Christie's appearance with Obama cost 2012 Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney "a lot of votes." — Trump in New Hampshire in December.

CREDIT CRUNCH: Trump has also swiped at Christie for New Jersey's nine credit downgrades on the governor's watch.

Republican message proves they don't need to succeed or get voter approval, they just need to sell...staying in power.

Is Gov. Chris Christie listening to the voters? The strange upside down governing style of Republican politicians is baffling, because their actions are in direct conflict with the will of the voters.

Voters are saying so in today’s poll:

New Jersey voter’s support 53 – 37% building a new rail tunnel between the Garden State and Manhattan, with support from every region in the state, according to a Quinnipiac University poll. Support is 62 – 30% among Democrats, 51 – 40% among independents and 47 – 41% among Republicans. The rail tunnel is "very important" or "somewhat important" to the New Jersey-New York regional economy, 62% of voters say.
   Gov. Christie's Approval is 82 - 12 percent among Republicans and 51 - 45 percent among independent voters, while Democrats disapprove 74 - 20 percent.

So conservatives approve of Christie overall, but disagree on how he’s handling things? Yes, it’s an upside down world under Republicans "leadership," because our expectation levels are much lower for the party that hates government. Succeeding can't be the point:

The governor gets negative grades for handling key issues:

41 – 51% for handling the economy and jobs; 42 – 48% for handling the state budget; 39 – 50% for handling education.

35 - 63% think of the state’s economy.

And what is it now, 7 or 8 credit downgrades since Christie became governor, and supposedly "fiscal conservative" voters aren't outraged? I'm thinking it's a power thing.

MSNBC's Chris Hayes recently pointed out an amazing veto by Christie, for a bill that got overwhelming support from voters and politicians alike. Not quite the will of the people...again:

Chris Christie smack down "Sit down and shut up" to concerned constituent the model of conservative politics.

Chris Christie is a real head case. Despite his authoritarian outbursts and 7 credit downgrades for mismanaging the state's economy, Republicans still think he's presidential timber. Yet Obama's the disaster?

Chris Hayes featured Christie's latest smack down of a private citizen aiding the victims of Hurricane Sandy. The real story is all we need to know about this pathetic bully, and something to remembe when Christie runs for president:

While Scott Walker whined about Burke's outside money, he's hoppin mad he's not getting enough!!!

Tonight on All in with Chris Hayes, we're finding out there's trouble between the two massive egos, Scott Walker and Chris Christie. Seems Walker's not getting the money he thinks he needs to lock up the election.

jsonline: Despite taking in nearly $20 million for his re-election bid this year, $10.4 million of which came in the last three months, Walker is still looking for financial assistance. A federal court ruling that lifted limits on contributions from political action committees worked in Gov. Scott Walker's favor, to the tune of about $2 million. In total, he has taken in about $1.9 million more in PAC money than was previously allowed. 

Without any numbers to prove his "comeback" is real, Walker is now choosing to blame campaign spending by Mary Burke, whining he's being outspent...but:

Washington Post: So far, Republicans are actually outspending, and out-advertising, Democrats on the air. While Walker cites estimates from the Center for Public Integrity, which shows Democrats spending more, figures made available by sources with knowledge of the actual advertising marketplace say Republicans — Walker’s campaign and outside groups included — have spent $20 million on television ads this year, more than the $16.4 million Burke and her allies have spent. 

Half of Walker's funding is coming from out of state special interests. Here's the whole sordid story:

WSJ: And Politico reported Monday that at another campaign stop, Walker made a plea for additional spending from the Republican Governors Association, whose chairman is New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, a potential rival of Walker’s for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination but someone who may return to Wisconsin to campaign for Walker.

Gov. Christie: "Would you rather have Scott Walker in Wisconsin overseeing the Voting Mechanism, or would you have Mary Burke?"

Gov. Chris Christie made it very clear in the following stunning admission:

This proves we're seeing a take-no-prisoners governmental coup, orchestrated by right wing authoritarian Republicans through our elections systems, to take control and stay in power.

How would you answer Christie's questions below?

Christie: “Would you rather have Rick Scott in Florida overseeing the voting mechanism, or Charlie Crist? Would you rather have Scott Walker in Wisconsin overseeing the voting mechanism, or would you rather have Mary Burke? Who would you rather have in Ohio, John Kasich or Ed FitzGerald?”

 If that wasn't clear enough, Christie continued by stating emphatically, that Republicans should use their "political apparatus" to control voting in the 2016 presidential election:

“The fact is it doesn’t matter if you don’t really care what happens in these states, you’re going to care about who is running the state in November of 2016, what kind of political apparatus they’ve set up and what kind of governmental apparatus they’ve set up to ensure a full and fair election in 2016,” he said. “All of those things are incredibly important.”

Case closed folks.

Paranoid Christie says Unions want to make example of Walker in bid to takeover state!

Republicans constituents know and love their rich sugar daddy leaders, and embrace the idea of following those leaders no matter how bad they fail, because it’s always someone else’s fault anyway. As one average Republican voter said about Chris Christie on a campaign stop for Gov. Scott Walker:

Phillydotcom: Richard Johnson, 73, of North Hudson, said … "Some think he's a little too liberal,” referring to Christie as "arm-in-arm" with President Obama after Hurricane Sandy. But Johnson didn't blame Christie, who, at the time, praised Obama. "You know where the money is, so you might as well butter up with it," Johnson said.

Says it all doesn't it?

The easily led Republican “stand with Walker” voters are comfortably numb to Walker’s broken jobs promise and near last place national rankings for jobs and business start-ups. Relieved of the responsibility to think, Walker’s rabid Borg-like followers have settled on the simple minded gotcha, “cut and paste” Mary Burke. 

The Union Bogeyman: Republicans seem to think liberals, progressives and Democrats follow leaders in lockstep like they do. Since when do unions consume my every waking moment? Wrong. It's mentally lazy to settle for that cliché. But it's an effective fan favorite that was used yesterday by Chris Christie to distract from his and Walker’s policy failures. Christie's collected 7 credit downgrades so far for N.J. 

From Walker and Christie's rhetoric, this is a national campaign! But for voters, like us, we’re just damn concerned about what’s happening to Wisconsin:

Addressing Walker supporters, Christie said the "big government unions" that "tried to come into this state and take this state over in 2012" want to "make an example of [Walker] to other governors around this country who want to do tough things to put the taxpayers first."

Yea, we're sending a message to every GOP governor, you're next. Republicans think in terms of “state takeovers” and “making examples of,” a governing style we're seeing play out under Walker with black lists and rammed through right wing policy. 

You'll notice I had to quote from a Philly newspaper. The media here is still stuck on the phony plagiarism brouhaha.  

Walker surrounds himself with crooks and failures...Chris Christie is comin' to town.

So now Scott Walker finds comfort with another fellow Governor under investigation, Chris Christie.

But wait, don't Walker and Christie share in a common economic vision of austerity?

Maybe Walker is fully aware of the 7 credit downgrades New Jersey received under Christie. I didn't know that either. And the amazing thing is, these guys not only have a slight edge to stay in office, but are possible candidates for president.

It's true, being Republican means never having to be successful, just in power (: Here's Rachel Maddow with Christie's surprising 7 credit downgrades that never seem to get the media mentions it should:

N.Y. Teachers Union President's "Fighting" comments spur rightwing outrage, similar statements by Gov. Chris Christie qualifies him as Presidential hopeful.

Republicans have a problem; they can't stop using the same old talking points. For example:

1. The free market experiment on Wall Street failed, giving us the Great Recession, but conservatives still talking about deregulation and turning everything over to the free market.

2. In Wisconsin teachers and their unions no longer have say in our schools, and yet they're still blamed for everything. 

Which leads me into the following passionate speech by Michael Mulgrew, president of New York’s United Federation of Teachers. He supports Common Core but wants teachers and schools to implement the standards and devise the tests. Hardly news. And being a New Yorker, he was quite blunt about it.

Blunt-just like New Jersey Gov. Christ Christie, when he's attacking teachers and their unions. Yet the right wing media rag The Daily Caller is outraged at the union presidents language. They never complained about a similar comment by Christie. In fact, they want to elect him president for his threats. See the picture.

First Mulgrew's comment. It made a whole lot of sense, and by the way, didn't have anything to do with getting people to "like" Common Core, as the misleading title suggests:



Check out the nasty personal attacks by Chris Christie, and his comment on "fighting" the school yard union bully's. "You punch me, I punch you." What, no outrage Daily Caller?

Republican Governors all about Pain, Hurting Voters. That's Leadership.

Since when do we elect politicians to make our lives miserable and piss us off? We don’t.

Yet Gov. Chris Christie is taking his political father figure roll to new and dangerous heights. First, Christie is about to destroy public employee pensions with IOU’s. We've seen this movie before:

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie defended his new $32.5 billion state budget … Christie, who has pledged not to raise taxes as governor, used his line-item veto power to eliminate the tax hikes, choosing to delay contributions to the public employees' pension fund to fill the gap, which his administration estimated at $2.75 billion over the current and previous fiscal year.  

The point is, we elect representatives to solve problems, not throw us under the bus with proposals we won’t like. But that’s what passes for leadership these days on the right, not doing what the public wants or likes. What's not to like?

The made clear that he intends to spend the coming months hammering the need for more drastic pension cutbacks and health care savings. "Whenever it's released, it will be universally criticized. And the reason it will is because it will inflict pain," he said, "because there is no other way to fix a severe problem like this but with pain."

In fact, Republican voters would like nothing more than to see peoples pensions plundered and destroyed. After all, why should public employees have something to survive on, when no one in the private sector does?

Observers say the kind of tax-slashing, cost-cutting, anti-union rhetoric is exactly what many Republican donors and party officials are looking for. "This gives him an opportunity to make a splash with conservatives by proposing some radical change in the pension system here," said Patrick Murray, the director of New Jersey's Monmouth University Polling Institute. "The more radical it is the more clear it is he's doing it to appeal to conservative voters," he said.

When it comes to Scott Walker and Chris Christie, it takes one to know one.

Look who's praising Scott Walker and his record:

Look who's record is similar, and failing too:

This is what Republicans consider presidential material.

Chris Christie: "The caricature of a third world despot," and the Dehumanization of Workers.

In a companion piece from Blogging Blue's great post on Chris Hedges' take on the demise of liberalism, I thought his description of conservative presidential wet dream Chris Christie was right on target. It's the rise of the bully.

Retaliatory politics isn't a unique feature of the Christie administration, we're also seeing it here in Wisconsin under Scott Walker and his one party band of Republicans thugs, who are not quite as abrasive but just as effective. Hedges wrote this:

Truthdig: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has been Wall Street’s anointed son for the presidency. He is backed by the most ruthless and corrupt figures in New Jersey politics … The brewing scandal over the closing of traffic lanes on the George Washington Bridge is a window into how federal agencies and the security and surveillance apparatus would be routinely employed in a Christie presidency to punish anyone who challenged this tiny cabal’s grip on power.

Christie is the caricature of a Third World despot. He has a vicious temper, a propensity to bully and belittle those weaker than himself, an insatiable thirst for revenge against real or perceived enemies, and little respect for the law and, as recent events have made clear, for the truth. He is gripped by a bottomless hedonism that includes a demand for private jets, huge entourages, exclusive hotels and lavish meals. Wall Street and the security and surveillance apparatus want a real son of a bitch in power, someone with the moral compass of Al Capone, in order to ruthlessly silence and crush those of us who are working to overthrow the corporate state. 

…if Christie becomes president, see the vast forces of the security state surge into overdrive to stymie and reverse reform, gut our tepid financial and environmental regulations, further enrich the corporate elite who are pillaging the country, and savagely shut down all dissent. The corporate state’s repression, now on the brink of totalitarianism, would with the help of Christie, his corporate backers and his tea party loyalists become a full-blown corporate fascism. Christie’s large public entourage always includes a videographer who captures the governor’s frequent public humiliation of those—public school teachers are his favorite targets for ridicule—who have the audacity to question his judgment. These exchanges are immediately edited and uploaded to YouTube. There are now more than 600. 

Here's a bonus:

Chris Hedges discusses the psychology of the super rich; their sense of entitlement, the dehumanization of workers, and mistaken belief that their wealth will insulate them from the coming storms

 

What is it about GOP Governors?

Republican governors reflect party bankruptcy, and disrespect of government:

N.J. Schools Superintendent Suspends 5 Principals for Speaking out against Gov. Chris Christie school Privatization Movement.

Republicans no longer care about local control.

In Wisconsin, Scott Walker is determined to spread private voucher education statewide, killing public education and Common Core at the same time. Plus, in an action that neutralizes the elected office of the state superintendent, the GOP will oversee educational changes and remove local school board involvement altogether.

But the same thing is happening in N.J., where similar attempts to destroy public education are moving quickly forward, even while Chris Christie is getting all that attention.

Check out the following comment by Gov. Chris Christie about his education superintendent’s decision to bully and suspend indefinitely five principals for speaking out against privatization:

Edweek: During a public appearance Wednesday at a school in Beach Haven, Christie was asked whether he and Education Commissioner Christopher Cerf plan to renew (superintendent of schools) Cami Anderson's contract, given the level of criticism from the Newark community, about the job she's doing.

"Yes we do, and we're going to renew it because she's done a great job, and I don't care about the community criticism," Christie said. "We run the school district in Newark, not them."

Welcome to the Republican idea of democracy; an authoritarian, top down style of “representation,” a contradiction if there ever was one.

Is “I don’t care about the community criticism” clear enough?

Journalist Bob Braun today carries a report on the decision by Anderson to "indefinitely suspend" five of Newark's principals. Braun explains:

Four of the principals...tried to answer questions from local residents worried about what would happen to their children as Anderson moves toward a wholesale transfer of public school assets to the KIPP Schools, a charter organization that operates TEAM Academy Charter Schools. Questions Anderson wasn't answering. Ms. Anderson's action in suspending the four principals is the last straw in a chain of inept, and horribly out-of-touch decisions.

The four principals have a constitutional right to speak out. The Newark school district is not a military dictatorship, and Ms. Anderson is neither an army general nor a police chief. 

This little aside should send a chill:

Senator Ron Rice, who represents Newark in the NJ Senate, spoke about another incident in which the Newark Administration locked students in a school library to speak with them about the school closings and reorganization and would not allow parents access.  The parents were at the school for a PTA meeting. 

On a more positive note, new legislation to stop forced public school closings was introduced in both the NJ Senate and Assembly. 

Walker really does support a thug like Gov. Christie, for the way "we'd expect a leader to handle it." "Bridgegate" was handled well?

Not knowing where the “Bridge” Christie investigation will go next doesn't seem to of concern to a fellow governor whose own staff got caught breaking the law. 

Scott Walker has come out in support of Chris Christie’s total cluelessness or vindictiveness in office. 

Either way, the vengeful and incredibly irresponsible act of closing one of the busiest bridges in the nation shouldn't detract from the simple fact Republicans control the governorship. That’s all that matters to Walker.

Harold Times: Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker says he believes New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie acted appropriately once he found out about his aide’s role in causing massive traffic backups ostensibly for political retribution in the saga now known as “Bridgegate.”

Again, like Walker, the people closest to Christie did all this without the governor knowing. How are Republicans able to convince people this makes sense?

“…there are going to be challenges along the way; it’s how people deal with those challenges going forward,” Walker said. “He was completely transparent and gave the public a chance to hear what he understood and what he knew, took action on it -- decisive action in terms of removing the people who had not been forthright with him,” Walker said.  I think he handled it the way we’d expect a leader to handle it,” Walker said.

Forget about the fact Christie joked about the bridge closing right in front of the press. How could Christie have made such a big hiring mistake picking the people he put around him? Who cares. Christie now worries how all this will affect his agenda. According to Walker:

“He’s particularly frustrated going forward (that) it’s something that takes away from his ability to continue to push reform at the level he wanted to coming out of this recent election.” 

Christie = Walker! Both Surrounded by Criminals and never knew it. Good Judges of Character?

Has anyone else noticed how everyone around Gov. Chris Christie is corrupt, just like the six criminals closest to Scott Walker when he was County Executive? It's not a coincidence.

Yesterday Gov. Chris Christie blathered on and on in a 2 hour press conference flim flam.



That won over a whole bunch of low information media types and pundits. If what happened to Christie wasn't enough to make conservatives mad, then what's the point of being hopeful:



Just replace the name "Christie" with Walker in this next clip with Lawrence O'Donnell. It's all the same:

Presidential Front Runner Gov. Christie's Lousy Unemployment Numbers.

And Republicans like this guy for president? Gov. Chris Christie's high unemployment numbers no big deal:

Leaders? Job Creators? Tax Cutting Republican Governors get the big "F"

Shouldn't we be focusing on the records of all these highly touted Republicans governors mentioned as presidential contenders?

It looks like we’re seeing similar patterns of “job creation” between governors like Scott Walker (45th), John Kasich (27) and Chris Christie (47). See if this isn't a case of déjà vu all over again:

Citybeat: The “economic miracle” often touted by Gov. John Kasich is not really happening.

The right-leaning Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions, which supports little government intervention in the economy, released the March “Ohio by the Numbers” report, (which) pointed out the state lost 16,800 private sector jobs in February, ranks No. 27 in the nation for private sector job growth since January 2010 and ranks No. 47 for private sector job growth since January 1990.

Policy Matters’ March report was similarly harsh:  “…growth leveled off in the second half of 2012, and the reported zigzag of the last two months means that Ohio has only added 2,700 jobs over the past year, growing at a very weak 0.1 percent … it is clear that the 2005 tax cuts did not bring about the promised job growth. There is no reason to think that further tax cuts will, either.”

Instead, Policy Matters has focused on austerity, which led to the public sector job cuts outlined in Policy Matters’ March report: “A private-sector gain of 16,900 jobs has been nearly erased by the 14,200 jobs lost in the public sector. Most of those public job losses happened at the local level.”

 And what of Gov. Chris Christie? Bloomberg had this: 

Jobs have emerged as a potential weakness for Christie. An April 10 Rutgers-Eagleton poll (showed) only 42 percent were positive about his handling of employment and the economy. New Jersey’s failure to keep up with its neighbors has Christie defending his job-creation policies, which include tax cuts and less business regulation. New Jersey was one of seven states whose economy shrank in 2011. It ranked 47th in terms of growth in its gross domestic product, according to U.S. Commerce Department statistics. 

Gov. Chris Christie looking at taxing storm devastated Victims of Hurricane Sandy .

After the last twelve years of slow job growth and dramatically lower tax revenues, we've heard from Republicans that this is no time to raise taxes; in fact it’s an economic killer.  Struggling families can ill afford any kind of tax increase, especially now.

They might be taking that back. GOP star Chris Christie is telling devastated homeless families that they’re about to get hit again, this time with tax increases.

Kind of flies in the face of Republican talking points:

CBS: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is warning residents in storm-damaged towns that their property taxes are likely to rise. Christie says storm-related costs that aren't reimbursed by FEMA will likely be passed along to taxpayers. "It's got to be paid for," Christie said, according NJ.com. "This goes back to the old magic money tree. There's no magic money tree." The governor says residents in hard-hit towns will help rebuild their towns by paying higher taxes.

Chris Christie, friend of Obama or Foe?

I thought this little Chris Christie video, before and after, was more than interesting. From the Daily Show:

Time to say No to Disaster Victims? Next thing you know, they’ll want food and health care.

Add another few million to the “takers” list under Obama…

theGrio: Republican Iowa Representative Steve King has said he doesn’t want to sign off on federal Hurricane Sandy relief unless a specific plan on how the money will be spent is set in place. He supported his statement with claims that money provided during Hurricane Katrina was spent on “Gucci bags and massage parlors.” King said, “I want to get them the resources that are necessary to lift them out of this water and this sand and the ashes and the death that’s over there in the east coast and especially the northeast … But they need to come with a plan on how to spend it.”

Here's a video someone put together that shows this total disregard for life and the American ideal. Simply put, it's hard to imagine anyone thinking and talking like this.



So would Mitt Romney just let the states handle this? Chris Christie reacts, and Rachel Maddow wonders what the Mittster would say, despite being asked 11 times:



Even the Wall Street Journal chimed in on the horrors of helping homeless hurricane victims:

Newsmax: Liberals are mistaken to argue in the wake of super-storm Sandy that it proves the need for more government, according to a Wall Street Journal editorial. “The larger liberal fallacy here is that effective government requires bigger government,” Journal editors write. “Americans expect a government, at whatever level, to do its core functions well. But the bigger and more costly the government, the more likely it is to do more things poorly.” Romney was right to say that the federal government should allow states and cities to handle disasters to the extent that they can … “Energetic governors and mayors are best equipped to handle disaster relief because they know their cities and neighborhoods far better than the feds ever will, and they know their citizens will hold them accountable. The feds can help with money and perhaps expertise.”