There’s nothing like beating a dead horse. Obviously, the Times cares a bit because a) this happened in the NY Times local area, and b) it’s a chance to smear Christie, a possible GOP 2016 candidate, and c) a chance to smear a Republican governor. The last two are Important for other media (read Leftist) media outlets, as well. Now, I couldn’t really care that much about Christie: he may be Republican, but I do not trust him, and he holds some Progressive policies on gun control, illegal immigration, and other issues. The Times editorial board whined yesterday about a “whitewash for Christie“. Then, late in the day, they ran another whining that Christie’s Port Authority quit too late
The only thing wrong with the resignation announcement on Friday of David Samson, Gov. Chris Christie’s top appointee to the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, was that it took so long.
A close associate of the governor, Mr. Samson was running the authority while its employees and the governor’s aides created a traffic jam at the George Washington Bridge in September, apparently to punish the mayor of Fort Lee, N.J., and his constituents. The growing scandal has so far resulted in dismissals of two of the governor’s close colleagues and two other resignations from the Port Authority. But there are still no satisfactory answers as to what happened, why it happened and who ordered it. The $1 million-plus report put out this week was incomplete and unconvincing.
Hey, remember when the Times EB called for the resignation of Eric Holder? Kathleen Sebelius? Other utterly incompetent Obama appointees? How about those in charge of building the failed healthcare.gov, as well as many of the failed state exchanges? How about Harry Reid? There’s a level of quasi-legal corruption going on in the Senator’s political life. Have they spent much time on all the Democrats busted for things like corruption, bribery, and gun running, among others?
But, it doesn’t stop there (though there is plenty in the editorial to snark). Here’s Gail Collins
Let’s take a minute to search for life lessons in the latest Chris Christie bridge-traffic-jam episode. I believe there are two. First, when the political ship is going down, nobody will bother to rescue the unattached woman and the dork from senior year.
You know that bit is about bring the “war on women” meme into the mix. And works in more later in the piece
On Friday, Christie held a news conference to discuss the results of an investigation into the now infamous lane closings on the George Washington Bridge. The inquiry was commissioned by, um, Chris Christie. It concluded that the villains were Bridget the Aide and David Who Was Not Popular in High School.
“I had nothing to do with this … and this report has supported exactly what I said,†Christie announced rather triumphantly. Negative minds might substitute “announced pompously with an extreme degree of self-righteousness,†but we are taking the high road.
The governor was, indeed, portrayed in a light of near-beatific proportions. He had absolutely no role in the most infamous traffic jam since Woodstock. He was too good, and too busy doing other things, like comforting the victims of a fire — an act of mercy he felt driven to perform even though he had to cancel “a planned trip to Florida with his wife for her birthday.â€
Again, too much to snark, you’ll have to read the whole thing. Yet, remember how Ms. Collins, like the Times’ EB, was deeply skeptical over the talking points and Obama commissioned reports on things like Benghazi, Fast and Furious, IRS targeting, and all the rest? Not too mention all the scandals and criminal activity from elected Democrats? How about the lies about Obamacare?
There is also an article, page A1 of the NY Edition, entitled Potentially Explosive Detail in Bridge Scandal Is Unlikely to Be Confirmed. So, a front page article saying “we don’t have the evidence we really, really, really want, but, hey, we’re going to trot it out and beat it so you, the reader, think it’s real, making you Very Concerned. Did we mention that there is no evidence? That’s OK. You should believe that our assertion is real, and hate Christie.” There are several other articles appearing on the web front page in the NY metro area linkage. And one on “unanswered questions”
But the 10-week review, which was based on more than 70 interviews and some 250,000 pages of documents according to the lawyer who oversaw it, leaves central questions unanswered in its 344 pages, and thus feels more like an unsolved mystery than a report, or at least one with an unresolved ending.
Perhaps the two weightiest questions left looming concern the motive for the lane closings, which some have said were rooted in political animus, and the role of David Samson, the chairman of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which operates the bridge, during the closings and their aftermath.
We’re still waiting on answers to Benghazi, Fast and Furious, IRS targeting, much less all the stonewalling, wasting the People’s Money on political payback projects like Solyndra, targeting journalists and their families, Kathleen Sebelius violating the Hatch Act, the use of personal email accounts for government business, using fake names for government business, and unilaterally changing The Law, among others. This all the difference between a D and an R.
More: trending at Memeorandum is an article at the Times from the 27th where they see seeeeexism in the lane closures report.
Crossed at Right Wing News.
A year ago I had Christie as the odds on favorite for Repub candidate for Prez in 2016, with a good chance of winning. In fact, it’s difficult to imagine another national Repub with a chance of beating even an average Dem in 2016.
His contention that an emotional slut betrayed him will not go over well with his broad moderate (including Dems) base. No one but his most ardent supporters believes a word the internal review requested by the Gov but paid for by the taxpayers. I’m surprised he seems so politically inept now.
I wanted to see a contest between a strong, moderate Repub and strong, moderate Dem in 2016 to put a stake through the heart of the Teaparty. I like Christie personally and politically, but he has done himself no favors by his conduct during this “scandal”. His bullying and straight talking was refreshing when it appeared base on a strong moral core, but now it only seems like petty bullying from a petty politician.
He’s left an opening for another neo-reactionary Repub candidate, and 4 more years of a Dem prez.
Sorry, forgot: BENGHAZI!!!