Two Tales of Chris Christie and the George Washington Bridge

Unless you have spent the past ten days or so on Jupiter, you are aware that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is in trouble over the closure of traffic lanes on the George Washington Bridge in early September.  He claims he knew nothing about it, that devious staff members planned the entire event and then lied about it making him just another victim of their deceit.

Tale #1 - Let's Get Serious

what eye thynk:   I first became aware of the bridge shutdown early in December.
 http://whateyethynk-politics.blogspot.com/2013/12/eye-recommend-bridge-too-far.html

Mr. Christie has never been shy about serving as the vanguard in the handling of any crisis nor of using his response to bank political capital.  He is New Jersey's king of the look-what-I've-done photo-op.  Remember Hurricane Sandy?

Considering the media coverage that was given to the massive four day traffic jam in Fort Lee, New Jersey, I find it implausible that he, a man known for his hands-on, finger-in-every-pie management style, was completely unaware of the crisis unfolding in his state.  And, since he had to be aware of it, it is equally implausible that he would not have stepped forward to wield his power in as public a way as possible in order to "save the day."

"Plausible deniability", a term coined by the CIA in the 1960s to mean letting your underlings know what you would like to see done but without ever giving a direct order so that you can claim no knowledge of, (or responsibility for), the act when it happens, seems to be the working model for Mr. Christie's defense.

I find it easy to believe that Mr. Christie never gave a direct order to shut down three out of four lanes on the George Washington Bridge.  He didn't get where he is by being stupid.  But, encouraging a certain type of behavior and then ignoring that behavior when it becomes somatic is not the equivalent of innocence.  

It is not difficult to imagine the Governor dreaming aloud about how he'd like to see the mayor of Fort Lee brought low over his lack of endorsement; but before he took that step, Mr. Christie might have given some thought to Richard Nixon.  The I-know-nothing-somebody-else-did-it-without-my-knowledge defense didn't turn out so well for him either.


Tale #2 - Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh

Gail Collins took on the Chris Christie debacle in her New York Times op-ed piece last Saturday.  She called it "Imagining President Christie".  Two of her points made me smile.

She compared Governor Christie's two hour press conference on Thursday with Harry Truman's claim that "The buck stops here":

 "Christie took the more modern approach, which is to make it clear that while you're responsible, you are totally not at fault.  The buck that stopped at Christie's desk was not his buck, just an errant piece of currency that wound up in the office because of treacherous fools over whom he had no actual control whatsoever."

In pointing out that Christie said he fired his deputy chief of staff without ever asking for her side of the story, Ms. Collins addressed his lack of curiosity this way:

"But then we have had presidents who were less inquisitive than a sidewalk.  Look at George W. Bush.  And he got elected twice."

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Leave it to Ms. Collins to find a double-whammy style twist in any Republican situation.  With sincere thanks for her assistance, I can say "My work here is done for the day."