Is it me, or did the Right drop the “U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman is a Democrat” meme rather quickly? I’m not seeing much follow up, although I don’t know what’s being said on Faux News. The Wall Street Journal actually published a positive profile of Fishman.
Did it occur to someone that stirring up a U.S. Attorney scandal on behalf of Chris Christie might be counterproductive? Hmmm.
Meanwhile, it appears Christie may not get away with claiming he had no idea what was going on. See, for example,
Christie Tried to Slow Down Investigation
What Did Christie Know and When Did He Know It?
Bridge Scandal Papers Point to Cover-Up by Chris Christie Allies
Our Reich-Wingers are meeting right now, trying to find some way to blame “Bridge-gate” on President Obama and the Democrats.
I don’t know why they’re bothering – their good little sociopathic Reich-Wing rubes already believe that Obama was behind all of this.
And Benghazi.
And the IRS flap.
And Solyndra.
And…
Well…
Pretty much everything bad that’s happened since Bill Clinton was at fault for everything – right up through the 8 years of W’s Presidency.
Obama picks up the blame, starting in November, 2008 – 3 months before he was sworn-into office.
Conservatives:
“DAMN YOU, OBA-MAU-MAU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Well, there is now sufficient video of Christie sweating and apologizing for any number of political ads to be made.
“although I don’t know what’s being said on Faux News”
What little I could stomach the other day they were not really discussing the bridge scandal, just asking why the media ididn’t make a big deal out of the IRS, Bengahzi, etc. etc. Everything leads back to that colored fella in the white house!
They’ve got to sweat Wildstein.. He doesn’t look like a guy who can hold up under pressure..Hit him with a Rico statute and he’ll sing like a canary..
Again off topic, but Ariel Sharon passed away today. I’m devastated.
I read somewhere that Boss Limbaugh complained that Fox News isn’t focusing enough / at all on the Christie scandal, and so it looks, minimally like there’s some confusion on the right. I’m sure the Ted Cruz / Limbaugh faction wants to see Christie crippled as much as possible. Explains the loss of interest in the latest shiny thing, the Paul Fishman distraction.
Christie himself said Thursday: “I don’t know whether this was a traffic study that then morphed into a political vendetta or a political vendetta that morphed into a traffic study.”
Gee, I think if I was the governor I would be able to answer that question.. If his Deputy Chief of Staff said it was time for some traffic problems back in September than she would had to have known that the traffic study was going to cause traffic problems when it was implemented, so there must be some documentation that a traffic study was scheduled to occur before the September email. It’s a simple exercise in deduction to find the answer to that question that so perplexes Christie.
Christie is a lying sack of shit who has gone overboard to try and take the heat off of himself, but in doing so he has exposed himself as a liar.. He should have just slapped a German helmet on his head and done the Sgt. Schultz routine.. I know NOTHING.
I was waiting for this:
Now if she can get the families of the people who died en route to a hospital, this has the potential to hang around Christie’s neck for quite awhile.
moonbat — heh.
Swami — when Lou Reed passed away last year, I mourned the loss of the coolest Jew of all time. Today is not like that.
Not to worry, everyone! The next thing the Gov is going to shut down is Ellis Island for his inauguration after-party. I wish I was making this up. But a press release in my email is telling me otherwise
Gator90… For me it has nothing to do with Sharon’s nationality or religious faith. It has to do with his arrogance and indifference to humanity. I’m going to be just as devastated when Dick Cheney voyages to the great beyond.
The bible says it is appointed unto each man once to die, so I just figure that given that divine mandate there could be no harm in wishing that certain individuals are favored with an early appointment.
moonbat…The family of the woman who died en route to the hospital has already said that they don’t hold the traffic delays responsible for her death. She was ready to go anyway and delays didn’t effect the inevitable.
Even though I strongly disagree with Sharon and his policies, I find it barbaric that he was kept alive for so long when he had no chance for a change in his condition. Karmic justice, perhaps ?
JM – The coronation at Ellis is in 10 days or so. The tickets have already been bought but with this scandal giving Christie the appeal of dead fish in the sun for about as long as the GWB was closed, the question in my mind is – how many will suddenly find excuses to skip out. Somebody needs to keep a scorecard. If Christie is so toxic no one in the GOP wants to be photographed with Jabba, he’s toast. If Christie cancels, it’s because he didn’t want the public humiliation of a half-empty theater. Who has the popcorn? I want to watch this show.
Swami — it is a tribalistic weakness of mine to tend to be aware of who is and is not Jewish. I realize it doesn’t matter to you. And if there is a proper hell, Sharon will await Cheney there. I fear, however, that Cheney will outlive us all, sustained by (as the Rude Pundit has phrased it) the blood of Iraqi children.
The Wall Street Journal actually published a positive profile of Fishman.
Well, the Journal was on this story very early — back in November.
I think there’s limited room to maneuver in Murdoch Land. The Journal seems to be trying to shoot straight on this story; the New York Post was trying to back Christie but seems to have thrown him under the bus; and Fox seems to still be responding by yelling “Benghazi!” all the time. Not quite sure how this works, but the Murdochians don’t seem completely monolithic.
A tribalistic weakness? I’m half Irish, half Italian. My parents came from Canada. I was born in new jersey, raised in Florida, and spent 15 years in California. Perhaps this is why I can be objective on many issues. I do not hate individuals based on their ethnicity. I have an intense distaste for blind obedience, bigotry, and antiintellictualism.
History shows us that the Irish were intentionally starved, nearly to extenction , by the British. I don’t hate Englishmen for the crimes of their ancestors.
When it comes to tribalism, I don’t think anyone can top Charles krauthammer.his column in the Orlando sentinel this morning really f’in pissed me off. He’s upset about his perceived rise in antisemitism.according to krauthammer, criticism of Israel is antisemitic.
This is like having a mistress that you lavish with treats and sweets and she wants more.it’s never enough.no matter how bad her behavior.
It annoys the hell out of me that the us has an “unshakeable” bond with Israel, unconditional love of a foreign nation. The only thing that the republicans, democrats, and the president himself agree on is the safety and security of Israel; apparently they care more for Israel than their own citizens. Of course, there’s much more to it than that, but we can’t talk about it.that’s where the antisemitism might come in.
Yet you seem to have turned out fairly well. 🙂
Erinyes — the only thing I will say in defense of Jewish tribalism is that it has been, to put it very mildly, hard-earned.
There are plenty of ways to criticize Israel (and plenty of valid grounds for criticism) without being at all antisemitic. There are other ways which are problematic (as some here may recall, comparisons of Israel to Nazi Germany are my pet peeve in that regard).
Krauthammer is so blinded by tribalism that for him there is no distinction; ALL criticism of Israel is inherently antisemitic. Which is of course ridiculous, but many people sincerely believe it, unfortunately.
As for the unshakeable bond, I would be interested in hearing you talk about the part that you say you can’t talk about.
It annoys the hell out of me that the us has an “unshakeable” bond with Israel, unconditional love of a foreign nation. The only thing that the republicans, democrats, and the president himself agree on is the safety and security of Israel; apparently they care more for Israel than their own citizens. Of course, there’s much more to it than that, but we can’t talk about it.that’s where the antisemitism might come in.
Amen, erinyes..
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/12/steve-kornacki-chris-christie-bridge-scandal_n_4585830.html
Gator, those were Nancy pelosi’s very words when someone critical of the “unshakeable bond” asked her to explain. She said, that’s just the way it is.well, that’s how an adult might explain something to an overly curious child, but hardly a decent explanation a citizen would expect from an elected official.
I have been waiting for the other shoe to drop. Tea Party conservatives hate Christie – and Christie may have been on the leading edge of a backlash against ultra-conservatism. He positioned himself as a GOP moderate – the Ellis Island circus which he has on the schedule this month is part of an appeal to moderate minorities. All very savvy politics. All this comes at a price – some republicans haven’t been able to conceal their glee at throwing Christie under a bus.
However there’s a different faction, the corporate conservatives who want to win the White House with someone firmly in their corner. They have decided to back Christie and weather the scandal. I’m reading that Christie is citing executive privilege in refusing a request for information about whether Rodger Ailes of Fox News has been a visitor to the Gov. The justification makes the top dog at Fox a confidential adviser to Christie. Add to that – and I have to find the source but, someone counted 15 minutes of coverage of the GWB case – one day last week. But the Sunday shows seal the deal. Brit Hume of Fox came out in support of the Gov, citing ‘feminist tendencies’ in the media as the root cause of Christies woes. And Rove was on Fox, suggesting that the decisive action by the guv will appeal to Tea Party conservatives.
The problem, as I see it, is that the purge of the GOP over the last decade has actually rid the party of moderates with qualifications to make a bid for the White House. (Christie is no moderate – but he’s not Tea Party.) Wall Street doesn’t want a democrat enforcing federal law. Occasionally, Obama has. So what does the corporate wing of the GOP do to prevent the TP kooks from putting up a nut in 2016? They were counting on Christie and they got nobody a a back-up.
Expect millions to be spent trying to apply lipstick to this pig. It might work. They gotta be thinking, “Nobody ever went broke betting on the stupidity of the American voter.”.. But Rove spent a mountain of money a couple of years ago and came up with nothing. So maybe someone should bet on the intelligence of the American voter. Maybe.
What would you have liked Pelosi to say?
Erinyes and Swami — so what is the “much more to it” that “we can’t talk about”? Just curious.
Gator90…Our unshakeable allegiance to Israel is determined by the religious right. It’s no longer a case of American values being upheld, it’s a case of religion controlling the dialog so that it has become an imperative to support Israel because the God of the bible will bless those who support Israel. There will never be peace in the middle east so long as the Israelis believe that the real estate they occupy is given to them by God. Look at Jerusalem…they’ll never give it up, yet it was never part of the original State of Israel. And the reason for that is for religious beliefs, both Christian and Jew.
” it is a tribalistic weakness of mine to tend to be aware of who is and is not Jewish”
Typically when one has a weakness they should work to overcome it not wallow in it! I always thought of Lou Reed as one of the founding fathers of punk rock, the fact that he was a Jew seemed irrelevant?
Uncledad — I have so many weaknesses to work on — that one is pretty far down the list. Come to think of it it, though, why shouldn’t a Jew be pleased that a fellow Jew wrote “Sweet Jane”? Is it OK for African-Americans to be pleased that an African-American was elected President?
Writing a great song, getting elected president of a country that was founded on African slave labor and by slave owners, yeah I see the correlation?
Swami — I understand what you are saying and don’t disagree with much of it. What intrigued me about erinyes’ comment (to which you said amen), though, was the notion that there are important aspects of the US/Israel relationship that “we can’t talk about.” I’m still wondering what it is that can’t be talked about.
Uncledad — You make a valid distinction. But I still think it’s basically OK for Jews to take a little pride in the cultural achievements of other Jews, and I happen to be especially fond of Mr. Reed’s contributions.
Gator90…I can’t speak for erinyes, but my assumption is that what he’s saying and what I’m agreeing to is the fact that the problem we’re seeing in Israel refuses to be addressed by the powers that be other than by being shouted down as being anti-Semitic. It’s not so much as “we can’t talk about” it, it’s more like we can’t be heard over the established din of the religious right.
And without a doubt there is a big inconsistency between the values America espouses in regard to human rights and the values America finds acceptable in Israel’s treatment of the Palestinian people.
Did you notice how quickly Obama got shouted down at his suggestion that Israel return to it’s pre-67 borders as part of the peace process?
I keep thinking about the children – all dressed up in new clothes for the first day of school. Excited and probably happy to be going back. And then they sit in traffic for hours and hours. The younger ones will have need of a bathroom and there they sit.
The humiliation of accidents and new clothes not quite so fresh. It makes me furious.
And according to TPM, its Bridget’s email and she’s the mother of four. How can people be so hard and cruel. I just don’t get it.
Swami — The voices demanding unconditional support of Israel are definitely louder than the voices questioning or opposing such support. And sometimes those loud voices say unfair things about well-intentioned people. And American hypocrisy about human rights surely knows no bounds.
Unlike Christie the chances that he didn’t have any knowledge of the political retribution are slim.
Thanks, maha. At the end of this grinding day, I needed a kind word.
Gator, let me begin by saying I admire many of the attributes Jewish people I have been associated with have. I would to spar with you, but I’m too tired tonight, I don’t want to clutter up maha’s site, and it’s an exercise in futility anyway.
As to what I would have pelosi say, that’s easy…. the truth.
Our politicians are scared to death of jinsa, AIPAC, and the aei. You may not know, or you might disagree, but I speak the truth.
That’s it gator. I’ll happily converse with you on any other subject, but I’m not beating this dead horse anymore.
At the risk of sounding like a (knee)jerk, Lou was ok, but certainly not THE coolest Jew of all time. Writing and performing a groovy song about heroin does not get anybody quite up there. C’mon, Gator, you’re giving even Florida and other southern swamplands a bad name.
How ’bout the original ole Abe and some of his progeny including Moses, or David and his clan, leading up to you-know-who (you know, the one who preached about transcendental love, cheek-turning and all that stuff), and even Muhammad, and some of the rest of us latter humans, reformed or not. Many years ago, I dared to utter in a class at a yeshiva that the world would be far better off if the US just gave Golda Meir a billion dollars (or even $10 billion – so what, in the larger scheme of things) in order to buy with that cash the properties of those Palestinians who thought they couldn’t possibly live side-by-side with European/American/whatever Jews. My professor immediately excoriated me, but he and several of my non-Gentile classmates privately supported me later.
One thing that ‘we’ can’t talk about is the fact that the United States has chronically wasted Trillions of $US every year for the past several decades because of our blind devotion to the State of Israel, which has been enforced by our government, the military-industrial complex, our various media, educational and religious institutions of many denominations, blog trolls and others.
Regarding Christie – another self-loathing (half)Jew getting ready for a new Sandler stanza – as some of you might know, he’s one of my ‘home’ boys. I hope intelligent Americans can thwart his life-long desire to gain the White House. In the last several years, he’s done about as much as any human could do to wreck a somewhat wonderful state. ‘Heaven’ knows what Mary Pat and he have planned for the rest of what was the greatest nation on earth…
Popcorn?
Well jeez erinyes, it was you who brought it up. But if you don’t want to talk about what you can’t talk about, then by all means don’t talk about it.
Gator; you won, bro! Rollin the waller!
http://news.msn.com/us/player-in-nj-bridge-scandal-will-talk-for-immunity
Wildstein says he’s ready to sing if he gets immunity…If my uncle Vito was in charge of the investigation Wildstein would be sitting in an abandoned warehouse in Bayonne getting fitted for a pair of cement shoes.