Schundler flap shows Christie's a born lawyer
Published: Tuesday, August 31, 2010, 4:53 AM
There’s an old saying in the legal profession: When the facts are on your side, pound the facts; When the facts aren’t on your side, pound the table.
That tactic may work in the courts of law. But it doesn’t work in the court of public opinion.
Chris Christie found that out last week when he managed to turn what should have been a minor tiff with the teachers’ union into a story that will liven up the news cycle for weeks to come.
The error in question was a one-paragraph oversight in a 1,000-page application for a $400 million federal "Race to the Top" education grant. If the administration had answered the question correctly, New Jersey would have squeaked by Ohio into the top 10 and gotten the grant.
After The Star-Ledger reported the mistake, the blame game began. The New Jersey Education Association seized the opportunity to get revenge on a governor who’s risen to national prominence by blasting the teachers unions.
Christie could have come back at the union with the entirely accurate charge that its failure to