National teacher union: Christie ‘a bully and has anger management problems’
MANCHESTER, N.H. -- A national teachers union leader lashed out at Gov. Chris Christie Monday, calling the presidential hopeful a "bully" with "anger management problems."
American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten reacted to Christie after the Republican governor said over the weekend the group deserves a punch in the face. The union leader criticized Christie for promoting a culture of violence.
"Chris Christie has issues--from reneging on his promise to fix pensions to his state's fiscal standing facing near junk bond status. But the biggest issue is he's a bully and has anger management problems," Weingarten said in a statement.
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"That he would threaten to punch teachers in the face -- mostly women seeking to help children meet their potential and achieve their dreams -- promotes a culture of violence and underscores why he lacks the temperament and emotional skills to be president, or serve in any leadership capacity," she said. "It's a sad day in the life of our nation to see a candidate threaten violence to gain political favor."
The statement from the national group came a day after New Jersey's largest teachers union, the New Jersey Education Association, called on Christie to "resign as governor immediately" over his comments.
Christie sparked outrage from the groups in response to his interview with CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union."
"They're not for education for our children," Christie told Tapper. "They're for greater membership, greater benefits, greater pay for their members. And they are the single most destructive force in public education in America. I have been saying that since 2009. I have got the scars to show it. But I'm never going to stop saying it, because they never change their stripes."
Christie suggested the national teachers' unions deserved to be punched in the face when he responded to a specific Tapper question that used the "punch in the face" phrase.
"During your first term as governor, you were fond of saying that you can treat bullies in one of two ways -- quote -- 'You can either sidle up to them or you can punch them in the face.' You said, 'I like to punch them in the face.' At the national level, who deserves a punch in the face?" Tapper asked.
Christie responded: "Oh, the national teachers' union."
The governor is scheduled to be in Manchester Monday afternoon for a meet-and-greet session before taking part in a GOP forum hosted by the Union Leader.