The wounded beast heads home
Christie: Living and dying by the smirk
Chris Christie’s political persona lived by the smirk–and, this past week in New Hampshire, it died by the smirk. His relentless attack on Marco Rubio on what was, after all, a meaningless point, more than just damaged the Florida senator’s standing, it put an inglorious end to Christie’s hopeless crusade.
Clearly, the New Jersey governor hoped tearing apart Rubio would help his own campaign but all it did was show New Hampshire what New Jersey has known for years–Christie is a shallow wise-ass who can charm some of the boys in the press and sycophantic and traitorous Democrats like Joe DiVincenzo, the Essex County executive, and Brian Stack, the mayor of Union City, but he can’t fool an entire nation.
Few New Jersey politicians had less there there–and, eventually, the state’s people found out. In a way, watching Christie perform from a distance–in Iowa and New Hampshire and debate venues–made him clearer in New Jersey’s eyes.
The people of the state knew, for example, he was no hero to the victims of Superstorm Sandy. They knew he was no terrorist-chasing federal prosecutor. They knew his claims for reaching consensus “across the aisle” was a euphemism for cutting deals with unsavory Democrat bosses like South Jersey’s George Norcross III and Newark’s Steve Adubato.
They also knew–boy, did they ever–that he didn’t “tell it like it is.” He lied and lied The wounded beast heads home |: