NY Times: Christie’s Love For Luxury While Others Pay The Bills
It’s nice to be the governor, especially when billionaires like Sheldon Adelson pay your way.[su_center_ad]
[su_thin_right_skyscraper_ad]The private plane, on which Mr. Christie had his own bedroom, had been lent by Sheldon G. Adelson, the billionaire casino owner and supporter of Israel. At the time, he was opposing legislation then before the governor to legalize online gambling in New Jersey…
The governor has also been a guest on the private plane and in the stadium box of Woody Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets and another opponent of the gambling bill…
Mr. Christie has described it as a matter of opportunity. “I relish these experiences and exposures, especially for my kids,” he told a reporter for The Times last summer. “I try to squeeze all the juice out of the orange that I can.”…
He has fought to shield the cost of his travel. The Super Bowl expenses were revealed only after a judge’s order in a lawsuit brought by The Record, a newspaper in northern New Jersey. In response to other lawsuits and public records requests, the governor’s office has argued that he is not subject to disclosure laws regarding travel, or that it does not have the records.
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Mike February 3rd, 2015 at 9:54 am
Not to be blasé about this but is anyone really surprised when morbidly obese individuals like Christie or HuckaJebus are found to be over indulging themselves ???? They are the very picture of greed and smugness…
arc99 February 3rd, 2015 at 10:05 am
If the times were different, I would say that this article is uncalled for. But I live in a time when just a few short years ago, a Presidential candidate was called “elitist” based on his preference for brown mustard. Right wingers, you reap what you sow. Don’t whine if your favorite sons and daughters are subjected to the same partisan, irrelevant BS as a 2008 candidate named Barack Obama.
I will say though to my colleagues on the left that I have absolute zero tolerance for fat jokes. My wife has struggled with a weight problem all her life. It is not greed or overeating, it is metabolism. At 5’9″ 175lbs, I eat more than she does. The only way for her to lose weight is to literally starve herself and no one should have to go through life in that manner.
Whether Gov. Christie’s weight issues are metabolism or simple lack of self control, I do not presume to know and frankly do not care. There is plenty to criticize him on, based on the issues. There is no need to resort to comments about his appearance. We lefties are supposed to be better than that. Well, let’s show that we are.
edmeyer_able February 3rd, 2015 at 10:23 am
Where in the article did you see fat shaming? The article is about a conflict of interest..
arc99 February 3rd, 2015 at 10:36 am
Never said I saw it in the article. But please refer to the comment below.
edmeyer_able February 3rd, 2015 at 10:42 am
Then why did you say the article was uncalled for when it listed several instances of where a charge of bribery could be made?
arc99 February 3rd, 2015 at 11:09 am
Because I am fed up with character assassination as a political strategy where we assume the absolute worst about someone’s character simply because we dislike their politics. I am sick and tired of rumour and innuendo being the foundation of our political discourse.
If Gov. Christie has done something unethical or outright illegal where the governor’s patrons exerted undue influence over policy, then let the Times publish those facts. Otherwise, this is no different than the countless hit pieces we have seen against the President over the past 6 years.
edmeyer_able February 3rd, 2015 at 11:13 am
It’s not a hit piece it listed specific instances of who paid for what, which btw Christie has fought the release of for several months. But you are entitled to your opinion.
Now that theses have been made public let us await further investigation.
Kick Frenzy February 3rd, 2015 at 11:20 pm
Not to mention choosing the more expensive bid (by a couple million dollars) for the advertising campaign that featured him and his family.
And just generally being an asshole.
Arc, your comment probably would’ve gone better if it had been a reply to Mike.
But, your main point still stands… physical characteristics are generally cheap shots that are uncalled for and uncouth.
But, Edmeyer is right… it’s not a hit piece.
It’s describing things which could be illegal actions for a governor to be involved with.
Both taking gifts worth more than $50 and obstruction of justice look applicable to this failure of a governor that infuriates me with his ineptitude.
Mike February 4th, 2015 at 6:41 pm
Is your wife calling for an end to the food stamp program…??? Is your wife shaming obese SNAP recipients calling them lazy welfare queens…? Did your wife have a $54,000 (cost to taxpayers) gastric band operation and then gain weight…???
Call me when she does just one of these things and I’ll apologize.
Kick Frenzy February 3rd, 2015 at 10:04 pm
I wish I could upvote that comment more than once.
Every time there’s a fat joke, it weakens the argument being made and the platform of Democrats as a whole.
I know there wasn’t any in the article and the only one on this page is in one comment below, but it’s a valid point in a more general sense.
So, thank you.
fahvel February 3rd, 2015 at 1:11 pm
It’s what politicians do – it’s their sole objective – look at ME, I’m so lookatable. Politicians=narcissism.
Kick Frenzy February 3rd, 2015 at 9:58 pm
For some, yes… but there are also plenty who get into politics to make positive change.
(Granted, it’s harder to find them among Republicans, but I’m sure they exist. Somewhere.)
Bunya February 3rd, 2015 at 1:42 pm
Of course, a man of Christie’s stature can’t be seen flying coach, let alone flying on a commercial airline. And why should it be a matter of public record who he gets his “gifts” from? To the victor goes the spoils, ain’t that right, Chris? So what if many of his constituents are living below the poverty level? So what if his infrastructure is crumbling? Christie didn’t get into politics to help the state of New Jersey. Nope, he’s in it for the money!
Boehner-Monkey February 4th, 2015 at 6:09 pm
And the cheeseburgers.
Larry Schmitt February 3rd, 2015 at 3:04 pm
I can’t read the headline without thinking of the movie “Get Christie Love.”
William February 3rd, 2015 at 3:56 pm
How does this guy govern New Jersey, when he spends so little time there.
“Christie spent all or part of 137 days out of state last year”.
http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2015/01/chris_christies_out-of-state_travel_cost_at_least_1_million_for_security_detail_report_says.html
Boehner-Monkey February 4th, 2015 at 6:08 pm
Someone please make a White Castle Cheeseburger joke.