Posted on 07/03/2011 12:30:36 PM PDT by Sub-Driver
'I want to punch him in his head' By: Maggie Haberman July 3, 2011 02:35 PM EDT
The Newark Star-Ledger has some explosive quotes from one of the two Democratic legislative leaders who recently reached a compromise on a pension reform bill with Gov. Chris Christie regarding the overall state budget:
Senate President Stephen Sweeney went to bed furious Thursday night after reviewing the governor’s line-item veto of the state budget.
He woke up Friday morning even angrier.
“This is all about him being a bully and a punk,” he said in an interview Friday.
“I wanted to punch him in his head.”
Sweeney had just risked his political neck to support the governor’s pension and health reform, and his reward was a slap across the face. The governor’s budget was a brusque rejection of every Democratic move, and Sweeney couldn’t even get an audience with the governor to discuss it.
“You know who he reminds me of?” Sweeney says. “Mr. Potter from ‘It’s a Wonderful Life,’ the mean old bastard who screws everybody.”
This is not your regular budget dispute. This is personal. And it could have seismic impact on state politics.
A Christie spokesman didn't immediately respond to an email. But the pension deal was widely viewed as the antithesis to the bitter battle over union rights in Wisconsin.
And Sweeney's comments could be a harbinger of future rancor, as the nationally-watched governor pivots toward an education reform agenda by the end of the next legislative session.
(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...
Ya, has this good Democrat forgotten the lessons of Tucson? We’re supposed to avoid violent imagery and metaphors as we discuss the issues of the day.
How can we take this good Democrat seriously, when he violates the Democrats own rules about civilized political discourse???
He’s my Freeholder. Actually he holds so many jobs - iron workers union boss, freeholder & state senate president. Now there’s a lot of pensions!
How he can all do three at the same time is just amazing!
Gots to believe that if what Christie does is pissing off
Senate President Stephen Sweeney, then Christie must be doing a great job
Drove...
“Sweeney had just risked his political neck to support the governor’s pension and health reform, and his reward was a slap across the face.” How’s it feel to get double crossed Democrat scumbag?
Now let's hear from Gov. Christie.
But that was nothing compared to what awaited Ol' Man Potter on the other side (no Clarence around to save him) after he croaked in a pool of his own bile. Sometimes letting the imagination of the audience fill in the blanks for themselves works just fine.
If they did a modern version of the film they would probably end it with a long shot of Potter being wheeled into a jail cell or at the Gates of Hell, but writers and directors in the 40's had a more literate, less spoon fed, and far more religiously faithful (e.g. ending with the little bell ringing and - wink! - Clarence got his wings) audience to play to.
But getting back to the article, it warms my heart to see Democrats out maneuvered and feeling like they've had a boot put up their a**. And that, I take it, is what you wanted to see happen to Potter.
"He’s mean-spirited," Sweeney said in the Friday interview. "He’s angry. If you don’t do what he says, I liken it to being spoiled, I’m going to get my way, or else."
And: "He’s a rotten prick."
ROFL.
This from Sweeney the Weenie, folks.
What a ridiculous and sneaky comment.
The Governor said that the press should stop battering him with criticism over his pension bill and take the bat to Weinberg, who is double dipping with multiple public pensions, instead.
He was obviously speaking of the power of the pen and not literally talking about violence.
Does Sweeney hve an anchor tied to his a$$? Why not just do it, instead of mouthing off?
Or is it just another windbag who does’t have the guts to back up his words with action?
Looking at Sweeney here, now I know what became of Neanderthals.
Wasn’t it Uncle George who lost the money?
Thanks for that post. I see your point. But to me, imagined justice is no justice. There were three things involved when he stole that money. (1)He stole money and (2) he knew it would cause the bank to fail and (3) it would have hurt all those who had money in it i.e, loose their homes. So yep, I wanted to see ol’ Potter get his.
Really? from the pic, it could be a battle of titans.
The governor’s office wanted to negotiate a single budget instead. But they would not discuss it until an agreement was reached on pension and health reform, according to Sweeney and the chairmen of the budget committees in the Assembly and Senate. In the end, the reform wasn’t signed until Tuesday, just two days before the budget was due. So Christie took the Democratic plan, and pruned it with his line-item veto, without talking to Sweeney. When Democrats saw it, they considered it a declaration of war. It gave no ground to their priorities, and it came with a condescending lecture.
So deep in the article this was gleaned from, we find out the dems set up Christie and now are acting like a bunch of crybabies when he called their bluff
I am not sure the uncle’s name was George too (I think he was Uncle Billy - swear I haven’t looked it up - but you may be right). The forgetful uncle who was giving Potter’s a piece of his mind in the street and forgot he slipped the deposit cash in the newspaper he gave Potter to brag about the article showing George’s brother getting the CM of H. Good eye!
Can’t blame you for wanting it, but it’s too late to complain to Frank Capra. Lionel Barrymore did play the perfect SOB.
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