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Sad Sack or Contrite Leader?
Townhall.com ^ | January 11, 2014 | Charles Payne

Posted on 01/11/2014 10:30:04 AM PST by Kaslin

Hold me now
It's hard for me to say I'm sorry
I just want you to stay
After all that you've been through
I will make it up to you
I promise to...

-Chicago

Well, Chris Christie proved he can say, 'I'm sorry,' with the best of them. (It's clear the governor has come home with chocolates and flowers at least once in his married life.) Of course the question now isn't his performance, but what did he know, and when did he know it? In the era of finger-pointing and excuses, scapegoats are often thrown under the bus quickly. The fact is we have a massive leadership crisis in America, in all facets of life. In politics, snipers are on every roof, and each spoken sentence is potentially laced with an improvised explosive device.

Even an attempt to issue an apology is fraught with danger.

I think Christie put on a great show yesterday, coming out the gate with a direct apology. This is the same guy that threw his entire party under the bus, with his exaggerated gesture of apperception toward President Obama; for breaking off a piece of the billions that the citizens of New Jersey were forced to send to Washington DC in the first place. This is the same guy, who is called selfish and petty in how he handles adversaries and slights. And this is the same guy, called a bully, by many. But yesterday, he was sincere and decisive. He apologized, fired people, and promised to make changes.

He said the buck stopped at his desk.

We haven't been able to say the same thing, when it comes to President Obama, whose litany of scandals are always met with a strategy of circling the wagons, and deflecting blame; no apologies and no accountability. In business, this is also a big- time problem. A few years ago, there was talk of major shake-ups on boards of directors, but that's never really happened. In fact, it's mostly created a vacuum, filled by activists investors whose interests are more short-term in nature, than the ma and pa investors that want more accountability; not necessarily a shake-down for quick cash sitting on the balance sheets.

Maybe it was an act from a political thespian, with the chops to play King Lear; but whether you think Christie is a RINO, or the answer to the GOPs dreams, he showed how to issue a mea culpa.

Jobs Data

The unemployment rate for December came in at 6.7 percent; lower than the 7.0 percent reported for November and below the Street's consensus estimate of 7.0 percent. However, non-farm payroll employment increased during the month by 74,000, worse than economists' average forecast calling for a 185,000 increase.



TOPICS: Business/Economy; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: christie; gwbscandal

1 posted on 01/11/2014 10:30:04 AM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Hubby told me that uber-lefty lawyer Ron Kuby (now back on the radio with Curtis Sliwa and obviously no Christie fan) says that he believes what Christie says about being unaware of what was going on. I have the impression that he thinks Christie is too smart to deny he knew if indeed he did.

I’m very sorry that Republicans alone need to be beyond reproach, but you’d think they’d understand that by now.


2 posted on 01/11/2014 10:42:45 AM PST by jocon307
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To: Kaslin

I see Christie as a buffoon, not ready for serious consideration. However, all Republicans can anticipate this level of press outrage for any pimple they may have.


3 posted on 01/11/2014 10:48:17 AM PST by JimSEA
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To: JimSEA

We saw in 2008 that the important issues of the election were the status of Joe the Plumber’s trade license and the DNA of Palin’s Down Syndrome child.

The fact that the other party ran a guy with an unverifiable citizenship and verifiable communist beliefs was totally neglected.


4 posted on 01/11/2014 10:50:52 AM PST by nascarnation (I'm hiring Jack Palladino to investigate Baraq's golf scores.)
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To: Kaslin

‘...he showed how to issue a mea culpa...’

Eh, the author is wrong, here.

The real lesson in this instance is that Obama does not ever need to learn how to issue a mea culpa, nor does any democrat

Republicans need to learn this

Dems don’t need to learn anything. They have no legal parameters.

The big lesson is that Christie is being courted by the dopey RNC, but Christie operates in the bully, mafia tactics world, whether he can get away from this particular scandal or not, and is not able to operate in the general scale of the presidency. Never really was.


5 posted on 01/11/2014 10:55:45 AM PST by stanne
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To: Kaslin

didn’t he spend months in denial and even mocked reporters who brought it up?

doesn’t sound contrite


6 posted on 01/11/2014 11:02:19 AM PST by GeronL (Extra Large Cheesy Over-Stuffed Hobbit)
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To: FReepers
Guess Where Christie Learned Political Payback

From His Friend, Obama

First President To Close National Parks
During a Partial Government Shutdown

Click The Pic To Donate

Support FR, Donate Monthly If You Can

7 posted on 01/11/2014 11:11:17 AM PST by DJ MacWoW (The Fed Gov is not one ring to rule them all)
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To: GeronL

Okay, what reporters brought it up? Can you provide the link?


8 posted on 01/11/2014 11:21:53 AM PST by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: GeronL

He operates in New Jersey. How do people really think things get done there?

He hugged BO for money at the most crucial time in our era. Do people not think he’s got a pile of these scandals?

The RNC wants to run this guy. Not his idea. He loves the attention. He’s not liking it now

A republican, who is not a Bush (wherever their huge resource comes from) with a scandal of the magnitude of neglecting to tip the neighborhood sanitation guy at Christmas cannot run and win.

This would be a non story and there would be no pending law suits if this guy were not a chosen candidate. He should’ve checked his ego at the door and declined.

And this would not be a story right now if Gates had not released his scandal ridden book


9 posted on 01/11/2014 11:21:53 AM PST by stanne
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To: stanne

I don’t know if the RNC wants to run him or not, neither do you. Also most important is that he has no intention of running. Okay?


10 posted on 01/11/2014 11:31:54 AM PST by Kaslin (He needed the ignorant to reelect him, and he got them. Now we all have to pay the consequenses)
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To: Kaslin

Somebody is generating talk of his running.

He was a front runner icky for Romney. He couldn’t get his credentials in order in time

He was the speaker at the convention

He’s being talked about in this scandal not as gov of nj, a case in in which no one nationally would care about this likely common occurrence, but as front runner of the pres run

That’s not his doing. He’s a local guy with a huge personality, certainly not loyal to conservatives, not even republicans

You’re wasting my time


11 posted on 01/11/2014 11:39:37 AM PST by stanne
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To: Kaslin

IMHO, the MSM has selected Christie as the Republican candidate the Democrats can easily beat in 2016, and they’re not going to let this “Bridge” incident interfere with their plans.

Yes, we’ve seen this tactic used before in 2008 and 2012.

When are the Republicans going to stop letting the Democrats pick their Presidential candidates for them?


12 posted on 01/11/2014 11:45:17 AM PST by DJ Taylor (Once again our country is at war, and once again the Democrats have sided with our enemy.)
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To: Kaslin

“... no apologies and no accountability.”

That latter is the Press, from start to finish.


13 posted on 01/11/2014 11:58:06 AM PST by TalBlack
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To: Kaslin
He said the buck stopped at his desk.

And yet, he's still at the desk. Who's walking away with the buck?

14 posted on 01/11/2014 12:45:35 PM PST by Tax-chick (Tell the mad chameleon he's not welcome anymore.)
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To: DJ Taylor

The MSM chose him?

the Romney campaign had him as their front VP pick until he failed to turn in his credentials and they had to drop him.

You think the MSM had the Romneys do that?

You think that has nothing to do with why the MSM is choosing him as frontrunner now?

Really?


15 posted on 01/11/2014 12:47:50 PM PST by stanne
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To: stanne

Please, try to make a point instead of just asking inane questions.


16 posted on 01/11/2014 12:58:53 PM PST by DJ Taylor (Once again our country is at war, and once again the Democrats have sided with our enemy.)
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To: DJ Taylor

Oh, snap.

Well I’ll ask again.

You think the MSM chose him?


17 posted on 01/11/2014 1:56:36 PM PST by stanne
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To: JimSEA

Christie didn’t just punish the mayor....he punished Republicans who voted for him. For me, that’s a five-star slam and I simply couldn’t ever take him serious again.

I’ll add this...what else has he done over the past four years to punish folks in New Jersey, and Republicans? Seems like that this would be the first and only incident. I’d open up the can of worms, and put them on display.


18 posted on 01/12/2014 2:17:49 AM PST by pepsionice
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To: pepsionice
Just HOW would a TRAFFICE jam get Blamed on a Mayor?? The BLAME would go to STATE TRANSPORTATION DEPT....NOT a Mayor for gosh sakes!

Christie would have been blamed for HIS DEPT. to do this.

Something is NOT right here.

WHO blames a MAYOR for a STATE RUN DEPT????

19 posted on 01/12/2014 5:27:35 AM PST by Ann Archy (Abortion......the Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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