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The Christie Crumblers
Townhall.com ^ | January 15, 2014 | Brent Bozell

Posted on 01/15/2014 2:44:05 PM PST by Kaslin

During the 2012 presidential campaign, somehow each and every Republican presidential contender had a sink thrown at him (or her) via what reporters call "investigative journalism." Every time a Republican rose in the polls, the media tried to knock him or her down, like a game of Whac-A-Mole.

The very last man standing was Mitt Romney, who didn't receive the official "Gotcha!" from The Washington Post until May, with a 5,000-word opus on "Teenage Haircutgate." That's why it's so strange the national media would decide so early it was time for journalistic carpet bombing of the Great Squishy Northeastern Hope of 2016, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

It was just weeks ago that NBC's Matt Lauer was swooning over Christie and lining him up to denounce House Republicans as cruel and miserly on Superstorm Sandy subsidies. After he won, CBS reporter/former Biden aide Chip Reid was announcing that Christie "wanted a big re-election victory, in part, to show that Republicans who favor consensus over ideological purity can win -- even in blue states like New Jersey." CBS claimed wins by Christie in New Jersey and liberal Terry McAuliffe in Virginia showed America was engaged in a "move to the middle."

Christie can forget all that hugging and mugging with President Barack Obama in 2012, as if that were going to inoculate him forever. Democrats have been harping for weeks -- especially on their propaganda channel MSNBC -- that a "Bridgegate" scandal was going to be Christie's undoing.

On Jan. 8, the scandal exploded. The (Bergen, N.J.) Record revealed Christie's deputy chief of staff Bridget Anne Kelly declaring in an email in September, "Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee." The Democratic mayor of Fort Lee wouldn't endorse Christie for re-election, so Christie aides decided to punish the public on the George Washington Bridge that goes from Fort Lee into New York City. There goes the image of Christie "favoring consensus."

The same national press that conducted a blackout of the trial of Philadelphia murderer Kermit Gosnell as lawyers exposed his horrific late-term abortion mill -- that was dismissed as a "local story" -- decided a few autumn days of traffic jams in Bergen County to be the hottest outrage for everyone from Jacksonville, Fla., to Boise, Idaho. In fact, their burst of reporting indicates that they believed this was the most important story in the world -- by far.

In the first two days of the story after the emails on the manufactured traffic jams came to light, ABC, CBS and NBC devoted 88 minutes of breathless coverage to the story. To put their transparently partisan aggression into perspective, that's 88 minutes in two days compared to two minutes of coverage in the last six months of the IRS-tea-party-targeting scandal.

In less than a week, there was 44 times as much coverage of the bridge than of the IRS in six months. Had Christie absolutely zero national potential or ambitions, the traffic jams would have remained a local story. But he's a presidential hopeful who would challenge the presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton -- and so, it was time to take him down.

The national Democrats are grateful. Hand in glove with the negative media coverage, Democratic National Committee communications director Mo Elleithee sent out a fundraising email: "Before the next campaign starts, we need to make sure that Americans across the country know the real Chris Christie, and that Democrats have the resources to keep him out of national office. Chip in $10 to make sure we can stop Chris Christie."

What's not in any doubt is that the publicity and fundraising aims of the White House and the DNC line up remarkably well with the "news agenda" of our national TV networks and newspapers.

Even conservative pundits have insisted that when Chrstie maintained during his endless press conference that this was planned, he had better be telling the truth or his career is finished.

At the risk of sounding casual about the truth, it could be argued that lying your face off to the press and the American people has never impeded the careers of Bill or Hillary Clinton, and it certainly didn't keep Obama from being elected or re-elected.

Our "objective" journalists would be worthy of respect if they observed a single standard on truth-telling and political scandal coverage. But once again, with "Bridgegate," we are reminded this is a pipe dream.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; US: New Jersey
KEYWORDS: 0bamamedia; bridgegate; chrischristie; fatandfurious; fortlee; irsscandal; leftwinghypocrisy; memebuilding; mittromney; newjersey; partisanmediashill; partisanmediashills; randsconcerntrolls; tpinos

1 posted on 01/15/2014 2:44:05 PM PST by Kaslin
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To: Kaslin

Good. Pile on. Let’s make sure he can’t rise from the ashes.


2 posted on 01/15/2014 2:47:03 PM PST by RIghtwardHo
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Comment #3 Removed by Moderator

To: Kaslin
That's why it's so strange the national media would decide so early it was time for journalistic carpet bombing of the Great Squishy Northeastern Hope of 2016, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.

I think its the election of De Blasio that fed this. Voters in Manhattan have 2 local leaders to compare and contrast. A communist and a moderate Repub.

The NYC communist media are starting to early to destroy the Repub even before the commie administration begins because they're afraid of Christie's power.

4 posted on 01/15/2014 2:59:23 PM PST by what's up
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To: Kaslin

When one of these candidates actually calls on God to fight back against the smears, we are going to see something astounding happen.


5 posted on 01/15/2014 2:59:26 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (The Lion of Judah will roar for you if you give him a big hug and a cheer and mean it. See my page.)
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To: Kaslin
In the first two days of the story after the emails on the manufactured traffic jams came to light, ABC, CBS and NBC devoted 88 minutes of breathless coverage to the story. To put their transparently partisan aggression into perspective, that's 88 minutes in two days compared to two minutes of coverage in the last six months of the IRS-tea-party-targeting scandal.

Conservatives KNOW the media is as corrupt as the political party they serve, but still.... seeing the raw numbers like this, in black and white, sometimes still makes my jaw drop. The total and unapologetic bias is just astounding.

6 posted on 01/15/2014 2:59:29 PM PST by workerbee (The President of the United States is DOMESTIC ENEMY #1!)
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To: RIghtwardHo

You’re being “asses” if you fail to figure God into the story.

Even the lowliest, most checkered squish who actually DOES call on God for victory (and I think this is where even Sarah Palin may have a blind spot, believe it or not) is going to kick into turbo mode. Because goodness, both on earth and heaven, are about grace, and have always been. We couldn’t earn it and God makes a monkey out of us if we try to. Anyhow, IF he does, then all the junk will prove to make it that much greater a visible victory.


7 posted on 01/15/2014 3:02:50 PM PST by HiTech RedNeck (The Lion of Judah will roar for you if you give him a big hug and a cheer and mean it. See my page.)
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To: workerbee
The total and unapologetic bias is just astounding.

And for the life of me I don't understand why every Republican does not point out these stats and challenge the talking head hosts when they appear on their shows, be it on Sunday morning or any of the others - slam them hard and get outraged. Instead - they play nice nice and will always be playing catch up.

8 posted on 01/15/2014 3:11:27 PM PST by capydick (''Life's tough.......it's even tougher if you're stupid.'')
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To: RIghtwardHo

9 posted on 01/15/2014 4:01:01 PM PST by RKBA Democrat (Having some small say in who gets to hold the whip doesn't make you any less a slave.)
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To: Kaslin
Christi will not get grief from me. He pretty much showed the extent of his Republicanism at the Romney convention and I have limited my expectations of him accordingly. He survives in his liberal, union dominated state and is a good governor. His current learning experience should be a lesson to all other Republicans who expect anything like mutual respect from democrats in general and the democrat owned media in particular.

Bruce Springsteen's mocking of fan and admirer Christi deserves retaliation so I suggest that Christi people start digging deep for their own fun lyrics featuring BS.

10 posted on 01/15/2014 4:05:00 PM PST by mountainfolk (God Bless the United States of America and the Republic for which it stands.)
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To: mountainfolk

As a libertarian leaning conservative, Christie has already said there is no room for my ilk in a Christie led Republican party. I agree. If he somehow gets the nomination, I’ll vote Democrat for the first time since 1976. Not that the RATS are better, but at least the GOP-e occasionally fights the liberal ideas that come from a Democrat president. Christie would purge conservatives, and team up with RATS and the GOP-e to pass a liberal agenda.


11 posted on 01/15/2014 4:11:27 PM PST by Hugin
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To: RIghtwardHo
I thought the media had Christie anointed as the only repub who would have a chance against Hillary. Of course a Christie nomination would have ended as Romney and Juan's did in defeat for repubs and victory for media and dems.

Who'll be the rino sucker bait they troll out now? My guess is Ryan.

12 posted on 01/15/2014 4:22:07 PM PST by Tail Gunner John
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To: Hugin
I do not believe that Christi has the resume or temperament to be President of the US. I also do not believe that every popular Republican is suitable to be a Republican presidential nominee. However, my allegiance is to the USA and I would never vote for the communist controlled democrat party which does not care about the loyalty to this Republic, or the practical and sensible qualifications, of those they choose to hold that office for them. Democrats want the office of the President for the purpose of access to all of American treasure. Those who vote democrat hurt themselves.
13 posted on 01/15/2014 4:38:42 PM PST by mountainfolk (God Bless the United States of America and the Republic for which it stands.)
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To: Kaslin

Christie could redeem himself to lots of people if he’d go to msnbc studios and announce he was going to “kick that slobbering Chris Mathews’ ass”.


14 posted on 01/15/2014 5:16:41 PM PST by VerySadAmerican (".....Barrack, and the horse Mohammed rode in on.")
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To: capydick
And for the life of me I don't understand why every Republican does not point out these stats and challenge the talking head hosts when they appear on their shows, be it on Sunday morning or any of the others - slam them hard and get outraged. Instead - they play nice nice and will always be playing catch up.

There isn't much payoff in that for politicians. The people who will respond positively are already on board. Rather than win over the undecideds, politicians who point out press bias get cut up by the media for complaining. They look after their own. Look at what happened to Nixon. Since then, politicians try not to focus on press bias but try to work around it.

15 posted on 01/15/2014 5:33:12 PM PST by x
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To: capydick
I don't understand why every Republican does not point out these stats and challenge the talking head hosts when they appear on their shows, be it on Sunday morning or any of the others

The Democrat Media (but I repeat myself -- BIRM) have convinced them that they'll never get their message out. Mark Halperin of TIME and (I think) The Daily Beast was boasting to Charlie Rose on PBS about this at the Republican convention. There Halperin was, the son of the Pentagon Papers traitor Morton Halperin, sitting in the Republicans' house, bragging about shutting out the main Republican messages to the voters, and slicing and dicing everything they said and spinning it to the voters in a way that the public would find incoherent and incomprehensible.

And he predicted that Clint Eastwood's great "Empty Chair" speech supporting Romney and attacking The Impostor would never be seen by the People -- and he was right. The MSM filtered that completely, as they did the GOP-produced video intended to introduce the candidate (for once without 'Rat filters and spin) to the People. The Ratboys scheduled that one completely out of the convention coverage and blacked out the entire GOP on their key candidate presentation.

Bozell is understating his case, since describing it fully and clinically would sound hysterical.

16 posted on 01/15/2014 6:00:02 PM PST by lentulusgracchus
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To: x
....politicians who point out press bias get cut up by the media for complaining ....

The old adage about "never pick a fight with anyone who buys ink by the barrel."

17 posted on 01/15/2014 6:01:26 PM PST by lentulusgracchus
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To: lentulusgracchus; x

I agree with both of you however - I honestly think the right person (Cruz, Paul, Lee, and maybe a few surprising guests) should attack the questioner with their obvious bias and do it on every show they are on, maybe even coordinate with the people attending on the same Sunday but different shows - if done properly I do think it would have an impact.


18 posted on 01/15/2014 7:03:49 PM PST by capydick (''Life's tough.......it's even tougher if you're stupid.'')
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To: Kaslin

This is what he deserves after CRYING because he got to talk to Bruce Springsteen!!! Can one imagine a BIGGER ASS?


19 posted on 01/16/2014 2:13:39 AM PST by Ann Archy (Abortion......the Human Sacrifice to the god of Convenience.)
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