LA Times: Chris Christie bridge scandal only underscores his bully image
The Web is awash in videos showing the glowering governor venting at teachers, reporters, the Navy SEAL — Christie later called him a jerk, refusing to apologize — and the Jersey Shore antagonist. The Democratic National Committee quickly spliced together a compendium, juxtaposing some of those moments with Christie's rebuke of his now-fired staff members. "Governor," it said in a freeze-frame, "the tone is set at the top."
Beyond such verbal sparring, Christie has retaliated against critics and others who crossed him in more substantive ways, stripping security from an ex-governor whom Christie deemed "combative and difficult" and ending state funding for programs run by a Rutgers University professor who angered him over redrawing the state's political boundaries.
At his Thursday news conference, Christie denied using the powers of his office for political retribution. "Will we fight sometimes and will things get sharp-elbowed? You bet," he said. "It goes both ways, but, you know, retribution as the word? No."
Christie's marathon question-and-answer session was his introduction to many outside New Jersey — his response to the bridge scandal was the top story on nightly news shows and generated headlines across the country — and his humble apology and forceful action could help him politically, assuming there are no more damaging revelations.
http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-christie-bully-20140111,0,3128420.story#ixzz2q3pJZXy2
= new reply since forum marked as read
