Fatalities from lane closures; @GovChristie issues strong condemnation of misbehavior. Is he done?

[maxomai]

New developments have arisen since I posted about the Christie/George Washington Bridge story.

The biggest story IMO is that the closures of the GWB delayed EMS response to four calls from Fort Lee. In one case, the patient, a 91-year-old woman, died later. Keep an eye on this, because the persons responsible for the lane closures are going to get sued, if not arrested.

Not quite as big a story, but still huge, is that Christie has issued a blanket denial of any knowledge of the orders issued from his office:

"What I've seen today for the first time is unacceptable. I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge. One thing is clear: this type of behavior is unacceptable and I will not tolerate it because the people of New Jersey deserve better. This behavior is not representative of me or my Administration in any way, and people will be held responsible for their actions." - source

LA Times columnist Robin Abcarian thinks this affair ends Christie's shot at a Presidential run. Democratic political analyst James Carville appears to agree:

"The big winner today is Jeb Bush" says Democrat strategist James Carville

— Kelly O'Donnell (@KellyO) January 8, 2014

I think Carville's half right. The political damage to Christie is going to get a lot worse. The flip side is that the actual big winner today isn't Jeb Bush, it's Hillary Clinton. I'm still not counting Christie out yet, but he's in a deep hole right now, and it's getting deeper.

Comments

[dondodson.livejournal.com]

What I'm wondering is this: where are all the Democrats who Chris Cristie chums around with? His claim to fame is that he teams up with Democrats. He gave Obama a big hug right before the last election. He is bi-partisan. So where are they now? I sure don't see them coming to his defense.

[maxomai.livejournal.com]

You could Google "Democrats Stand Up For Christie" and find them. Via Buzzfeed:

posted on January 9, 2014 at 1:31pm EST

Democratic New Jersey mayors who bucked their party to support Republican Gov. Chris Christie’s reelection bid last year are denying their endorsements were coerced and defending Christie against critics in the wake of revelations over the George Washington Bridge lane closures.

“I still stand with Gov. Christie. You can hire people, you have good intentions and you think highly of these people, and people get fired every day,” said Michael Blunt, the Democratic mayor of Chesilhurst, N.J. “It’s not just Gov. Christie, any organization or business where you’re hiring people, people get fired because they do things they’re not supposed to do. So I believe him in what he said about what happened. I still support him.”

Blunt said he faced no political pressure to back Christie and said he never heard of Christie’s team applying pressure to others.

“My endorsement is based on the things that he’s done for my community and how he’s handled himself in the state of New Jersey,” he said. “There was no coercion,” he added.

Meanwhile, his opponents, both Democratic and Republican, are throwing him under the bus in an equally bipartisan fashion.

Speaking of Republicans saying critical things about Christie, don’t miss what Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told NBC’s Kasie Hunt. “It seems to me that this whole bridge thing reinforces a narrative that's troublesome about the guy, he's kind of a bully," Graham said. “If anybody in my office had done such a thing, they knew what their fate would be ‘cause I'm not that kind a guy. I just don't see how people that close to him could have felt comfortable enough to do this if they thought their boss wasn't of this mindset. Isn't that just common sense?" - Source: NBC News

[dondodson.livejournal.com]

I suppose they have bridges in their towns, too.

[maxomai.livejournal.com]

Which goes to Maddow's question - was Fort Lee a warning shot to other New Jersey politicians?

[dondodson.livejournal.com]

Which would have made sense if anyone knew about this before the election last November.

[maxomai.livejournal.com]

This Democrat is also standing up for Christie: http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/195178-fort-lee-mayor-i-take-christie-at-his-word