[jogiba]

The Republicans last hope ?



New Jersey's Gov. Christie got beaned by his critics Wednesday for taking a $12.5 million State Police chopper to his son's high school baseball game.

The Republican darling stayed only through the fifth inning Tuesday before helicoptering back to the governor's mansion in Princeton to meet with an Iowa businessmen who tried to get him to run for president.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie thumped by critics for taking police chopper to son's baseball game

[Ratmagiclady]

The Republicans last hope ?



New Jersey's Gov. Christie got beaned by his critics Wednesday for taking a $12.5 million State Police chopper to his son's high school baseball game.

The Republican darling stayed only through the fifth inning Tuesday before helicoptering back to the governor's mansion in Princeton to meet with an Iowa businessmen who tried to get him to run for president.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie thumped by critics for taking police chopper to son's baseball game

I won't ask why it says 'Homeland Security' on there. (And certainly if he was trying to look 'Presidential,' that's fail. ) But once upon a time a display like that wasn't so much 'political' as being a bit of state pageantry that might interest or inspire some bright youth to state service, and maybe make some weird thing happen like people feel connected to their government through a little touch of pageantry, ...Staties bring the Governor somewhere in a helo, 'Hey, it's the Governor,' Why's that bird waiting to play chauffeur till he gets a campaign call, *that's* the question.

The problem isn't the helo: it's that it's *become* political rather than part of governance.

[causey]

Goes well with this piece of news:
House GOP Proposes Budget Cuts To Domestic, Foreign Food Aid

[Ratmagiclady]

Goes well with this piece of news:
House GOP Proposes Budget Cuts To Domestic, Foreign Food Aid

Well, if they wanna do *that,* then they can surely buy their *own* JPF.

[seacapt]

I won't ask why it says 'Homeland Security' on there. (And certainly if he was trying to look 'Presidential,' that's fail. ) But once upon a time a display like that wasn't so much 'political' as being a bit of state pageantry that might interest or inspire some bright youth to state service, and maybe make some weird thing happen like people feel connected to their government through a little touch of pageantry, ...Staties bring the Governor somewhere in a helo, 'Hey, it's the Governor,' Why's that bird waiting to play chauffeur till he gets a campaign call, *that's* the question.

The problem isn't the helo: it's that it's *become* political rather than part of governance.

Rat, Every once in a great while we seem to whole heartedly agree on something.
This happens to be one of those times.

[Nesster]

And I'd agree as well, on the motivation bits.

But... I then find out that my Governor didn't walk the 100 yards to the ballfield from the helicopter... he was driven. Ouch.

And the time pressure that made him take the helicopter? Apparently a private fundraiser / meeting with people who are urging him to run for President.

And most of all, with all the railing the guy does about cutting costs and unnecessary spending...

Even with all that, I don't think this is a huge deal, relatively speaking, and deserves to be buried by the next news cycle.

[reeftool]

I'm surprised it got off the ground looking at the size of that guy. Deficit spending will increase just feeding his fat ass.

[KxBlaze]

Chris Christie is a Fat Piece of $hit. His aid said that Chris only takes the chopper when his schedule "Demands" it yet it was revealed that he had nothing on his schedule that day except a meeting with some activists. Beyond that he just doesn't seem to be a nice / friendly person and someone that passes the blame onto someone else because that's the easy thing to do.. Perfect example is the "Race to the Top" educational grants situation. He basically asked one of his employees to resign over something that was his fault and even blamed Obama for something he himself did. I hope he somehow looses his office and gets publicly humiliated.

[shooz]

Hell does not start with an "H", it starts with an "E" and ends with an "H" and displays art within its realm.........................Anyone??????


Etch-a-sketch?

[jeffkrol]

Driven in a limo no less..

Where is Mikemike and his "fat people are the worlds biggest problem"..

Did you also read that it didn't really cost the State because pilots need to log flight time............

LOL.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie still refuses to run for president. Actually, seems he’s refusing to run — or even walk — anywhere, preferring instead to take a state helicopter to his son’s high school baseball game. They stayed until the fifth inning, when they were driven back to the helicopter and off to the governor’s mansion in Princeton in time to meet with a group of GOP Iowa donors who want him to run in 2012.

The flights to the game and then to the mansion apparently cost more than $3,000. That, given Christie’s public image as an ethically upright budget-cutter in these difficult times, immediately had Democrats yelling “hypocrite.”

At a news conference Thursday afternoon, Christie, citing his “duty ... to focus on the real problems of the state” and not be distracted by a media circus, said he’d written a check for $2,251 and the New Jersey Republican Party had written another for $1,200 to cover the costs.

Christie told reporters he originally didn’t feel he needed to pay anything because the state police superintendent had told him the trips didn’t cost taxpayers anything — the pilots needed to be out flying the choppers as part of their training time.

That would have come as great news for state Democrats, since they might have been able to get that $18,000 back. It would have been tough news for former governor Jon Corzine, who perhaps wouldn’t have been badly injured in a state car crash a few years ago had he known that New Jersey provided a free helicopter to its governor for official and personal use — home to work, a weekend in the Hamptons, whatever.

The mega-wealthy Corzine avoided the helicopter problem by picking up the cost of a private helicopter when he needed one, a former Corzine aide told us. Or, the former aide said, Corzine had his campaign funds pay when it was a political trip. “Our understanding was that to do otherwise would be illegal.”

The aide noted that former Newark mayor Sharpe James was prosecuted by then-U.S. attorney Christie for using municipal credit cards to, among other things, go on foreign trips with girlfriends. If Christie were still a prosecutor, the aide quipped, “he would have indicted himself if he’d done this.”

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/44/post/gov-christies-choppy-ride/2011/0...GXHH_blog.html

[shooz]

Did you also read that it didn't really cost the State because pilots need to log flight time............

Free gas too!!!!!!?
Must be nice.

I guess it's OK to be a fat callus libertarian Masquerading as a republican.

[sagiboy]

He needs to walk more often....!!!

[Nesster]

Is that second aide carrying the NJ Doomsday Button?

[Parallax]

Is that second aide carrying the NJ Doomsday Button?

I don't think so. From the size of the bag, I'm guessing it's the Governor's lunch.

[jogiba]

I don't think so. From the size of the bag, I'm guessing it's the Governor's lunch.

A dozen White Castle burgers and a few Twinkies.