"I AM NOT A BULLY," CHRIS CHRISTIE

The first thing that came to mind when I heard Chris Cristie's comment that, "I am not a bully." was Nixon's statement, "I am not a crook."  Don't get me wrong, I thought that Gov. Chris Christie was admirable on his attention to the devastation of Hurricane Sandy on New Jersey.  He clearly can be ingratiating when he wants to be and be "in your face" when it comes to getting aid for New Jersey.  I can also believe that his close aide, Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Ann Kelly, never told him about the retribution she ordered against a New Jersey mayor for not endorsing the governor.  It is to preserve deniability by the "big guy," and I presume she knew that if things blew up, which they did, she would have to go as did David Wildstein, a Christie appointee.  I also assume that if Chris Christie ever became president, he would treat other national leaders with respect and probably the ambassadors as well.  But having seen clips over the years of Christie publically outing his constituents over their comments, he is a bully.*

* From the NEW York Times on December 24, 2013: "It began with an anecdote of a New Jersey assemblyman who got a nasty note from Christie after making some relatively innocuous radio comments.

The gesture would come to seem genteel compared with the fate suffered by others in disagreements with Mr. Christie: a former governor who was stripped of police security at public events; a Rutgers professor who lost state financing for cherished programs; a state senator whose candidate for a judgeship suddenly stalled; another senator who was disinvited from an event with the governor in his own district.

In almost every case, Mr. Christie waved off any suggestion that he had meted out retribution. But to many, the incidents have left that impression, and it has been just as powerful in scaring off others who might dare to cross him.

The bridge e-mails show that it's not just Christie. His aides are in on it, too. Christie staffer Bridget Anne Kelly e-mails David Wildstein, a Christie appointee on the Port Authority, saying, “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee.” He's a bully with a staff of bullies."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wonkblog/wp/2014/01/08/chris-christies-problem-is-that-hes-really-truly-a-bully/
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