A famous author once said “While art thrives on the blazing colours of scandal, literature blossoms on the dark soil of tragedy.”
Since I am a writer not an artist, the Bridgegate scandal involving New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie strikes me as a sort of a poetic justice. Christie’s troubles bring great embarrassment to my home state. This scandal has shed light on how politics is played in New Jersey. And it quenches the media’s love affair with one the nation’s most overrated governors.
One astute commentator said it best: With Gov. Christie, we’ve seen the hubris. And now we’re seeing the scandals.
Whether you love him or loathe him, Christie has created himself a niche. He has told people to “shut up” and shown political moxie. He has been dismissive. If challenged, he often humiliates or embarrasses his detractor with a soundbite. But he has also displayed a knack of disarming his opponents with hugs and smiles. Part of his appeal has been that his tirades are not partisan. As Bill Clinton did with Sista Souljah, Christie has stood up to the fringes of his party.
Although, like many Democrats, I came to see his tactics as over the top, I was smitten by Christie. He was addressing the state’s financial problems, a mess caused by runaway big spending. Sometimes you need someone to cut, gut and clean up the mess that liberals create when you put citizens on a diet of high taxes and public assistance .
Like many, I believed he was a different kind of Republican. Bridgegate leaves me with questions though. I hope I haven’t been deceived by Chris Christie.
