Maybe I'm the only one who feels this way, it's entirely possible, but--
Governor Chris Christie sort of has...teacher voice.
At least, to me, it sounds like he does.
No disrespect to teachers, but what I mean is--
He has the sort of voice--especially at press conferences lately--that teachers use when one kid in the class is acting up, and so the teacher decides to give everybody a pop quiz instead of just punishing the one kid.
You know that moment, when everyone starts asking why, and the teacher says something along the lines of "Because I'm the teacher, that's why. Now take out your pencils."
Parents use the same voice--most authority figures do when they're dealing with somebody under them. It's the "I Might Be Wrong But It Doesn't Matter Because I'm in Charge" voice.
It occurs to me that maybe that's how Governor Christie got to be so popular. Because he sort of reminds me of a Dad. Granted, a really-strict-sometimes-curmudgeon-y Dad, but still, a loveable Dad nonetheless, and one who isn't entirely bonkos like most of the notable Republicans in the party today. No wonder he thought he had a shot at being President. When shit hits the fan, who else would you want dealing with it but a father figure or some other sort of person-in-power type? Even at his worst, Christie comes across as a gym teacher or a football couch--one who can either win high school championships or get every kid to climb the rope in under a minute.
As soon as I realized this is what his public speaking voice reminded me of, however, I went from sort of admiring his political chops to finding him to be absolutely repugnant. Now, that could just be because I have a slight problem with authority, but I think the real reason is because that voice, with that tone, and that attitude, really only belong in a classroom or at a family dinner table when the kids are acting up. It doesn't have any place in a grown-up world where adults are interacting with each other.
Christie is a powerful political figure, yes, but he's also answerable to the people. Being elected Governor isn't the same as being made the Pope, it doesn't render you infallible.
At his two-hour press conference about BridgeGate, he kept saying that he would just like to move on from the whole thing. He stopped just short of telling reporters to "Drop it" the way your Dad might from the front seat of the station wagon.
Don't get me wrong, I understand why he wants the whole thing to go away, but he can't just demand that it go away.
One of the nagging elements of the story is that there still isn't any explanation for why the bridge lanes were shut down, and when Christie was asked by reporters if he tried to find out from his staff why the whole thing he happened, he said he wasn't interested.
Again, there's that element of "I just want you kids to be quiet so we can enjoy our dinner in peace." This isn't something a bunch of teenage hooligans carried out, like a house-egging or the stealing of a school mascot. This broke laws. It put people in danger. Christie's staff and appointees were screwing around with the busiest bridge in the world during the anniversary of 9/11. Yes, they should be fired, but they also have to answer for their actions.
In the past, Christie has been known to mock reporters and anyone else who dares to question his actions. He seems to almost have a disdain for the political process, which is probably why his approval ratings are so high, despite the fact that people in his own state disagree with most of his positions on the issues--by a rather large majority.
People seem to like him because he doesn't seem like a politician.
He's able to speak in a way that doesn't like rhetoric or posturing or spinning. That alone is a miracle in the political world, and it's something Republicans seems to have an especially hard time mastering.
How ironic is it then that the thing that seems to be bringing Christie down is textbook politics? It's borderline cartoonish.
Republicans, seeing their best hope for the White House fade into oblivion, are trying to trot out Benghazi again in the hopes of smearing Hillary the way the left is attacking Christie.
The problem is that Benghazi was a complicated issue with fault landing in many places, and Hillary was made to answer for it. Whether or not you like her answer, at least she wasn't standing at a podium for two hours essentially shrugging her shoulders and saying "Eh, what's the big deal?"
Throughout all of this, you can see Christie getting more and more flummoxed. He's someone who's able to make things go away just by willing them to do so. By cracking a joke or intimidating people with his demeanor--but that's not governing. Governing is answering for your mistakes, apologizing for them, and making sure they never happen again.
To say--"Well, this happened, and I fired everybody, and now let's talk about something else" is--Well, let's face it--it's a nice try, but it's not going to work. And it's not the markings of a good politician.
And certainly not a good President.
Governor Chris Christie sort of has...teacher voice.
At least, to me, it sounds like he does.
No disrespect to teachers, but what I mean is--
He has the sort of voice--especially at press conferences lately--that teachers use when one kid in the class is acting up, and so the teacher decides to give everybody a pop quiz instead of just punishing the one kid.
You know that moment, when everyone starts asking why, and the teacher says something along the lines of "Because I'm the teacher, that's why. Now take out your pencils."
Parents use the same voice--most authority figures do when they're dealing with somebody under them. It's the "I Might Be Wrong But It Doesn't Matter Because I'm in Charge" voice.
It occurs to me that maybe that's how Governor Christie got to be so popular. Because he sort of reminds me of a Dad. Granted, a really-strict-sometimes-curmudgeon-y Dad, but still, a loveable Dad nonetheless, and one who isn't entirely bonkos like most of the notable Republicans in the party today. No wonder he thought he had a shot at being President. When shit hits the fan, who else would you want dealing with it but a father figure or some other sort of person-in-power type? Even at his worst, Christie comes across as a gym teacher or a football couch--one who can either win high school championships or get every kid to climb the rope in under a minute.
As soon as I realized this is what his public speaking voice reminded me of, however, I went from sort of admiring his political chops to finding him to be absolutely repugnant. Now, that could just be because I have a slight problem with authority, but I think the real reason is because that voice, with that tone, and that attitude, really only belong in a classroom or at a family dinner table when the kids are acting up. It doesn't have any place in a grown-up world where adults are interacting with each other.
Christie is a powerful political figure, yes, but he's also answerable to the people. Being elected Governor isn't the same as being made the Pope, it doesn't render you infallible.
At his two-hour press conference about BridgeGate, he kept saying that he would just like to move on from the whole thing. He stopped just short of telling reporters to "Drop it" the way your Dad might from the front seat of the station wagon.
Don't get me wrong, I understand why he wants the whole thing to go away, but he can't just demand that it go away.
One of the nagging elements of the story is that there still isn't any explanation for why the bridge lanes were shut down, and when Christie was asked by reporters if he tried to find out from his staff why the whole thing he happened, he said he wasn't interested.
Again, there's that element of "I just want you kids to be quiet so we can enjoy our dinner in peace." This isn't something a bunch of teenage hooligans carried out, like a house-egging or the stealing of a school mascot. This broke laws. It put people in danger. Christie's staff and appointees were screwing around with the busiest bridge in the world during the anniversary of 9/11. Yes, they should be fired, but they also have to answer for their actions.
In the past, Christie has been known to mock reporters and anyone else who dares to question his actions. He seems to almost have a disdain for the political process, which is probably why his approval ratings are so high, despite the fact that people in his own state disagree with most of his positions on the issues--by a rather large majority.
People seem to like him because he doesn't seem like a politician.
He's able to speak in a way that doesn't like rhetoric or posturing or spinning. That alone is a miracle in the political world, and it's something Republicans seems to have an especially hard time mastering.
How ironic is it then that the thing that seems to be bringing Christie down is textbook politics? It's borderline cartoonish.
Republicans, seeing their best hope for the White House fade into oblivion, are trying to trot out Benghazi again in the hopes of smearing Hillary the way the left is attacking Christie.
The problem is that Benghazi was a complicated issue with fault landing in many places, and Hillary was made to answer for it. Whether or not you like her answer, at least she wasn't standing at a podium for two hours essentially shrugging her shoulders and saying "Eh, what's the big deal?"
Throughout all of this, you can see Christie getting more and more flummoxed. He's someone who's able to make things go away just by willing them to do so. By cracking a joke or intimidating people with his demeanor--but that's not governing. Governing is answering for your mistakes, apologizing for them, and making sure they never happen again.
To say--"Well, this happened, and I fired everybody, and now let's talk about something else" is--Well, let's face it--it's a nice try, but it's not going to work. And it's not the markings of a good politician.
And certainly not a good President.
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