Eliana Johnson:
The next 24 hours will be crucial for Chris Christie, top Republicans say.
The New Jersey governor, who was on top of the political world two months ago as he cruised to reelection over his Democratic challenger now finds his status as the frontrunner of the 2016 GOP presidential field imperiled. The test comes with the release of e-mails and text messages that tie top members of his administration to the closure of two lanes leading to a crucial bridge in what appears to be political retaliation against a Democratic mayor who refused to endorse Christie’s reelection.
Republican communications experts are urging Christie, who has thus far limited himself to issuing a brief statement from his Trenton office, to get out in front of the issue. “He should get out on TV, and he should do it today,” says former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer. “He should apologize to the public, apologize to the mayor, he should dismiss his staff, and move forward. He needs to be blunt, he needs to be direct, and he should be himself.” Kevin Sheridan, who ran communications for vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan during the 2012 campaign, concurs. “This next 24 hours is going to be really tricky for him,” Sheridan says. “It doesn’t help that he’s got the New York media spotlight on him. He needs to get out as much as possible and he needs to get it out now.”
Another top Republican strategist notes that Christie’s relative silence is hurting him by allowing his opponents in the Democratic party and the media to tell the story. “They missed the chance in 2013 to really poison his profile,” says the strategist, “and they’re making up for lost time.”
The governor’s biggest challenge will be to convince the public that, as a member of his inner circle plotted the lane closures and quietly celebrated the resultant traffic snarls – which prevented children from getting to school on time and even delayed the emergency responders from reaching those in need – he himself remained ignorant of their misdeeds. Christie had maintained, until today, that neither he nor his staff had anything to do with the lane closures that led to the traffic jams and called the story “sensationalized.” But along with his deputy chief of staff, Bridget Anne Kelly, who appears to have plotted the lane closures, Christie press secretary Michael Drewniak, two-time campaign manager Bill Stepien, and David Samson, a key fundraiser for the governor, are mentioned in or copied on the e-mail chain. Stepien was tapped on Tuesday to serve as the chairman of the state Republican party in part on Christie’s recommendation, and his ascendancy to that position is now in doubt.
Christie’s strength as a political figure has been that he is not viewed as a conventional politician but as a straight shooter. “If he’s gonna make the case that he’s a no nonsense guy, he’s gotta operate in a no nonsense way with the people that misled him,” says the GOP strategist. “Chris Christie and only Chris Christie can provide that level of believability. Right now everybody is talking about him like he’s a conventional politician who is not being forthright.”
Apologize and move on?
Assuming Christi’s truly ignorant of the ordeal and assuming his staff went behind his back (and I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and assume he’s innocent until proven guilty), then that’s an acceptable move. However, if he did orchestrate or order such a move, then he should be promptly cuffed and taken away.
This is bad and will cost Christie no matter what tack he takes.
There was an ill-timed article about how Michelle Obama’s presence in Oprah’s house was ruining businesses, making people late and such yesterday, too.
If somebody dies because of her roadblocks I wonder how the press will deal with it.
Businesses say her visit is killing them.