Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

WSJ Gets Existence of Double Standard Right. Naturally Analyzes it Wrong.

New York Daily News

From today’s Wall Street Journal explaining how Chris Christie is so much better than President Obama when it comes to showing contrition in the wake of misconduct by his underlings:

Not that this should make Mr. Christie or any other potential GOP candidate complacent. Republicans operate under a double media standard that holds them to a much lower scandal threshold. (emphasis my own) In that sense the pathetic New Jersey traffic-lane scandal may be, as Mr. Obama likes to say, a teachable moment.

Perhaps the Murdoch-owned Wall Street Journal hasn’t watched its sister outlet, Fox News, try and stir outrage over Benghazi 24/7 on a story that doesn’t exist.  Perhaps it hasn’t watched the same channel on Fast and Furious.  Perhaps it hasn’t watched the same channel on the IRS scandal.

Perhaps they consider reporting on Iran Contra or the no-bid contracts of the Iraq war not newsworthy and therefore any reporting on them is creating a double standard.  Perhaps they consider petty political revenge because a politician from the other political party did not endorse their candidate for re-election.  Perhaps they consider investigating whether that revenge broke federal law and whether it affected emergency response to be a non-story that is only reported because it is a Republican.

Need I go further and remind the Wall Street Journal that while the right wing ignored Sen. David Vitter’s visiting prostitutes and being in the D.C. Madam’s black book, they impeached Bill Clinton for not being forthright about his affair with Monica Lewinsky.  Basically, in their mind, investigating whether we were lied into war is holding Republicans to a lower scandal standard than impeaching the President of the United States because he couldn’t keep it in his pants.

This, of course, really comes back to partisan politics and the fact that Chris Christie is the apparent horse of the Republican mainstream (the one that wants to get rid of the Tea Party) in the 2016 election.  They presumably believe that he is all that stands between Rand Paul or Ted Cruz or some other unelectable Tea Partier receiving the Republican nomination and proceeding to be crushed by former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton in the general election.

The Journal writes, to describe the difference between President Obama and Governor Christie:

We mention the IRS because Mr. Christie’s contrition contrasts so sharply with President Obama’s handling of the tax agency’s abuse of political opponents and his reluctance to fire anyone other than a military general for anything.

What contrition, exactly?

Was it that he tried to make himself out to be another innocent victim in the whole plot?  Was it that he outright said he fired his aide for lying to him, rather than firing her for the fact that she carried out this plan of revenge?  Was it that he sought to lay blame at every other person possible throughout his apology?

That’s not contrition.  That’s trying to make political opportunity out of the desperate attempt to save his political career.  The Wall Street Journal says that as long as Christie wasn’t involved, then his political ambitions should remain intact.  They say he just needs new advisers.  Given the advisers he’s selected to the present, why should we expect anything different going forward?  Even in the most charitable light, Christie displays poor judgment in his selection of aides.  It’s exactly the opposite of what’s needed in a president.


24 comments

  1. Not for orchestrating the shutdown of traffic. For lying to him.

    He was sorry that his staff embarrassed him (by getting caught, probably) … not that they harmed the people of New Jersey.

    He is a perfect Republican, no wonder the Murdoch press loves him.

  2. If it had been exposed before the election, he might have only won by 20 points instead of 40!

    Yes, that is me being cynical about the people who voted for him.

    The saddest thing is that I don’t think this story even nicks him. The press will airbrush any blemishes out of his personal narrative.  

  3. Portlaw

    That’s not contrition.  That’s trying to make political opportunity out of the desperate attempt to save his political career.  The Wall Street Journal says that as long as Christie wasn’t involved, then his political ambitions should remain intact.  They say he just needs new advisers.  Given the advisers he’s selected to the present, why should we expect anything different going forward?  Even in the most charitable light, Christie displays poor judgment in his selection of aides.  It’s exactly the opposite of what’s needed in a president.

  4. This one is promising: NJ Lawmakers Asked For Info About The Promotion Of Port Authority Cop

    Documents released Friday by the Assembly’s Transportation, Public Works and Independent Authorities Committee indicate that the committee wanted to know the date when it was determined that a Port Authority Police Department official named Darcy Licorish would be promoted, and the date Licorish was actually promoted.

    The subpoena, which was addressed to Port Authority Executive Director Patrick Foye, also requested the date and time Licorish was notified of former Port Authority executive David Wildstein’s order to close the lanes.

    Follow the money, or in this case, the payoff promotion.

  5. New Jersey narcissist

    Even in disgrace, the New Jersey governor – and the nominal front-runner for the 2016 GOP nomination – managed to turn his nationally televised news conference into a forum on the virtues of his favorite subject: himself.

    Use of the word “I”: 692 times.

    I’m: 119.

    I’ve: 67.

    Me: 83.

    My/myself: 134.

  6. HappyinVT

    for not be partisan enough.  Remember that scandal?

    Christie is a bully despite what Brit Hume says.  

    And anyone who thinks at a minimum Christie didn’t foster an atmosphere where people thought this kind of thing was permitted is nuts.  I doubt you’d last long as a senior staff member without being willing to get your hands dirty.

    Whether this has any long-term affect is still up in the air; I doubt he’d win NJ in a presidential election anyway, diehard GOPers will vote party line no matter what, and some will be proud that their man showed some balls.

  7. And the heat is on!

    http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/13/

    “Feds investigating Christie’s use of Sandy relief funds”

    CNN has learned that federal officials are investigating whether Christie improperly used those relief funds to produce tourism ads that starred him and his family.

    ~~~~~~~~~

    In the new probe, federal auditors will examine New Jersey’s use of $25 million in Sandy relief funds for a marketing campaign to promote tourism at the Jersey Shore after Sandy decimated the state’s coastline in late 2012, New Jersey Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone told CNN.

    ~~~~~~~~~

    Pallone wrote that he was concerned about the bidding process for the firm awarded the marketing plan; the winning firm is charging the state about $2 million more than the next lowest bidder. The winning $4.7 million bid featured Christie and his family in the advertisements while the losing $2.5 million proposal did not feature the Christies.

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