This press conference is showing how much I over estimated Christie.
This is only the first thing. Imagine a whole campaign.
This whole Christie thing has put a lot of things in perspective:
Democrats really found a GOLDMINE when it came to 'Bams being the President.
There isn't a single skeleton in his 50+ years of life i his closet. You know the GOP must've searched endlessly for SOMETHING over the past 7 years and what they found? NOTHING.
Like...holy shit.
This whole Christie thing has put a lot of things in perspective:
Democrats really found a GOLDMINE when it came to 'Bams being the President.
There isn't a single skeleton in his 50+ years of life i his closet. You know the GOP must've searched endlessly for SOMETHING over the past 7 years and what they found? NOTHING.
Like...holy shit.
Anything remotely damaging he put in his autobiography, which was a brilliant stroke. How do you call someone out on a scandal if a million people have already read it? You can't light a fire with that. It's already old news.This whole Christie thing has put a lot of things in perspective:
Democrats really found a GOLDMINE when it came to 'Bams being the President.
There isn't a single skeleton in his 50+ years of life i his closet. You know the GOP must've searched endlessly for SOMETHING over the past 7 years and what they found? NOTHING.
Like...holy shit.
This whole Christie thing has put a lot of things in perspective:
Democrats really found a GOLDMINE when it came to 'Bams being the President.
There isn't a single skeleton in his 50+ years of life i his closet. You know the GOP must've searched endlessly for SOMETHING over the past 7 years and what they found? NOTHING
I'm reading his decision to fire Bridget Kelly was because she lied to him. That was the only reasoning he gave. You'd think the whole politics of retribution and betraying the public is a good justification.
This whole Christie thing has put a lot of things in perspective:
Democrats really found a GOLDMINE when it came to 'Bams being the President.
There isn't a single skeleton in his 50+ years of life i his closet. You know the GOP must've searched endlessly for SOMETHING over the past 7 years and what they found? NOTHING.
Like...holy shit.
If you want a real scandal, check out Benghazi, the IRS, and the Fast & the Furious!
This whole Christie thing has put a lot of things in perspective:
Democrats really found a GOLDMINE when it came to 'Bams being the President.
There isn't a single skeleton in his 50+ years of life i his closet. You know the GOP must've searched endlessly for SOMETHING over the past 7 years and what they found? NOTHING.
Like...holy shit.
Ayers and Wright were Obama's presidential albatrosses.
Only to the right-wing outrage machine.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/09/us-attorney-chris-christie_n_4568618.html
A US Attorney is now opening an inquiry into the bridge scandal, this ain't going away soon.
On the even brighter side, can we now officially declare Websitegate dead?
Ayers, Wright, Rezko, etc. Obama was good at deflecting/reacting and defending himself, unlike most politicians. And voters tended to trust him, although that's not the case anymore.
Literal Facebook comments I'm seeing.
Wright could have easily ended Obama's campaign. He handled it perfectly.
I also think you are completely misjudging Christie. Of course he is confident, that is his personality/persona. It doesn't mean he is innocent. I know quite a few people like him in real life. They can say anything as if it's the gods honest truth without actual basis on reality.
Reuters said:Committee holds New Jersey transportation official in contempt for refusing to answer questions on bridge scandal
On the even brighter side, can we now officially declare Websitegate dead?
And in non-bridge related news, Quinnipiac says 71% support a min. wage hike.
They asked if you support an increase to the minimum wage, and then for all the people who said yes they asked if it should be $10.10, lower than, or higher than.Did the question they asked specify how high the increase would be? Was it $10 or $15?
I'm so glad Brown is focused on California. Something that plagued him in his earlier stint for Governor was always looking ahead to the presidency. Also, keep your hands off him, we want to keep him as long as possible.
I doubt he resigns, gets impeached or recalled . . . but his chances of becoming president are dropping. He'll have a tough time with the primary fight and the general if he managed to win the primary.http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2014/01/09/should-governor-christie-step-down
NY Times is already asking whether or not Christie should quit, that didn't take long, but I'm 100% sure Christie wont resign, he'll either get impeached or recalled.
Aww. While I definitely am happy with the recent news about Bridgeghazi, I hope we can still save some of our ridicule for the brainchild behind trickle down economics:
Arthur Laffer said:[T]he minimum wage makes no sense whatsoever to me. I mean, honestly, its just the teenage black teenage unemployment act and this is the very groups that we need to have jobs, not be put out of work because of the minimum wage.
So Im really very much in favor of at least for teenagers getting rid of the minimum wage so we can bring them back into the labor force, get them the skills they need to continue being productive members of our society for years and years. I mean, thats the way Id go on minimum wage.
I must admit, the past two days have been the most humbling of my entire career. I was shocked and disgusted to learn of the deplorable conduct of a member of my staff, who, without my knowledge, orchestrated lane closures on the George Washington Bridge, deliberately causing major traffic congestion in order to exact political vengeance against a local mayor who didnt endorse me for reelection. Though I promptly fired the aide in question and repeatedly stressed that I had no prior knowledge of her actions, many have continued to accuse me of being complicit in this incident. And to those who do, I can only ask that you simply look at me, right now, and just ask yourself one question: Do I look like a corrupt, vengeful, openly antagonistic bully to you?
Really, take a good, hard look. Do I seriously strike you as the type of person who would vengefully go after a rival political group who opposed my administrations policies? And not only go after them, but also after anyone who is even remotely associated with them, essentially waging a fear campaign in order to systematically intimidate, isolate, and marginalize my enemies one-by-one?
Cmon, thats just not me. Everyone knows that sounds nothing like me.
Really, anyone who has followed my career even the slightest bit over the years knows that the last thing I am is an overly ambitious and hypersensitive man with a penchant for antagonism and belligerence. I mean, its me were talking about here! Chris Christie! Not some ultra-competitive blowhard with deep-seated insecurities probably stemming from my own experiences being bullied as a child. Thats why this whole scandal is so silly. Its like, everyone knows thats the pretty much the exact opposite of what Im like.
What, am I wearing a mask or something? I mean, hello? Its me! Chris Christie!
Part of me gets, I suppose, why this whole debacle is so intriguing to people. After all, just imagine me secretly being some overcompensating, bitter, antagonistic personality with a my-way-or-the-highway demeanor and a ruthless desire for ever greater degrees of political power. I mean, sure, I see how thats a pretty amusing and unexpected reversal: Chris Christie as a bully. I get it. But, look, lets get serious here. People dont just turn into completely different people overnight. Im still the same warm, civil, reasonable, level-headed, pussycat-like guy whos made people say for years, Wow, that Chris Christie sure seems like a sweet, soft-spoken, not at all temperamental or vindictive person. Nothings changed, folks! Im still the same old me!
Heck, the mere facts alone that Ive been the Governor of New Jersey for four years now and have since become a leading member of the Republican Party should really let anyone know by now that Im obviously a compassionate and forgiving person who treats everyoneregardless of their views with decency and respect. So could you ever imagine me quickly losing my temper over even the smallest perceived slight and then blowing it way out of proportion? Get outta here!
Folks, everyone knows that little things like criticism of my decisions, my track record, and especially my appearance just rolls off me like water off a ducks back. Cmon, thats, like, my whole thing, right? Thats my image: Mr. Calm And Conciliatory.
So if youre one of the many people who is currently wondering whether or knew or didnt know about the vengeful actions perpetrated by administration, just remember my overall demeanor, how I interact with everyday people, and how I respond to questions from the media, and youll quickly realize that I could never, ever be capable of endlessly obsessing over every last criticism leveled against me, nor could I ever bring myself to actually use any and all resources at my disposal to attack everyone who either proved an obstacle to my election or endorsed any of my political opponents. And the idea that I would go to incredible lengths to continue exacting political retribution at any available opportunity, even years later, is just inconceivable given the way Ive famously carried myself both personally and professionally.
Honestly, the way people have been talking about this whole bridge scandal, youd think I was the type of guy to still harbor plenty of ill-will and resentment toward those who worked against my election bid to unseat former New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine all the way back in 2009!
Ah well, thats politics, I guess. People are always going to try to portray you as a sadistic, ruthless, overly belligerent scumbag hell-bent on crushing anyone who stands in your way. Weird that anyone would ever think that I, of all people, exemplify those traits, but whatever.
Ultimately, I take solace knowing that the great people of New Jersey, and the American people as a whole, won't just blindly accept these unfair accusations launched against me. They know the real me.
http://www.msnbc.com/msnbc/good-omens-obamacareShopping for insurance on healthcare.gov isnt yet as easy as booking a flight on Expedia, but a new survey suggests that consumers are warming up to the new online marketplace for health care. The findings, released Thursday by the Commonwealth Fund, show that insurance seekers had markedly better experiences in December than in October. Nearly 70% continued to give the health-care exchanges fair or poor ratingsa finding the Right may trumpet as a bitter defeat for Obamacarebut the finding is less dire as it sounds. Most potential enrollees said they still expected to buy insurance before open enrollment ends this spring, and young adults are showing as much interest as older ones.
Health care exchanges opened in all 50 states in October, but 36 of them relied on a federal enrollment website (healthcare.gov) that performed abysmally at first. The Obama administration repaired and improved the site during a frantic November push, enabling roughly a million people to enroll in private plans before the year ended. Another million secured private coverage through state-run exchanges, and nearly 4 million enrolled in Medicaid. The next goal is to push private enrollment from 2 million to 7 million by March 31, and to control costs by balancing older (costlier) subscribers with younger ones.
The new survey suggests that both goals are feasible. When Commonwealth polled potential enrollees in October, only 17% had visited the marketplaces through any medium (online, phone or paper). By mid-December, when the new survey was conducted, 24% had visited the marketplaces. Among the marketplace visitors questioned in December, 51% (versus 37% in the earlier survey) found it easy to compare the subscription fees (premiums) for different plans, and 43% (up from 30%) had no trouble comparing the benefits. Still, only 38% had an easy time comparing different plans out-of-pocket costs, and only 36% said it was easy to find a plan they could afford.
Despite these frustrations, nearly 40% of the marketplace visitors ended up applying for coverage by the end of December. And when the researchers questioned potential enrollees who hadnt visited a health care exchange, or hadnt applied for coverage, nearly 60% said they still planned to find a plan before the 2014 enrollment period ends in late March. If that large a percentage of eligible consumers enroll in either Medicaid or the marketplace plans, says Sara Collins, the Commonwealth Funds vice president for health care coverage and access, that would make for a very successful first year of enrollment.
Especially when you consider the age patterns the survey reveals. Now that insurers cant penalize or exclude people who may actually require medical care, they depend heavily on young, healthy subscribers to help dilute the cost. Rates would skyrocket if the exchanges attracted only high-risk subscribers, but the new survey should help allay that fear. It found that 19- to 34-year-olds, who make up roughly 40% of potential enrollees, accounted for roughly 40% of marketplace visitors through Decemberand they were just as determined as older consumers to find coverage. Some 58% of the young adults who hadnt yet enrolled said they would return before March 31. The figures were 61% among 35- to 49-year-olds and 55% among 50- to 64-year-olds.
Tapping all this potential will take effort. State and federal officials clearly need to keep improving the enrollment sites andequally importantreaching out to inform and support potential enrollees. A third of them dont even know the health care exchanges exist, and 44% havent heard that financial help is available. Not surprisingly, those in greatest need are the least aware of their options. The survey shows that only half of uninsured adults (versus three-quarters of those who already have individual policies) know about the marketplace subsidies. By the same token, low-income respondents are less informed than those with higher earnings. The health care laws navigator program is helping thousands of consumers get their bearings, but Texas and other red states are using onerous regulations to sabotage the effort.
Despite the obstacles, the Affordable Care Act is chugging forward. And if the new findings are any indication, it may yet succeed.
Yeah, he is totally right. We should lower the minimum wage to get more black teens employed.
No . . . we should completely eliminate the minimum wage. We should just offer free room & board to black people that will work for us. Now that is really . . . . wait a minute . . .
Wait guys we completely forgot, what does Bridgegate mean for Kay Hagan?
Omg Fox claiming media bias. Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahhsh
Media bias about what?
This whole Christie thing has put a lot of things in perspective:
Democrats really found a GOLDMINE when it came to 'Bams being the President.
There isn't a single skeleton in his 50+ years of life i his closet. You know the GOP must've searched endlessly for SOMETHING over the past 7 years and what they found? NOTHING.
Like...holy shit.
He had some skeletons but he addressed them head on.
For example, he did do a fair amount of drugs . . . and wrote about it in his book. So the other side couldn't go "Look! This Obama guy did drugs!" without Obama saying "Oh wow, so you read my book. Thank you."
He had a father that pretty much abandoned him . . . again, he wrote about it in his book.
I'm guessing the Christie thing. If anything this hasn't gotten enough play until now. If this were campaign season he would have been drowned by this.
From the top of the press conference, Christie pledged to interview his staff to discern what had led to the closures in September. His objective was “to determine if there’s any other information that I do not know and need to know in order to take appropriate action.”
But when pressed later if he had talked to Bridget Anne Kelly, his former deputy chief of staff who he had just fired, Christie said he had not and had no plans to. That was despite the fact that the scandal blew up on the governor earlier on Wednesday when Kelly’s email saying it was “time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee” became public.
“I have not had any conversation with Bridget Kelly,” he said. “She has not given the explanation why she lied. I’m quite frankly not interested in the explanation at the moment.”
PD any comments??"There was a period of time in my life where I was goofing off," Obama told an audience in the White House. "I was raised by a single mom. I didn't know my dad."
For anyone thinking about giving Christie the benefit of the doubt, and that his minions acted on their own:
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/cognitive-dissonance-and-rhetorical-flubs
What the FUCK?
PPP's next round of polling is in North Carolina, we'll see soon enough.Wait guys we completely forgot, what does Bridgegate mean for Kay Hagan?