New Jersey governor Chris Christie has a bit of ground to cover in terms of working to repair his tarnished image. When Christie and his wife, Mary Pat, traveled to National Governor’s Association meeting held in Washington D.C., this fact must have been on his mind as the governor has made himself scarce since arriving.
The event takes place over a period of three days, with governors from across the country converging in the nation’s capital. A time for governors to meet up and be available, especially as a number of them have campaigns on the brain, going out of one’s way to be virtually invisible is absolutely abnormal.
This behavior is especially odd for Christie, who is famous for his outspoken nature. Christie is said to only attend one major event this weekend. He declined an invitation to the White House dinner or and will not be at news conference hosted by the Republican Governor Association. As Christie is the head of this organization, the move is especially awkward.
The governor is simply not speaking to anyone. There will be no interviews, no appearance at a major media-sponsored forum, and he has declined to comment on any and all media questions.
Is Christie attempting to avoid speaking about the ongoing bridge scandal or is he worried that he’ll say something to dig himself into an even bigger hole?
"What don’t you get about me not talking to you?" Christie asked me at a crosswalk in downtown DC today: http://t.co/QJXUhkTCrx
— Elizabeth Titus (@emtitus) February 22, 2014
Whatever may be the cause for Christie’s “radio silence”, this outing can still be seen as Christie trying to take small, measured steps towards an improved image.
Christie will get no help from a number of Democrats, many of whom have seized on the possibility of Christie’s not-yet-proven connection to members of his staff purposely freezing traffic in a New Jersey town in what was called a blatant attempt to punish a Democratic mayor that didn’t come out in support of Christie. The scandal erupted after emails were discovered related to the bridge closure.
A criminal investigation is ongoing and while Christie denies both personal involvement in or even knowledge of the event, several persons around the governor have either been fired or have resigned in recent weeks.
Not everyone is out to get the embattled Christie.
Lily Kersh of Arkansas commented that she thought the New Jersey governor was getting “a bum rap”. In what might have been a show of support, Kersh was more than happy to take a picture with Christie.
Image via Wikimedia Commons
