You have to have a little pity on Chris Christie. There he was, in Las Vegas, standing in front of Sheldon Adelson and a bunch of his cronies in the Republican Jewish Coalition, trying to ingratiate himself with a little sniveling and bootlicking, and then he says this:
Invoking a 2012 trip he and his family took to Israel, Christie recalled in the speech: “I took a helicopter ride from the occupied territories across and just felt personally how extraordinary that was to understand, the military risk that Israel faces every day.”
In case you missed it, and be assured that the crowd didn’t, calling places like the West Bank “occupied territories” in front Adelson’s crew is like calling RU-486 “birth control” at a right-to-life convention. So, more genuflecting and ass-kissing ensued:
Not long after his speech, Christie met with Adelson privately in the casino mogul’s office in the Venetian hotel and casino, which hosted the RJC meeting.
The source told POLITICO that Christie “clarified in the strongest terms possible that his remarks today were not meant to be a statement of policy.”
Instead, the source said, Christie made clear “that he misspoke when he referred to the ‘occupied territories.’ And he conveyed that he is an unwavering friend and committed supporter of Israel, and was sorry for any confusion that came across as a result of the misstatement.”
It’s almost like there’s some issue keeping Christie from hiring and retaining good staff who would have briefed him on the right language to use in front of a bunch of Zionists.
(via Jim Newell)
dmsilev
No.
shelly
“Statement of policy” ? Getting a bit ahead of ourselves, aren’t we, Governor?
jayjaybear
^^^ Cosigned (dmsilev’s post…shelly snuck in while I was posting)
IowaOldLady
Even if Christie had good staff, he’s such an arrogant blow hard I can’t imagine him doing much listening.
lamh36
Sorry to go OT so quickly, but since the tag line is Asshole this fits in the grand scheme.
New G.O.P. Bid to Limit Voting in Swing States
Higgs Boson's Mate
You have to have a little pity on Chris Christie.
I can almost muster enough pity to piss on him if he was on fire. Almost.
Baud
Ha. Real tough guy. Not like that wimp Obama.
NotMax
Please continue, Governor.
BGinCHI
At least he didn’t call them kikes. In public anyway.
patrick II
The real pity here is that even if Christie was a real contender, saying one wrong word in front of Adelson could cost you the nomination. It seems if the guy who contributes more than 100 million has more than his share to say in how this country is run. Watching the candidates bow before him reminds me of the movie 9 1/2 weeks when Kim Basinger crawled across the floor for a dollar to complete her humiliation.
StringOnAStick
@patrick II: I agree; it is disgusting seeing how any politician has to grovel before the Zionists if they want to survive our Moneyball nominating process. One good thing though: Adelson proved last time that he has rather poor picking skills as far as successful candidates go.
James E. Powell
I woke up this morning to Candy Crowley and company just gushing over what an authentic guy Christie is. Sure, the angry tirades against powerless people may irritate a few candy-ass liberal elites, but America wants a real man, not a politician!
I’m afraid that the Village Idiots are going to insist that this guy be the next president.
Marty
Actually it is disgusting that any person who thinks he/she can be President would gravel before “ANYONE” & that includes the lunatic right wingers who do that all the time to get the likes of Rush shit head & Faux Fox news to like them. So far the only Republican that has shown me ANY backbone is the former ambassador to China & Governor of Utah, He is the only one to stand up to the right wing crazies & for sure he will not be in L.V.
Betty Cracker
He should have “don’t tread on me” tattooed on his dick. Such a display of devotion might ingratiate him with the Teaturds and Paultroons while delivering valuable political advice at the same time.
Baud
@Betty Cracker:
Not enough room.
Baud
@James E. Powell:
They adore him. A Republican whose not overly religious but who punches down. Priceless!
Ultraviolet Thunder
@James E. Powell:
They might, but some of the people who write the big checks to make campaigns happen are forming a small chorus under Jeb’s window. That’ll be interesting.
eric
The only reason any republican worries me in 2016 is voting restrictions. There is not a charasmatic figure in the bunch. bully does not play well. smug does not play well and if there is a woman at the top of the dem ticket, you had better bring the charm cause misogyny will energize women fence sitters
DougJ
I wonder if my Likudnik colleagues are freaking about this. Over to Facebook….
eric
@DougJ: hey will rationalize it away as evidence that the liberal media misquoted the context…or some such nonsesne
YellowJournalism
@Baud: His sexual partner might ask who “Don” is.
shelly
Just got done watching ‘The Wolf Of Wall Street” Man, those quaaludes were one-fucked up drug to play with. “We’ve just got to the drooling phase.’
Mike in NC
Insert phone booth joke here.
Villago Delenda Est
Fuck Christie and fuck Adelson and other Likudnik trash.
Villago Delenda Est
@Baud: WIN!
nancydarling
No, I emphatically do not.
I have decided that the reason Christie is so rotund is because he is so full of himself. Not a defender of Bridget Kelly as she did some pretty odious things, but the internal report commissioned by Christie raised my feminist hackles past 11.
Amir Khalid
If Chris Christie is afraid of some old guy called Sheldon, he’s plainly not presidential material.
IowaOldLady
@nancydarling: He was appalling at the press conference when the report was released. I try to imagine him shooting his mouth off on the international stage. Right now he’s NJ’s jerk. I sincerely don’t want him to belong to all of us.
muricafukyea
Glorified reddit poster muckymux obsessing over the Fat Bastard so wr0ng way Cole doesn’t have to.
KhrisKhristieKreme is muckymux obsessive “Palin will run in 2012” for the 2016 cycle.
amk
mittbot was a 1%er. This fucker is just a 1%er asskisser.
God bless murka indeed.
Villago Delenda Est
@Higgs Boson’s Mate: Well, I’ll piss on him after he’s dead.
Amir Khalid
Hello! Can anybody hear me?
Ich sagte, Ich kann es nicht verstehen, was muricafukyea gerade gesagt hat.
nancydarling
@Amir Khalid: Why do you ask, Amir?
Amir Khalid
@nancydarling:
FYWP eated my first attempt to ask our friend what the hell (s)he was saying.
Pogonip
@Amir Khalid: ja.
Ruckus
@Baud:
Sure there is.
He’s all dick.
Tommy
Wow. I am not a professional politician. I don’t even have a staff. I am not Jewish. But if I was going with my d*ck in my hand asking a Jewish person for millions and millions I am pretty sure I wouldn’t have said something like this. I mean come on.
Slugger
When Adelson gave five million to Romney, I wondered why a savvy guy would finance a bet on the losing team. Now we see that it has bought him the love of the Republicans to use the law to contain the threat of online gambling. The governor of Atlantic City is a natural ally.
Online wagering is the enemy for them.
Lurking Canadian
@Amir Khalid: I think it was, “Pay attention to ME!!!!!”
Ruckus
@nancydarling:
Think about how he looks in the context of “The buck stops at the top”.
Which of course it sure doesn’t any more.
But for a guy who values himself above all else as the man in charge, he sure isn’t.
dmsilev
@Slugger: Who says Adelson is a savvy guy? How many millions or tens of millions of dollars did he throw into the sinkhole of the Newt Gingrich campaign? I mean, sure, it’s only a small fraction of his net worth so in that sense it didn’t cost him anything he couldn’t afford to lose, but backing Newt Gingrich hardly seems like the act of someone who deeply understands the political landscape.
Ruckus
@Amir Khalid:
That of course is not the only reason, but it is a good one.
Ruckus
@dmsilev:
I don’t think Sheldon was looking to understand the political landscape. He was looking to purchase it. For something like 2 or 3 cents on the dollar.
nancydarling
@dmsilev: My uncle was in the gambling business all of his life, starting out dealing cards in backroom operations in OK in the ’30s and ending up as a casino owner in Carson City. He knew gambling and made a lot of money, but was dumb as a stump about anything else.
nancydarling
@Ruckus: My uncle was in the gamboling business all of his life starting out in backroom operations in OK in the ’30s and ending up owning a joint in Carson City. He understood gamboling and made a lot of money, but he was dumb as a stump about anything else.
(Revised to get through moderation.)
Omnes Omnibus
Completely OT: Just got back from my first ride of the season – a slow seven miles. Not thrilled about how my lungs felt; having a bit of a cold didn’t help. Hopefully, I can spool up fairly quickly now that I am back on the bike.
dmsilev
@Ruckus: Well yes, but the point is that spending a large amount of money financing Newt Gingrich wasn’t going to accomplish that.
Jacks mom
@YellowJournalism: Win win. I have coffee soaked sinuses after that.
Tommy
@dmsilev: But it got him where he is now, where it appears if you want to run you have to kiss his ring.
eric
@dmsilev: it was a smart play. it got him noticed, whereas he would have been just another rich guy for the others. now the people on the hill know he is a source of funds. That was advertising. he wants to influence congress and regulators under a gop pres more than just the pres. now everyone knows his name and he has money to burn.
Amir Khalid
If Chris Christie doesn’t support Adelson’s political positions, he shouldn’t come begging for Adelson’s money. I suspect Christie doesn’t really care about Palestinians one way or the other, since they don’t vote in New Jersey and can’t give him campaign money; but in any case, he shouldn’t apologise to Adelson for using a common and accurate way to describe the West Bank.
JPL
Christie also said this… “In N.J., nobody has to wonder whether I am for them or against them,” Although he was talking about foreign policy at the time, one could assume he wouldn’t be president of all the people, if elected.
Villago Delenda Est
@Amir Khalid: Er hat scheiss gesagt.
Amir Khalid
@nancydarling:
And here I was, thinking your uncle must have been the most cheerful of people.
Villago Delenda Est
You know, upon reflection, this is a perfect example of how wingtards of all flavors practice the “political correctness” they whine about.
Christie used the wrong term for the West Bank.
Everytime these assholes whine about “political correctness” they’re projecting.
Pogonip
@nancydarling: I just love when the computer decides to “correct” spelling. For me, “the gamboling business” conjures up a wonderful image of a guy frolicking through the flowery fields with the spring lambs–and getting paid for it!
Villago Delenda Est
@dmsilev: Hey, for two and a half weeks in December of 2011 Newt was the Great non-Rmoney Hope!
Chris
Israel pisses me off like very few issues, and this is exactly why.
Christie flies over one of the world’s biggest occupation/colonization projects. Completely indifferent to everyone being colonized/occupied, the only thing he can think to say is “those poor Israelis, so threatened. It’s just awful. All those security problems.” As opposed to, you know, the security problems inherent in being slowly shoved off your land while living under military occupation. And yet, when he comes back, the only critique that’s made of him is that because he didn’t use the colonizers’ preferred designation for their colony, he’s labeled “hostile to Israel.”
Sadly, just another day in this discussion.
Tommy
@Amir Khalid: Yeah. The Jewish folks I know are pretty darn liberal. And when talking about Palestinian they are way more liberal then the talking heads I see all the time talking about the Middle East. I actually find it refreshing.
nancydarling
@Amir Khalid: Apparently one can’t say words like cas ino and gam bling.@Villago Delenda Est: LOL thanks to google translate.
Higgs Boson's Mate
@Ruckus:
Ever since the Enron debacle it seems that being in charge of an organization has been decoupled from any kind of responsibility for its actions. The cons can’t give enough tongue baths to CEOs and shitheads like Christie because they’re in charge. Right. Seems that being in charge now consists of deciding which of your underlings to throw under the bus when things go pear-shaped.
Higgs Boson's Mate
@nancydarling:
Personally, I smiled at the idea of someone gamboling through life.
Pogonip
@Pogonip: Oh, I forgot about FYWP not liking a certain word that starts with “g.”. I still want to get into the gamboling business. I want to work in the Puppies and Frisbees Department.
(Human nature being what it is, though, after about a month uou’d be complaining about how you’re not paid nearly enough to throw that damn Frisbee for that damn dog, over and over and over again.. and why doesn’t the Housebreaking Department do THEIR damn job, and if the company had any brains they’d have border collies and not German shepherds, and who’s the idiot who ordered all white lambs, they’re so monotonous, you need the occasional speck of black in the flock…
chopper
@Ruckus:
and adelson is all asshole. the two should get gay married.
catclub
I appreciate using the term genuflect in this discussion.
Ruckus
@dmsilev:
Of course you are correct.
One thing I can see about an awful lot of rich fuckers is that all that money didn’t go to providing them any sense, common or otherwise. A bad thing is you have to go along with their stupidity to have any chance of getting some of their money and so end up being just like them, but with a lot less money.
Suffern ACE
@Amir Khalid: yep. “Christie says something accurate and loses Republican support.” Yay?!
catclub
@Pogonip: “Human nature being what it is, though, after about a month uou’d be complaining about how you’re not paid nearly enough to throw that damn Frisbee for that damn dog,”
This is very true. I like the story of the old man who the kids annoy by yelling in his neighborhood. He offers to pay them to yell at him.
Then he stops paying and they stop yelling. Problem solved.
Money can disalign motivations.
aimai
@nancydarling: He understood gamboling? But how was he on frolicking?
Ruckus
@Higgs Boson’s Mate:
Oh I think it was long before that for some. But your point about it being normal after that is apt.
Cheryl from Maryland
I wonder how Adelson made money in gambling since he can’t pick a winner worth shit. Based on the NYTimes article on this celebration of groveling, Adelson will give money to whomever promises him the least internet gambling so he can have as close to a monopoly as possible.
Suffern ACE
@Villago Delenda Est: you mean like blocking an appointment for surgeon general because he once noted that people die and are injured by weapons?
Pogonip
@aimai: Well, since Nancy said her uncle was dumb as a post except about gamboling, I’m guessing his frolicking was not up to snuff.
Chris
@James E. Powell:
This. I’m not very old, but I can’t remember the last time the Village has been this completely in the tank for a candidate long before he even declared his candidacy.
@Baud:
Yeah, I agree with this too. He’s their guy, if you’re an East Coast elite. All the economic prejudices of the 1%, but without the embarassing cultural baggage of the flyover country crazies. He’s what they picture when they cry out for a Reasonable Moderate VSP who can focus on The Real Issues, reject the extremes of left and right, and unite the country behind his Leadership.
Elie
Maybe Obama will let Christie smell the seat of his chair in the Oval Office. That is the closest he will be to that office.
Clearly, his intelligence and political skills are junior league… whaever important facts he may happen to learn, he cannot retain because the braggadocio of the moment takes over. As someone upstring said, who could brief him and who would he allow on his team with the necessary skills that he would respect. He has no respect for anyone but himself… everyone else from his team, funding supporters and without question, his constituents — are just objects to be used at his discretion. He won’t remember or empathize enough to avoid these sorts of mistakes..
Running for national office and the Presidency is extremely difficult and the successful candidate is under scrutiny 24/7. Christie’s character, similar to the Killa from Wasila’s, cannot bear that kind of scrutiny.
Also, I don’t think any of the current crop of front runners can bear that scrutiny, including the dark horse, JEB!
The Republican Party is sick and totally unprepared to govern in the real world — or any world. AND, they truly represent no ideas beyond hatred of the other brown and poor people and that rich people should run things. AND they are hopelessly stupid. That’s it
Elie
@Cheryl from Maryland:
But as a bonafide bully, he can beat up folks and steal what he wants. I imagine in his line of work, stealing is essential. Problem for him is that he may believe that he earned what he actually just stole and conferred on himself the notion that he can judge, select and manage on merit. He doesn’t and truly cannot, so when he has to select on merit, the results just reflect his ego rather than a real vetting process.
rk
Why would any good people work for Christie? Worthless corrupt people only attract either other worthless people or people who are willing to sell their souls for money. This is why Christie (and the Republican party) will continue the downward trend. Republicans have many billionaires on their side, but money ultimately corrupts everything. Republicans are going to learn this the hard way. Only thing is how much is the country going to suffer along the way.
Hill Dweller
@Elie:
The Village does their best to hide that fact. Republicans, regardless of the credibility, are going to be invited on their shows and treated as credible voices.
StringOnAStick
I want to echo the comment above that we should win in 2016, unless the GOP voter screwing effort is too far advanced to allow it. Given how many things will be adding up to make that their last real shot at the presidency, we have to bet that they will do everything they can to limit voting by the ‘wrong’ people.
Obviously, this is where the Dems and us as individuals need to concentrate our efforts, or else the future and everyone’s golden years are going to suck for every individual of any age reading this. As an added kicker, if they win in 2014 then it is going to be really tough to keep them from implementing their voter suppression plans. Our marching orders have been issued!
SiubhanDuinne
@Amir Khalid:
I was picturing him skipping merrily through the meadow, a smile on his lips, a song in his heart.
Chris
@Elie:
There’s a logic to it from their worldview:
1) I am rich.
2) Therefore, I am smarter than anyone who hasn’t made it to my level. After all, if they were as smart as me, they’d be as rich, too.
3) Therefore, of course I should pick only yes-men who follow my lead in all regards. I’m not saying I’m PERFECT and I’ll NEVER make mistakes, but I’ll make fewer than they would if they were thinking for themselves. After all, I’m richer than them. So I’m smarter.
Chris
@StringOnAStick:
If you look at the old days, the era of machine politics and poll taxes and the like, one of the takeaways is that it was incredibly easy for elites to lock up a nominally democratic system in such a way that what the voters wanted didn’t really matter. It started getting better over the course of the twentieth century, but the current overlords seem hellbent on bringing the old ways back.
(Naturally, they’ll do it in the name of fighting “vote fraud” and “Chicago style politics,” e.g. exactly what they’re doing).
LanceThruster
Oh to live in a land where the likes of Sheldon Adelson are are de facto kingmakers.
Long Tooth
“.. felt like an Arab who was dancing thru Zion
Don’t call a doctor when you just feel like crying,,”
It all comes down, down, down to Goodnight Chris Christie.
Mr Stagger Lee
Ok I got to ask this, with all these Christie stories, where in the f*ck was the support for the Democratic nominee in the New Jersey Gubernatorial race in 2013. I mean, Jesus would it be better to dump the pig then? I fear what is going to happen in both Ohio and Wisconsin this year.
Villago Delenda Est
@Suffern ACE: Another fine example.
? Martin
@Mr Stagger Lee:
Making sure Cory Booker got elected to the Senate, which was far and away the more important and more realistic outcome. Had we taken the governorship and lost the Senate seat, the howls from Democrats going into 2014 would be deafening and rightfully so.
Pick your battles. It’s hard to get your volunteer army assembled when half of them are perfectly content to vote for the guy you’re running against.
chopper
@JPL:
I think that sound you hear is a bunch of teachers’ heads exploding.
IM
@Amir Khalid:
Ich auch nicht. Don`t overthink it.
Lurking Canadian
@chopper: I’m pretty sure the teachers don’t wonder.
Chris T.
@Ruckus:
Not even that much, more like 4 cents on $100.
Seriously, these guys think the place should be “The United States of Koch and Adelson”. One dollar, one vote! I can’t even parody this anymore thanks to Tom Perkins.
Patricia Kayden
@lamh36: Republicans have given up on appealing to more voters. Shutting down the votes of their opponents is all they’ve got left. I don’t see that as a winning strategy — not in 2016 or beyond.
Ruckus
@Chris T.:
Sorry, I wasn’t thinking small enough.
And I should where ideas about equality and such collide with rich conservatives.
I wonder if exposing how little of their money they are spending to buy up everything might just be a good way to bring people to our side.
Sheldon thinks that owning you is only worth 1/10,000th or whatever of his money. The kochsucker brothers think you are worth even less.
Many of us have jobs that really don’t do anything positive, other than we exchange time and a little effort for money. So in that context we are only different in amount than the rich. But they don’t think our value is anything at all and they are constantly trying to depress that value, pay us less and get more.
Maybe we need to say it that way. The rich value us at effectively zero. Not minimum wage, not $10.15 per hour, not $15. per hour, ZERO. Or even less.
Joey Giraud
@patrick II:
It seems if the guy who contributes more than 100 million has more than his share to say in how this country is run. Watching the candidates bow before him
That’s why, if we want a democracy, we will have to prevent people from gathering so much wealth.
Money will always talk, no amount of campaign finance laws can reverse that.
If we insist on “rewarding” the clever and ruthless with unbounded wealth, we should give up on democracy and just start giving the richest people titles and direct power.
$ 100,000,000 : Baron
$ 1,000,000,000 : Duke
$ 10,000,000,000: Archduke
and so forth.
Duke Sheldon Adelson. Archduke Charles Koch.
Progress!
Chris
@Ruckus:
The pay for waiters and the like offers a hint of just how low they want all our wages to be.
pluege
toadies like christie are too insecure to surround themselves with smart people.
James E. Powell
@Mr Stagger Lee:
I fear what is going to happen in both Ohio and Wisconsin this year.‘
Why be anxious about this? Both Republicans will be re-elected comfortably. Both will be promoted as presidential candidates. One of them might win.
karen
Just a question because I’m honestly not sure. Is the word “Zionists” dog whistle code for Jews? I’ve seen it in comments for lots of message boards and it seems to be the code word.
karen
@Patricia Kayden:
Well if you stop everyone else from voting, you win right?
Ruckus
@Chris:
Exactly.
They value us at nothing.
I take some offense at that.
I’ve said before that my time isn’t worth much but it is worth more than that.
Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism
@karen:
The Jews who still believe in Greater Israel, to be specific, including but not limited to the Likudniks. The West Bank isn’t occupied territory to them, but Israel’s birthright.
J R in WV
@karen:
Not really. Jews in this country may be Zionists, but mostly not. Jews in Israel are only Zionists if they vote for Likudnik candidates who continue to push Arabs off their ancestral farms to make room for apartments for Russian Jews moving to the Holy Land.
So Zionists are the Republican Jews, sorta. Most American Jews are Democratic party members, and work hard for our candidates.
AxelFoley
The hell you say!
AxelFoley
@muricafukyea:
I always get a kick when muricafukyea goes off on mix and Cole. LOL
Cervantes
@karen:
It can be used that way — but the word has a specific meaning of its own, which you can look up.