Earlier in the year Christie appeared a potential shoo-in for victory. He had built a reputation as a corruption-busting U.S. attorney, a resume that resonated with New Jerseyans terribly weary of dirty politicians in their midst. He also carried with him the promise of a cost-cutting Republican who could rein in the Trenton Democratic spending machine devouring the state.
But that message has gotten lost. A few minor skeletons tumbled out of his closet - a poor driving record, an undisclosed loan to a co-worker. But the overriding negative perception of Christie is also entirely unfair, that he's a would-be tax cutter without a plan. Blame a poorly constructed campaign for that, not Christie.
But who put together the people that are running that campaign if not Christie himself? That's like saying that the car is responsible for causing an accident, not the driver who was steering. According to their endorsement, the impossible has happened. What once seemed like a foregone conclusion to them is now in doubt, but none of that is Chris Christie's fault.
We've had leaders in the history of our country who have said, "the buck stops here." Unfortunately now, even the media is buying into Christie's buck stops there mentality. Throughout this campaign, Christie has:
blamed a motorcyclist for hitting him when he caused the accident
said it was a tow truck operator identified him as US Attorney during a separate traffic incident
blamed his secretary for his lavish expenditures
said he had no knowledge when a long time associate, who he claimed to be just a volunteer, bribed Rick Merkt to get out of the primary
And on those minor skeletons, since when is abuse of power a minor issue? In what world are violating the Hatch Act and failing to pay taxes nothing to take a second look at? Christie used his position to get out of problems and then blamed other people for getting in them in the first place. If this is the opinion of the editors, it's not worth the paper it's written on.
