Christie Caught In a Whopper

It is a shame... (0.00 / 0)

...that David Gregory and the people who work for him at Meet the Press don't read Blue Jersey.  I could be wrong, but I think that Tim Russert would have been prepared with this earlier today.

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by: Bertin Lefkovic @ Sun Jan 22, 2012 at 19:29:23 PM UTC

I don't think they would have had time (0.00 / 0)

I only was aware of this video late this morning. I posted it here as soon as I could - by then, I think taping for MTP was over.

And I wouldn't blame NBC for wanting to take the time to vet this themselves.

Whoever made it was too late for MTP, but not too late for Christie to have to answer questions this week. Let's hope the press picks this up.

http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com

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by: Jersey Jazzman @ Sun Jan 22, 2012 at 19:49:24 PM UTC

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I'm absolutely shocked! (0.00 / 0)

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by: Senator Loretta Weinberg @ Sun Jan 22, 2012 at 20:59:35 PM UTC

Seriously? (0.00 / 0)

Or are you doing a Claude Rains impersonation?  I would have pegged you as more of an Ingrid Bergman type, but if you want to give the role of Captain Louis Renault a try, who am I to say no.

Who knows?  Maybe there are some parallels between the Casablanca story and the marriage equality effort but with Steve Sweeney in the Renault role and Chris Christie as Major Strasser.  

The only thing that I cannot figure out is whether Steven Goldstein is Rick Blaine and you are Ilsa Lund or if the reverse is true.  And who is Victor Lazslo?  Maybe Steven is Lazslo, you are Lund, and Sheila Oliver is Blaine, but that doesn't seem to fit quite right either.

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by: Bertin Lefkovic @ Sun Jan 22, 2012 at 21:43:45 PM UTC

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Gee Bert (0.00 / 0)

I'm really confused now!  I was
"shocked" that our Governor was untruthful about something. Where did Casablanca come in to this story?

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by: Senator Loretta Weinberg @ Sun Jan 22, 2012 at 22:15:53 PM UTC

[ Parent ]

OK, We Get It: (0.00 / 0)

http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com

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by: Jersey Jazzman @ Sun Jan 22, 2012 at 22:24:24 PM UTC

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OK I got it (0.00 / 0)

Maybe it was all the marriage equality stuff you wove in that confused me. The clip really made me laugh. How do you guys do that stuff so fast?

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by: Senator Loretta Weinberg @ Sun Jan 22, 2012 at 22:37:09 PM UTC

my apologies (0.00 / 0)

My sense of humor can be a little obtuse at times.  But then again, it was not like I was referencing the Twilight movies.  I guess that Casablanca was a little before your time, SML Weinberg.

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by: Bertin Lefkovic @ Mon Jan 23, 2012 at 02:54:23 AM UTC

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My father knew George Romney (0.00 / 0)

George Romney appointed my father to a government commission when the former was HUD Secretary in 1970. My father met with Romney on many occassions as a member of that commission. My father raised lots of money for Romney when the latter ran for president in 1968. My father knew George Romney, my father liked George Romney, my father raised alot of money for George Romney, and George Romney wouldn't know my father from a hole in the head.

I note that you're not above twisting facts to suit your own purpose. You mention in the body of your essay that Khan met with Christie "frequently", implying that they met alone. Nice try. But in the accompanying quote Khan says he met with Christie when he was serving on a committee. Big difference. I've served on committees that met with politicians, and we discussed relevant issues. And I'm positive that the same politicians I met with at those meetings wouldn't know me or recognize me even if I sat right next to them on the same stage.

Beating up on a politician for not recognizing the name of someone sitting with them on the same stage, even if they met with them before (as part of a committee) is just making a "whopper" out of a mcnugget. It says more about you than it does about them.


http://christiegonewild.blogsp...

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by: ken bank @ Sun Jan 22, 2012 at 22:44:17 PM UTC

Clarification (0.00 / 0)

On the subject that Khan "sits on a committee of African American pastors that he said has met frequently with Christie on the issue of charter schools" was Khan physically present at those meetings? Did he attend every meeting, a few, or all of them? As I interpret the sentence, I get the impression he served on the committee but that doesn't mean he attended any of the meetings with Christie. Even if he did attend those meetings, and we don't know that he did or did not, so what? Like I said, I attended meetings with politicians when I served on a committee, and even shared the same stage on various occasions, and I'm sure they wouldn't recognize my name either.

Jazzman, it seems you're stretching the truth, to say the least, when you assert Khan "met" Christie. Read the quote carefully. Without proof that Khan attended any of those meetings with Christie, then to say he "met frequently" with Christie is being rather disingenuous, to put it mildly.

http://christiegonewild.blogsp...

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by: ken bank @ Mon Jan 23, 2012 at 00:26:17 AM UTC

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Ken (0.00 / 0)

See my latest post. I will concede there is a possibility Christie does not "know" Khan, although the preponderance of the evidence says he does: two appearances on stage, "frequent" meetings of the committee as reported by Joelle Farrell in the Inquirer, reports of Khan being backstage in Voorhees, Paula Dow on video praising Khan...

But if he doesn't, that is certainly more than enough to qualify Khan as a "friend" of Christie in a political sense. Khan is certainly a "friend" to Christie's staff and administration.

And now he has a charter school.

http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com

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by: Jersey Jazzman @ Mon Jan 23, 2012 at 01:37:08 AM UTC

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In addition: (0.00 / 0)

Farrell's use of the quote was in direct relationship to Christie's assertion that he didn't know Khan:

Regis would open at the Solid Rock Worship Center, a nondenominational, predominantly African American church. The Rev. Amir Khan, pastor of Solid Rock, sits on a committee of African American pastors that he said has met frequently with Christie on the issue of charter schools.

But when Ehrlach shouted at Christie about his connections with Khan, Christie said he didn't know who he was talking about.

"Amir Khan?" the governor asked, before shouting Ehrlach down, saying that it was interruptions by questioners like him that didn't "allow for civil discourse in this state," a line that received loud applause.

Christie has made charter school expansion a cornerstone of his entire policy agenda. Is it so hard to imagine he would know the winner of a charter who was sitting right behind him, had sat behind him before, was backstage before the event, was effusively praised by the AG, and sat on a committee that met with Christie "frequently"?

Now let's use your George Romney example. If your father had all those connections to Romney, it would, in fact, be complete wrong if Romney said "I don't know this man."

He might say "I don't remember him" or "I meet a lot of people" or "He's not someone I recall," but if he said "I don't know him," he'd be wrong.

Further: if your father got a contract from Romney, and Romney later said "I don't know the man," that would be a very big problem, wouldn't you agree?

Politicians caught like this use this excuse all the time. While I will concede, and say so in my next post, that Christie may have plausible deniability here, I think he is being extremely evasive at best.

http://jerseyjazzman.blogspot.com

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by: Jersey Jazzman @ Mon Jan 23, 2012 at 01:58:49 AM UTC

[ Parent ]

Jazzman (0.00 / 0)

Jazzman said "if your father got a contract from Romney, and Romney later said "I don't know the man," that would be a very big problem, wouldn't you agree?"

Actually, my Dad did have contracts from HUD but I doubt Romney was personally involved in awarding those contracts, just as I doubt Christie gets personally involved with who gets charter schools and who doesn't. However, I wasn't so naive as to believe that those contracts were awarded based solely on merit.

My point is whether Romney "knew" my Dad, or whether Christie "knew" Khan, is largely irrelevant. My Dad had connections with the Nixon Administration (and I'm sure Nixon didn't "know" my Dad either, although I do have a Christmas card from Nixon and an invitation to the 1972 inauguration in my memorabilia) and that made all the difference. I'm sure Khan has connections to the Christie Administration, so whether Christie "knows" him personally or not is no more relevant than whether or not Nixon/Romney knew my Dad personally or not.

I think your investigation should focus on Khan's connections, whether Christie "knows" him or not. Has Khan, or anybody connected to his school, donated to political campaigns? Have they raised money for GOP candidates, especially those candidates who are in a position to influence charter school contracts? Forget about being on the same stage, or attending meetings with black ministers. Just follow the money.


http://christiegonewild.blogsp...

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by: ken bank @ Mon Jan 23, 2012 at 03:08:00 AM UTC

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