Well, anyone hoping that Chris Christie would use his soapbox to shine a spotlight on the porktastic components of the failed Sandy relief bill got hung out to dry. At his presser today, Christie railed against John Boehner and the House GOP for scrapping the bill:
10s of thousands of New Jerseyans entered 2013 unsure of their future bc of Sandy.
— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) January 2, 2013
66 days and the wait continues. There is only one group to blame for this delay…
— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) January 2, 2013
Natural disasters happen in red states & blue states. We respond to these disasters not as Republicans or Democrats we respond as Americans
— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) January 2, 2013
What I watched last night was disappointing and disgusting to watch.
— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) January 2, 2013
We have been waiting six times longer than the victims of Katrina & there's no end in site.
— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) January 2, 2013
NJ and NY are tired of being treated like second class citizens. We deserve better and America deserves better.
— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) January 2, 2013
66 days and counting. Shame on you. Shame on Congress. @NYGovCuomo and I will not stop fighting together to get this done. #SandyBill
— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) January 2, 2013
.@NYGovCuomo and I are not wallflowers and we are not shrinking violets. We are going to work together to make this happen.
— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) January 2, 2013
And by “work together,” he means “blame Congressional Republicans for everything.”
Gov Christie – "Unlike Congress, we have actual responsibilities." "This is why the American people hate Congress." #Sandy
— Shannon Bream (@ShannonBream) January 2, 2013
"Gov. Cuomo and I are as frustrated as we can be," Gov. Christie says. "Unlike people in Congress, we have actual responsibilities"
— Jennifer Epstein (@jeneps) January 2, 2013
I was wrong earlier. @GovChristie is ONLY blaming House Republicans and not the Senate or Obama for loading the bill with pork. WOW.
— RBe (@RBPundit) January 2, 2013
.@GovChristie: "There's only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these victims: the House majority and their speaker"
— Michael M. Grynbaum (@grynbaum) January 2, 2013
https://twitter.com/zerohedge/status/286549973082972160
Christie on Sandy bill 'This is the speaker's decision and his alone."
— Ginger Gibson (@GingerGibson) January 2, 2013
Christie said that he attempted to contact John Boehner several times and was met with silence:
Christie says he was given "no explanation" for why #Sandy bill didn't get taken up/says he called Boehner + he didn't return his calls
— lesley clark (@lesleyclark) January 2, 2013
But perhaps Boehner was busy with other things:
Oh, @GovChristie? Boehner didn't take your calls? Maybe he was busy with something…like a fiscal cliff. But no, you're more important.
— Sunny McSunnyface (@sunnyright) January 2, 2013
According to Christie, though, the fiscal cliff was just a big nothingburger:
. @govchristie just called the fiscal cliff "fake." Really? Our taxes just went up, buddy.
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) January 2, 2013
Says guy w/ fake deadline on Sandy bill. RT @GingerGibson: Christie on Congress "They got caught up in this fake crisis of the fiscal cliff"
— Matt Exotic (@MattCover) January 2, 2013
Really?
I have a feeling there is a "F" you in Christie's future from Boehner.
— Kathleen McKinley (@KatMcKinley) January 2, 2013
Could very well be.
While Christie accused House Republicans of playing politics:
Christie "put aside the politics and help our people now."
— Ginger Gibson (@GingerGibson) January 2, 2013
"Ppl are putting politics ahead of responsibilities" –@govchristie Not passing a bill full of crap not related to relief isn't political
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) January 2, 2013
<– Is old enough to remember when Gov. Christie wasn't going to play politics w/ Sandy recovery.
— Matt Exotic (@MattCover) January 2, 2013
He failed to notice his own political posturing:
"Disaster is something you don't play games with" –@govchristie. Right, sooo why isn't he blaming the ppl who stuck pork in relief bill?
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) January 2, 2013
https://twitter.com/Rschrim/status/286553456557301760
Christie is calling the delay of Sandy Relief Bill "political" fails to mention majority of the bill is pork #fail
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) January 2, 2013
Holy crap. Christie is going full bore on the House Republicans. Call me when this is over.
— RBe (@RBPundit) January 2, 2013
If @govchristie want a real hurricane relief bill, he should be slamming Congress for inserting millions in pork, not as "politics"
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) January 2, 2013
https://twitter.com/chelseagrunwald/status/286555045565181953
Not only that, but when confronted about the outrageous amount of pork in the relief bill, Christie refused to acknowledge the truth, dismissing criticism as “talking points”:
. @govchristie actually just said the Sandy Relief Bill is NOT a pork filled piece of legislation. My god.
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) January 2, 2013
This is BULLSHIT, @GovChristie.
— RBe (@RBPundit) January 2, 2013
https://twitter.com/ali/status/286552230155386880
https://twitter.com/jeffemanuel/status/286552338318118913
. @govchristie should be berating pork going to Alaska fisheries when it is supposed to be going to Sandy victims, but he's not
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) January 2, 2013
Disappointed in @GovChristie 's refusal to acknowledge the pork tacked onto the Sandy bill.
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) January 2, 2013
So according to @govchristie, not passing a relief bill full of non-relief pork is "toxic politics." Just wow.
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) January 2, 2013
When Christie finally did acknowledge the presence of pork, he minimized its significance, reserving his outrage for Republicans:
Finally, @govchristie points out some of the pork, Smithsonian roof, Alaska fisheries, etc. still doesn't blame Reid for pork.
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) January 2, 2013
Shorter @GovChristie: "That bill for Sandy that has funding for Alaskan fisheries IS NOT filled with pork!"
— RBe (@RBPundit) January 2, 2013
https://twitter.com/Rschrim/status/286554384148623360
https://twitter.com/michnic70/status/286554531100233728
https://twitter.com/OrwellForce/status/286558943537401856
Yep.
Many conservatives well aware of Christie’s more liberal proclivities were nonetheless shocked by his outright GOP-bashing:
Christie's chances as a national Republican candidate were already dead imo, but he cemented that just now.. repeating Obama talking points.
— (((AG))) (@AGHamilton29) January 2, 2013
There is no excuse for what Christie is doing right now. NONE. Don't defend his actions to me.
— RBe (@RBPundit) January 2, 2013
Christie actually went out of his way to avoid pinning ANY blame on the people who loaded the bill with non-Sandy related spending.
— RBe (@RBPundit) January 2, 2013
Where was his outrage at Harry Reid?
"Last night my party was responsible for this" –@govchristie. Not once points out Harry Reid's Senate pork in the bill.
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) January 2, 2013
https://twitter.com/caitmeise/status/286556711370772480
"I think that he's wrong. He should be looking at the senate," says Marsha Blackburn on Chris Christie just now. #dlrs
— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) January 2, 2013
Or the vacationing President Obama?
Note that Christie isn't even knocking Obama for a lack of leadership — the prez is on vacation.
— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) January 2, 2013
No time for that. Must target the GOP.
I'm old enough to remember when Chris Christie was supposed to be conservative.
— John Hayward (@Doc_0) January 2, 2013
https://twitter.com/jstrevino/status/286555931045662720
He certainly didn’t win many Republican fans today.
Feels like Christie is morphing into a Bloomberg-like hybrid politician distancing himself from GOP not democrat- what should we call it?
— Charles V Payne (@cvpayne) January 2, 2013
@cvpayne Judascrat
— Kathleen McKinley (@KatMcKinley) January 2, 2013
Or:
https://twitter.com/LDoren/status/286549798524424193
Politician or not, today’s diatribe did not endear him to proponents of fiscal responsibility.
I get political maneuvers. I understand the occasional demagoguery. I get it all. What Chris Christie just did goes BEYOND that.
— RBe (@RBPundit) January 2, 2013
Christie saying he doesn't blame Obama or Dems. "Only" blames Republicans for not passing pork-laden disaster bill. He's pathetic.
— Sunny McSunnyface (@sunnyright) January 2, 2013
That rat bastard LIED about what happened. LIED. UNACCEPTABLE LIES.
— RBe (@RBPundit) January 2, 2013
Ouch.
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