Ezra: "Christie is like Pepsi"

[Landslide Lyndon]

We are going to have fun with Phil today.

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/ezra-klein/2010/12/chris_christies_pepsi_problem.html

...

I've seen the videos of Christie berating constituents at town hall meetings. They make for a good YouTube clip. But it wasn't until I read Jason Zengerle's profile  of the combative Garden Stater that I realized how calculated they were: "Almost everywhere Christie goes," Zengerle reports, "he is filmed by an aide who job it is to capture these 'moments,' as the governor's staff has come to call them."

And the aide isn't stuck hoping that fortune will smile on his FlipCam. Christie is hungry for these moments. He's looking for a citizen to smack down. Like a comic known for filleting hecklers, he pumps the audience up in anticipation of the beat-down. "This could happen right here," he excitedly told a crowd in Moorestown, N.J. "This guy at times has a tendency to annoy me. …If you have your own cameras, start rolling!"

...

But for all Christie's celebrity, he's polling at 51 percent in New Jersey. That's lower than I would've anticipated. And I wonder if it's not a Pepsi Challenge effect. His YouTube strategy works in small doses, which is all that the national media and the Republican base see of it. But with too much of this out there, it just looks like bullying. The clip atop this post, for instance. And eventually the day will come when Christie bullies the wrong questioner, or gets shown up, or starts to face questions about whether it's really decent to repeatedly humiliate constituents and then post the evidence online.

I don't want to undersell Christie here: Zengerle's profile goes into more detail than I've previously seen on the way he's creatively leveraged the powers of the office to get his way, the success he's had befriending Democrats who could threaten him and his ability to hit more elevated rhetorical notes than his YouTube account might suggest. He's also got a moralistic economic story about the need for sacrifice and the anger we should feel about those who aren't sacrificing -- unions, in his telling -- that could play very well if the country remains economically stressed in 2012. But for now, I think I'm going to downgrade my estimation of Christie: It's too easy to see how the same traits making him famous could collude to make him infamous.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

I've seen the videos of Christie berating constituents at town hall meetings. They make for a good YouTube clip. But it wasn't until I read Jason Zengerle's profile  of the combative Garden Stater that I realized how calculated they were: "Almost everywhere Christie goes," Zengerle reports, "he is filmed by an aide who job it is to capture these 'moments,' as the governor's staff has come to call them."

Well, you say "berating constituents," but frankly, that particular constituent that you're referring to was a teachers' union plant who was lying about their own salary and personal situation to make Christie look bad.

In any case, though, Christie is incredibly media saavy. These people he's scoring points off of are Democratic plants, which is much preferrable to letting Democrats score points off him. It's all part of the game -- a game he's really good at.

[Keystone Phil]

I've seen the videos of Christie berating constituents at town hall meetings. They make for a good YouTube clip. But it wasn't until I read Jason Zengerle's profile  of the combative Garden Stater that I realized how calculated they were: "Almost everywhere Christie goes," Zengerle reports, "he is filmed by an aide who job it is to capture these 'moments,' as the governor's staff has come to call them."

Well, you say "berating constituents," but frankly, that particular constituent that you're referring to was a teachers' union plant who was lying about their own salary and personal situation to make Christie look bad.

Stop with the facts! Px hates those especially when dealing with Christie.

Seriously, the dude is absolutely obsessed.

We are going to have fun with Phil today.

But for all Christie's celebrity, he's polling at 51 percent in New Jersey. That's lower than I would've anticipated.

Is this guy for real? Clearly, he doesn't know New Jersey. An approval rating of about 50% there is like polling over 60% everywhere else. New Jersey is known to be like that with its elected officials; they are a tough crowd. For him to be as bluntly conservative as he is and apparently pissing so many people off yet still poll that high, you know he's doing something right. Don't expect px or his haters to ever concede that point though.

[Landslide Lyndon]

I've seen the videos of Christie berating constituents at town hall meetings. They make for a good YouTube clip. But it wasn't until I read Jason Zengerle's profile  of the combative Garden Stater that I realized how calculated they were: "Almost everywhere Christie goes," Zengerle reports, "he is filmed by an aide who job it is to capture these 'moments,' as the governor's staff has come to call them."

Well, you say "berating constituents," but frankly, that particular constituent that you're referring to was a teachers' union plant who was lying about their own salary and personal situation to make Christie look bad.

In any case, though, Christie is incredibly media saavy. These people he's scoring points off of are Democratic plants, which is much preferrable to letting Democrats score points off him. It's all part of the game -- a game he's really good at.

First of all, I'm not Ezra Klein.

Second, whatever I had to say I said it a couple of weeks ago when we had an argument with Phil. Let me just reiterate the fact that when you go out looking and hoping for moments like that then it's pretty hard to blame everything on Democratic plants who want to make Christie look bad.
The reason for my argument with Phil was the fact that Christie bullied a guy who asked a legitimate and fair question in a respectful manner and certainly did nothing to deserve that kind of treatment.

[Keystone Phil]

The reason for my argument with Phil was the fact that Christie bullied a guy who asked a legitimate and fair question in a respectful manner and certainly did nothing to deserve that kind of treatment.

So pass him a few more tissues and get over it.

[Landslide Lyndon]

The reason for my argument with Phil was the fact that Christie bullied a guy who asked a legitimate and fair question in a respectful manner and certainly did nothing to deserve that kind of treatment.

So pass him a few more tissues and get over it.

I bet the voters in Iowa and New Hampshire will love that attitude.
Just ask President Giuliani.

[Keystone Phil]

The reason for my argument with Phil was the fact that Christie bullied a guy who asked a legitimate and fair question in a respectful manner and certainly did nothing to deserve that kind of treatment.

So pass him a few more tissues and get over it.

I bet the voters in Iowa and New Hampshire will love that attitude.
Just ask President Giuliani.

Px, you haven't even been to these town halls. You've seen snippets of them and you're grossly exaggerating Christie's actions. He really isn't a bully and while we know you don't like his attitude with some of these people, Republicans across the country do like it.

[Landslide Lyndon]

The reason for my argument with Phil was the fact that Christie bullied a guy who asked a legitimate and fair question in a respectful manner and certainly did nothing to deserve that kind of treatment.

So pass him a few more tissues and get over it.

I bet the voters in Iowa and New Hampshire will love that attitude.
Just ask President Giuliani.

Px, you haven't even been to these town halls. You've seen snippets of them and you're grossly exaggerating Christie's actions. He really isn't a bully and while we know you don't like his attitude with some of these people, Republicans across the country do like it.

Republicans like Palin's tweets too.

And Ezra's point is exactly that. What works in small doses and among political activists and operatives, will probably create a backlash among the general electorate, especially in low-key states like Iowa.

[Keystone Phil]

The reason for my argument with Phil was the fact that Christie bullied a guy who asked a legitimate and fair question in a respectful manner and certainly did nothing to deserve that kind of treatment.

So pass him a few more tissues and get over it.

I bet the voters in Iowa and New Hampshire will love that attitude.
Just ask President Giuliani.

Px, you haven't even been to these town halls. You've seen snippets of them and you're grossly exaggerating Christie's actions. He really isn't a bully and while we know you don't like his attitude with some of these people, Republicans across the country do like it.

Republicans like Palin's tweets too.

So what's your point? You're talking about Republican primary voters in Iowa and New Hampshire, right? I love when your mindless rhetoric actually proves my point.

Palin's tweets didn't make her a star. Christie's events got him the attention and admiration he has today.
 

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Yeah, they just hate those big, flashy candidates in low key places...

[Landslide Lyndon]

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Yeah, they just hate those big, flashy candidates in low key places...

Flashy yes. Obnoxious and rude, not so much.

[J. J.]

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Yeah, they just hate those big, flashy candidates in low key places...

Flashy yes. Obnoxious and rude, not so much.

His stump speeches this year were; they were something else as well, ineffective.

[Keystone Phil]

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Yeah, they just hate those big, flashy candidates in low key places...

Flashy yes. Obnoxious and rude, not so much.

Px, people like Christie's style. Time to get over it.

[Landslide Lyndon]

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Yeah, they just hate those big, flashy candidates in low key places...

Flashy yes. Obnoxious and rude, not so much.

Px, people like Christie's style. Time to get over it.

Define people.

[Southern Senator North Carolina Yankee]

So basically wrote a whole article on 1) How abrasive Christie is, and 2) how it "might" backfire on him.


Where were the stories on how Obama's style might backfire because it risked uping expectatitions beyond his ability to meet them?

[Keystone Phil]

Define people.

51% of a left leaning state that is notoriously difficult to please. That's a good start.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Define people.

Well, 79% of New Jersey Republicans and 56% of New Jersey Independents, for starters.

[Insula Dei]

Christie is too much of a bully to ever come anywhere near the presidency. People like their politicians to be nice.

[Landslide Lyndon]

Define people.

Well, 79% of New Jersey Republicans and 56% of New Jersey Independents, for starters.

Define people.

51% of a left leaning state that is notoriously difficult to please. That's a good start.

New Yorkers/New Jerseyans are city dwellers who are used to confrontation and abrasiveness.

People in Iowa and New Hampshire have a completely different mentality. They don't like being disrespected by politicians, especially aspiring presidents. Just imagine what would happen if Christie bullies a farmer, a college student or a small business owner who challenges his views. 

[Keystone Phil]

Yet Christie continues to gain the attention and respect of the GOP base outside of New Jersey. Keep ignoring that, px. And his style isn't seen as "disrespectful." I'm glad you think that urban voters like to be disrespected though.

Oh, and New Jersey residents are "city dwellers?" Interesting.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

You mean he's dark, unhealthy, full of gas and tastes disgusting?

[Landslide Lyndon]

Yet Christie continues to gain the attention and respect of the GOP base outside of New Jersey. Keep ignoring that, px. And his style isn't seen as "disrespectful." I'm glad you think that urban voters like to be disrespected though.

Oh, and New Jersey residents are "city dwellers?" Interesting.

GOP base=National Review readers.
City people don't like being disrespected but they are used to assholes. Otherwise people like Giuliani, Spitzer and Cuomo would have never been elected.

And do you want to say that New Jersey is a rural state?

[TomC]

Americans are due a little tough love; too many politicians simply say what they think voters want to hear. A little honesty would be a nice change.

[Small Business Owner of Any Repute]

Yet Christie continues to gain the attention and respect of the GOP base outside of New Jersey. Keep ignoring that, px. And his style isn't seen as "disrespectful." I'm glad you think that urban voters like to be disrespected though.

Oh, and New Jersey residents are "city dwellers?" Interesting.

GOP base=National Review readers.
City people don't like being disrespected but they are used to assholes. Otherwise people like Giuliani, Spitzer and Cuomo would have never been elected.

And do you want to say that New Jersey is a rural state?

New JErsey is, for the most part, a suburban state. It really doesn't have the kind of major cities that states like New York and Illinois do.

[Bull Moose Base]

I don't get the analogy so much.  Christie's Morton Downey Jr. show makes him popular with Republicans for the same reason they adore Palin which is the same reason Obama has pissed off Democrats by compromising: partisanship is en vogue.  I think Christie would have a good chance in a primary but he's given zero reason so far to believe he'll run.

[fezzyfestoon]

Yeah, we get it...you hate Christie.  A couple other people do too.  A lot of other people don't.