Democrats slam Chris Christie on 'Bridgegate'. Why now? (+video)
Washington Remember Bridgegate? Top Democrats want to make sure you do. Thats why they gathered in Fort Lee, N.J., Monday to highlight the one-year anniversary of the George Washington Bridge lane-closing scandal linked to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie.
Democratic National Committee Chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz and a posse of state party officials gathered at the Fort Lee Historic Park to slam Gov. Christie for the traffic jam, as well as his handling of the state economy and frequent travel outside New Jerseys verdant bounds.
On Sept. 9, 2013, the New Jersey Port Authority abruptly closed some lanes on the GWB, causing massive gridlock on Fort Lee streets. Political retribution against the Fort Lee mayor, a Democrat who refrained from endorsing Christie in his gubernatorial reelection campaign, may have been the point of this move.
Some Christie staffers and appointees resigned in the scandals wake. No evidence has emerged to tie Christie directly to the order to roll out the orange cones, but federal authorities and New Jersey lawmakers are still investigating the matter.
Bridgegate began Christies downfall. His popularity sank. His approval rating declined. More people began to dislike him and disapprove of the job he is doing, said Representative Wasserman-Schultz of Florida in her Fort Lee appearance.
Why are Democrats piling on Christie? Perhaps theyre waving the Bridgegate flag because Christies presidential hopes havent been dashed at all over the last 12 months.
He continues to run hard in the pre-voting stage of the race, where candidates cross the nation to raise money, make contacts, and shake hands in Iowa and New Hampshire. According to early polls, hes now the GOP frontrunner: the RealClearPolitics rolling average of major surveys of Republican voters on Sept. 8 has Christie leading second-place Jeb Bush by 0.7 percent.
So the DNC is doing to Christie what the RNC is doing to Hillary Clinton. Theyre trying to ding the first-place person of the other party in order to keep their negatives up in advance of actual primaries. And Democrats have long worried that Christie, as a relatively moderate Northeasterner, could be a tough general election opponent.
But 0.7 percent isnt a lead, really, especially this early in the race. And theres also evidence that Bridgegate has undermined Christies national appeal in a manner that might hurt him when actual voting starts.
Christies favorability rating is now underwater, for instance. According to the Huffington Posts Pollster average, 47 percent of Americans view him negatively and 30 percent positively. Thats close to the exact opposite of the numbers he enjoyed one year ago, when his favorable rating was riding high.
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Democrats slam Chris Christie on 'Bridgegate'. Why now? (+video)