It’s no surprise that several Republicans are challenging Donald Trump’s bid for re-election in 2024. However, it’s perplexing to see that former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie is at it again. How can he possibly believe that the cloud hanging over the 2013 Bridgegate Scandal will not continue to follow him? Maybe he’s hoping that younger voters have never heard about what happened at the Washington Lee Bridge. But most of us remember the scandal all too clearly. How can he be so tone deaf? Is it vanity or Christie’s blind spot?
There are all kinds of political scandals that didn’t seem to affect a candidate’s electability. Several have been accused of sexual abuse, but they got elected anyway. Possibly, because the misogny in this country blames the victim of such incidents, rather than the perpetrator. But in the case of the Bridgegate Scandal, everyone who’s ever been held up for hours in a traffic jam lost respect for Governor Christie.
It all started in 2013 when Christie was up for re-election in the state of New Jersey. He asked all of the Democrat mayors to support him , but some of them refused. Consequently, His Deputy Chief of Staff, Bridget Kelly, and David Wilstein, Director of Interstate Travel , conspired to implement a plan of retrubutuion to one mayor in particular.. In an e mail, Bridget Kelly sent a note to Wilstein , saying “it’s time for a little traffic problem in Fort Lee.”
On Sept 13, 2013 they orderd the closing of 3 traffic lanes on the George Washington Bridge leading out of that mayor’s city, Fort Lee. The result was bedlam, affecting paramedics, parents with little kids, and countless numbers of people. After several days , the scheme finally came out in the open. Christie claimed he knew nothing about the lane closings that lasted four days. He fired his loyal staff members who were held responsible. They responded that he was a liar , and had laughed when told about it after two days.
Realistically speaking, it stands to reason that Christie’s staff would not make that move unless they knew he would approve it. Can you imagine anyone on Mike Pence’s staff coming up with such a scheme? And then, there was Christie’s Beachgate debacle. When the State Parks were all closed in 2017, he was pictured lolling on the beach at one of the parks while his wife and kids frolicked nearby.
Even though Christie is a good speaker and apparently was a competent governor, he’s surrounded by a godfather aura. Former staffers accused him of fostering a culture of bullying while in office, Nevertheless, he’s taking a shot at getting the Republican nomination for the 2024 Presidental Election. Is it vanity or Christie’s blind spot that convinces him he could win? Will voters forget, or will the ghost of Bridgegate continue to haunt him?