Very, very, very bad optics in soooo many ways. When the Democratic legislature in New Jersey would not deliver a budget to Governor Chris Christie and he shut down government and essential services, I supported him on it. However, I do not support what he just did. Evidently he does not consider his government residence on the beach and said beach as an essential service.
Although the State Beaches in New Jersey were closed by Chris Christie, however attendance did increase by over 300 pounds.. He was out there this weekend with his family taking in the sun, sand and waves and since it was closed… there was no one else around them. The cynical side of me asks if that was on purpose. The other side just says, “Dude, what were you thinking?!”
And of course there were plenty of pics and nifty little quips, such as: “He ‘didn’t get any sun’ but we got burned again by N.J.’s Liar in Chief.” Christie did not help himself when asked if he got sun this weekend. “I didn’t,” he said. “I didn’t get any sun today.” Unfortunately for Christie, he did not know that NJ Advance Media sent out a plane and photographer, who got a whole slew of pics, which immediately went viral. Christie then claimed that since he was wearing a cap, he didn’t get any sun. Fail… big freaking fail.
From TheBlaze:
New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie has a message for constituents who are upset by his visit to a state-owned beach house this weekend — and it’s not likely to help his already dismal approval rating.
The New Jersey Star-Ledger newspaper captured Christie and his family Sunday lounging on the beach. Ordinarily, that wouldn’t be a big deal. But because the Democratic-controlled state legislature failed to pass a budget, non-essential state government services shut down. Those services considered to be non-essential included a public beach on the Jersey shore — and the closure came just in time for one of the busiest holiday weekends of the summer.
Christie's big private beach, and shameless public lies | Moran https://t.co/eRCSvgFiHy
— The Star-Ledger (@starledger) July 3, 2017
Members of the general public who had previously scheduled plans to kick back at Island Beach State Park had to go somewhere else, since keeping the area open wasn’t considered to be “essential.”
A reporter with WTFX was not about to let this go… “But governor, you can understand though, why a lot of people are upset,” Jerrick said. “They can’t go to that beach. They want to be able to do what you were doing and they can’t.” The governor’s response was vintage Christie, but in this case, his comment isn’t likely to help his approval rating. “Well, I’m sorry they’re not the governor,” Christie shot back. That’s about the worst answer he could have given. Good thing he’s in his last term, because this stunt would sink him politically.
New Jersey is only one state where budget woes are ratcheting up. It’s happening across the US, but Christie takes the cake for hubris. The problem with Chris Christie is that he’s arrogant and doesn’t give a crap what anyone thinks. He believes he’s above the masses, not working for them. The New York Times reported that Christie has threatened to veto any budget that does not contain a provision that forces Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield to pay for public health initiatives, including a drug treatment program spearheaded by the governor. Remember, Christie supported Obamacare.
Christie is already the most reviled governor in state history, with an approval rating of 15 percent. Pollsters say it can’t get much lower, but this shutdown, now with photo attached, might bring him to the single digits. According to people in NJ, both Christie and the Dems are at fault over all this and they want both of them roasted for it.
I can understand what Christie is doing over the budget… maybe not all his reasoning, but things should be shut down until the budget is handled. But I can tell you this, what will be remembered in the end is Christie taking in the sun on a deserted Jersey beach on the 4th of July weekend and then lying about it. Bad move.
NJ beaches are open in 119 of our our 130 miles of coastline. Come and enjoy them–but use sunscreen and hydrate! pic.twitter.com/7LeCYcjZqm
— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) July 3, 2017
Another beautiful day at the Jersey shore. Our beaches are open & full of people. Come & see for yourself! And you can hit the boardwalk! pic.twitter.com/Y55URA0mdg
— Governor Christie (@GovChristie) July 3, 2017
We flew a plane over the Shore today and look who we found! https://t.co/CCvntR5Xj1
— Kevin Whitmer (@kevinwhitmer) July 2, 2017