New York City's NPR affiliate, WNYC, picks up stories from New Jersey Public Radio. Today 'NYC picked up this breathless bit of Chris Christie gush from NJPR reporter Matt Katz:
HOST: As if Governor Christie needed anything else to affirm his status as a national Republican powerhouse, New Jersey Public Radio's Matt Katz reports that he nonetheless unveiled a surprise yesterday in Scottsdale, Arizona.Hunh? Showing up with a disgraced president his is a show of strength?
MATT KATZ: Shortly after Christie became chairman of the Republican Governors Association at the group's conference, he and two dozen other governors went for lunch at a steakhouse. That's when Christie brought in a surprise guest: former president George W. Bush. Christie personally invited Bush, representing a show of strength for the New Jersey governor as he readies for a possible 2016 presidential run....
(No, America doesn't "miss him yet." In a recent Gallup poll, a mere 21% of respondents rated George W. Bush as an "outstanding or "above average" president, while 43% rated him "below average" or "poor." And chew on this, right-wingers: Jimmy Carter outranked Bush.)
Look, I understand the electability message Christie is trying to send: The last time our party won the White House, it was with a governor who was seen as able to work with Democrats. (Yeah, but that's also true of the last time you guys lost.)
Getting Bush to tag along is a sign that Christie has massive power? Only in the bizarre Cloud-Cuckooland of insider politics. But gone-native reporters are desperate to gush over Christie, so if his people spin the Bush thing as a huge coup, many of the boys on the bus will nod in unison and say, "Wow, that was a huge coup."
This is why I fear Christie -- he's good at leading insiders by the nose, and they love being led by him that way.
Yeah, but can he recruit Dave Mustaine or that Cat Scratch Fever guy?
ReplyDeleteSure it's a show of strength. It takes some guts to show up with Bush II. It certainly requires a bit of confidence and swagger.
ReplyDeleteI'd also say it's fairly smart. The Republicans will need to deal with Bush at some point. If they don't he we always be the problem they don't talk about but the press and their opponents do.
Let me put it this way. A standard corporate or celebrity strategy is to shoot the hostage. You take what ever the problem is and drag it out into the public, own it, flog it, and let the bleeding start. You do this at a time that works best for you. Let the feeding frenzy start.
That way when it can actually do some damage at a critical moment you can point out that you already dealt with it in public and brought the situation to closure. Anyone still bringing it up is dwelling in the past over issues you personally settled. You are sorry, but what sort of pathetic loser would feel the need to keep dragging something up. There is no need to go back over it, and since you owned it in public you can be trusted to have learned from it.
To me this seems like the same sort of "bold public relations action" that sells really well here (DC and NYC) and is practiced all the time.
Our cowardly, compliant, and complicit, MSM loves being led by the nose by any strong Conservative daddy.
ReplyDeleteSee Rudy G., before he flamed out with the voters.