Gov. Christie (R-NJ) made it back to New Jersey from his Disneyland vacation yesterday. He knew a storm was coming before he left, it hit while he was gone, and he didn't come back until just now. Meanwhile, since the lieutenant governor was also off somewhere, it was left to State Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D) to coordinate the emergency response.
What did Christie do upon his return? Brag about the state's response, with which he had nothing to do, and trash local mayors for whining.
When asked about mayors who said they were forced to divert their resources to unplowed state roads instead of clearing local roads Christie said, "I know who these mayors are and they should buck up and take responsibility for the fact that they didn't do their job."
Asked about his trip to Disneyland, Christie said his most important job was as "husband and father," and that his wife had told him to not "even think about" canceling the trip. It's not like calling out the National Guard is his job. Oh wait, it is.
As a practical matter, would his presence have made any difference? Probably not. Personally speaking, I'm not one who thinks mayors should be out driving snow plows, or that governors should be out helping stalled motorists.
That said, there is a certain political "atmospheric" at work here, and Christie's actions lies on the wrong side of it. New Jerseyians were breaking their backs trying to shovel out, while their governor was basking in the Florida sun.
We were in France in 2003 when the heat wave hit and flooded French hospitals and contributed to the deaths of around 14000 people. The French weren't upset that the President and the Health Minister were out of the country. It was August. Most French politicians are on vacation in August. The Health Minister got fired, however, for not returning to the country when it was obvious that a major health care crisis was at hand.
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