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Jon Stewart on Christie’s Obama 180, ‘I guess he found that f**king lightswitch, huh?’
By: Jason Easley and Sarah JonesNov. 1st, 2012more from Jason Easley and Sarah Jones
Jon Stewart summed up Chris Christie’s 180 on Obama’s leadership after Hurricane Sandy by asking, ‘I guess he found that f**king lightswitch, huh?’
Video:
Stewart said,
But my favorite came straight out of New Jersey whose governor Chris Christie kicked crazy ass during the storm. He’s been one of Mitt Romney’s most outspoken allies throughout the presidential campaign. This is him just twelve days ago, ‘The president doesn’t know how to lead. He’s like a man who is wandering around a dark room hand up against the wall clutching for the light switch of leadership, and he just can’t find it and he won’t find it in the next eighteen days.’
(Stewart said,) Obama couldn’t find a stack of old newspapers in an episode of Hoarders. I’m tellin ya. This guy couldn’t find a container at the Container Store. I’m tellin ya. Obama couldn’t lead a bunch of eels to the Sargasso Sea. Their natural spawning ground, so look it up. But that was of course before America was living with a pre-nine foot eleven inch storm surge mentality.
(Clips of Christie personally praising and thanking Obama.)
Yeah, I guess he found that f**king lightswitch, huh?
To his great credit, Chris Christie realized the storm was real, and that he had a job to do, so it was time to slalom down Bulls**t Mountain, and deal with this Obama (picture of Christie and Obama), not this Obama (picture of Clint Eastwood and his empty chair).
Jon Stewart seized on the one political question coming out of Sandy that everyone is talking about. Why did Chris Christie go out of his way to professionally and personally praise and thank President Obama?
Speculation abounds, but the simple explanations are likely the most accurate. Chris Christie really was putting politics aside. Christie has backed up his talk of going beyond partisanship by thus far denying Romney his photo op with Christie in the disaster area. The other possible reason is that Christie and Obama share the common goal of helping the residents of a state that was hit hardest by a natural disaster.
While the attention has been on Christie, it is easy to overlook that President Obama is also backing up his talk about bipartisanship. Obama is backing up his words about working with Republicans by working with one of his biggest critics in the Republican Party. Christie has been Romney’s highest profile attack surrogate. Maybe if bipartisanship wasn’t weaved into Obama’s character he might have behaved differently, but Obama has tended to put doing what he thinks is right for the country ahead of his own political ambitions.
In a way there is something sad about the fact that our political environment has become so polarized that a too rare instance of the highest profile Democrat and a high profile Republican coming together is worthy of praise from Jon Stewart and others, but this is the political reality that we are living in.
While Mitt Romney was in Ohio holding a fake fundraiser that stands as a shining example of the cynical and manipulative things that our politics can be, Obama and Christie are reminding the country of the better angels of our political nature.
Chris Christie escaped from the conservative bubble and met the real Barack Obama, and Jon Stewart isn’t the only who liked what he saw when Obama and Christie worked together.
In a moment of crisis Obama and Christie showed the country what it could be, as Mitt Romney was left on the outside selling more of the partisan poison that has sickened us all for too long.
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Gindy51
Nov. 1st, 2012 at 7:50 am
Christie also knows Romney is toast, politics will get more divided during the next four years, congress more partisan, and Christie will ride into the White House as the knight in shining armor to heal the rancor in 2016. His meeting with Obama on the tarmac is his first campaign ad in that vein.
While I applaud his doing the right thing, I do not for one second think it was 100% for the citizens of NJ. About half of it was calculating for Christie’s political future.
Rocky in Texas said...
Nov. 1st, 2012 at 10:41 am
I think deep down inside, Christie does have a good heart. I also believe that most of his bully mentality comes from defending himself from all of the attacks he got growing up for being overweight…
Over time, he could very well develope into a decent politician for the people.
Shiva (Moderator)
Nov. 1st, 2012 at 10:50 am
I firmly believe that Gov. Christie is doing his job as it should be done. This crisis is so devastating that I don’t think that any man could stop and think about political Ways and Means. I don’t think he is that kind of guy. I believe he is putting his heart into his job and into his people. I think he has the right type of attitude to be a leader in situations such as this. I believe that the relationship between him and president Obama at this time is one that is extremely important to the states hit by the hurricane and to the people within them.
I think he is fulfilling the position that he was elected to do. I think he has thrown politics totally to the side and I do not agree with anyone who says he is looking forward to 2016. Justin the same manner that I do not think Obama is thinking of his reelection campaign while working with Christie.
Shiva (Moderator)
Nov. 1st, 2012 at 10:52 am
I was wrong to think that no man could stop and think about political things at this time. We did have one man who had to rush out and buy $5000 in groceries so that he could make hay off a tremendous devastating hurricane.
Karen J (@KaJo503)
Nov. 1st, 2012 at 12:16 pm
Shiva, when you wrote “This crisis is so devastating that I don’t think that any man could stop and think about political Ways and Means”, of course I immediately thought “oh, no, there IS one!!”
I’m glad you added your immediate postscript. I know you were trying to be optimistic about human nature when you wrote your first comment.
Shiva (Moderator)
Nov. 1st, 2012 at 12:20 pm
Good call
Eykis
Nov. 1st, 2012 at 10:45 am
Christie did good for his state – he is not stupid and he realizes the American people are sick to death of RePig Obstructism and that UnFitMitt is toast.
UnFitMitt just made a speech in VA that included more lies than ever before….it is pathetic that MSNBC is NOT reporting the 2:00 pm UAW news conference regarding Mitt’s Profiteering – the afternoon is going get crazy~
Last Day To Vote Early in Tennessee – get out and vote Yellow Dog~
A Walkaway
Nov. 1st, 2012 at 11:23 am
I for one am glad to read this encouraging act. I think Christie realized just how foolish and wrong the standard Republican response was, and he was being gracious.
(I also am not in the least confident that we’ll win Tuesday, and I’d remind everyone that if President Obama wins but we loose everywhere else, it will be more of the same – if they don’t throw him out of office and install one of their puppets.)
Peter Hockley
Nov. 1st, 2012 at 11:42 am
Christie has his eyes on 2016.
Sandra
Nov. 1st, 2012 at 7:44 pm
I don’t think Chrisite would have changed his nasty, personal attacks on PO had not Sandy kicked him in the keester and he realised he has to eat crow and call for help because he couldn’t handle it alone. This ought to be a lesson, think before you speak even in the political arena. Glad that he has put NJ and the citizens ahead of his politics, this is a tragedy and a disaster.
Nancy
Nov. 1st, 2012 at 11:58 am
Ty Sarah. Not a Christie fan , but this Jersey girl’s family needed a leader, not a politician, & that is what we got. He sincerely cares & is devistated by the total destruction of landmark costal communities & cities still flooded.
Schools in my area are closed for two weeks, & that seems to time out as to when all power will be resorted.
Stewart, as always, nailed it!!
HR676 NOW
Nov. 1st, 2012 at 12:58 pm
The Gods have whipped up a hurricane to punish Republicans, the Tea Party, and the Religious Right for their miscreant behavior. Chris Christie has shown some repentance and Mitt Romney will soon feel the rath of their anger for his outrageous lies and fake compassion for those with less that 10 million in assets.
Sandra
Nov. 1st, 2012 at 7:46 pm
october surprise!!!
luciboo
Nov. 1st, 2012 at 8:56 pm
I would hope that Christie’s bipartisan words and actions may be the beginning of bringing the GOP back to sanity. For him to even shake the President’s hand was an act of courage. Look what happen to Florida Gov. Christ in the GOP when he supported the stimulus.