The (ugly, dirty, sordid) truth about Chris Christie

By Michael J.W. Stickings

I highly recommend Alec MacGillis's excellent piece on Chris Christie at The New Republic. It's a comprehensive look at the long and sordid political career of the scandal-ridden governor -- who he is, how he rose to power, and how he abused his power once in office. And it's not just Bridgegate. The George Washington Bridge scandal has just been the most high-profile example of his political malfeasance, opening a door onto so much else, so much that was always there but that was hidden behind his carefully manufactured image of "straight-talking, corruption-busting everyman." Now he's seen as "a liar, a bully, a buffoon," but in truth he's always been that.

What is remarkable about this meltdown is that it isn't the result of some deep secret that has been exposed to the world, revealing a previously unimagined side to the candidate. Many of the scandals and mini-scandals and scandals-within-scandals that the national media is salivating over have been in full view for years. Even the now-infamous Bridgegate was percolating for months before it exploded into the first major story of the next presidential race.

Make sure to read the whole thing.