VIDEO/MEMO: Christie's State of Controversy
Chris Christie’s reelection last November was supposed to propel him into the pole position for the race to the White House. However, the timing of his victory coincided with the release of a damning excerpt from Double Down: Game Change 2012 by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann. Unwittingly transcribing the prologue for 2016, Halperin and Heilemann recounted the incredulity with which Romney’s VP selection committee discovered the preponderance of scandals in Christie’s wake.
American Bridge NJ OPRA Request
Emails Contradict Christie's Samson Claims
During today’s press conference, New Jersey Governor Chris Christie claimed that David Samson, Christie’s appointee as Port Authority Chairman, had convinced Christie that he had “absolutely no knowledge” of the politically-motivated lane closures brought to light on January 8th in emails from Christie’s top staffers. However, in those same emails, former Port Authority official David Wildstein assured Christie’s Deputy Chief of Staff Bridget Anne Kelly “Samson helping us to retaliate.” The ominous message suggests that further exploration of what Christie and his top officials knew, and when, is warranted. David Wildstein Emailed Bridget Anne Kelly That David Samson, Chairman Of The Port Authority, Would Help Them Retaliate. According to the email from David Wildstein to Bridget Anne Kelly on September 13, 2013 “The New York side gave Fort Lee back all three lanes this morning. Samson helping us to retaliate.” [Email, 9/13/13; viewed via New York Times, 1/8/14] Christie Interviewed Port Authority Chairman David Samson, Said He Was "Convinced That He Had Absolutely No Knowledge Of This." During a press conference on January 9, 2014, Christie said: "I think General Samson put out a statement yesterday that he had no knowledge of this. I interviewed him yesterday. He was one of my interviews. I am convinced that he had absolutely no knowledge of this, that this was executed at the operational level and never brought to the attention of the Board of Commissioners until Chairman Foye wrote his email - or Executive Director Foye wrote his email to the Board of Commissioners. And so I sat and met for two hours yesterday with Mr. Sampson - General Sampson - and again, I'm confident that he had no knowledge of this, based upon our conversations and his review of the information. So I think, you know, as he said yesterday, he is angered by this and upset about it, and I know that he's going to lead - cooperate with the OIG investigation that's ongoing and lead a discussion at the Port Authority about what could be done in the future to stop such conduct." [Chris Christie, Official Press Conference, 1/9/14]
Christie on DREAMers: "They can't be second class citizens if they're not citizens"
By threatening to veto a version of the NJ DREAM Act unless the legislature stripped a provision making undocumented students eligible for financial aid -- and then mocking and belittling the concerns of a DREAMer who still felt like a "second class citizen," Chris Christie is trying to have it both ways... and failing. In a transparent attempt to make himself appealing to Latino voters without angering the anti-immigrant GOP base, Christie today created problems for both the primary and general elections in 2016. At a press conference this afternoon, Christie dismissed the concerns of an undocumented student by repeatedly saying: "They can't be second class citizens if they're not citizens." Something tells me this isn't quite the “tone of grace, love, and respect” Reince Priebus was talking about yesterday.
VIDEO: "Great Job" — The loooong list of scandals/resignations under Rick Scott
Adam Hollingsworth, Steve McNamara, Tony Bennett, David Wilkins, Hunting Deutsch, Jennifer Carroll... the list of scandals and/or resignations from Rick Scott's administration is disturbingly long. Perhaps the only things more alarming than Scott's obviously flawed judgment when filling his administration are his repeated assertions that the aforementioned staffers were doing a "great job" while being consumed by controversy.
Tom Cotton flees reporters at Florida fundraiser (VIDEO)
It looks like Tom Cotton was a bit skittish this AM when he spotted reporters outside a Miami fundraiser. It's not surprising that he'd dodge the press, though, since he was neglecting his day job to hobnob with out-of-state donors.
Run away! @RepTomCotton sees press outside his Miami fundraiser at Versailles Restaurant & slips through a kitchen backdoor to avoid any Qs
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) December 16, 2013
Perhaps a little too skittish....
Doh! @RepTomCotton handlers, worried about press at Miami fundraiser, accidentally blocked Dr. who drove 90mi 2 give a check. He's angry
— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) December 16, 2013
Scott Brown Still Has Massachusetts Plates
Former Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown, who is publicly flirting with a 2014 Senate campaign in "Massachesett--uh, in New Hampshire," has spent months parading around the state in his famous GMC truck. It seems that Brown was in such a rush, however, that he overlooked crucial details before jumping over the state line to hobnob with New Hampshire Republicans. As you can see below, Brown's famous truck still has Massachusetts plates. Without a New Hampshire license plate to call his own, it's no wonder that while speaking at a fundraiser this summer, Scott Brown tried to recite New Hampshire's famous state motto "Live Free AND Die," before struggling to recover and correcting himself. Perhaps now is the time for Scott Brown to invest in NH plates, if only to remind him what state he's in and what their motto is.
VIDEO: Rick Scott Turns His Back on Medicaid Questions, Florida Families
The failure of Gov. Rick Scott and Florida Republicans to expand Medicaid as provisioned under the Affordable Care Act has subjected hundreds of thousands of low-income Floridians to uncertainty over their access to affordable health insurance. According to the Tampa Bay Times, these are families too poor to qualify for federal subsidies, yet can’t qualify for Florida’s Medicaid program, “one of the stingiest in the nation.”
How to Talk to Women: A GOP Training Video
In an admission that today's GOP is stuck in the past, Washington Republicans apparently find it necessary to tutor fellow GOPers on how to run for office without offending female voters and/or opponents. While searching over the weekend, American Bridge researchers uncovered* a secret Republican training video seemingly used to teach GOP officials what not to say about women and their health care. (*just kidding, we made this)
Rand Paul's "African-American" Outreach Delivered for White Audience
In the latest failure of the GOP’s Rebranding campaign, the RNC dispatched Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) to Detroit last week for the opening of a new African-American Engagement Office. Yet even in a city that is approximately 83 percent African-American, American Bridge’s footage from an event at the Grace Bible Chapel shows Paul’s audience to be predominantly white. As reported by the Huffington Post, “the launch event put into stark relief just how much work the GOP has to do.” While the GOP’s outreach won’t be taken seriously without a significant recalibration of policy priorities, the choice of Paul as designated emissary to minority communities suggests a particular hollowness in their efforts. Earlier this year, Paul gave a condescending speech to the students of historically-black Howard University in which his revisionist history of the Republican Party and racial politics conveniently omitted the previous 50 years. During that speech, Paul also lied about his previous remarks opposing the Civil Rights Act of 1964.