Bridge Scandal Destroys Christie's 'Nice Jerk' Image

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s strength as a politician has always been his bombast and temper. He rose to national prominence when videos of him berating those who dared challenge him at town hall meetings went viral on YouTube. He holds a powerful visceral appeal among Republicans obsessed with the standard litany of right-wing talk-radio bogeymen: union bosses, elitist college professors, entitled minorities, and namby-pamby liberals of every other stripe. Christie’s appeal is that he puts them firmly in their place, verbally smacking them down in a manner that most of his admirers would attempt only under a veil of anonymity in the comments section of a blog post. He’s a big, loud jerk—but he’s a nice jerk, and he’s on your side. That was Christie’s political appeal, until today.

This style always carried political risk. Berating women to their faces may not faze disgruntled talk-radio types, but it’s potentially off-putting to ordinary voters—especially the independents and Democrats whose support Christie had to attract to thrive in blue-state New Jersey (and whom he’ll presumably have to count on in open presidential primary states, such as New Hampshire). So in recent years, Christie had worked hard to soften his image, to telegraph that his bluntness and outspokenness were offered on behalf of voters, and to reassure everyone that he wasn’t a big, mean jerk. He was greatly aided in this project by his response to Hurricane Sandy, his highly public empathy for its victims, and his praise of President Obama in the closing days of the 2012 campaign.