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The State of Christie's Facial Expression Address

By J. Peter Freire on 4.6.09 @ 4:53PM

From the department of "are you listening to yourself?" and "what business are you in?" comes this little gem of the aforementioned sillyman and former U.S. attorney Chris Christie. Again, I don't have anything against the guy, except that he happens to embody the kind of tin-eared inside-baseball quick fix solutions Republican operatives think are worth investing in. That is to say that machine politics in a state where Republicans don't win very much indicates a poorly-oiled machine.

Chris Christie held a press conference from the state house in which he gave his "I'm Shocked, Shocked" speech about how he'd never committed any ethical flaps. Never mind the weird coincidences involved. Anyway, my point here isn't with the ethics questions, but more the media strategy. Take a look:

Paul Mulshine, a conservative Star-Ledger columnist, was also the target of Christie's mini-meltdown. Christie said, with great personal sadness, Mulshine's column on federal monitors "ruined my ability to enjoy my son's baseball game with a smile on my face."

Other things Christie wasn't able to enjoy because of Mulshine's column:

• The sound of children laughing
• Butterflies
• The sound of an ice cream truck
• Puppies
• His favorite Tom Clancy novel
• Cookies
• The newest installment of the film The Fast and the Furious

I don't understand the logic behind Christie's statement. Does he mean that Mulshine should not have written his column on the basis that it affected him emotionally? Or should Christie have possibly said that this was a fair point to make and he'll do Everything In His Power to make sure that ethics is Number 1?

I think it's the latter. But Christie thinks that his kid's baseball game and his own smiles make a better soundbyte. Next up: Christie Announces Bad Case Of Indigestion Over New Unemployment Figures.