Chris Christie's Disney World Vacation Mocked By Progressive Group

The Progressive Change Campaign Committee has launched a new campaign bashing New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) for a prolonged absence from his home state, even as his constituents attempt to dig themselves out of a massive snow storm.

"Partying with Mickey Mouse while serious incidents are happening back home isn't leadership. This is just the latest time that Christie has left the state at a critical moment -- putting his own interests above New Jersey's," the group's co-founder Adam Green wrote, according to The Hill.

Christie and his deputy, the state's first Lieutenant Gov. Kim Guadagno, were slammed earlier this week for remaining in the sun -- Christie in Disney World with his family; Guadagno in Mexico reportedly visiting her ailing father -- and leaving New Jersey to cope with various snow-related emergencies.

As the state's third in command, Democratic Senate President Stephen Sweeney picked up the slack (but not before his colleagues took aim at Christie, questioning the functionality of the Lieutenant Governor's fledgling office).

Christie's camp responded shortly thereafter, insisting everything was under control:

Snow in the northeast happens often, which is why the response was handled expeditiously between the acting governor, secretary of transportation, state police and the governor's staff with all the appropriate and necessary coordination. And like every other day, the governor was and continues to be in regular contact with his staff and cabinet officers.

But as far as the PCCC is concerned, Christie's absence is a sign he's neglecting state affairs.

"Together, we'll show that when New Jersey was losing billions in federal education funding and suffering a massive transportation shut-down, Christie was hopping around the country campaigning for Republican candidates instead of putting his state first," Green told The Hill.

The PCCC has also created a website -- "Where's Christie?" -- that uses Photoshop to append a Waldo hat to several photos of Christie on out-of-state vacations.

Comments

[SweetJudith]

08:20 PM on 01/08/2011

This guy's soul is sure going to hell!!! :)

[JuanCarlosysofia]

01:42 PM on 01/02/2011

is his real name christino or christofolus?

[heckmepitus]

10:20 AM on 01/02/2011

Obama has already spent nearly half his presidency outside Washington. As of January 2, Obama has been president for 712 days. According to figures compiled by CBS News reporter Mark Knoller, who serves as a sort of unofficial White House record-keeper, Obama has spent 339 of those days -- nearly 48 percent -- outside Washington.

[drwtsn]

11:52 AM on 01/02/2011

Last I heard, Obama is President of America, not Washington.

[Sharon Hunt]

09:13 PM on 01/02/2011

what does this have to do with Christie? He was needed in his state and chose Disney. Obama is needed everywhere and tries to be there. Its like apples and oranges, you can't compare the two

[Monrocsol]

10:00 AM on 01/02/2011

Piggly Christie.

[JuanCarlosysofia]

01:45 PM on 01/02/2011

he does look rather well fed.working on that limbaugh tripple chin., guy has that "Artie Lange" aura .

[Robert65]

03:52 AM on 01/02/2011

The PCCC is a joke. The guy went on vacation, the state continued to operate and in fact, NYC looked more like the union workers and the mayor were on vacation. Keep grasping at staws, I live in the garden state and could not be happier with our new governor. I am looking forward to the governor kickin some progressive butt when he returns.

[jerzygurl]

06:59 AM on 01/02/2011

FAN & FAV'D..

[JuanCarlosysofia]

01:46 PM on 01/02/2011

you're brown nosing for a state job., just like the weasel.

[scottymac11]

08:38 PM on 01/01/2011

Christie Dumpty sat on a wall couldn't be there for the great snow fall.

[ChrisGee]

07:49 PM on 01/01/2011

Frankly, I see this as a cheap-shot headline grabbing issue that is intended to stir up anger against a GOP governor based on some kind of character assassination. Grow-up and stick with issues!

For example, I live in New Jersey, where we have ridiculously high taxes rates on everything (property, income, sales, business, you name it). Despite these high tax rates, NJ faces massive short- and long-term budget deficits, with education-related spending a huge part of the problem. Corzine, who I voted for, initially promoted consolidating the numerous school districts in this state to save money in the long-run, but gave up on trying to reform education spending because that policy gained no political traction in this graft-heavy and special-interest-dominated state. Christie, who I did NOT vote for, is attempting to address this problem by forcing the teachers union, the largest component of that spending, to come to the bargaining table.

While I don't like other aspects of Christie's policies, I applaud his efforts to take on this issue. I worked in higher education in New Jersey for several years and saw first-hand how the system is corrupted by the excessive influence the teacher's union has to distort the educational system to protect its own interest. Clearly, the teacher's union is not only culprit in this crisis, but taking it on may be the only way to get NJ voters to accept ANY material reforms of the state's education system.

[scottymac11]

08:56 PM on 01/01/2011

Teachers unions are not the problem. A union contract is an agreement. It is a written set of obligations agreed to by both signatoies. This contract terminates at a set time. Then they are rewritten for the next contractual period. This is hardly an abusive relationship. The great issue that many managerial people have with unions is that they are froced to work withen the rules when dealing with unions. Many managers are to lazy and corrupted themselves to work withen the fairly agreed upon labor contracts they disrespect.

[Robert65]

03:58 AM on 01/02/2011

The teachers union is not the only problem, but it is one of the problems that have created a fiscal nightmare in new jersey and accross the country. Its not that its not a binding contract, but the politicians and the union reps have been fleecing the system for years. The state can not afford the pensions and the salaries that are now under agreement. Stay strong Governor Christie, we the non union people are behind you.

[gustafson]

10:17 PM on 01/01/2011

Of course, blame it on the unions.....If it wasn;t for unions, there wouldn;t be mimium wage, saftey regulations in the work place, fair hours worked (40/week), Overtime pay, employer abuses of workforce, Health care, ......I could go on, but you get the point.......Maybe the education in your state (like most states) is underfunding........And where does the funding come from? Taxes from the citizens, and funding from the federal goverment (again taxes).....The republicans are going to cause the states to go bankrupt, so they can finally crush the unions....and then watch out....all labor laws are out the window and you will be working ungodly hours for peanuts (not enough to live on) .... and when your safty nets are cut from under you (SSI and Medicare) then you can bi@ch about the unions!!!!! Maybe you ought to have your governer pay back the state for the use of a private jet to go to see Mickey, on NJ tax payers dime........He is a disgrace and should get recalled....

[Klous]

08:42 PM on 01/11/2011

Yes you're right in that Unions were wonderful forces for helping the working shlub 40-50-60 years ago now they serve only to perpetuate themselves. Nationally I think 9% of the work force is union so exactly why would there be a massive right wing conspiracy to bring down unions who are already in decline? Paranoid rants don't add much to the conversation.

[Barton449]

04:49 PM on 01/01/2011

There were places in NJ where the towns, NOT the State, did things right.
It took me six hours from New Brunswick to get here. Not my video.
http://www­.youtube.c­om/watch?v­=UhGf9vkNc­1c&feature­=related

[Barton449]

04:43 PM on 01/01/2011

I don't know where these guys were,
but they certainly were NOT on Rt18 Monday night.

There was a serious job action by the people who should have been
plowing the snow, but chose to sit it out behind the wheels of their
dump trucks getting paid double time.

BUT

Since Christie chose to sit it out in Orlando on Mickey's lap, he has
no moral authority to go after the clowns who put the citizens of NJ in danger.

Ain't politics lovely.

[Robert65]

04:16 AM on 01/02/2011

you can thank the union rep's for any action that was taken to slow down work. Again, its a joke the way these unions fleece the common citizen.

[ObamaRican]

10:25 AM on 01/02/2011

You can whine all you want but you're missing the point as you do so. What Barton449 is saying, in elementary terms so that you understand, is that just as the unions' leadership may have been directing job actions, the leadership my taxes pay for, should have been there to offset those actions. You can't do that on a cell phone from fantasy land where you cons live.

[4 All Americans]

03:19 PM on 01/01/2011

If it's somehow appropriate to expect the Governer of NJ to be on the job during a snowstorm that the mayors of his state had responsibility for handling, wouldn't it be equally appropriate to expect that the President of the United States should have been on the job during the snowstorm that the States had responsibility for handling? NYC is the financial capital of America and it was in crisis mode do to the storm. Where was the President?

Using the Liberal argument, why was it appropriate that Obama was on vacation?!?

[Artanis71]

03:52 PM on 01/01/2011

This is state run, unless you want more states to cede power to the FED and have them control. If you think the FED should control the agencies that respond to a snowstorm in each state then maybe you have an argument. Something tells me if Obama came back and starting taking control of the local and state resources that would handle the storm you would be screaming about another FED takeover or something similar.
Your "use Lib argument" approach lacks real world facts and feasibility to be implemented even if Obama was actually in control. Now that Chris is coming home he will be available to ask for and receive checks from the government to help, while he will complain about "states rights" next week. Also its due not do, in the context you have written.

[pottedferne]

04:28 PM on 01/01/2011

fanned......

[dollbaby]

04:36 PM on 01/01/2011

Amen and you have Chris pegged corectly! F&F

[Brima Bah]

04:14 PM on 01/01/2011

flip the coin.

[Artanis71]

03:18 PM on 01/01/2011

Just a couple questions, if he can handle any emergency situation from anywhere why is the state paying for the Lt governor? You applied for the job as the governor, if you actually do need the Lt then if he has a family emergency why is it to much to ask that you cancel your plans? All jobs have sacrifices and requirements, if you don't like it then resign, either you need the Lt or you don't you cant have it both ways and use taxpayer money for an Lt and his additional staff.
Well he is a Republican so they are used to having it both ways (sometimes even in airport bathrooms).

[Nothing Profundus]

03:51 PM on 01/01/2011

What if he gets killed or sick? Then the Lt. Governor is needed, same reason we need a vice president, when the president isn't in Washington the vice president doesn't all the sudden take all his roles

[rksnj67]

04:01 PM on 01/01/2011

This is the first year NJ has had a Lt. Gov. Previously the Gov's duties were taken over by the State Senate president. Why all of a sudden do they need one? Is Christie that incompetent? Is this a job that was created to give to a Christie friend /associate? Christie is a so called fiscal conservative, why does he allow this high paid position when it wasn't needed before he was NJ Gov?

[Artanis71]

04:03 PM on 01/01/2011

I have no problem with that but, here is when he should have been there so where was the Lt? Would you be ok if there was a huge disaster and Obama was vacation and could not return while Biden was out on a family emergency and Biden did not immediately return to take the lead or Obama did not cut his trip short?

[TexasDem0]

02:44 PM on 01/01/2011

Gov. Christie is obviously used to indulging himself.

It’s a sure bet that he believes he deserves anything he can take and that he believes that everyone else has his “it’s all about me” outlook on life.

[whyputaname]

07:30 PM on 01/01/2011

TexasDem0 says > Gov. Christie is obviously used to indulging himself.

Now that is a way of describing him, just look at him.....LOL

[Sharon Hunt]

11:49 AM on 01/03/2011

isn't that how most republicans look at things?

[SouthernJewel]

01:58 PM on 01/01/2011

Many thanks to the state's third in command, Democratic Senate President Stephen Sweeney for successfully picking up the slack left by Gov. Christie and Lieutenant Gov. Kim Guadagno.

[Baileys Mom]

02:08 PM on 01/01/2011

Yep. The Dems are always left to clean-up after the Pubs.

SSDD.

[pottedferne]

01:01 PM on 01/01/2011

the dood abandoned his post to go have fun in sun and sand while his state was left to deal with a natural disaster.....

[Nothing Profundus]

03:58 PM on 01/01/2011

If you call that a natural disaster then I feel sorry for you, that was a snowstorm it happens, not a big deal

[yweston]

03:14 AM on 01/02/2011

If it wasn't a Big Deal. Then why is Christie applying for FEMA funds. Apparently it's a Big Deal to him after he bungled another NJ problem. Like bungling the $400 million school grant and then lying about it. While 657 NJ schools failed federal guidelines. He's either on vacation or running around the country promoting his profile with the GOP. He was on vacation in August and immediately returned to run around the country for the GOP. If he can do the job from anywhere in the world then perhaps NJ should "outsource" the job to India and pay $10.00 hr instead of the $175,000 Christie is getting and the $141,000/yr in taxpayer money his Lt. is getting for being his gopher.

[ObamaRican]

10:32 AM on 01/02/2011

Ask those folks that were stranded without emergency access if it was a big deal. I guess declaring a state of emergency is no big deal to small minded people (cons).

[youvebinfarteen]

12:52 PM on 01/01/2011

He was hiking the Appalachian trail. Opps, sorry, wrong republican east-coast governor.

[RJ2500]

02:15 PM on 01/01/2011

Yes, this one is too wide to fit on the trail.

[yweston]

03:15 AM on 01/02/2011

F & F