Late Returns: One More Reason For Chris Christie To Stay Home In 2012

There's been a lot of discussion about the many reasons why Chris Christie and the GOP primary electorate wouldn't exactly see eye-to-eye, and that's enough reason to not be surprised that he's once again affirmed that he will not run for President in 2012. But what the heck, over at The Awl, Abe Sauer reminds us of one more of the New Jersey Governor's vulnerabilities:

Before he was flying in state helicopters to his kid's baseball games, Christie was flying on private jets as part of the law firm Dughi, Hewit & Palatucci, for whom, as a lobbyist, the future governor fought for the rights of Wall Street. In fact, one of Christie's primary lobbying projects on behalf of Wall Street was to win an exemption for securities fraud from New Jersey's Consumer Fraud Act. For those Americans whose 401(k)s have been gouged in the last few years, that won't play well. (The only reason this wasn't much of an issue in his gubernatorial campaign was because his opponent was Jon Corzine, who sucked off Wall Street's teat with even more gusto than Christie.)

But it gets worse for Christie.

In a detail that practically writes its own commercial script, the Wall Street client on whose behalf Christie lobbied was the Securities Industry Association. Which, at that time, was led by one Mr. Bernard Madoff.

Sauer writes the Obama team's talking point: "As a lobbyist, Chris Christie worked to remove securities fraud from a consumer fraud act on behalf of an organization run by Bernie Madoff."

[Daily Intel @ NY Mag; The Awl]

* * * * *

Roger Cohen thinks Rick Perry is "loveable" and has a "heart," because 1) he has the guts to dislike cancer, 2) seventh-grade boys will tell you that seventh-grade girls aren't nearly slutty enough for their tastes, and 3) Cohen has obviously never heard of Cameron Todd Willingham. [Washington Post]

Wall Street donors are flocking to Mitt Romney and fleeing Obama, because of all the record corporate profits socialism, I guess. [Daily Intel @ NY Mag]

What does it take to get former New York Mayor Ed Koch back in the Obama camp? Surprisingly little! [Ben Smith]

Noreen Malone is getting mixed signals from President Barack Obama's emails. [Daily Intel @ NY Mag]

None of the 2012 candidates want to have anything to do with "sharia panic" enthusiast Frank Gaffney's pledge. [ThinkProgress]

If Mitch Daniels wants to take credit for being a different sort of GOP candidate, then he should have run for the GOP's candidacy. [Weigel @ Slate]

Someone must have run up to Michele Bachmann in a parking lot and told her all about how Hezbollah was going to put missiles in Cuba, because that's the latest bit of cray-cray coming from her today. [Gawker]

[Would you like to follow me on Twitter? Because why not? Also, please send tips to [e-mail] -- learn more about our media monitoring project here.]

Comments

[Charles Queen]

05:02 PM on 10/03/2011

Well,he's already sai that he doesn't feel that he is ready to run for the office of president so he isn't going to go for it

[ritamary]

12:28 PM on 10/05/2011

Having been Bernie Madoff's lobbyist would not be helpful in a Christie run for the presidency. With that little fact in his background he will never be ready.

[Charles Queen]

12:37 PM on 10/05/2011

Point well taken.I do though give him the credit for turning it down,most porobobly wouldn't have.I watched him last night and as he said,his sole purpose is to take care of his stae and thats it

[Pat Bateman2000]

08:05 AM on 10/03/2011

Sure Elect Christie and stock up on Dog food before all his Wall street friends r.ape your 401k. If you're collecting Social Security you might as well kiss it goodbye because it will all be privatized and without my contributions, retirees will run out of funds. That's what keeps the fund solvent. If it's voluntary won't make a difference because young people will not put in. When will the TeA Party wake up to this fact. They think their entitlements are untouchable.

[eniobob]

09:35 AM on 10/01/2011

Its obvious the supporters are not from the "HOOD" they seem to long for staight talkers.LOL!!!

[Skiwee]

03:16 PM on 09/28/2011

I've always felt the scrutiny of running would have made him 'collapse' (it's in a post I made yesterday). I also know that I shouldn't stereotype, but he's from Jersey, for goodness sake!

[MikeOptv2]

01:27 AM on 09/28/2011

He worked for Bernia Madoff!! LOL That's absolutely hilarious. Rick Perry says social security is a ponzi scheme, and Chris Christie worked for the man who perfected the Ponzi scheme.

You literally can't write this stuff. However, there's a downside to this. It will strengthen the argument of those calling Obama the antichrist as they'll now say that all this amazing 'luck' that the President is having is only happening the way it is because he's the antichrist.

[ritamary]

12:35 PM on 10/05/2011

Christie worked for Bernie Madoff! Truth is way stranger than fiction. And yes that "antichrist" fantasy must be very scary for the Medieval teabagger mind.

[Herm]

11:56 PM on 09/27/2011

"........... Jon Corzine, who sucked off Wall Street's teat with even more gusto than Christie.)
But it gets worse for Christie.

In a detail that practically writes its own commercial script, the Wall Street client on whose behalf Christie lobbied was the Securities Industry Association. Which, at that time, was led by one Mr. Bernard Madoff."
*******************************************************************************
Uh oh.

[JimWind]

11:33 PM on 09/27/2011

Christy party Table 6 is ready at the all you can eat buffet.

[Gebby]

11:29 PM on 09/27/2011

Christie=FOTUS

[Gebby]

11:27 PM on 09/27/2011

He is tooo Phat!

[LovelyGirl]

11:23 PM on 09/27/2011

Oh so now we know why "they" really want him! He's a friend of Wall street.

[Democrat in the South]

11:20 PM on 09/27/2011

He's nothing but a hateful smarta$$. Can you see him doing business with other countries or negotiating with ANYONE? Much less representing America? He would pick up where Bush left off getting the world to hate America.

[rshrink]

10:55 PM on 09/27/2011

The fact that the repub party would even consider having Christie run is an indication of just how bold they have become, to the point that they would consider someone who has proven himself to be a brazen toool for the wealthy and depraved. It is not surprising that Charles Koch would seek to get him in office, who better than a fellow cruke. The two of them could go far, while the rest of us continue to slide into the abyss of poverty and despair. Those of you who still consider voting for repubs just have no ability to pay attention whatsoever. Wake up, before it is too late.

[Democrat in the South]

11:31 PM on 09/27/2011

I just read an article about how you can hack voting machines remotely without a trace of evidence. (1/3 of those machines are used in America) THAT is what scares me more than anything about republicans. They are so desperate they will do ANYTHING to win. ANYTHING.

[carl cid inting]

10:31 PM on 09/27/2011

Gee! Chris Christie, who was mean enough to be portrayed by a right-wing pundit as the Antichrist, apparently isn't nasty or oppressive enough to please the loonies that are currently wagging the Republican dog. Seems that Christie is soft on illegal immigration, not bigoted enough about Muslims, favors some gun-control laws and isn't in total denial about climate change. He has even personally donated to Planned Parenthood and has allowed some state funding for abortions. Horrors! By the hard-right's books, that's enough to make Christie a closet liberal!

[rshrink]

10:57 PM on 09/27/2011

If Koch backs him, you can bet, money will change him radically. Anyone who has lobbied on behalf of Wall Street and aligned himself with Bernie Maddoff, is no friend of liberals. Only repubs could love a guy like that.

[LovelyGirl]

11:24 PM on 09/27/2011

What do you mean aligned himself with Bernie Maddoff? I had not heard that before.

[moreover]

10:28 PM on 09/27/2011

Let's take this time to thank the Tea Party--without their support, there might have been a viable candidate in the GOP

[lomamonster]

10:37 PM on 09/27/2011

Huzzah!

[rshrink]

10:58 PM on 09/27/2011

Thank U peetarty, uh, I mean tea party.

[Rosalee Harris]

10:09 PM on 09/27/2011

I think Chris Christie entering the race will make the republicans look more of a joke than they already are. The guy said he is not ready you have to really want the job his wife would kill him yada yada and then to turn around and say Oh I think I'll enter. That democratic ad just WRITES itself. All this talk is making the other candidates in the field look like fools. But I'm a democrat so they can keep squabbling and looking for the perfect candidate it works for me.

Something else the teanuts may think that Christie is great because he is a big bully and he is brash and rough with people who disagree with him. Maybe that works for teanuts in the primary but it can bea detriment in a general. Nobody wants a RUDE President.