Fiscal conservative Christie takes helicopter, limo to son's baseball game

[cinyc]

As the spokesperson said, it isn't a regular occurrence; it's done when the schedule dictates that it's necessary. If this becomes a regular occurrence, he absolutely deserves the criticism.

What I find amazing is the placement of the outrage: the helicopter doesn't seem to be the issue with people here; it's the fact that he had to take a limo from the helicopter to the field.

Anyway, it's great to see him using an AgustaWestland helicopter. One of their two main American offices is in my neighborhood.  

Please.  New Jersey isn't that large.  You can get from one end of the state to another in 4 hours, tops.  There is no need for any New Jersey governor to use a helicopter to fly anywhere, let alone to and from his kids' baseball game.  It's excessive, especially when the state is looking to squeeze every penny.  And the optics simply stink.  

And yes, New Jersey governors from both parties have a history of pulling these shenanigans - from Corzine's excessively speeding motorcade getting into an accident while he was flaunting the law by not wearing a seat belt in the front seat to previous governors' misuse of helicopters.

If Christie wants to do the right thing politically, he'd admit he was wrong and sell the chopper once and for all.

[cinyc]

Please.  New Jersey isn't that large.  You can get from one end of the state to another in 4 hours, tops.  There is no need for any New Jersey governor to use a helicopter to fly anywhere, let alone to and from his kids' baseball game.

Yeah because some of the worst traffic in the country is certainly not a problem in New Jersey...  

You mean the same traffic the governors' constituents have to deal with every day without being able to fly above it in a helicopter at taxpayers' expense?  Let the governor deal with the same traffic that his constituents do.

[cinyc]

The disagreement between cinyc and Keystone Phil is pretty good example of why the Republicans won't win in 2012.

That makes about zero sense.  I'd still vote for Christie for President in a heartbeat, despite whether I think he's in the wrong here.

[cinyc]

Please.  New Jersey isn't that large.  You can get from one end of the state to another in 4 hours, tops.  There is no need for any New Jersey governor to use a helicopter to fly anywhere, let alone to and from his kids' baseball game.

Yeah because some of the worst traffic in the country is certainly not a problem in New Jersey...  

You mean the same traffic the governors' constituents have to deal with every day without being able to fly above it in a helicopter at taxpayers' expense?  Let the governor deal with the same traffic that his constituents do.

I'm sorry but there are good comparisons to mention to say that an elected official is just like constituents and there are bad ones. That was a bad one. His constituents don't get a security detail. Should he not get one? I'm all for government reform and not treating our elected officials like royalty but there are certain benefits that an elected official will get to better enable them to do their job.

Whatever the case, I just read that Christie is going to reimburse the state for the trip.

So you're saying it's not safe for a governor to have his chauffeur drive him to his kid's baseball game?  He needs a helicopter instead, for security reasons?  I doubt it.

As well Christie should reimburse the state for the trip.   There was no need for it.

[cinyc]

...no and what's worse is that you know that that isn't what I was saying. I said that elected officials are afforded some privileges to do their jobs. You said he should sit in traffic like everyone else. I say that that isn't always reasonable but since you want to play this "he should be stuck in the same situation as his constituents!" game, I presented you with another example: constituents don't get a security detail. Should he be like them in that regard, too? You knew my point. You opted to twist it to avoid answering.

I twisted nothing.  Without some link to taking a helicopter, you have no real point.  A governor has a security detail because he's a high profile person subject to threats, real or imagined, from time to time.  A governor who takes a helicopter to his kid's baseball game is doing so due to a time crunch or rush hour traffic - something all of us face at times but only a select, elite few get to solve by having the taxpayers fuel up a helicopter to fly us to the game and then whisk us off to a meeting with Iowans to discuss our political future.

Besides, sitting in traffic like the rest of us would do any governor some good, so that he can see for himself how much rush hour sucks in some places and fix it.  But with a police escort, I doubt he'd been sitting in much traffic, anyway.

[cinyc]

The state helicopter is almost always used for official business. I'm sorry if I'm not going engage in the faux outrage over a father who, like most elected officials, has more difficulty seeing their family members than most other professionals. Yes, I know there are many working parents that can't make it to their kids' activities but if Christie or anyone else has the opportunity to see their kid play for half of their game while using their work vehicle after coming from a work event, I'm not going to go crazy about it (especially when this very rarely happens).

Again, when this becomes a regular habit and/or he isn't coming from or going to a work event, I'll call him out on it.

A helicopter is not a work vehicle, and missing things like kids' baseball games comes with the territory of being a politician, doctor, lawyer or other professional.  The state doesn't pay for doctors' or lawyers' helicopters to see their child's baseball games.  Neither should it pay for the governor's.

Luckily, Phil, even Governor Christie himself sees how the optics stink here and has written a check to reimburse the state for the trip.  And on the news tonight, one of the New York stations compared Christie's successful damage control here with Anthony Weiner's worst damage control ever in the Weinergate debacle.  The Christie story is effectively over.  The Weiner story will drag on until he comes clean and tells the whole truth.