Discussion for article #243292
What can we conclude from this endorsement: They have a history of endorsing losers…not good for Christie.
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As a native of New Hampshire it pains me to no end that one family at one paper can have this impact on our Presidential politics. It really is a throwback to an earlier time when there were just a few key gatekeepers. For all the internet’s problems I’m really glad it has democratized a lot of voices that would never have been heard before and diminished the power of the old school gatekeepers. For example I love how Peggy Noonan was eviscerated for her “vibrations and lawn signs” observations before the 2012 cycle.
Listening to Joe McQuaid on Meet the Press I couldn’t help but think that this guy was no more informed or qualified to recommend a Presidential candidate than my uncle. You could have transported Chuck Todd’s little MTP table to my parent’s house in the seacoast this thanksgiving and set up a camera. In either scenario you’d be listening to a bunch of cranks.
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Yep - in the post-Reagan era they have picked one winner, and that was when Daddy Bush ran unopposed.
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One thing that endorsement highlighted was the durability of a so-called “narrative,” in this case that Christie “tells it like it is.” He’s brusque and rude, certainly, and he was able to translate that into a reputation for being honest, but as far as I can tell from reading about him the people who’ve seen him in action over time consider him to be a chronic liar. It seems for every instance of his showing some sort of candor, there are four or five of obvious hypocritical pandering or having to deny some scandal that doesn’t pass the smell test even if the indictments haven’t come down the road yet. It’s like with Trump: Being a loudmouth jerk does not necessarily mean you’re also an honest, open person.
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I heard an interesting analysis of the Union Leader’s move: they want Christie to do what he can to take out Trump. That might explain Christie’s more aggressive rejection of Trump’s “millions of demonstrators in Jersey City on 9/11” yesterday. I agree that the Union Leader has a habit of picking candidates who finish 4th or 5th in the NH primary. But, still . . .
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Newspapers are increasingly irrelevant as they struggle to merely survive (and mostly lose). News shows and the talking heads that inhabit them are following precisely the same path.
The interesting thing to me, however, is in both cases, they have responded by catering to the exact demographics that want nothing to do with them, and is in fact a shrinking demographic. The AJC in Atlanta for example, was a fairly robust liberal paper. But as readership started declining for all newspapers, the reacted by turning to the right…and readership declined even faster. So of course the decided to give every article a right wing spin, which resulting in merely speeding up the downward spiral. Conservatives were never going to read the paper, but instead of trying to appeal to the people that were reading it, the went the other way.
TV News is following precisely the same path. CNN suspended a reporter for saying the Statue of Liberty hangs her head in shame over the recent House vote of refugees. But gives plenty of air time to their “hosts” formulating right wing talking points. MSNBC is actually expanding Morning Joe’s time slot. And both of them beat Fox out in posing the bank robbery meme during the PP shootings, despite the fact it was already disclaimed in the local press and by the local PD.
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So the UnionLeader thinks it is ok to jettison the majority of the GOP “field” of candidates because they think the next nominee should be a governor. OK, completely ignore the state of affairs because some little turd that owns a paper thinks they are a kingmaker. They are just as deluded as Bob PanderPutz in Iowa. And if they think Xtie has what it takes to unseat tRump they are complete morons.
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NH Union Leader newspaper is going down the toilet when they endorse a bully and a person who if did not know about the tunnel closing was clueless about what his staff was doing. Is this a person who should be trusted with the presidency of the US?
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Except for a couple of times when the paper endorsed someone who went on to win the presidency, the N.H. Union Leader is the KISS OF DEATH for any candidate endorsement. Thank you, dear N.H. Union Leader for endorsing Christie. And, as the NJ Star-Ledger just said, you don’t know squat about Christie. By the way, I was wondering how much the Christie campaign paid you for that endorsement?
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Excellent point! Sadly, “telling it like it is” is a far cry from telling the truth.
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Is he even still in the running?
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“I think after the experience of the past eight years, freshmen senators without a lot of experience aren’t good,” he said, explaining why the newspaper discounted Sens. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Marco Rubio (R-FL).
Yeah, well a freshman Senator without a lot of experienced saved the economy from douchebags like Chris Christie. Fucking wankers…
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Christie is the ideal GOP candidate—as long as you completely ignore his abysmal record as governor and every word he’s uttered since being elected.
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Ooga, Ooga, Dive, Dive!! The SS Chris “HamBone” Christie is goin’ down!! Ooga, Ooga, Dive, Dive!!
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Since the days of crackpot publisher William Loeb, this less-than-mediocre, reactionary rag run has – every four years – been farcically taken seriously. Even though he’s not quite as crazy as the Loeb’s, it’s telling – and utterly unprofessional – that the publisher rather than the editor or editorial page editor is the frontman for an editorial endorsement. And it’s hilarious to hear McQuaid lament that democracy’s being destroyed becuase polls and cable networks now have more influence than his lame little fishwrapper.
I doubt it will mean much of anything in the primary, and there’s still no polling evidence to support of Christie gaining momentum. In the general campaign, the Boston Globe will matter more, and by election day, I betcha, New Hampshire won’t even been contestable by Republicans.
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Damn. You hit it, Mattin. I’d muddled through thinking about the difference tw “telling it like it is” and his brusqueness/rudeness. Thanks for putting it in words.
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The Star-Ledger is actually just steamed about the last sit-down their editorial staff had with Christie. He showed up 10 minutes before everyone else and POOF!, 2 boxes of Krispy-Kremes disappeared from the conference table!
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Yep - in the post-Reagan era they have picked one winner, and that was when Daddy Bush ran unopposed.
Tough to be wrong on that one!
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But even Christie’s rejection was pablum … pretty much “I didn’t see it”. Even this blowhard is afraid of confronting the biggest blowhard in the race.
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