Christie LOVES Slimy Videos

The secret taping of Special Ed teacher Alissa Ploshnick is not just a story about how low we've sunk in our national conversation; it's about how powerful people like Chris Christie are happy to use pieces of slime like James O'Keefe to do their dirty work:

O’Keefe made Ploshnick, a teacher who saved the lives of children, an unwitting star in a web-based movie, a phony exposé of nothing but the cynicism of ideologically driven pseudo-journalists. All O’Keefe managed to do was ruin the reputation of a woman who should be honored as a hero — and was, not only by Clinton but also by Montel Williams and Oprah Winfrey, a fan of Gov. Chris Christie’s.

Christie recently praised O’Keefe’s secret taping of Ploshnick and others and said: "If you need an example of what I’ve been talking about for the last nine months — about how the teachers union leadership is out of touch with the people and out of control — go watch this video.’’

Asked whether the stories of Ploshnick’s sacrifice and heroism changed his view, Christie spokesman Michael Drewniak replied: "What do these stories have to do with recent events? What should they have to do with recent events? They are completely separate and have nothing to do with one another."

Leave it to a hack like Drewniak to denigrate the heroism of Ploshnick, who threw herself in front of a van to save a dozen kids back in 1997 and still suffers pain from the act today.

What O'Keffe does is disgusting and immoral and anyone who is granted high office should immediately distance him or herself from his filth. A sitting governor has an obligation to protect his citizens from outrageous intrusions like this, whether or not those intrusions are legal or aid his cause.

Christie, of course, couldn't care less about the coarsening of our culture and the breakdown of standards of decency in our society; in fact, he THRIVES on this swill. His endorsement of O'Keefe speaks volumes about his lack of character.

Some of you may think it's hypocritical for me to take such a harsh tone with Christie; that the invective I launch at him is no better than what O'Keefe is doing.

Bull. Chris Christie is a powerful man who asked for this job. He is using his platform to vilify an entire profession. He needs to be held to account for what he says and what he does. He needs to be held to account for the tone he gets to set by virtue of the office he holds.

Allissa Ploshnick holds no power; she simply does a critical job that we used to hold in high esteem, back before our governor decided he could make political hay by going after her and her colleagues across the state. There is no equivalence.

Kudos to Bob Braun for pointing this out.