For the most part, my broadcast stories going forward are going to be all rainbows and ponies. It will be straight news about what the candidates are doing each day up until the election. Stories with lots of natural sound so we can hear and see what’s happening out there.
There, have I made a compelling case for a what a principled reporter I am? Good. Now allow me to undermine it slightly.
I have to come back to this issue, because it keeps cropping up. It’s the now infamous Corzine ad about Christie that says he “threw his weight around.” Was this a veiled reference to Christie’s weight? The conventional wisdom is that it was. Even Corzine has now admitted it was a poor choice of words. But, very few people have looked at what the ad is actually suggesting…which is that Christie walked away from a traffic accident involving a motorcyclist without getting a ticket after identifying himself as US Attorney. Here is what Christie said about it on Fox News on Tuesday.
Let’s be clear. According to the accident report ( and I’m just rehashing what I’ve written before ) Christie turned the wrong way down a one-way street. Motorcyclist Andre Mendonca turned his bike on its side and slid into Christie’s vehicle. But it was Christie who crept forward through a red light.
I know the weight thing has garnered some sympathy for Christie. And I know he was asked about it by the anchor on Fox ( who clearly has not been following the race very closely ) but it might be time for both candidates to move beyond that ad. Because it doesn’t paint either one of them in a flattering light. In fact, it sorta exemplifies what everyone is griping about when they talk about the “negative tone” of New Jersey’s 2009 gubernatorial contest.
Alright, puppies and ice cream. Here I come.