The Education of Chris Christie

An article in today's New York Times discusses New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's break with MSNBC, a network that he had assiduously courted to burnish his credentials as a Republican who could reach across the aisle. MSNBC has been running daily 25 hour coverage of the New Jersey Conegate scandal and Christie understandably objects. Christie now joins McCain and past Republicans who MSNBC championed only to villify once it was in the interest of the Democrat party to do so. 

The original deal in these cases is structured as follows: MSNBC gets to portray itself as an objective news organization (we don't hate ALL Republicans!) and, of course, the Republican gets to appear as someone who Liberals can perhaps tolerate (if they must). In EVERY instance, however, the Republican eventually gets burned. Put your hand too close to the crocodile's mouth and, sooner or later, it will get bitten. 

Here, MSNBC recognized that the only thing that was going to deflect attention from the recent damning report claiming State Department culpability in the Benghazi tragedy - and the negative impact on Hillary Clinton - was something big. No doubt MSNBC would have preferred to defer wall-to-wall coverage of the Conegate scandal until Christie became the Republican nominee, but they simply could not wait. And it has worked. What report on Benghazi?

Christie will survive Conegate and has hopefully learned an important lesson. Never trust the Legitimate Media (Joe Biden's characterization of the non-Fox media). Keep your guard up at all times. Never trust MSNBC. They are not your friends.