If you have a fling with Chris Christie, you're gonna get burned. Oh sure, first it's all romantic helicopter rides. Then as soon as he gets the property tax cap and pension and health care cuts, he leaves you in agony, waiting by the phone. Such is the case of heartbroken New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney, who told the Star-Ledger that last week, "I sat in my office all day like a nitwit, figuring we were going to talk" about budget negotiations. No call. Christie just axed tax credits and health care for the working poor and other Democratic priorities. Now Sweeney's taking off his promise ring, and sounds disenchanted by the big guy: "He's just a rotten bastard to do what he did…He's a rotten prick."
Heartbroken New Jersey Senate President Stephen Sweeney
Sweeney has taken fire from fellow Democrats for working with the governor on controversial items on his agenda—like the property tax cap and curtailing public employees' benefits. So Sweeney was more than a little wounded when Christie cut millions for programs like AIDS funding and mental-health services, replacing them with "$150 million in school aid for the suburbs, including the wealthiest towns in the state." To Sweeney, "This is all about him being a bully and a punk. I wanted to punch him in the head. You know who he reminds me of? Mr. Potter from It's a Wonderful Life, the mean old bastard who screws everybody."
Given that Sweeney is crucial in helping Christie get his legislation past a Democratically-controlled state legislature, it may have been a mistake to completely pass on the Democrat's budget proposals. Though he's on vacation, a spokesman for Christie released a statement criticizing Sweeney's words: "The governor believes the language used was inappropriate and disrespectful to the office, but he continues to stand ready to work with Senator Sweeney and the Legislature in a bipartisan manner to get things done." No flowers? No emoticon-filled text message? At least send an e-card!
Christie himself has a proclivity to use salty language, so Sweeney tells the Times he's not buying it: "It's pretty interesting, the stuff he's said, and he's lecturing me on language?" Sweeney also refuses to apologize, conceding, "Maybe my language was beyond what it needed to be. But I'm not apologizing." Atta boy Sweeney! You need to find a governor who nurtures your desire to help the working poor and respects you, and try to forget about Adolf Christie and those late-night pizzas you shared.
