Bankruptcy, corruption and fraud - Donald Trump and Chris Christie legacy

So, let me get this right. 

Suppose Donald Trump and Chris Christie are (gulp!) going to be on the same Republican ballot in 2016, as running mates. This might change the acronym for the GOP to "BCF". 

In other words, the Grand Old Party of Abraham Lincoln would change to the Bankruptcy, Corruption and Fraud party of Donald Trump. 

This is a tragic turn for Republicans, the party that supported Abraham Lincoln when he signed the Emancipation Proclamation. There's a myth about President Lincoln dating to his days as a clerk Springfield, IL, about tracking down a customer to refund some money. “Abraham Lincoln in Two Miles a Penny” refers to the legendary account of the 16th president of the United States walking six miles to return a three-cent overcharge to a customer.

Ha!  Contrast, Donald Trump flew nearly two thousand miles to sell real estate in Scotland after the British "Brexit" vote tumbled the international stock exchanges and nearly everybody lost money.

New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has been affiliated with corruption since the horrific "bridgegate" scandal when some people on his paid staff were accused to closing the Fort Lee exit to the George Washington Bridge because the city's mayor didn't support Christie's gubernatorial campaign. Now, it turns out, one of the lead defendants in the case accepted a guilty plea bargain in exchange for not being asked to give evidence against other people. 

"If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it must be a duck." 

I suppose Governor Christie will simply commute Former Port Authority Chairman David Samson's prison sentence, to return the favor.  It's called "Quid pro quo".

Here's what Secretary Clinton said about Donald Trump and Governor Christie in Atlantic City, New Jersey:

Atlantic City, New Jersey- a city of empty buildings where people lost jobs & businesses because Donald Trump declared bankruptcy

Atlantic City, New Jersey (CNN) - by Dan Merica

Hillary Clinton used the backdrop of Atlantic City, New Jersey, on Wednesday to slam Donald Trump and one of his most high-profile surrogates, the state's governor, Chris Christie.

"If your governor will start doing his job instead of following Donald Trump around, holding his coat, maybe we could really get New Jersey's economy moving again," Clinton said to cheers from the crowd.

Clinton is spending time in the city where Trump developed casinos in an effort to highlight what her aides are calling Trump's "fraudulent business history."

She hit Trump for "multiple bankruptcies, stiffing contractors and spurring hundreds of job losses" during his time owning casinos in Atlantic City.

Clinton appeared in front of Boardwalk Hall, the city's old convention center, and was introduced by a small business owner who the aide said was hurt by Trump's business practices.

Clinton and her aides are looking to move past an FBI press conference that recommended she not face charges in her exclusive use of a private email server, but also raised serious questions about her judgment. The presser by FBI director James Comey rocked Clinton's Brooklyn headquarters, making it even more important in the eyes of Clinton's top aides to undercut Trump's credibility.

Trump wasn't letting the spotlight disappear off the FBI press conference Wednesday morning.

"Crooked Hillary Clinton lied to the FBI and to the people of our country. She is sooooo guilty. But watch, her time will come!" the real estate mogul tweeted.

He also sent a pair of tweets criticizing Clinton and blaming Democrats for making "all the wrong moves" to destroy the city.
"I made a lot of money in Atlantic City and left 7 years ago, great timing (as all know). Pols made big mistakes, now many bankruptcies," Trump tweeted.

Clinton, since pivoting to Trump, has attempted to undercut that business record, something that has animated much of his unexpectedly strong presidential run.

"How can anybody lose money running a casino? Really," Clinton jokingly asked an audience in Detroit last month. (#no_seriously!)

She added, "Trump economics is a recipe for lower wages, fewer jobs, more debt. He could bankrupt America like he's bankrupted his companies."

Trump has filed four business bankruptcies in the last 30 years, all of which surrounded his casino holdings in Atlantic City.

Trump filed for bankruptcy on the Taj Mahal in 1991 and the Trump Castle Associates in 1992. 

He later filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Trump Hotel & Casino Resorts in 2004 and Trump Entertainment Resorts in 2009.
Trump has defended the bankruptcies by noting that he never personally went bankrupt. (OMG, but nearly everybody who did business with him did so!)

"I have used the laws of this country ... the (bankruptcy) chapter laws, to do a great job for my company, for myself, for my employees, for my family," he said last year.

But the bankruptcies have hurt Atlantic City, a city that is now blighted with empty hulking buildings, unemployment substantially higher than the national average, and a high violent crime rate.
The Clinton campaign blamed Trump for the problems plaguing the city.

In addition to Wednesday's event, the Clinton campaign released a video that documents "Trump's fraudulent pattern in Atlantic City of making millions for himself while defrauding people of millions that he owed them."

The video, while not featuring Trump's voice once, uses people stiffed by Trump in Atlantic City to make the case that the city "proves" he shouldn't be president.

So, let me repeat. Trump throws around ugly labels the way Orangutans love to eat nasty tasting Durian fruit. But he can't take the truth when it's thrown back at him.  Trump uses stupid and simplistic words like "bad" or "crooked" because many of his followers are uneducated people who do not read. Yet, the facts are clear enough.Trump filed for multiple corporate bankruptcies, he and Christie have been implicated in corruption and unethical conduct. Trump has been sued for fraud by customers of his bogus "Trump University".  He's an evil man and Democrats had better calling him for what he is- racism isn't deep or "bad" enough. 

When Trump acts like Adolf Hitler, when he euphemistically (yes, it's a big word, I know) calls for "America to be white again"), and praises "Saddam Hussein" for the way he slaughtered people, then it must give all Americans pause, because it shows me he is evil. 

In fact, Donald Trump has changed the GOP party into an evil BCF political movement, in my opinion.

Governor Christie's Non Super Bowl in New Jersey

Well Super Bowl 48 is history with the lopsided surprise win, Seattle Seahawks as world champions. Where was Governor Christie when the Vince Lombardi trophy was awarded?  

This particular game was supposed to be a quasi coronation of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's leadership; he was ready to wear the Red White and Blue miter, to personify America the Beautiful and all but claim that he possibly invented Super Bowl Sunday, just for the American people. This could have been Christie's national party to prove he could lead America and run as the 2016 Republican presidential candidate. A Super Bowl in New Jersey was supposed to demonstrate these amazing character traits.

Unfortunately, for Governor Christie, he has lost his momentum regarding the national leadership he hoped to claim with a super bowl spectacle. 

No doubt, Christie must've had a series of publicity media interviews planned for both pre and post game hype.  

Instead, he's planning interviews with his lawyers to prepare for testimony before federal investigators, due to accusations of obstruction of justice, and political corruption or more.

Super Bowl Sunday turned out perfectly for the Seattle Seahawks. Not so much for Governor Christie. He didn't have such a good day. Indeed, the Super Bowl Christie envisioned, when the games were perfectly timed to coincide with his grand plans for a political debut, have, instead, focused on the winner and loser of the game, rather than on the governor's political momentum.

This Super Bowl 48 was a win for the Seattle Seahawks, a team representing a progressive US state where a $15 minimum wage will soon be state law (maybe it already is so).  

Maybe Governor Christie can visit Washington state to learn how football trophies are something like politics, because it takes a focused team effort to win. Governor Christie had an unfocused team when his staff caused a preventable traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge in September 2013, just to exert undue political leverage against the Mayor of Fort Lee.  Now, the Governor and his staff are very focused on staying out of jail.

It certainly turned out to be a non Super Bowl Sunday for Governor Chris Christie.  

For the Seattle Seahawks, it was a terrific Super Bowl 48 win. Congratulations.

Governor Chris Christie Traffic Jam is Closing His Career Lanes

Americans may be ambiguous about Governor Christie's insincerity and truthfulness when it comes to his three months late apology for "bridgegate", the closing of exit lanes off the George Washington Bridge leading to Fort Lee New Jersey, because people on his staff wanted to cause a traffic jam.

But, Americans are not ambiguous about traffic jams. Democrats who want Governor Christie exposed for being a political bully, who engages in abuse of power whenever he might be able to get away with it, should keep their sights on the angst caused by traffic jam, rather than on the politics.

In all the rhetoric about how Governor Christie was either potentially not involved, not informed or innocent about the outrageous bridge lane closings, for what's been called "retaliatory" reasons, the apologies just don't seem genuine. Governor Christie nevr "got" the issue. It's about traffic, stupid!

When first asked about the incident, Governor Christie responded with outrageous bravado, saying something like he was the person placing the traffic cones. Lesson in traffic scandals 101 - never try to make bravado out of traffic jams.

Dear Governor Christie, for what it's worth, the correct answer should have been this: "Whadddya mean, lanes closed to Fort Lee?  Who did this?  I want answers! Heads will roll about this!".  Instead, Governor Christie said he was the person putting up the traffic cones.

This issue resonates with people because it's about being stuck in traffic on a bridge. It's a nightmare to which we can all relate.

Especially on September 11, 2013.

My prediction is that the traffic jam on the George Washington Bridge on September 11, 2013 is closing the lanes on Governor Christie's political ambitions to become president of the United States.

If Christie thinks he was smug about putting up cones on the George Washington Bridge, then he should consider practicing how to perfect this skill.

Maybe, he'll one day be directing traffic on the George Washington Bridge - and his bravado statements might prove to have been a self fulfilling prophesy.