Christie, Protester Discuss Fallout From ‘Shut Up’ Incident

Both Chris Christie and protester Jim Keady are talking after an incident earlier this week where Christie told Keady to “sit down and shut up.” And things seem to be working out for both of them! Ahh, politics.

Keady, for his part, is doing the rounds on national media using this line: “I’m a 6-foot-4, 215-pound former pro-athlete. I’m not going to be bullied by him.” Which is not only a clever line, but reminds you he used to be a professional athlete! (He was the backup to U.S. goalkeeping legend Tim Howard for the North Jersey Imperials in the 1990s.)

Keady’s also gotten a lot of attention for his group, Finish the Job, which advocates that Christie has not done enough for Superstorm Sandy relief. “His administration is sitting on $800 million of taxpayer money that was supposed to go to our fellow New Jerseyans,” Keady told Bloomberg. Now people all over the country know about Keady!

As for Christie, well, he’s getting attention for his confrontational style, which lots of people have seemed to love in the past.

He called it “just another day at the ranch.” And he got an ovation after saying, “I tell people all the time, you know this is New Jersey — if you give it you’re getting it back.” Call Christie a bully if you want, but politics would be a lot more fun if every politician yelled at their constituents as often as Christie does. Imagine, politicians of all parties constantly screaming at their constituents to shut up. Everyone would want to run for office! Everyone would vote!

Christie is also currently jetting on a 19-state tour as part of job as the chairman of the Republican Governors Association. He was in four states alone on Thursday. Someone’s thinking about 2016. It’s win-win for everyone here!

Oh, yeah, David Axelrod also compared him to The Sopranos. Just another day at the ranch.

[Bloomberg | 6 ABC | Asbury Park Press | Politico]