WATCH: Chris Christie to Heckler: ‘Sit Down and Shut Up’
It was just earlier this month when I complained there hadn’t been a great/embarrassing Chris Christie rant in a while. But then we got him saying he’s tired of talking about the minimum wage, and that the GOP needs to win this election so they’re in control for when people vote in 2016.
And now he’s told a constituent to sit down and shut up! He’s picking up the slack.
This is the best of the recent Chris Christie incidents. This week is the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy’s landfall, and many New Jersey residents are disappointed in the ongoing recovery effort. A new poll says 66 percent of Jersey residents are dissatisfied with the recovery effort.
The man who stood up at yesterday’s Chris Christie press conference was Jim Keady, a former Asbury Park city councilman. His family owns a bar in Barnegat Light. He’s a Democrat.
Christie’s response is pretty funny, as is any time one tells a man to “shut up” when he hasn’t actually said anything. (“Sit down!” was accurate.)
“I’m glad you had your day to show off, but we’re the ones who are here to actually do the work. So turn around, get your 15 minutes of fame and then maybe take your jacket off, roll up your sleeves and maybe do something for the people of this state. So listen, you want to have the conversation later, I’m happy to have it, buddy. But until that time, sit down and shut up.”
Keady’s group, Finish the Job, says Christie has not yet released $800 million in federal funds earmarked for Sandy relief. Keady grew up in Belmar, where yesterday’s press conference was held.
“Look, I’m not afraid to take stands. I’ve been an activist my entire life,” Keady told ABC News. “I’m 6-4, 215 pounds. A former athlete. He tried to do his normal bullying thing to me. His normal routine of bullying old ladies isn’t working with me.”