Chris Christie Finally Wins Bruce Springsteen's Affection
It's the most unrequited relationship in politics, but last night it showed signs of thaw. During a concert in upstate New York, blue collar champion Bruce Springsteen uttered what may have been his first kind words toward New Jersey's Republican governor Chris Christie, according to a detailed writeup of his set on his fan page.
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"We're a band that you can't separate from the Jersey shore — still basically a glorified bar band," said the governor. "So we're gonna do this tonight from our hometown to your hometown. We'll send this out to all the people working down there: the police officers, the firemen, and also to the Governor, who has done such a hard job this past week."
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Well, well: an on-stage send out! It's no secret that the two mens' politics are diametrically opposed, but while that's never gotten in the way of Christie's fandom (he's been to over a 120 concerts), it has for Springsteen. "Despite heroic efforts by Christie, Springsteen, who is still a New Jersey resident, will not talk to him," reported The Atlantic's Jeffrey Goldberg over the summer. Here's how he characterized the tortured relationship:
On occasion, he’ll make a public plea to Springsteen, as he did earlier this spring, when Christie asked him to play at a new casino in Atlantic City. “He says he’s for the revitalization of the Jersey Shore, so this seems obvious,” Christie told me. I asked him if he’s received a response to his request. “No, we got nothing back from them,” he said unhappily, “not even a ‘Fuck you.’”
At least now, the silent treatment has ended. So what won Christie the modest praise? A shared love of New Jersey in her time of need? Christie's effusive praise of President Obama during the relief effort? Could be either. But don't expect any political epiphanies: The Boss is still campaigning aggressively for President Obama's re-election.
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