By Brigid Harrison, The Record.
In case there is any doubt by New Jerseyans, or on the part of Christie: The state’s teachers unions are not big fans of the governor.
THEY COME by the hundreds. Sometimes, like on the day Governor Christie announced his intention to pursue the GOP nomination for president, they come by the thousands. They protest at town hall meetings. They protest at fundraisers.
Last week, they went so far as to charter a banner plane, with a message reading “Chris Christie makes us sick.” The plane looped around the Asbury Park Convention Hall, where donors were in the process of adding $1.3 million to Chris Christie’s presidential war chest.
In case there is any doubt by New Jerseyans, or on the part of Christie: The state’s teachers unions are not big fans of the governor.
And it would seem the feeling is mutual.
Christie made an appearance on CNN last Sunday. Host Jake Tapper, working off Christie’s reputation as bully, asked the governor, “At the national level, who deserves a punch in the face?” Without hesitating, Christie responded: “Oh, the national teachers union, who has already endorsed Hillary Clinton 16, 17 months before the election.”
In this case, Christie was referring to the American Federation of Teachers (full disclosure: I am a member of AFT Local 1904). The AFT is headed by Randi Weingarten, a close Clinton ally. Many AFT leaders and rank-and-file members were rankled that the union chose to endorse Clinton so early in the campaign. But the eventual endorsement was predictable.
Weingarten chose to use Christie’s statement as an opportunity to go after Christie, both from a policy level and in terms of his personality, issuing a statement that said, “Chris Christie has issues — from reneging on his promise to fix pensions to his state’s fiscal standing facing near junk bond status. But the biggest issue is he’s a bully and has anger management problems. That he would threaten to punch teachers in the face — mostly women seeking to help children meet their potential and achieve their dreams — promotes a culture of violence and underscores why he lacks the temperament and emotional skills to be president, or serve in any leadership capacity. It’s a sad day in the life of our nation to see a candidate threaten violence to gain political favor.”
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