{"id":12002,"date":"2014-01-10T00:37:15","date_gmt":"2014-01-10T08:37:15","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=12002"},"modified":"2014-01-10T00:37:16","modified_gmt":"2014-01-10T08:37:16","slug":"open-thread1102014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2014\/01\/10\/open-thread1102014\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–1\/10\/2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m writing for tomorrow and feeling like what the elephant in today\u2019s cartoon did, so this Open Thread will deal with just one issue.  I bet you can guess which one it is.<\/font><\/p>\n

Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s took me 4:04 (average 4:54).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

From The New Yorker<\/a>: <\/font>All lanes of traffic on the George Washington Bridge were blocked this afternoon by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie\u2019s ego, traffic reports said.<\/p>\n

Aerial images of the bridge showed traffic snarling for miles as Mr. Christie\u2019s massive self-regard shut down all lanes on the upper and lower roadways. Tracy Klugian, a frustrated motorist attempting to head back to his home in Montclair, New Jersey, echoed the feelings of many drivers whose passage was blocked by the gargantuan ego: \u201cFirst the polar vortex, and now this.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesman for the New York City Department of Transportation advised motorists to avoid the Governor\u2019s ego by using the Lincoln and Holland tunnels \u201cbefore Chris Christie remembers they\u2019re there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bridgeghazi!<\/font><\/strong><\/p>\n

From NY Times<\/a>: <\/font><\/p>\n

The mystery of who closed two lanes onto the George Washington Bridge \u2014 turning the borough of Fort Lee, N.J., into a parking lot for four days in September \u2014 exploded into a full-bore political scandal for Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday. Emails and texts revealed that a top aide had ordered the closings to punish the town\u2019s mayor after he did not endorse the governor for re-election.<\/p>\n

\u201cTime for some traffic problems in Fort Lee,\u201d Bridget Anne Kelly, a deputy chief of staff to Mr. Christie, emailed David Wildstein<\/a>, a high school friend of the governor who worked at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which runs the bridge.<\/p>\n

Later text messages mocked concerns that school buses filled with students were stuck in gridlock: \u201cThey are the children of Buono voters,\u201d Mr. Wildstein wrote, referring to Mr. Christie\u2019s opponent Barbara Buono.<\/p>\n

The emails are striking in their political maneuvering, showing Christie aides gleeful about some of the chaos that resulted. Emergency vehicles were delayed in responding to three people with heart problems and a missing toddler, and commuters were left fuming. One of the governor\u2019s associates refers to the mayor of Fort Lee as \u201cthis little Serbian,\u201d and Ms. Kelly exchanges messages about the plan while she is in line to pay her respects at a wake. <\/p>\n

Bridgeghazi!!<\/font><\/h3>\n

From YouTube<\/a> and YouTube<\/a>: <\/font>ALL IN WITH CHRIS HAYES 1\/8\/14. PART I<\/p>\n