When New Jersey Governor Chris Christie made his first public statement regarding the scandal he finds himself mired in, he spoke about his outrage and his lack of personal knowledge of the alleged misdeeds, but also about how the people of his state “deserve better” behavior on the part of their elected officials.
“What I’ve seen today for the first time is unacceptable,” Christie said in a prepared statement. “I am outraged and deeply saddened to learn that not only was I misled by a member of my staff, but this completely inappropriate and unsanctioned conduct was made without my knowledge. One thing is clear: this type of behavior is unacceptable and I will not tolerate it because the people of New Jersey deserve better.”
However, almost immediately after news of the governor’s statement spread, residents of states other than New Jersey were quick to disagree with Christie’s claim, or at least question whether or not it was true.
“‘Deserve?'” asked Doris Armeson, a retired elementary school teacher from Waltham, Massachusetts. “They ‘deserve better?’ Why? What did they do, they’re so special? They live in New Jersey so they don’t have to deal with an idiot politician screwing up their lives? Please. I’ve known people from New Jersey. Plenty of them. They’re not so wonderful. I’d say a traffic jam is just about right, if you ask me honestly.”
Darryl Johnston, an electrician from Evanston, Illinois, echoed that sentiment.
“I’m not sure, really, if they do deserve better,” he said. “I mean, it’s Jersey, you know? What do they have? The Turnpike and Springsteen? I mean, come on. They kind of got off easy.”
