If Chris Christie had political hopes beyond limping out of office as New Jersey’s governor, his little sunbathing interlude on a public beach he’d closed to the public during a government shutdown definitely did not improve his chances of making good on those ambitions. Monmouth University polled to find out just how bad the damage to Christie’s reputation was. It’s bad … in the most glorious way.
Almost all respondents — 86 percent — saw the pictures. When asked to describe it, the most popular word New Jerseyans used was "disgusted," at 7 percent, with "anger" and "disbelief" a close second. Other popular words: "Selfish," "hypocrite" and "arrogant." Less than 10 percent either said something positive or that they weren't bothered by it.
And then there was this: "Another 6% of those polled simply used some form of profanity to express their sentiments about Christie's beach day," said the press release circulated with the poll.
Don’t you wish Monmouth would release a detailed breakdown of that profane 6 percent? The only clue offered on the poll results is the entry “Jerk, profanity used.” But what’s the breakdown between “jerk” and profanity, and what profanities? I’d speculate that “asshole” would follow “jerk,” but did anyone get creative? Come on, guys, releasing this information would be a great way to get Monmouth University polling into the news some more!
Disappointingly, Christie failed to get his approval rating down to single digits, despite doing his sun-soaked best.