New Jersey’s outspoken Republican Gov. Chris Christie has had his run-ins with Gov. Dannel P. Malloy in the past. And on Monday morning he did not hold back in gloating over Malloy’s most recent setback.
Just a few days after Malloy saw his concessions deal with the union fall apart, his rival appeared on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.”
Christie laughed as one of the show’s host Joe Scarborough mentioned Malloy’s name, and then took him to task for lecturing and preaching about how his concessions deal was the proper way to deal with a budget crisis and then leaving the people of Connecticut hanging when the deal fell through.
“Dan Malloy was lecturing me about how he can get it done, he’s conciliatory he negotiates with people. He got these big concessions in return for big tax increases,” Christie said. “So now what do the people of Connecticut have? Big tax increases with no concessions because the union stuck it to him.”
Christie, whose approval ratings in New Jersey have hit a lull of late continued, saying, “What these folks in the public sector unions respect is strength,” while Malloy showed weakness.
The New Jersey governor, whose name has been tossed around as a potential presidential or vice presidential candidate as soon as 2012, mocked Malloy’s failure.
“He went around and trumpeted the 1.6 billion in concessions that he got and they voted it down. So now the people of Connecticut have the tax increases without the labor concessions,” said Christie. “And now what he is going to have to do is lay off up to 7,500 people. I’d say that’s going to make him even more popular in Connecticut.”
Watch the full “Morning Joe” interview here:
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