Last night, Rachel Maddow compared Gov. Chris Christie to … AL CAPONE.
This isn’t the first time mob references have been used on MSNBC and others in the media.
This, of course, is a trend. Andrew Sullivan has referenced the “Soprano-style,” Joy-Ann Reid said Bridget Kelly is “the top cap on this operation.” This has been repeated numerous places, including Salon, etc.
And who could forget the TNR photo of Christie’s superimposed on an image of Tony Soprano?
… And then there was that Morning Joe chyron (which was clever, but still…)
Look, I’ve taken a few shots at Christie over the years, but the relentless mafia comparisons seem to me, at least, to be over the top.
Sen. Marco Rubio has mentioned how anyone wanting to criticize him in Florida politics would use “Miami” as a code word (we know MSNBC is familiar with dog whistles.) Well, it seems a similar connection is being made here based on the virtue that Christie is governor of New Jersey.
It’s fair to discuss New Jersey’s political culture (as it pertains to this story), and I’ve done that. But constantly comparing Gov. Christie to organized crime bosses seems a bit much considering the evidence and the circumstances. The media, it seems, has run amok.