On Sunday, the editorial page editor of the Star-Ledger, New Jersey’s biggest newspaper, explained his regrets for endorsing the now scandal-plagued Chris Christie for governor last year. “An endorsement is not a love embrace. It is a choice between two flawed human beings,” wrote Tom Moran. “But yes, we blew this one.” Moran went on to say while the Star-Ledger’s editorial “knew Christie was a bully” at the time of the endorsement, they didn’t think he was “crazy” enough to cause those traffic problems in Fort Lee, “use Hurricane Sandy aid as a political slush fund,” or possibly allow his deputies to threaten the mayor of Hoboken.
Moran added that while the Star-Ledger frequently criticized Christie (to the point where the governor “boycotted the editorial board for years, an attempt to bully us into more loving coverage”), the paper went with him because his opponent, Barbara Buono, “was not up to the job of being governor — even in the view of many Democrats.” As for why they didn’t skip the endorsement all together? “We felt The Star-Ledger should belly up to the challenge and offer [voters] our best advice.” The lesson? Sometimes, when it comes to political endorsements, if you can’t say something nice, it really is best to not say anything at all.
