BridgeGate and the Sopranos

As the details regarding Gov. Chris Christie’s traffic scandal—or #Bridgegate as it’s come to be known on Twitter—unfold, I can’t help up think of the opening theme to the Sopranos. The iconic HBO series starts with Tony Soprano cruising a polluted Jersey Turnpike, with numerous views of the George Washington bridge to the tune of “You Woke Up this Morning / Got Yourself a Gun.”

Suddenly, the highway Tony Soprano acted as if he owned is also the scene of Christie’s scandal, where blocked traffic lanes held up commuters in Fort Lee as political retribution against the town’s Democratic mayor. Christie’s no-nonsense Jersey demeanor helped him to win landslide reelection last year, but now he has a different sort of stereotype to answer for. Namely, the sort of sleaze and corruption that the Sopranos made famous.

It’s far too early to know the extent of Christie’s misdeeds and the effect Bridgegate will have on his 2016 presidential hopes. Many conservatives are rightly angry and disappointed that their early presidential favorite has had the brakes slammed on his rise to national leadership. But the abuse of political power is something that those of us who care about small government and liberty should find intolerable, regardless of party affiliation. I’ve been a fan of Christie’s Northeastern-styled conservatism, even though I’ve found his gruff way of dealing with opponents off-putting. But now I can’t get rid of the image of Tony Soprano clouding-up his rearview mirror with cigar smoke. It’s not a very statesmanlike picture.