Chris Christie: No rift with Bruce Springsteen
Imagine you're New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie - argumentative political personality, world's biggest Bruce Springsteen fan - and you're confronted by a constituent with the gall to misrepresent your relationship with the Boss. What do you do?
Why, you argue, of course.
At a town hall event on Tuesday, a woman suggested Springsteen had banned the use of his music at Christie's events because the singer didn't agree with the Republican governor's politics.
Christie, who has seen Springsteen over 100 times in concert, quickly refuted her.
"No, never did that," he said, according to a video posted by the Newark Star-Ledger. "Nah, you're wrong about that. Bruce has never asked me to do that."
"In fact, I saw Bruce just a week and a half ago..." he continued.
"When you were dancing with Bon Jovi, maybe, in the Hamptons?" the woman asked, clearly teasing the governor.
"Well, no, that I was doing this weekend, and I wasn't dancing with Bon Jovi, I was dancing with Jamie Foxx," Christie clarified. "So if you're going to be cute we should get the story right."
"I saw Bruce about a week and a half ago," he went on, "and he had every opportunity to tell me not to. He didn't and he never has told me not to do it."
When the woman persisted, Christie shut her down.
"Nah, listen. I know him, and you're wrong," he said. "I understand you're now expressing your politics. You're now expressing your politics and your objection, and that's fine. Don't put it in Mr. Springsteen's mouth -- put it in yours."
"I know Bruce and I've spoken to Bruce and you're wrong. You're absolutely wrong," Christie said. "When I leave, just so we can have this lady be a little calmer, let's play Bon Jovi on the way out."
For what it's worth, Springsteen has expressed his opposition to many of Christie's policies, particularly those that affect organized labor, but he's never asked the governor to stop using his music.
Despite their differences, Christie and Springsteen found common cause in relief efforts after Hurricane Sandy struck the Jersey Shore in 2012. At a benefit concert in November 2012, the two met backstage and exchanged a hug.
"He told me it's official: we're friends," Christie gushed. "I told the president today, actually, that the hug was great and when we got home, there was a lot of weeping because of the hug. And the president asked why. I said, 'Well, to be honest, I was the one doing the weeping.'"
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