It’s good that Chris Christie has recovered from his bout with the coronavirus, and even better that he has done that rare thing among politicians, and in particular Trump allies, and admitted he was wrong not to have worn a mask during his recent interactions at the White House leading up to his illness. If this helps save even one life, it’s a good thing. Credit where credit is due.
Yet, in an op ed published today in the Wall Street Journal, Christie avers that after wearing a mask consistently for seven months, “I let my guard down” while at recent events at the White House — the Supreme Court nomination event for Judge Amy Coney Barrett, and Donald Trump’s debate preparations. But this is not the entire truth, is it? Christie didn’t just randomly let down his guard at the Barrett event, but joined in a televised parade of propaganda orchestrated by the White House to present mask-free images of Republican leadership meant to reinforce the president’s re-election message that the pandemic has largely been defeated and that covid-19 is nothing to be feared. This spectacle ended up being self-defeating and grotesque, a super spreader event that sickened senators and White House staff.
Christie also steers well clear of the contradiction between serving a key role in prepping President Trump to debate Joe Biden, and Trump’s centrality in spreading misinformation and denial about the virus — including, most saliently, the president’s long-standing contempt for mask wearing. To put it again in the terms in which he chooses to frame his decision not to wear a mask at the White House — Christie didn’t just let down his guard because the White House was supposed to be a safe space. He let down his guard interacting with a man who berates and belittles staff members who wear masks, and who has done unparalleled damage to the effort to get Americans to wear masks, all for the sake of increasing his re-election chances so that President Trump can keep on with his anti-mask, pandemic-denying insanity.
The clincher is that in his op ed piece, Christie has the gall to offer the following observations:
We are asked to wear cloth over our mouth and nose, wash our hands and avoid crowds. These minor inconveniences can save your life, your neighbors and the economy. Seldom has so little been asked for so much benefit. Yet the message will be broadly heeded only if it is consistently and honestly delivered by the media, religious leaders, sports figures and public servants. Those in positions of authority have a duty to get the message out.
One of the worst aspects of America’s divided politics is the polarization of something as practical as a mask.
No American politician has been more responsible for denigrating these “minor conveniences” as the very same man that Christie treats as a close ally, a man who has singled-handedly created the “polarization” that Christie decries. In refusing to name names while professing to be on the side of the angels, Christie is caught in the awkward act of attempting to flee a sinking ship while pretending he wasn’t one of the captain’s best mates. You cannot support President Trump’s re-election, cannot help him debate and defeat Joe Biden, while also pretending to denounce politicians who don’t take the coronavirus seriously.