NYT columnist: Christie chose meeting Springsteen over Romney victory

Conservatives beat up on New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie in the final days of the election for gushing over President Obama's handling of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy. Some suggested Christie was hurting Mitt Romney's chances to win, possibly putting his own political future ahead of the current GOP presidential nominee.

In the New York Times, columnist Timothy Egan says it was more about Christie meeting his idol Bruce Springsteen than anything else. Christie was able to meet Springsteen on Monday.

From Egan's column:

I told my friends, only half in jest, that Christie was really after a chance to meet Springsteen. That he would do anything, even kill the momentum of his party’s nominee, for a bromance with Jersey’s favorite son. This would explain why he was playing nice. Sure enough, on Monday, during his now-daily call to Christie, the president handed the phone off to Springsteen. The governor may never clean that ear again. ...

Now: the exit polls show the hurricane had only a minor effect on voter attitudes. But if, as many believe, the chance for Obama to appear bipartisan and presidential in the last week of the campaign with one of his most strident critics was just enough to tip independent voters in swing states — well, I rest my case.

In that case, it wasn’t Sandy that determined the election. It was the man who wrote “Sandy.”