Something’s been bugging me since seeing the Springsteen/Fallon video and the response to it here.
I generally have no trouble viewing the typical comedy thrashing of politicians (Daily Show etc…), and get a good deal of satisfaction regularly reading Daily Kos.
This situation with the Springsteen video stands out for me as being different and I’ve been struggling to figure out why. Accusations are mounting up pretty high about Christie being a bully and using his considerable power in ways that disregard serious impacts on others.
And yet… what do we get by using someone’s love of anything, in this case an artist’s music, in a way that is reasonably known to be hurtful? The main answer to that here seems to be that giving a bully a taste of their own medicine is useful in some way. OK, let’s say for the moment that’s accurate. I think an interesting question is what else could Springsteen have done that might have had a more meaningful impact?
I think Springsteen just might have had considerable power at his disposal with Christie. Assuming that was true he of course had no obligation to even consider using it or getting actively involved in any way. The way I see it he chose to get involved in a way that seems to me to have largely thrown away that power.
Christie was I believe quoted some time ago as saying that if only he and Springsteen could sit down and talk, that Springsteen would realize that the two of them had a lot more similar views than he thought. What if Springsteen had called Christie on that and arranged to meet with him? He just might have been able, in a way no one else could, to talk straight to Christie and actually have Christie hear how he may be hurting others. Springsteen just might have been able to make a real impact on this man’s behavior, on the way he sees the world and his role in it.
Chris Christie will likely wield a considerable amount of power for some time to come, regardless of the way his run for the White House turns out. Maybe another tactic by Springsteen could have made better use of his influence with the Governor by changing the way the Governor uses his influence on others.