The Christie Collapse and a Media Dream Dashed

[Commentary] It's hard to miss the aura of a letdown that surrounds the news coverage of Gov Chris Christie's (R-NJ) long-awaited announcement of his Presidential candidacy. Set to address supporters at his alma mater of Livingston High School in New Jersey, Gov Christie enters a very crowded Republican field of White House hopefuls and does so with some extraordinary baggage, which explains the Hail Mary flavor of the coverage, which comes with almost a tinge of sadness, or what-could-have-been regret.

The press seems to like Republican bullies. Prior to the eruption of the lane-closing controversy in 2014, the New Jersey governor spent years basking in the Beltway media glow specifically because of his eagerness to unleash combative, insulting bromides. It showed he was authentic! Any emotion Gov Christie showed was used to elevate him to hero status in the press. So, as Gov Christie launches his White House run, keep in mind that among all the candidates from both parties, it's a conservative Republican governor who, over the last five years, accumulated the largest pile of glowing Beltway press clips. And it's a candidate who has fallen almost completely out of favor with American voters.

[Eric Boehlert is a senior fellow at Media Matters for America]