Web Editor
On Oct. 25, Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie was asked to leave the quiet car on an Amtrak train travelling from Washington D.C to New York. Christie is well known for having a big mouth, so following repeated noise complaints from passengers he complied when he was asked to leave the car.
The incident arose when the New Jersey governor boarded the train and supposedly started talking with a state trooper traveling with him about a mix-up involving his seat assignment. Afterwards, he began conversing on his phone, a prohibited action in the quiet car. This lasted for about ten minutes, until passenger complaints led the conductor to tell Christie to either stop using his cell phone, or leave the train car; after this confrontation he moved to a different car.
courtesy wikimedia commons
Later in the day, Christie’s spokeswoman Sam Smith released a statement saying that he accidentally sat in the quiet train. She said that after “breaking the cardinal rule of the quiet car, the Governor promptly left once he realized the serious nature of his mistake and enjoyed the rest of his time on the train from the cafe car.” Although the statement suggests that he was well-mannered regarding the incident, reports vary on Christie’s attitude when he was asked to leave the quiet car on Sunday morning. Some passengers claim that he was courteous and respectful to train passengers and employees, while others say that he was loud and disrespectful.
Some are wondering if Christie’s actions on the train will hurt him in upcoming polls. According to Huffington Post Pollster, he is currently ranked in eighth place among Republican nominees with 2.8 percent of Republican support. Republican political consultant Susan Del Percio told the Post that the incident “plays into his narrative of being loud and outspoken, although with his standing in the polls, it likely won’t make much difference.”
(sources: CNN, NY Post)
Categories: National, Web Exclusive