Combative Chris Christie knocks opponent over with a feather

Thanks to Peggy Noonan of the Wall Street Journal for pointing out a classic Chris Christie moment.

In the New Jersey gubernatorial debate last night, Christie’s opponent, state Sen. Barbara Buono, tried to out-muscle the Republican incumbent, taking a confrontational tone throughout. Christie turned the tables, delivering a knockout blow to his Democratic opponent by killing her with kindness.

Over at conservativeintel.com, they offered this assessment: “When I think of Chris Christie’s style, I think about the guy who embarrasses hecklers and cracks wise sharply enough to make his political opponents’ heads hurt. But sometimes, you can knock your opponent over with a feather.”

At the Save Jersey Blog they wrote this:

“Swinging wildly all night in search of an elusive score, when asked to 'say something nice' about her opponent, Buono stayed consistently nasty and snorted that Christie was 'good on late night television.'
"Gov. Christie remained disciplined and proceeded to compliment Sen. Buono’s dedication to public service. 'While we have policy disagreements,' Christie said in a serious tone, 'I would never denigrate her service.'

Watch the video here.