Democratic media consultant Jimmy Siegel, who is no fan of Christie and believes that he probably is a bully, concurs with a central theme of Steele’s analysis—that much of the recent unflattering coverage is being influenced, if not orchestrated, by Democratic operatives.

“Now they’re going after him,” Siegel says. “I think they read the polls like everyone else, and they want people to see him as something different from the straight-talking lung-to-tongue guy who tells it the way it is and is willing to reach across the aisle. So now they’re portraying the more unsavory aspects of his character.”

Siegel theorizes that Christie, who has handled the bridge flap with admirable restraint, might ultimately revert to form and damage himself in an angry explosion. “If there is any politician who is susceptible to an ‘A Few Good Men’ moment—the Jack Nicholson character who is put under so much pressure that he will lash out at any moment—it’s Christie. And his opponents are hoping that will happen. It hasn’t so far.”

Steele, too, cautions that Christie should exercise discipline and not do anything that could fuel new headlines. “You can become your own worst enemy in these narratives to prove a point, and come out on the other end not smelling or looking as good as you think you should,” Steele says. “You’ve got to be careful you don’t create new negative narratives going forward.”