Now, it’s the party’s goal to make sure Christie’s paralysis lasts. The basic way to do that is through long-running investigations. New Jersey Democrats have already used their control of the state legislature to set up a structure for those probes. The situation is filled with danger because some of Christie’s closest former associates — the ones who know what happened in the bridge affair, as well as all sorts of other matters — are under subpoena.

Abandoned by the governor and testifying under oath, it’s possible they could give investigators damaging material that extends beyond last year’s traffic jam. Christie, a former U.S. attorney, well knows that investigations can take unexpected turns once people have a motive to talk. And in this case, Democratic strategists are rooting for as wide a probe as possible.

“When [investigators] start giving immunity, that’s when we’re going to know,” says a Democratic strategist. On Monday, both Democratic sources were buzzing about word that David Wildstein, the Christie appointee to the Port Authority who was on the receiving end of the “Time for some traffic problems in Fort Lee” email, is offering revelations in exchange for immunity. For Democrats, that’s happy talk.