N.J. Gov. Chris Christie finally gets Bruce Springsteen’s approval

The two most famous Jersey Boys in America today are the stars of an unrequited-love story. Gov. Chris Christie, a gruff-talking Republican, is also one of Bruce Springsteen’s most devoted lifelong fans despite The Boss’ well-known liberal beliefs.

This has made for some awkwardness between them at New Jersey events. Jeffrey Goldberg thoroughly documented Christie’s unrequited Bruce affection in a piece in the Atlantic this summer, and it’s actually kind of moving.

The enthusiastic Christie will sing his heart out to “Thunder Road” at Springsteen shows, while The Boss has generally kept his distance from the outspoken conservative, sometimes passing right by him backstage with barely a greeting (though, reportedly, Springsteen has been friendly to Christie’s children).

The fallout from Hurricane Sandy might have signaled a truce, however. At a concert in upstate New York this week, Springsteen went out of his way to acknowledge the governor’s work in the recovery effort, telling the crowd, “So we’re gonna do this tonight from our hometown to your hometown. We’ll send this out to all the people working down there: the police officers, the firemen, and also to the governor, who has done such a hard job this past week.” At Thursday night’s show at Penn State, he also praised Christie for doing “a fine job” handling recovery efforts, just before playing “My City of Ruins.”

While Springsteen is still campaigning hard for President Obama (he’ll make two appearances with the President on Monday in the swing states of Wisconsin and Ohio), the fate of the Jersey Shore is good reason to cross the aisle. Christie has even been effusive in his praise of Obama’s disaster management -- proof that “4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)” is an excellent tool for diplomacy.

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