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Bruce Springsteen’s Chris Christie Spoof Draws Conservative Ire

Bruce Springsteen, Chris Christie, Rush Limbaugh, "Gov. Christie Traffic Jam," "Born to Run," parody, New Jersey, Bridgegate, Fort Lee

Bruce Springsteen’s performance parodying New Jersey Governor Chris Christie may well outlast disappointing new album High Hopes in the public conversation. Christie, who has been under fire recently in connection with the closure of lanes onto the George Washington Bridge, hasn’t commented yet on his favorite singer’s “Bridgegate” spoof, but as the New Yorker‘s John Cassidy points out, he’ll have to eventually. In the meantime, one of the loudest conservative voices has already filled the silence, slamming Springsteen’s Christie-themed Late Night With Jimmy Fallon spoof in no uncertain terms.

As Politico reports, radio host Rush Limbaugh bashed the Boss’s “Born to Run” update on the air on January 15. “You talk about a low-rent character,” Limbaugh said, according to a transcript. El Rushbo ripped into the outspoken Democrat Springsteen for mocking the Republican Christie, a superfan who has seen the man about 130 times and has said he wept after meeting the rock icon at a Hurricane Sandy benefit. “And here is the guy who brought him to tears by talking to him, making fun of him on a late-night comedy show,” Limbaugh said.

Many other conservative outlets were notably silent on Springsteen’s Christie spoof, although John Poderetz tweeted, “Hard to overcome pop-cultural assaults like this.” Still, Limbaugh’s remarks show the viral video may have life beyond its nearly two million views on YouTube (not counting those on NBC’s site). Subpoenas for the players in the lane closures are on the way today, according to USA Today. Limbaugh correctly noted Christie has apologized for the scandal and has denied involvement in the order to shut down the Fort Lee, New Jersey, bridge access lanes. But Springsteen’s No. 1 fan will likely need more than that to best his hero in the court of public opinion.

Read the full lyrics to “Gov. Christie Traffic Jam” below, via the New Jersey Star Ledger.

In the day we sweat it out on the streets, stuck in traffic on the GWB

They shut down the tollbooths of glory ’cause we didn’t endorse Christie.

Sprung from cages on Highway 9, we got three lanes closed, so Jersey get your ass in line

Whoa, maybe this Bridgegate was just payback, it’s a bitchslap to the state democrats,

We gotta get out but we can’t. We’re stuck in Gov. Chris Christie’s Fort Lee, N.J. traffic jam.

Governor, let me in, I wanna be your friend, there’ll be no partisan divisions

Let me wrap my legs ’round your mighty rims and relieve your stressful condition

You’ve got Wall Street masters stuck cheek-to-cheek with blue collar truckers, and man, I really gotta take a leak

But I can’t. I’m stuck in Gov. Chris Christie’s Fort Lee, N.J. traffic jam

Highways jammed with pissed off drivers with no place left to go

And the press conference went on and on, it was longer than one of my own damn shows

Someday, governor, I don’t know when, this will all end, but till then you’re killing the working man

who’s stuck in the Gov. Chris Christie Fort Lee, N.J. traffic jam

Whoa, oh oh oh

I gotta take a leak

Whoa, oh oh oh

I really gotta take a leak

Whoa, oh oh oh

Down in Jerseyland