So Chris Christie has come and gone. Vermont Republicans feel a sugar-rush of energy and hope unfelt since the salad days of Jim Douglas. They also received a much-needed infusion of cash from their first successful high-profile fundraiser in at least two years. Otherwise?

The evening was an opportunity squandered.

The party could have gotten so much more out of the evening — in money, and in free publicity.

Money first. It was reportedly a capacity crowd, which begs the question, “How many more tickets could have been sold?” The event was held at the Champlain Valley Expo, which has a large and flexible events facility. (Banquet capacity up to 2,000, according to its website.)

I don’t know if anything else was going on last night at the Expo, but ticket sales had been brisk from the moment Christie’s appearance was announced. Could the party have requested a larger space? Maybe, maybe not. Perhaps after the dismal performance of the Scott Brown fundraiser in Rutland (50 attendees, a net loss for the event), party leaders may have been understandably gun-shy.

Okay, so the VTGOP failed to maximize its investment. The bigger failure, by far, was the limited publicity due to a complete news blackout. The media were banned from the event — and even banned from getting anywhere near the event. And by all accounts, nothing controversial was said! No “legitimate rape,” no “lazy 47-percenters,” just an evening of uplifting messages about broadening the party’s appeal. Republican Rep. Patti Komline Tweeted, “NO partisan trash talking. Loving it!” And former Democratic Burlington City Councilor Ed Adrian Tweeted, “No ‘red meat’ … Still wondering why media shut out.”

Me. too.

(Even a clueless Tea Partier like John “MacGoo” MacGovern realizes that his party missed an opportunity. He posted this comment today on VTDigger: “Though I agree that the Vermont media does not, generally, give Republicans a fair shake, the idea of keeping the media out of an event like this one strikes me as utterly foolish and counter-productive.”)

This morning could have brought an avalanche of positive press for the VTGOP: energy, enthusiasm, money, a validation of Phil Scott’s alleged new direction. Instead, we get dribbly little write-arounds (Freeploid’s Nancy Remsen resorted to quoting a Christie speech from last month, since she couldn’t get even a transcript of his remarks at the Expo) and complaints about lack of access (Paul Heintz and Anne Galloway). All festooned with dismal photos of a cold, dark parking lot and a forlorn “GOP GALA” sign.  

Not only were the media kept out of the event — they were blocked from getting anywhere near the frickin’ building! An understandably cranky Galloway:

Party officials, security and police officers refused to let us anywhere near the doorway to the Blue Ribbon Pavilion at the Champlain Valley Fairgrounds and relegated us to the chain link fence on the edge of the property. So we stood for about an hour and a half outside the entrance gate, jumping up and down to keep warm and waving at the GOP attendees driving past.

At one point, we took our chances and wandered in, only to be chided by security who were backed up by several young police officers who looked as though they relished the thought of carting us off.

It appears as though Christie’s team requested the ban on coverage of his speech, but this blockade of the entire site seems like absolute overkill. And the blame for that has to go to the VTGOP.

The Christie team was also, as far as I can tell, guilty of overkill, in a way that reveals a lack of respect for the VTGOP. Christie himself jetted in and out of town; his stay was as brief as possible. State party officials were even afraid he’d miss the $10,000 “policy roundtable” because his schedule was so tight. His office couldn’t be bothered to return calls from multiple Vermont reporters.

And if the Christie team ordered the media ban, well, they don’t always do so. Remsen reports that the media were welcome to a Christie fundraiser last week for Idaho’s Republican Governor. Why can Idaho reporters do their jobs, while Vermont’s finest have to freeze in the dark?

No press conference, no access to the speech. Not even a brief photo opportunity!

No, Christie gave the VTGOP the absolute minimum of his time and effort. And the VTGOP, being what it is, was grateful for the crumbs from his table.

(Admittedly, that’s a whole lotta crumbs. …Thank you! I’ll be here all week. Try the veal.)

Christie reportedly promised to return to Vermont when hell freezes over if Vermont gets “great candidates up and down the ballot.” I think he’s fully aware that that’s a check he’ll never have to cash.