“Eat a salad and take a walk.”
Makes sense to me: Christie keeps saying he won’t run.

Watch for him as the keynote speaker at the Repub convention and we’ll see about 2016 or 2020.

Shenonymous—-If he doesn’t have health problems he
most surely will carrying that much weight around.
He doesn’t need to add the stress associated with a
high governmental position such as President or Vice-
President.  If he is guily of the alleged corruption
charges America surely doesn’t need that type of
personality to lead the country.  What we need is
an honest politician who cares about all Americans.
I think Ralph Nader was such a person but for some
reason he didn’t get elected. Probably because he
wasn’t affiliated with the big politicial machines
in the country who want a figure-head president who
will go along with what the multi-national corporations want. The future looks bleak for the
American political system.  I read today that California is voting on labeling genetically modified
foods.  If that passes perhaps other states will
follow. They are already doing it in Europe.

We laugh together christian96, but maybe only us???  tch tch

I’m sorry Gov. Christie is so obese.  Like many say here, maybe he
cannot help it. There was a time, though, when he was not so big.
On NJ.com Christie said he has “long struggled with his weight,
which he says he started putting on after high school when he
stopped playing organized sports.”

On July 28, 2011, he was taken to the hospital with breathing
problems out of an abundance of caution so the article from
gothamist.com reported (it was blamed on asthma).

More than any issue about his weight is the issue of his corruption. 
Popular as he has been in New Jersey, he has had his troubles as a
politician.  He is not Mr. Clean. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/26/nyregion/26christie.html
Several of his cronies were indicted and convicted after he “aggressively
defended his decision to award his political allies lucrative contracts to
monitor corrupt corporations, telling a Congressional panel that his
actions had upheld justice and saved taxpayers money…”  and “...under
tense questioning, he acknowledged that one of the law firms that he
had given a contract has since made substantial donations to his
campaign for governor.” Also as reported in the news account, “Mr.
Christie’s office used deferred prosecution agreements in seven cases,
including the 2007 investigation of five companies that manufactured
orthopedic hips and knees and were accused of engaging in a kickback
scheme with orthopedic surgeons in order to defraud Medicare.”  The
result of the hearings was that the top three were indicted, as were
eleven other traders. 

Also Christie’s arrogance, abrasive and unethical style scapegoated a
New Jersey Education Commissioner for a $400 million mistake made in
an application for federal education aid, http://tinyurl.com/3qhnon6
Huffington Post reported contrary to claims of his capability to run a
successful governorship, the unemployment rate in New Jersey is 9.5
percent, above the national rate, and the state’s economy is struggling.
The governor has no experience in foreign affairs and few, if any,
relationships with international leaders.  He does not strike me a the best
candidate the Republicans can scare up.  Boo!

Shenonymous—-I loved your comment, “I want to see
his girth certificate.”  Very creative! Perhaps,
the nation should tax people according to their
“girth” among other things, especially income. The
wealthy “fat cats” should be taxed along with the
physical “fat cats.” How do you suggest we tax
physical “fat cats” who are also wealthy “fat cats?”
There has to be a special column for them.

The Bible reads, “Their table shall become a snare
for them.”  Looks like Mr. Christie is in a snare.
The Bible also predicts a “lack of self-control”
as a characteristic of people in the last days.
This politician is literally a “fat cat.”

There are pigs and then there are pigs and then there is righteous
inpignation.

Fess up, RayLan:
You equate Christie’s worth with his girth.
His girth is none of my business,  His worth as the worthless, inept, lying governor of my state is my business.

You want “Greedy Pigs”?  Check out the latest on the physically fairly trim and fit Koch Brothers! Check out Rick Perry’s history.  Check out Rick Scott’s in Florida.  All greedy pigs. All take government money.  All have STOLEN government money, knowingly.  And all are trim and fit.  Their operating motto is:
We can get away with this. Nobody will notice and if they do, we’ll hammer ‘em with Fox News attacks.

Me thinks Chris Christie’s Big Problem, aka his girth is no less a problem and none of my business, than Antony Werner’s little problem and his electronic relationships!

Except one is a Democrat and the other is unaccountable!

“The logic that this means that fat people are greedy pigs - is completely
fallacious - - ”  RayLan

The term,  “greedy pigs” can mean different things - - .

“completely fallacious - -” ?

Perhaps not completely “fallacious” -  - .

@ITW
“It is very easy to sniff and feel superior to fat people, to think one is better just because
you have a better metabolism and less desire to eat.”
Just as easy to get self-righteous when somebody uses pig-like qualities to symbolize greed. The logic that this means that fat people are greedy pigs - is completely fallacious - but then you need the indignation.

It is very easy to sniff and feel superior to fat people, to think one is better just because
you have a better metabolism and less desire to eat.

And when the warranty on you tape-worm expires and middle age hits you, or you
friends, you will realize that weight control is easy ONLY for those blessed with the right
metabolism.

I would lovebto see Christie defeated, but I despise him forbhisvworth, not his girth!

Chris Christie went up in my opinion when he called the fear-mongering about “Sharia law” being agitated by the Zionist lobby a bunch
of “crap,” that he had no time for. He then went on to appoint a
Muslim to the bench against the usual vicious criticism by this
crowd. For that reason, I doubt he would get very far in a
Presidential bid. It’s sort of like Rick Perry showing a soft spot
for the children of illegal immigrants. Unless your hate
credentials are bullet proof, you won’t get far in the
Republican party these days.

Tobysgirl

When I run for political office, I’ll expect my bizarre beliefs and obsessive behavior to be examined ad nauseam.  But I ain’t running.  And Christie is coyly acting as if he might just do that… 

You and the rest of the fat deniers are missing the point:  No one is saying that his girth should disqualify him for further public office; it’s something to consider, however. Much as Bush’s alcoholism and cocaine use should have alerted the public to the character flaws of that 8 year national disaster, food addiction is part of the character of the candidate.  To ignore it is to ignore reality.

As an atheist, I knew in my 20s that I was never going to be in the running for any national office. I don’t doubt that the same sense of second class citizenship is felt by those who have had abortions or criminal convictions (we’ve never had a president who was arrested in a demonstration…for any cause); who are gay, Muslim, socialist, or gun control advocates.  It’s what this country calls Democracy.  USA!  USA!

@ITW
“And many fat display extraordinary intelligence, despite what British tabs say”
Political correctness stubbornly dodges rationality.
Pig is not meant to connote stupidity but greed and self-indulgence - the physical in this case perfectly matching the mental.
What’s obnoxious is his agenda for which pig is an apt symbol - hence the obesity.

One of my hero’s.

Root Boy Slim.

http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Root+Boy+slim+fats+where+it+at&view=detail&mid=4CC3FB0A022601E506A94CC3FB0A022601E506A9&first=0&FORM=LKVR7

“The outer man perfectly expresses the inner pig.”

I find this sentiment as obnoxious as the comments about Obama’s features.
And many fat display extraordinary intelligence, despite what British tabs say.  I think of
the late Lawrence Egleberger,  a talented and brilliant diplomat who struggled with
weight all his life. Or Oprah, whose ability to market herself and connect with people
took this most unlikely candidate, an obese Black woman, and make her a star and
billionaire.  Or Candy Crowley, the obese but intensely talented reporter, who has to be
twice as good to get half as far, solely because of her weight.  Leslie West, the great
guitarist from “Mountain”, the American version of “Cream”.  Diego Rivera the genius
muralist was an incredibly fat and ugly man. And of course, tne generations of male
and female opera singers….

My comment about his girth certificate was obviously made as a
humorous counterpoint to the insane incessant call for Obama’s
birth certificate.  And the reactively defensive is histrionic.  I have
no reason to detest Gov. Christie, least of all for his fatness.  But I
do detest his politics and his thug’s verbal delivery of them.  The
facts do not uphold intelligence is not adversely affected by obesity.

From the dailymail.com.uk
http://tinyurl.com/3cc4e5l
Obese people lose IQ through ‘Homer Simpson effect’

The telegraph.co.uk
http://tinyurl.com/5u7sezm
The greater your weight, the lower your IQ, say scientists

About.com
http://tinyurl.com/3gu3pl5
Weight Gain = Intelligence Loss?

A google search will yield 4,770,000 results on the subject of the
correlation between obesity and intelligence.  A random check on
these 4 million plus results on any page of results shows they indicate
a definite connection between obesity and lower intelligence quotients. 
Now if Christie shows intelligence even though he is fat, just think how
much more intelligent he could be were he not fat.  Why he downright
could be a friggin genius!  That is in a Rightist sense of course.  LOL!!!

For anyone who is fat and is defensive about it, aside from the
intelligence question, health of the obese is equally important. 
A Cleveland Clinic “overview” of the health problem gives a
clear summary of the condition. http://tinyurl.com/3omk6xs

While it is more virtuous to criticize people’s beliefs rather than
the person themselves, the reply is that what is good for the goose
is good for the gander, meaning that President Obama should not be
criticized by Blatta Republicans for his genetic makeup or lied about
where he was born.  The dancing all around the racist room by the
americanus blatta republicanus whose party-wide agenda is to
disenfranchise the democratic process and disassemble the Constitution
is reason enough, intelligence enough, for liberals to criticize and judge
the ugly aspects of their political intentions.

The RNC is trying to put a guy in there who they believe can beat Ron Paul and who can be controlled.  Mitt and Rick just can’t do it.

They are getting desperate and the Wall Street protests are playing to Ron Pauls base.  The protests will only grow in size and violence, after all there are alot out there with no jobs and they need something to do.

ITW, how nice to read the writing of someone with a brain! I am enraged when I read that fat = stupid, lazy, gluttonous. Let’s discuss Christie’s politics and forget his appearance.

By the way, fat haters, fat people are no more identical than other people. Some are stupid, some are brilliant, some are mean, some are compassionate. And if you think there is one single person in our society who never engages in compulsive behavior of any sort, you must be living in a bubble. Self-righteousness is certainly a compulsive behavior; what exactly is your addiction, oakland steve?

Apart from the image problem of being fat, which to some point should be irrelevant - but in our image-driven culture - is a big factor (pun intended),
chronic obesity is a survival issue - Being in a depressed state of health is not a good indicator for holding office.
This is one case where it’s obvious that one is not to big to fail.
His corpulence, in any case, nicely symbolizes his ‘fat cat’ corporate self-centered greedy agenda.
The outer man perfectly expresses the inner pig.

Apart from the image problem of being fat, which to some point should be irrelevant - but in our image-driven culture - is a big factor (pun intended),
chronic obesity is a survival issue - Being in a depressed state of health is not a good indicator for holding office.
This is one case where it’s obvious that one is not to big to fail.
His corpulence, in any case, nicely symbolizes his ‘fat cat’ corporate self-centered greedy agenda.
The outer man perfectly expresses the inner pig.

As a New Jersey resident, I have many reasons to detest Gov. Christie.  His girth is
none of my business and none of yours. Acuity of mental power, and mental stamina
have nothing to do with weight.  Nor is obesity the sign of weakness it is shallowly
portrayed as.  A cousin who struggled with her weight for many years put it this way: you
don’t have to smoke. You don’t have to drink. You don’t have to do drugs.  But you do
still have to eat!  We all have our weaknesses, but we can hide them, and we all do, but
not fat.  And we don’t elect fat men as President.  Bill Clinton was the closest thing to
one since Taft, and his defeat was 99 years ago. Only between Chester Arthur and Taft
have there been a number of heavy men, and none were notable.  We are biased.

We love to say it is unhealthy, but even that isn’t necessarily borne out by evidence.
While male-pattern obesity is closely connected to morbidity, female pattern obesity is
not.  (Same cousin’s mom, fat all her life, died in her 90’s).

Queenie,

Where were you when George W. Bush was president?

What was it Caesar said?........

“Let me have men about me that are fat, sleek-headed, and such as sleep o’nights.

Yon Cassius has a lean and hungry look. He thinks too much. Such men are dangerous.”

Obama (the drone king) reminds me of Cassius. Hungry and dangerous. Worst president ever.

His obesity is just a visible means to demean his candidacy, but his anti-people, pro-rich policies are the key evidence against him as a viable candidate. Add to that his extremely rude manner and It’s strike three, he’s out.

Well I want to see his girth certificate!

I want to see Christie’s birth certificate!

Far as I am concerned fat is beautiful and has nothing to do with political opportunists. Not because I weight 200 pounds and am vertically challenged mind you! Yeah, I read the fat cats stereotype, this is really abusive bigotry, pork barrel hate mongering. Christie, seems just like his fellow Red State opportunists, anti union, privatizing everything that can be used to make a profit for his friends and beholding to plutocratic benefactors, whats wrong with that, America the land of opportunists!

Lets face it the Koch Brothers are fantasizing in their pants to get Christie in the race, because he is their boy of the day, (is that racist?)  well for now!

Enough with the fat jokes! Things like “Christie is so fat… he can’t get his feet wet when he takes a shower!”... is really not funny. 
David Letterman’s top 10 Christie Fat jokes seem more of the same.  Knock it off with the fat jokes you guys!

Everyone commenting here is far more evolved than me. 

If I am completely honest… I could never vote for someone so fat for such an important office.  There is a ludicrious look to that obesity that makes the person a bit of a joke.  No one is that fat from genes.  Sorry.

man suffers I am sure not from eating too much but carb overload, a true American epidemic. He needs to read Primal Blue Print along with about 100 million other US Citizens and learn a thing or two about dietary gene expression. Its pretty basic stuff.

Crispy Creme Christie’s problem isn’t his weight, its his electability and these guys.

http://reason.com/blog/2011/09/28/ralph-nader-hearts-ron-paul-ha

I voted for Nader twice and I would do it again.  Ron Paul would eat Christie’s lunch.

Consider this Eugene: Christie can’t control his appetite, but Obama can’t control his urge to dismiss the constitution and assassinate American citizens without due process.

I’m pretty sure the stress of being president would kill him and that would leave the Vice President (Palin, Bachmann, Perry, Paul? I can’t go on, it’s too horrible) with their finger on the nuclear button.

Very worthwhile essay, Mr. Robinson.

I think that every presidential candidate should be judged regarding his or her addictive behavior—smoking, drinking, spending, gambling, and…yes, eating. 

We have enough trouble with the ignorant, smug, cynical, intolerant and lazy aspects of the Republican/Democratic hoedown candidates.  We ought not to ignore obvious signs of compulsive behavior in choosing among the corporate approved spokespeople. 

2012 is going to Rock!

” He is a passive aggressive brute who has no finesse that would be required of a US President.  Republicans do not want an educated public who would see through their self-serving thuggery.”  Shenonymous

Marvelous description of the current occupant of the USPresidency and the party with which he is allegedly, politically associated. Except for the Zionist-types in his entourage, who control the cash register (and his decisions.)

No, it’s not Christie’s politics we need to discuss, it’s his weight! And you know why? Because ALL of our country’s problems come down to two categories of people: smokers and fatties.

No, our country’s problems have nothing to do with policies that have enriched the few at the expense of everyone else. They have nothing to do with 800 military installations around the world, and people who hate our invasion of their countries. Our problems have nothing to do with greed and corruption. No, the real problems are

SMOKERS and FATTIES!

I know now why I despise liberals so much. I am reading Naming Names by Victor Navasky, and he refers to Wechsler, the liberal editor of the New York Post in the 1940s and 1950s, who realized that liberals first must fight the left, then fight the right wing.

Isn’t this essay typical liberal crap? Let’s focus on the fact that this man is costing us X dollars in health care costs! Forget his politics!

see how fast he’d lost weight if he were enrolled in SNAP-the program I am sure he is trying to destroy that benefits Jerseyans who are literally starving to death.

Hulk2008, September 30 at 8:46 am – Christie never answered the
woman’s question about his lack of support for public schools but
instead split up her question and deflected the important part in
order to demean her.  Why does he support private schools but
not public ones?  Wealth is the answer.  Only the wealthy can afford
private schools, religious based or not.  He is a passive aggressive
brute who has no finesse that would be required of a US President. 
Republicans do not want an educated public who would see through
their self-serving thuggery.

Having been obese at various points in my life and having also been fit after losing 150 pounds and later gaining a lot of it back in old age, I believe I can speak with some authority about his physical and attitudinal situation. 

Life is a struggle and one’s weight is determined by many, many competing urges and natural forces.  Mr. Christie is not being asked to run a marathon or even “Dance With The Stars”.  He should be able to use his cognitive and cogitative skills to perform his job rather than his girth.  He is not yet aging or artificially kept functioning by devices (or drugs, as far is known publicly).  I doubt seriously that his weight affects his psyche or animus. 

The fact that his bellicose exterior is appealing to some and offensive to others is the political curiosity we should focus on - not his ponderous appearance.  I disagree vehemently with Mr. Christie and his ilk on the basis that social justice should ALWAYS take precedence, along with public cordiality.  The man has almost NO manners.  He should concentrate on the general welfare of ALL of his fellow citizens, not the well-off boosters.

E.g. The mother who criticized Christie as being hypocritical about sending his own children to private schools while cutting public school funding was correct.  As a public official, he was a boor and way off base in telling her it was none of her business.  He could have cited religious or personal reasons for his decision and left it there. 

The in-your-face approach is best left to rappers and churls who lack culture ...... including those who label journalists as “Clown"s.

If this man can’t have discipline and self-control about his own weight, how can he be a leader with discipline and self-control? This indicates a person who can’t plan and work for the long-term good of things, and who thinks about himself first and foremost.

I’ve got asthma, lupus, and a bunch of secondary conditions from the lupus. In an average week, I go to the gym at least five times and do cardio and weight training. I can’t run as far as I did before I got sick, but I still do a minimum of 30 minutes of solid cardio. My joints won’t handle the heavy weights I used to lift when I was in the Army, but I keep myself as strong as I can. When I go out to eat, I get the steamed broccoli instead of French fries. I cook at home and eat right. I got slammed with some health problems, but I’m taking care of myself. If I didn’t take care of myself, all my health problems would be much worse. In fact, keeping myself fit has allowed me to control my asthma almost completely without medication and treatment. The more fit I am, the better-controlled the asthma is.

Now, I see this waddling excuse for a politician saying that he’s “struggled” with his weight, but he (essentially) eats too much junk food and that’s what’s causing him to be so fat? Laughable! Absolutely pathetic! And as we’ve all seen, being President takes a huge toll on the people who take that office. We’ve watched our presidents enter the office looking young and vital, and within a couple of years, they’ve got gray hair and wrinkles, and look like they’ve aged a decade overnight. Do you think a guy who’s so fat that it even makes his asthma bad enough for hospitalization will be able to hold up to that sort of strain?

People are saying that this guy’s weight is none of our business, but this man voluntarily put himself in the public eye. Nobody has to run for federal political office, but he wants to. Naturally, he’s going to have everything about his life dissected. Religion should be a private matter, but we rip candidates apart for their beliefs all the time. This man wants to claim he’s got the stuff to run a country, but he can’t even run his body.

I’m an Independent. In the past, I’ve voted for people from both parties, and now both parties disgust me for different reasons. But I will never vote for a morbidly obese person.

Those of you defending Christies fatness as a personal issue did not read the
article. Robinson clearly explains why it is an issue. I suspect that the Christie
defenders are also overweight.

What’s with calling anyone you disagree with a “clown”?

Robinson brings up Obama’s smoking to show that he is discussing health issues
objectively and in the interest of fairness. Too bad so many of you missed out on
critical thinking in English class. It is, frankly, quite boring to read these
comments, most of which have nothing to do with the thesis of the article.

Well if 5.7% of US adults are morbidly obese.. It’s practically given they’ll go for Christie.. 5.7% of adult voters?! .. that’s more than Perry and that Mormon guy combined, I think..

Robinson outing Christie here for his weight problem is by itself proof that at least political pundits take him seriously as a potential candidate.

And it is a little bit in poor taste.

Adios!

Chris Christie is the perfect personification of the Republican thug
the americanus blattus republicanus have been waiting for.  Active
thuggery is their flavor du jour.  Christie’s hostile aggressive
offensive style really is unprincipled and outrageous that appeals to
the impotent who have shrunken cahones, if they ever had them at all,
and who will applaud those who verbally batter anyone who challenges
his blatant insults like those who watch executions.  The feeble glorify
physical abusers as well who would deprive Americans of their rights.

Its about credibility. No. Not Christie’s but Truthdig’s. You are attacking him on his weight? Thats his business and really petty. I disagree with his politics but his weight isnt a problem politically no matter what the fatNazis say about it. I also saw an add for the National Guard telling me how great it would be to work on the predator drone program and help kill brown people for their oil (and coming soon to help us protect our Canadian borders because those rascally canucks are a suspicious bunch). This robs credibility from Truthdig as far as i am concerned. If i want gossip ill watch the View.

I don’t like Chris Christie’s views, don’t really
agree with the guy on much of anything, and suspect
that he’s probably not a particularly nice person. 

That being said, however, he obviously has the same
obesity problem shared by millions of other
Americans.  Let’s show a little compassion and leave
that intensely personal issue out of the public
debate. 

Incidentally, if Christie were a progressive
Democrat, you know that the GOP would be mercilessly
hammering on his girth at every opportunity.

Gives new meaning to the term “political fat cat.”  LOL.  Seriously, though, Robespierre, it’s so nice of you to tell us what Robinson “would” do in other circumstances.  Are you inside his mind?

No, it’s just another case of your persumptiveness, and your defense of the indefensiible.

Interesting that Eugene The Clown brings up Obama’s smoking in one sentence, considering he never made an issue of it in 2008. This is the best the “liberal” Obamatrons can come up with? Slamming the guy because he’s fat? If Christie (who I don’t support at all) were a Democrat, Eugene would beg us to please look behind his appearance and judge him on his merits and bullshit speeches.