Christie CANNOT run for President...

[PCIntern]

He is morbidly obese, cannot even walk a few yards, and wouldn't survive a rigorous Presidential campaign. Period.

[HappyMe]

1. That, and he said that his wife would throw

him out of the house!

[Vincardog]

3. More likely his "wife would ROLL him out of the house!"

[FreeJoe]

6. HaHaHaHaHaHaHa

It's so much fun to make fun of fat people. Isn't it?

[rfranklin]

8. When he sits around the house, he sits around the house...

Yo' guv's so faaat....

[Cali_Democrat]

20. LOL

[Pirate Smile]

He has personally said, multiple times, that he is NOT ready for the job.

[MH1]

2. Yeah, the mental pic of Christie 'running' anywhere

is pretty funny.

:)

[gateley]

And doesn't he suffer from asthma? Isn't that why he had to go

to the hospital a while back? I THINK that's who it was...

[gateley]

4. Oops - double boring post. Delete. nt

[lurky]

5. OTOH, America is morbidly obese.

A lot of people might identify with him, especially if there are a bunch of big city elitists making fun of his weight. Let's be careful.

[Overseas]

61. I think Christie's operatives are counting on his overweightness being an "everyman" factor

and gaining him votes from those who sympathize/empathize with him when he is teased with fat jokes.

His PR team can also save up examples of the fat jokes and make each joke another hot topic to distract public attention whenever they focus too much on Christie's policy failures.

[lurky]

63. Yep.

And they are hoping they can capitalize on the inevitable fat jokes the way Palin and Bush were able to cash in on the dumb jokes.

[FarCenter]

7. Plus, NJ would be stuck with Lt Gov Kim Guadagno

Former Sheriff of Monmouth County, and no other appreciable qualifications.

[DainBramaged]

34. He wipes Christie's ass that qualifies him for anything....

:rofl:

[hedgehog]

9. Ahem......

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FBiSCs9aYkc/TBFkNK55aRI/AAAAAAAACSg/zq0iR7TQkao/s1600/taft+2.jpg

[David Sky]

10. It has nothing to do with weight, it has to do with how he is a genuine

butt hole. He is destroying the state of New Jersey already.

Were it not for the floods in New Jersey recently, there would be no flattering picture at all of him... the one with Obama touring the damage.

This is the guy that takes the state helicopter to his son's baseball game. then rides in a limousine 100 yards from the helicopter to the youth baseball grandstand. Later, of course, when caught, he reimburses the state for the cost of the copter and limo rides.

The fattest part of Christie is his arrogance.

[ClarkUSA]

11. And let's not forget his cutting $1B off education into order to give $1B in wealthy tax breaks.

Then when teachers' union protesters and their citizen allies descended on City Hall, he sneered at them:
http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=christie+city+hall+protesters+education+cuts&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ClarkUSA]

18. That's the first thing he did after coming into office. He's also a bully @ townhalls.

There are YouTube vids showing him rudely browbeating citizens who dare question his actions. The NJ Supreme Court later said the proportionately larger portion he took away from the poorer school districts was unconstitutional and forced him to backtrack some after attacking their decision but he still ended up cutting a half billion from education while still giving $1B in cuts to the 42,000 wealthy taxpayers living in NJ.

[KamaAina]

29. True dat.

It's not the fat in his belly I'm worried about. It's the gelatinous mass between his ears. :eyes:

[immoderate]

12. The vast waistline of New Jersey...

Christie is.

So nice, they named him for Christ twice!

Ah, it sings!

--imm

[Stevenmarc]

13. The East Coast doesn't need another earthquake

[Ter]

14. Ever heard of Taft?

He did it, and was even fatter.

[Raine]

46. That was before television and campaigns went for months then

not years. Also at that time thin meant you were poor, weight meant one was properious.

[jberryhill]

15. William Howard Taft

Grover Cleveland:

[Auntie Bush]

40. Christie is much fatter than both of them.

[Ter]

50. Taft got to 360+

Christie is not much over 300, if at all.

[Hassin Bin Sober]

55. He's 300 hundred if he is a pound. Probably closer to 350.

I have a friend who is not NEARLY as plump as Christie and he is 280.

[Ter]

57. Depends on height

Christie appears not too tall. So 5'8 and 300 could be possible.

[RZM]

17. Ok. The guy is fat. So what?

A joke now and then is fine, but constantly hammering on somebody's appearance usually ends up helping them. That's especially true when it's a something like being overweight, which many Americans can identify with. People are very sensitive about that type of thing and plenty of overweight people have memories of being made fun of, heckled, discriminated against, etc.

This isn't the way to go here. There's plenty to criticize on the policy side. That's where the focus should be.

[hlthe2b]

21. I agree with you... However there is "healthy, yet overweight" and

there is "very unhealthy, overweight". I get the distinct impression Governor Christie is among the latter category. That IS an issue.

[RZM]

24. Whether or not that is true doesn't really matter much to my point

The exact nuances of his health aren't what people will be thinking about - it's the fact that it's brought up at all that will be noticed.

People with health problems have served just fine. FDR was probably far less fit for a campaign than Christie and he served three terms and a small piece of his fourth. JFK was also a pretty sick man too. Regardless of what anybody thinks about Dick Cheney, his heart health seems to me a much bigger problem than anything Christie has going on. And he served the whole 8 years just fine. He had some problems here and there while in office, but when we're talking about men who are middle-aged or older, health problems are bound to emerge.

I just don't think this is what people should be worried about. I really believe that it can only help him.

[hlthe2b]

27. true... and had we applied more effective health screening as a criteria...

None of them would likely have been elected (issues with Bush*Cheney selection aside)...

Apparently, we have determined that health, while a factor, is not a determining factor, for the Vice Presidency. I'm not sure the seemingly lowered concern applies to the Presidency. While not fair, a slim, seemingly athletic man like Obama (or even GW Bush* in 2000) raises less concerns (all things being equal) than a very overweight individual, who by his own admission, is not at all physically active and suffers from asthma. Extreme obesity combined with physical inactivity and asthma are three very serious risk factors for hear disease after all. Not always, but often.

I have great disdain for those who use weight as a derisional factor, but the truth is that it is a factor, in terms of health/fitness for office. Not that it would preclude someone from office, but those who point to the Tafts and Clevelands of past history must realize this is a very visual media that drives political opinion and both raises and addresses concerns. IF he is healthy and there are no concerns, it would be important that he (or any other candidate facing the same) get out in front of that and report his physical status immediately. The fact is that the public would give more benefit of the doubt, health-wise, to the more slim and active individual, as well as the younger man. Is that a fair assessment? Not always, certainly. No correlation is without exceptions.

[LanternWaste]

59. No less, nor no more than a smokers lungs, cardiovascular system, immune system, cancer risk, etc.,

"but the truth is that it is a factor, in terms of health/fitness for office..."

No less, nor no more than a smokers lungs, cardiovascular system, immune system, cancer risk, etc., even if the smoker quit over three years ag, it''s still as much a health "factor".

[madinmaryland]

45. The examples you showed do not really help your point...

FDR and JFK were long before the ever prying media, and probably would not have gotten elected had the media let on to what it knew.

What about Paul Tsongas or Thomas Eagleton? Had Tsongas gotten elected he would have died while in office of the cancer that he said was in remission.

I think a candidate's health is a valid question. Sadly no-one asked the question of Reagan in 1984 or even 1980.

[LanternWaste]

60. I think the examples are relevant in that both...

I think the examples are relevant in that both mentioned Presidents governed efficiently and effectively despite their health.

Campaigning is one thing-- wholly a creation a Madison Avenue and subject to the whims of crass commercialism, personal biases, appearance, and a host of other irrelevancies. But the actual governing itself is rarely if ever predicated on non-mental health issues.

[socialshockwave]

49. I fall into the first category.

I'm overweight(no lie), but I'm healthy; blood pressure is normal, cholesterol, blood, etc is all within normal levels.

[Scuba]

26. +1

[Missy Vixen]

31. "Sensitive" has nothing to do with badgering and bullying the fat.

It's BIGOTRY.

If this is all we have as a party - making fun of someone else's physical appearance, rather than their ridiculous ideas or lack of any type of humanity or compassion - we're lost.

[laundry_queen]

53. I agree, This thread is disgusting.

In fact, his weight may make him more endearing to many people.

We should focus on the fact that he is another right wing nut job that is hell bent on destroying the country.

[butterfly77]

19. Buuuuutttttttt....

Olive oyl "aka" Ann Coulter wants him to run and says the rest of the party is stupid if they don't get him to run..

[itsallhappening]

22. Weight-o-phobe!!!

;)

[FarLeftFist]

23. It's the whole RUNNING part he can't do.

[bowens43]

25. He'll walk for President. nt

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

28. Christie's into Weight Watchers

He had four of their entrees last night.

[David Sky]

32. Along with two bowls of ice cream! n/t

[FarCenter]

41. Christie has a lot of weight to watch!

[Missy Vixen]

30. YAAAAY! More fat bashing!

After all, shaming, blaming, bullying and everything else is SO effective as a weapon against the fat, isn't it?

Why don't you try attacking Christie's ideas, values and lack of leadership? It might be more effective.

:eyes:

[David Sky]

33. I think many of the posts here talked about that, if you read them.

Being fat, as an adult, is either a serious medical condition, (similar to any other disability) or something over which SOME, (bur not all) adults CAN gain control.

I doubt someone who is as accomplished enough to become Governor of NJ is incapable of following a diet, doing some exercise, or, IF the condition is of a serious medical nature, simply following doctor's orders, or utilizing modern medical intervention techniques to make the body more "able-bodied".


Yes, most people with a weight problem CAN do something about it, especially if they have a Governor's income and health care plan. As with other addictions, 99% of people CAN overcome them with proper intervention and treatment. But obviously, 99% of them do NOT overcome them.

[Missy Vixen]

43. It seems you don't know much about weight loss

or about the varied reasons for obesity in this country. 90% of those who lose more than ten percent of their body weight will regain it within five years. That number goes up to 95% after the five-year mark. These statistics are well-documented via medical studies. While I'm at it, there's a reason we are bombarded with diet advertising, too - the $33 billion a year diet industry needs to make even more money.

The "concern" exhibited by some on this thread is nothing more than thinly-veiled bigotry. It has NOTHING to do with health. It has everything to do with bullying, shaming, and ostracizing those who, for whatever reason, are larger than what's considered the norm.

As we've seen over quite some time now, if blaming, shaming and bullying was effective, there wouldn't be any fat people left. Maybe those so desperately worried about the rest of us need to check their own attitudes towards others.

[David Sky]

51. Your assumptions would be WRONG! The people who know most about

weight loss, lifestyle changes, and proper diet and exercise are often formerly obese people, not Hollywood idols who lost 20 pounds or semi quack get-rich-on-fat-people doctors.

Your facts (or assertions without documentation, perhaps true, perhaps PARTLY true) don't contradict what I said.


And I said, it is NOT that the Governor of New Jersey is extremely overweight that bothers me. It is his attitude, arrogance, and list of negative accomplishments in his term as Governor. He CAN and should lose weight, and he can and should be a more reasonable Governor, but I doubt either of those events will happen soon, and certainly won't happen without hard work and enlightened efforts.

[BuddhaGirl]

56. not only is it bigotry, but it's ignorant moralizing

So much judgement here is sad...making fun of fat people is the last acceptable form of bigotry :-(

[Javaman]

35. Then let him die on the campaign trail...

I have no problem with that.

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

36. I'm thinking of sending him a very generous coupon gift booket for Krispy Kreme donuts

Run Christie Run! Run to the local pizzeria (I'll order gift coupons for that, too) as fast as you can!

[Gin]

37. Run Krispy run.....wasn't that in Sister Act?

[kskiska]

38. Compare

[LynneSin]

39. Nothing personal, I'm pretty big too and managed to campaign vigorly these past 2 elections

And I hate making phone call so my primary method was walking door to door. Did a damn good job at it too.

Look, I'm no fan of Chris Christie but that's a piss poor reason for why he wouldn't be a good presidential candidate.

[PCIntern]

42. there is a difference betwen being

large, big-boned,heavy, or whatever one likes to call oneself, and being morbidly obese. this guy CAN'T WALK 50 yards...he is incapable of the physical demands of a modern campaign. when did Taft run? Things were a bit different back then...

[Arkana]

44. It's not the obesity thing.

He'd have to assemble a national organization in a matter of less than three months. I have news for the GOP: this is all you get. Proud of them?

[Raine]

47. The bigness of his body is not the problem, it's his big smart mouth and asshole

rude bullying comments that I have a problem with. Christie is nothing but a bully and anyone who finds bullying attractive has some unhealthy issues they should deal with. :puke:

[Tx4obama]

48. He was rushed to the hospital not long ago. n/t

[laundry_queen]

54. Because of asthma

I have 'mild' asthma and yet 4 times in my life I've been 'rushed' in because my inhaler was not giving me any relief during an attack. So I'd go in, get a breathing treatment or 2 and get released. It was no big deal and I'm sure most asthmatics have been through it.

[Angry Dragon]

52. They should use him as a poster boy showing what

happens when the republicans get greedy

The republican that ate New Jersey

[LanternWaste]

58. He could easily survive. Exlamation mark.

FDR could not walk a few yards either. Was propped up on a podium during speeches, suffered from debilitating headaches throughout his administration, and drank to excess during office hours. He survived all his presidential campaigns.

And medicine has come quite a ways since the late thirties and forties...

Yet even so, Christie is emphatically denying he will in fact run, so what's all the hubbub, bub?

[Tom Ripley]

62. I am more concerned about his small brain