Posted on 02/06/2013 6:13:31 PM PST by nickcarraway
I think the answer is clear: no. I also think the question deserved to be asked.
My own history with obesity is here, in all its gory glory. Fat stigma is an anathema to me, and I wish that we could ignore the issue entirely. We can't. And that means that the fat of Christie's will inevitably bleed over into the zone that perpetuates stigma and stereotypes. We have to find a way to judge Christie's weight in the context of what the job of being presidential entails, and then, at the same time rigorously segregate it from any other type of judgment. If we can answer the question, then we ought to accept that answer and move on.
Christie himself has acknowledged that his weight raises the probability that he will acquire debilitating medical conditions, and has thus admitted to the public square a fact about his body that requires communal judgment. We should base our judgment on independent assessments performed by doctors. Should Christie run for president, he will submit himself to an examination, and when the results are known, they ought to be debated.
Is Hillary Clinton too prone to blood clots to be president? No. But the question will be asked and ought to be asked. Health matters. Endurance, as a quality of health, matters more than other qualities, like the propensity for certain types of cancer. Christie has proven by his actions as governor that he can endure a punishing schedule. Being president is tougher than being governor. It is stressful. Being overweight in high-stress jobs is not pleasant, it taxes the body, and it increases the likelihood that he'll have a heart attack. (He's not a ticking time bomb; the actual chances of any one person who is fat and in a stressful job having a heart attack are not insignificant but not necessarily in the realm of "likely" either.)
It is not entirely instructive to look to past presidents who were overweight; Teddy Roosevelt's body type and lifestyle are not comparable to Christie's. The eras are too different. But it might be helpful to realize that as president, Christie would have medical care second to none. He'd have a doctor with him at all times. His diet would be monitored rigorously. The chances that he'd stick to an exercise plan and a medication regimen designed to mitigate the effects of his obesity are high. And that would reduce the likelihood of any sudden problems.
Yes.His head is too fat.As Archie Bunker would say,”He’s a meat-head!”
I don’t know if he’s too fat. But he’s too fake.
He’s gets pissed off at anyone that tells him to lose weight because he knows he’s a fatass. And if I was 5-6 and weighed 400 pounds and wanted to be taken seriously as a presidential contender, and had the money this lardass has, I would hire a professional trainer and dietitian to get rid of the weight.
He shows a lack of discipline, control and good sense by not losing the weight. He looks like a 400 lb bullfrog. I have seen pictures of him from his college days. He was a normal size man.
Cleveland, Taft and even TR were about as fat. His weight is irrelevant.
He’s much too much of a fatheaded RINO to be President.
The writer admits to the same problem so he’s asking for a change in people’s perception of fat people in general, but especially if they run for office.
Objectively he is correct, even if his pro-Christie essay is essentially a plea for himself. Life is tough for fat people and I carry about 20-25 extra pounds myself and I’m 5’9”.
The reality is that people have always responded to other people with a visual perception that is made up in the first few seconds of meeting them. Lots of tests prove that.
And the tests show that tall, good-looking people are usually perceived as better stronger leaders than short people, even if they are equally good-looking.
Intelligence and political philosophy can’t seem to beat the immediate impression given by the first visual contact, especially if the contact is brief or via TV or news photos.
You knew that it was all over for Michael Dukakis when he got photographed in that tank, looking like dorky Alfred E. Newman of Mad Magazine fame.
In politics, business and love, stature and good looks count more than anything on a first, and mostly lasting, impression.
Yes and Michelle’s ass is to big to be in the White House,as is Hillarys,and her cankles disqualify her as well,not to mention that she has dementia,evidenced by the fact that she can’t remember anything
If he became president our nation would have to borrow a lot of money from China just to pay his grocery bill!
Perhaps Christie could grow into the job. 400 pounds or bust!
Nah, just too liberal.
The only way Chris Christie gets elected President is if he runs as a Democrat.
Putting aside for a moment whether or not we would want him as the Republican nominee in 2016, if he runs against Hillary Clinton, his weight will be a major issue with the media, while Hillary’s health problems will be ignored.
He’s a fat version of Twit Romney.
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