Chris Christie's Struggle and the Politics of Weight

[BAMAPHIN 22]

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's weight is back in the spotlight this week. On Monday he joined in on the fat jokes with David Letterman, even munching on a doughnut; on Tuesday he seriously addressed his struggles at a press conference.

The usually tough-talking 50-year-old Republican openly acknowledged that he may have good health right now, but his "doctor continues to warn me that my luck is going to run out relatively soon, so believe me, it's something I'm very conscious of."
"If you talk to anybody in this room who has struggled with their weight, what they will tell you is that every month, every year there's a plan … and so the idea that somehow I don't care about this, of course I care about it, and I'm making the best effort I can and sometimes I'm successful and other times I'm not," Christie said at a firehouse Tuesday in Union Beach, N.J.

And with those honest words, an issue that was in the public eye as he contemplated a presidential run in 2012 came roaring back into the spotlight. His communications office even tweeted out the clip from his official @GovChristie Twitter account.
Despite what he claims is good health, he did spend several hours in the hospital in July 2011 after an asthma attack, which he blamed on humidity and high temperatures.

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[SkapePhin]

I don't understand why he doesn't get bariatric surgery. Yes, there is a chance of death during the operation, but if he stays at his current weight, he will be dead within 10 years anyway.

[MoFinz]

How about we let him be? He's a grown man living in the free country of the USA. He's not hurting anyone other than himself, and hes allowed to. Whether he cant/wont deal with his weight is his issue and his alone. It doesnt affect his ability to govern, and thats the job he was elected to. Any comments about his weight should be left to his family and friends.

Now Michelle Obamas fat ass is another thing alltogether.......thats a matter of national importance....she represents us across the globe
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[SkapePhin]

How about we let him be? He's a grown man living in the free country of the USA. He's not hurting anyone other than himself, and hes allowed to. Whether he cant/wont deal with his weight is his issue and his alone. It doesnt affect his ability to govern, and thats the job he was elected to. Any comments about his weight should be left to his family and friends.

Now Michelle Obamas fat ass is another thing alltogether.......thats a matter of national importance....she represents us across the globe
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But it does affect his job if he becomes too ill to fulfill his duties or he passes away unexpectedly leaving a leadership void at a prominent position.

[MoFinz]

But it does affect his job if he becomes too ill to fulfill his duties or he passes away unexpectedly leaving a leadership void at a prominent position.

thats why we have a process...the government didnt die with JFK, it didnt stop when Reagan got shot.

[SkapePhin]

Obviously I realize that, but if I vote for a specific elected official to take office, it is my preference that they remain in office to fulfill their duties for I do not know if their unelected replacement will be capable of fulfilling those duties with the same success.

An official can't control getting shot in the head, but they can control their own personal health by the choices they make.

[MoFinz]

Obviously I realize that, but if I vote for a specific elected official to take office, it is my preference that they remain in office to fulfill their duties for I do not know if their unelected replacement will be capable of fulfilling those duties with the same success.

An official can't control getting shot in the head, but they can control their own personal health by the choices they make.

Youre assuming he could keel over and die any minute....he could in fact live another 30 years. I just dont get the obsession with his weight. Obviously we would all love for people to not be overweight, but just like smoking doesnt kill every single smoker, fat wont be the death of every fat person.

Just saying.....

[SkapePhin]

When was the last time you saw an obese person walking around over the age of 65?

I'm not talking about a chubby person, I am talking about an obese person like Christie. Obesity is a serious, life threatening disease. And yes, if he doesn't fix his situation within the next 10 years, he will keel over and die.

[MoFinz]

When was the last time you saw an obese person walking around over the age of 65?

I'm not talking about a chubby person, I am talking about an obese person like Christie. Obesity is a serious, life threatening disease. And yes, if he doesn't fix his situation within the next 10 years, he will keel over and die.

Care to make it a bet on vbookie? You cant make a blanket statement like that....just doesnt stick.

[SkapePhin]

Care to make it a bet on vbookie? You cant make a blanket statement like that....just doesnt stick.

Researchers tracked more than 5,000 men starting at the age of 20 until up to age 80. They found that at any given age, an obese man was twice as likely to die as a man who was not obese, and that obesity at age 20 appeared to be a constant factor in death rates up to 60 years later.

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A total of 1,191 men died during the follow-up period of up to 60 years. Of the survivors at age 70, about 70 percent had not been obese at age 20. Though the other 70-year-old survivors had been obese, just as many obese men had died by then.

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It really isn't even up for debate. Obesity is DEADLY. If an obese person doesn't take steps to lead a healthier lifestyle and reduce their weight significantly, their chances of living past age 70 are remote. Obese people are much more like to succumb to heart failure or cancer than non-obese people. This has been found to be true in numerous studies throughout the years.

If nutrition was a larger part of our healthcare here in America, it would diminish the incidences of a lot of preventable diseases that greatly increase the cost of healthcare and insurance in this country. We are paying for all the people who lead unhealthy lifestyles.