Anonymous wrote:In terms of likely health problems, Obama's smoking is a bigger danger flag than Christie's weight. I don't recall a national discussion about the appropriateness of a smoker occupying the WH.

Warning. Point out that Obama is a smoker is racist and is in violation of the media responsibility policy. Please report to your local hope and change center for reeducation.

Anonymous wrote:In terms of likely health problems, Obama's smoking is a bigger danger flag than Christie's weight. I don't recall a national discussion about the appropriateness of a smoker occupying the WH.

Oh, yes. This was covered quite a bit.

In terms of likely health problems, Obama's smoking is a bigger danger flag than Christie's weight. I don't recall a national discussion about the appropriateness of a smoker occupying the WH.

Anonymous wrote:better to vote in a fat Republican with a chance of dying in office . . .

To what, get his vp installed? That would have been Quayle, Kemp, Cheney, or Palin.

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't vote for a significantly overweight person. And I don't dislike fat people at all. However, being overweight shows a complete lack of self-discipline and self-control. And those are important attributes in a Leader. If he can't manage his own life, how can we expect him to manage the country?

And I don't buy the "thyroid" excuse. Medical problems may make it easier to gain weight and harder to lose weight. But calories come from food. Eat only what you need to survive for a few weeks, and you'll loose weight regardless of medical condition.

Is the leader's country shaped like a hamburger? No? Problem solved.

I think a governor's record says much more than your theories about self control.

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't vote for a significantly overweight person. And I don't dislike fat people at all. However, being overweight shows a complete lack of self-discipline and self-control. And those are important attributes in a Leader. If he can't manage his own life, how can we expect him to manage the country?

And I don't buy the "thyroid" excuse. Medical problems may make it easier to gain weight and harder to lose weight. But calories come from food. Eat only what you need to survive for a few weeks, and you'll loose weight regardless of medical condition.

I disagree with the implications of this. I think someone can have weakness around food (or some single thing, like cigarettes) but still be disciplined and successful overall. Look at Oprah. I also wouldn't disqualify Christie for the health implications of his weight, either. Some of our best presidents have had serious medical problems. Lincoln suffered from depression, and Kennedy had Addison's disease, just to name two. I think in today's political climate FDR would never get elected because of his wheelchair, yet look what the country would have missed if that had been true in the 1930's.

In anything, it's the rigors of campaigning for president that would pose the biggest challenge, not the job of president itself. Presidential campaigns are physically brutal. Christie has asthma and was already hospitalized this year for it. But I would trust his own judgement as to whether he was up to it or not.

Personally, I find Christie very likable. Love when he told be people to "get the hell off the beach" as Hurricane Irene rolled in and called out the "right wing crazies" when they criticized his muslim judicial nominee. That said, I'm a Democrat and can't imagine ever voting for a Republican.

Anonymous wrote:better to vote in a fat Republican with a chance of dying in office . . .

If you know someone who does not have a chance of dying in office, please tell us who that is. More important, from which direction does the guarantee come from?

better to vote in a fat Republican with a chance of dying in office . . .

I wouldn't vote for a significantly overweight person. And I don't dislike fat people at all. However, being overweight shows a complete lack of self-discipline and self-control. And those are important attributes in a Leader. If he can't manage his own life, how can we expect him to manage the country?

And I don't buy the "thyroid" excuse. Medical problems may make it easier to gain weight and harder to lose weight. But calories come from food. Eat only what you need to survive for a few weeks, and you'll loose weight regardless of medical condition.

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Everyone has their personal challenges, and the social ethic is normally to have compassion when someone is dealing with, say, addiction, marital troubles, ADHD, etc. Or at least to keep their mouth shut when they don't have something nice to say. But when someone is fat, the insults just fly. It seems to be the last group we unabashedly make fun of. Why is that?

I don't think that addiction or marital troubles get much compassion on this board. ADHD gets compassion from about half of the posters, and ridicule from one out of ten. If the ADHD is a DH, the ridicule rate is 50%.

Anonymous wrote:Wow. Everyone has their personal challenges, and the social ethic is normally to have compassion when someone is dealing with, say, addiction, marital troubles, ADHD, etc. Or at least to keep their mouth shut when they don't have something nice to say. But when someone is fat, the insults just fly. It seems to be the last group we unabashedly make fun of. Why is that?

Maybe, at least in part, because when one is anonymous, the inner ten-year-old feels free to come out.

Wow. Everyone has their personal challenges, and the social ethic is normally to have compassion when someone is dealing with, say, addiction, marital troubles, ADHD, etc. Or at least to keep their mouth shut when they don't have something nice to say. But when someone is fat, the insults just fly. It seems to be the last group we unabashedly make fun of. Why is that?

Anonymous wrote:I admire his ability to stand up to the public unions, and his overall ability to take on tough issues. Not concerned about his weight. Rather someone have a big stomach than an empty brain (Obama, Perry).

Funny, in his election campaign, he said that the firefighters and police officers pension was a "sacred trust". Then he proceeded to gut it once elected.

And he did a bang-up job with Race to the Top. It cost his state $400 million.

All in all, a lovely guy. Probably looks just like Perry did before he actually ran for office.

I admire his ability to stand up to the public unions, and his overall ability to take on tough issues. Not concerned about his weight. Rather someone have a big stomach than an empty brain (Obama, Perry).

I would probably be more comfortable with him in the WH than any of the GOP candidates. By my reckoning, that is sure proof that he could not possibly get the nomination!