It’s apparently Fatso Friday at The Washington Post. In his “In the Loop” column, Al Kamen ponders Chris Christie’s “girth” and cites the “weight stigma” specialist Rebecca Puhl of Yale, who says overweight candidates face deep bias: ““There are so many negative weight-based stereotypes — people think overweight and obese people are lazy, out of control, or lacking in discipline and willpower,” she says.
At the top of the deep-bias mountain was liberal columnist Eugene Robinson, who closed his column on Christie’s weight with a slap: “I’d just like to offer him a bit of unsolicited, nonpartisan, sincere advice: Eat a salad and take a walk.” Mocking Christie’s weight is apparently fair game, since he ran for public office:
You could argue that this is none of my business, but I disagree. Christie's problem with weight ceased being a private matter when he stepped into the public arena - and it's not something you can fail to notice. Obesity is a national epidemic whose costs are measured not just in dollars and cents but also in lives. Christie's weight is as legitimate an issue as the smoking habit that President Obama says he has finally kicked.
Robinson also underlined: hey, have you noticed what an enormous tubbo Christie is?
By this standard, a man who stands 5-foot-11 — Christie’s reported height — would be obese if his weight reached 215 pounds. While Christie does not disclose his weight, it appears to exceed the 286 pounds that would place him among the 5.7 percent of American adults whom NIH classifies as “extremely obese.”
He lectured: “My intention is not to blame Christie for the federal government’s deficit spending — or, in fact, to blame him for his own obesity. Blame is not the point. Christie is just 49 and has four young children; politics aside, I’m sure he wants to be around to share the milestones in their lives. He prides himself on bullheaded determination and speaks often about the need for officials to display leadership. Well, Gov. Christie, lead thyself.”
