Well it is done. While he will not say it after decades of being morbidly overweight, Governor Chris Christie has finally laid the “first” foundation for running for President of the United States. According to the Huffington Post
Gov. Chris Christie secretly underwent weight-loss surgery in February at the urging of his family, spokesman Michael Drewniak told The Associated Press on Tuesday.
[source]
In several interviews Christie had made fun of his weight and acknowledged it as a problem. Yet one cannot forget that when the Whitehouse physician, Dr. Connie Mariano, who worried about him dying in office voiced her concern, he exploded with anger and told her through the media to shut up.
Christie claims that
“I know it sounds crazy to say that running for president is minor, but in the grand scheme of things, it was looking at Mary Pat and the kids and going, `I have to do this for them, even if I don’t give a crap about myself,'” he said.
[source]
However if it took him decades to do something about an ever increasing and dangerous girth. Their had to be something putting him over the edge, RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. And he will be a contender.
Many think that Christie will not be able to get through a Republican primary. After-all, his embrace of President Obama immediately after Hurricane Sandy made him a pariah in his party’s base. Recently he even said that President Obama kept every promise he made
Gov. Chris Christie said Monday that President Barack Obama “has kept every promise he’s made” about helping the state recover from Superstorm Sandy.
Hours later, Obama’s housing secretary approved New Jersey’s plans to spend $1.83 billion in federal money to help the state rebuild and recover from the storm.
Speaking on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” program six months after the deadly storm, the Republican governor said presidential politics were the last thing on his mind as he toured storm-devastated areas with Obama last fall.
When it comes to helping New Jersey rebuild from the storm, “the president has kept every promise he’s made,” said Christie, widely considered a potential candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016. “I think he’s done a good job. He kept his word.”
[source]
That will further erode his base support. However, Governor Chris Christie is playing the long game. He is shoring up his chips with the country’s moderate base, Democratic and Republican alike, which will give him some latitude to conflate issues when having to run in the Republican primaries where his low information and ill-informed base outperforms. If they could have settled with a faux Conservative like Mitt Romney, there will be no problem electing Christie who is not a “come lately” Conservative.
Put on your seatbelts folks. It is going to be a bumpy ride. A new svelte Chris Christie will show a man that can commit to a difficult task many struggle with and succeed and many will project that to his potential presidential success.
LIKE My Facebook Page – Visit My Blog: EgbertoWillies.com
Follow @EgbertoWillies
Viewers are encouraged to subscribe and join the conversation for more insightful commentary and to support progressive messages. Together, we can populate the internet with progressive messages that represent the true aspirations of most Americans.
I am very relieved for his and his family’s sake that he took steps to address his problem. Whether or not he runs for President, whether or not I want to vote for him, the man deserves the same chance at life all of us do.