Four years from right now, we could be seeing another group of diverse candidates battling for the Republican nomination for President. If Barack Obama wins a second term in 2012, the GOP will then have to do it all over again in 2016--search for someone who can win back The White House.
Two likely early entries into such a race are Jeb Bush and Chris Christie. Bush is already dropping hints, and he enjoys strong support in his home state of Florida, as well as with some of the Republican party's most influential leaders.
Governor Chris Christie also enjoys favorite son support in New Jersey, and the Republican leaders across the country who urged him to run this time around, will be hopping aboard his bandwagon next time around.
If Chris Christie does run, he will be an early favorite--a certain front runner in the race for the nomination. It is possible then, that a big loser could become President.
Win or lose the nomination; win or lose the Presidency, Chris Christie will finish the 2016 Presidential campaign a better man--one who has done a service to himself and his country. He will have gone from being a poster child for obesity to being a role model for that one third of Americans who are obese.
He will have gone from extreme obesity to a body mass and weight that is healthier and more comfortable. And he will have accomplished something else that is very important in politics--he will have become a much more physically attractive candidate.
At present Chris Christie is not only a future candidate for the Presidency--he is also a candidate for diabetes and heart disease. He already suffers from asthma, which is reportedly caused by excessive weight.
At present, his health would be an issue in a run for The White House. At present, he refuses to divulge his weight, but he would have to do so if he were a serious Presidential candidate.
Christie has joked that he weighs in at 550 pounds. Eugene Robinson of The Washington Post estimates that at 5'11", and 49 years of age, Christie is probably about 290--which would classify him as "extremely obese".
The only previous President larger than Christie was William Howard Taft, who in 1908 took office at 340 pounds. In those days before TV, image was not as important as it is today.
Christie is open and honest as to what has caused him to be so overweight. He says the reason for his girth is simple--he just likes to eat, and has been overeating for years.
Look for Gov. Chris Christie to lose weight, a lot of weight, over the next four years. He is an intelligent man, who is also gifted with common sense, with street smarts.
He knows that substantial weight loss is necessary for any run at The White House. Opponents would jump on obesity as an election issue.
Rivals would point out that health risks associated with obesity, coupled with the ever-present stress and rigors of the Presidency, would lessen the chances that Christie could complete a full term.
Critics would remind voters that Christie's weight problem signals Americans that obesity is okay. And increases in obesity are expensive. It costs Medicare nearly $1,800. more for an obese beneficiary than it does for a non-obese beneficiary.
Christie knows that his weight loss would be an inspiration to millions of Americans. Instead of being the poster child for obesity, he would become the poster child for weight loss and healthy living.
Look for a slimmer, trimmer Christie four years from now. A big loser could make it all the way to The White House.
h
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
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I like your premise, Bill, but it won't work with Christie because from what we have recently learned about the subject of obesity his body will not surrender the weight easily and for very long. Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee serves as a good case study of this difficulty. As Governor, Huckabee was extremely obese, not unlike Christie. Prior to running for the Republican nomination for President in 2008 he managed to lose much of his excess weight and looked fit on TV. Three years later, however, he appears to have regained much of the lost weight. His girth is easily spotted on Huckabee, the show he hosts on the Fox News Channel. Recent studies reveal why fat people have a hard time maintaining a lower weight once they achieve it. It seems their appetites do not diminish in proportion to their smaller mass. If, as an example, a fat person loses 10% of his weight by dieting, he may lose say only 2% of his former appetite. Thus, he is destined to always feel hungry after a proper size meal. I am not sure if surgery to reduce the capacity of the stomach helps in bringing these two factors more in alignment.
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