The Incredible Shrinking Governor

There are some people who's personalities are so bombastic that they are either liked or hated. There is little room for a gray area or middle ground, and their abrasive personalities make them hard to love but easy to respect because they are, who they are.

Nobody embodies this example more than New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, whose outspoken, blunt manner is almost as big as his oversized frame.

Governor Christie was once the aire apparent to the republican nomination in 2012 but, declined repeated requests to accept. Not long after, hurricane Romney blew into town and quickly caused the GOP to implode, & he quickly followed suit.

Christie received harsh criticism for his praise of President Obama's handling of Hurricane Sandy, often appearing side by side with the President who had taken time off from the campaign trail to pledge full government assistance both to Christie and the people of New Jersey.

Governor Christie responded in trademark fashion.

 “There is only one group to blame for the continued suffering of these innocent victims: the House majority and their Speaker John Boehner (R-OH),” 

Christie declared. Historically, “disaster relief was something that you didn’t play games with, but now in this current atmosphere everything is a subject of one-upmanship,” he continued.

 “It is why the American people hate Congress.”

Some believe that Christie cost Romney the election by presenting President Obama in a good light to the voting public.

Now with 2016 closer than we think Governor Christie has taken a critical step toward throwing his hat into the ring.

He revealed that he underwent a gastric procedure in February to curb his weight in order to live long enough to watch his four children grow up. Christie, who has struggled with obesity for much of his adult life, underwent lap band surgery in February to reduce the size of his stomach, at the urging of his wife and children, his press secretary said May 7, 2013. 

“I still have two children in elementary school one in sixth grade and one in fourth grade, so I’m in this father business for a while and I hope someday God willing to be in the grandfather business,” Christie said at a Newark press conference.

He attempted to shoot down whispers in political circles that the secret surgery was as much about the White House as it is his waistband.

"It's not a career issue for me, it's a long-term health issue for me," Christie insisted. “I turned 50 years old and it made me think.. 

But the surgery clearly has ramifications for another election three Novembers later. No one as overweight as Christie has ever come close to winning the presidency in the age of television.

“Whether we like to admit it or not, appearance does matter in political contests,” said Prof. Larry Sabato of the University of Virginia. “Moreover, there are legitimate health concerns about the pressures of the White House on someone who is undeniably obese.”

Though Lyndon Johnson and Bill Clinton each battled fluxuating weight while in office, the last truly overweight president was William Howard Taft, who was elected in 1908.

Christie faces re-election this year but in the wake of his lauded response to Hurricane Sandy, he appears to be a safe bet to win another term in Trenton.. Christie, who has struggled with obesity for much of his adult life, underwent lap band surgery in February to reduce the size of his stomach, at the urging of his wife and children, his press secretary said May 7, 2013. 

He has already lost 30 pounds since the surgery, an out-patient procedure which involved placing a tube around the his stomach to limit food intake.

Whether Governor Christie can shrink his huge personality remains to be seen. But in the political arena anything can happen.

Side Bar: Comparing the 2 pics, I don't see the difference either!

PR