He’s not running this year (I think 2014? Or next year?)
Who are his likely opponents? Strengths and weaknesses?
WIll his unpopularity translate into a loss?
Is he better off not running than risking a loss (in terms of future Presidential bids)?
Does he need to lose a couple of hundred pounds and become merely moderately obese? Is America ready for a fat man President?
Does he have a recognized platform yet, or is he just another “Not-Proven-Insane” Republican?
From the Democratic perspective, I know that State Senator Steve Sweeney and former Governor Richard Codey (Codey took over after McGreevey left office and still has some fairly high approval ratings - see the wiki article) have both been making noise about thinking of challenging Christie next year.
On top of that, Newark Mayor Cory Booker has always seemed as if he has aspirations for higher office, and now might be time for him to jump in, but rumor has it he’s going to wait to see what Sweeney and Codey do first. That being said, I think I recently read (sorry, don’t remember where) that Booker’s got the best name recognition of the 3.
Will Christie win? I really don’t know. His approval ratings have been fluctuating over the last year or so, but are currently on the stronger side. At this point, it’d probably be a very close race, depending on who the Democrats put up.
It’s going to be a tough race. His class warfare message is a big hit with some crowds. It is a deeply democratic state but for governor people will vote for who they think is effective.
Christie as president is a non-issue I think. His weight is a fodder for jokes but not the issue. The fact that he speaks and acts without thinking and makes decisions that effect the state for the sole purpose of punishing his enemies is.
Romney wants his endorsement because he seems to be popular with some outside of the state. But his abrasive manner will be a big liability as a running mate or candidate.
I had the opportunity to hear Cory Booker speak on a couple of occasions. Off the cuff, no TelePrompTer. The man is a rock star. I have never been so impressed with a speaker. Head and shoulders above Obama in my opinion. If he can get out clean from the cesspool of Newark politics he will be a tough opponent for any position. Codey or Sweeney would be a big mistake in my opinion.
fTR I’m a registered Republican who voted for Christie. Once.
I don’t want to get weighted down with fat-man jokes, or anti-fattist rhetoric, but I do think there is a point where someone is not just stout (which is itself a small problem for candidates) but horrendously obese to the point where people mistrust his judgment generally-- but let’s reserve that for a separate thread, okay? Sorry I brought it up–I was free-associating.
The vindicativeness angle is interesting to me, though–shades of Sarah and Troopergate?
Agreed. I haven’t personally seen him on anything but TV, but Mayor Booker comes across as extremely charismatic.
He is a lot more open about it. He is not subtle. Like specifically destroying pet programs of his opponents after a budget battle. His targets for the ax were too specific and mostly inconsequential to the big picture to be anything other than petty revenge. NJ governors have line item veto power and he has used it extensively.
I used a comparison to Obama. Obviously Obama is one of the best speech makers ever to hold public office. But take away the TelePrompTer and he is still good but certainly not at the same level. Booker came down to where my unit was training before going to Iraq as part of a delegation including Corzine. He spoke as a representative of the states mayors. Off the cuff, no notes. He was very impressive.
““Just because he was a Navy SEAL doesn’t give him the right to be a jerk,” the governor said yesterday, explaining why he refused to apologize. Some might say the same thing about being a governor.”
I don’t think the Star Ledger is a partisan paper but I could be wrong.
I for opne think we tend to overworship our warriors but Christie has made his bed and people see him as being an abrasive jerk. People tolerate it because they think he also happens to be right but some people draw the line at insulting veterans. Lets see if it makes a difference that this is a Democratic veteran (I suppose its better than being a gay veteran).
If you don’t want to bring it up, then don’t. It’s not hard to not type something. Don’t pull disingenuous crap like the above.
But it does bring up a valid point. Outside of fat jokes … the man is a walking coronary waiting to happen. I would be surprised if he’s even alive by the next NJ gubernatorial election.
The next gubernatorial election in New Jersey will be in November 2013. BusinessWeek says Christie is enjoying “record-high approval ratings” of 54 percent. They’re probably right that that’s pretty strong given the situation most states (including New Jersey) are in, but it’s not invincible either.
Are you serious? He’s fat, but he’s 49. His life expectancy is more than two years.
I’m not in NJ and don’t follow their politics too closely, but my general impression is that Christie is a hot head who has a tendency to blurt out offensive things in public. If he were to run for any national office, I think he would find himself a too easy target for ridicule. If chosen for a VP slot, I think he would be kept out of the public eye as much as possible. The combination of his inability to self-censor and his weight (which I don’t personally consider an issue, but many would) would make him toxic nationally.
That makes no sense at all. If you like Christie and think he would be a good VP candidate, that means you want to take advantage of his sense of humor and evident honesty because voters enjoy those qualities. He does shoot his mouth off sometimes, but if you’re so worried about that, you pick someone else. Keeping Christie under wraps that way would reduce his disadvantages and also cancel out his good qualities, which makes it a wasted choice.
We’ve already had one: William Howard Taft.
And Christie’s got more pounds to gain to match him.
There’s a famous story about Taft getting stuck in a White House bathtub, and having to call the servants to get him out.
Well, I beg to differ. At 5’8" and 190 pounds, I’m fat. He’s morbidly obese. But I’m really not trying shit on him for his weight, just pointing out that guys his size in stressful jobs like his drop dead every other day and I wouldn’t be surprised at all if he suffers some serious health issues.
And besides, he’s a perennial Death-Pool alternate for me and I’m thinking of promoting him next year.
I think he really should be judged on the basis of his policies alone. What are his opinions on healthcare, taxation, his approach to the departments and unemployment? Those are the things that’ll affect most people’s lives. Not his weight.