Will a morbidly obese Christie survive?

An obese man in the early 20th century. (Wikipedia)

The Record today and Monday continues trying to predict whether Governor Christie will win a second term, ignoring the elephant in the newsroom.

Judging from a shocking photo the paper published on Sunday (Page A-6), Christie is morbidly obese and may not survive a long gubernatorial campaign, especially during the hot summer months. 

Recall the asthma attack that put him in the hospital a couple of summers ago, when he weighed less than he does now.

Bag of chips nearby? 

In the photo by Tyson Trish, the GOP bully is shown seated with his belt hiked up in an apparent attempt to hide his enormous stomach and abdomen, swollen by fat cells. 

More fat sags under his chin. What appears to be a bag of chips can be seen on a chair to the governor's right.

When it comes to eating, nutrition and his own health, Christie is completely out of control.

He also has little regard for the health of women and the poor, who are suffering because of budget cuts he made to preserve low taxes on his millionaire supporters.

Writing off challengers

Today, 10 months before the election, Columnist Charles Stile is already writing off Christie's potential Democratic challengers, including Sen. Barbara Buono, a Metuchen Democrat who has formally declared her candidacy (A-1).

Can't you just hear the yelps of laughter in the newsroom at Stile attempting to be funny when he wrote:

"The party cognescenti who craft the conventional wisdom in Trenton says she'll get crushed by Christie" (A-7).

A woman's appeal

But the hack columnist doesn't appreciate the appeal to New Jersey voters of a Democratic woman as a welcome break from the GOP's overwhelmingly male brand of divisive politics, including its war on the middle class.

What is morbid obesity?

Here is an excerpt from the Web site of the University of Rochester Medical Center and its Highland Hospital Bariatric Surgery Center:

Morbid Obesity

is a Serious Health Condition

Morbid obesity is a serious health condition that can interfere with basic physical functions such as breathing or walking. Those who are morbidly obese are at greater risk for illnesses including diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), gallstones, osteoarthritis, heart disease, and cancer.
Morbid obesity is diagnosed by determining Body Mass Index (BMI). BMI is defined by the ratio of an individual’s height to his or her weight. Normal BMI ranges from 20-25. An individual is considered morbidly obese if he or she is 100 pounds over his/her ideal body weight, has a BMI of 40 or more, or 35 or more and experiencing obesity-related health conditions, such as high blood pressure or diabetes.

 

Voters know nothing about Christie's health, except for that time he was hospitalized, and he has refused to answer questions on how much he weighs.

Page 1 sports

Also today, Editor Marty Gottlieb chose to squander front-page space on a big photo of a football game in Miami (A-1).

That left to A-3 a report on Democrats complaining that Christie is using Superstorm Sandy to distract attention from his poor record on job creation, mass transit and so many other areas.

That's likely because the media continue to praise Christie to the sky for stepping up after the superstorm hit on Oct. 29-30 -- and to ignore the sad state of affairs since he took office.