Huge unemployment, financial instability, government debt to the point of being insane, and Barack Obama not having a clue what to do about it other than trying more failed stimulus.
What does a New Jersey newspaper want to write about?
Is a candidate too overweight to be President?
Better question – Is a person too dumb to be a reporter?
I frequently get asked media inquiries about political issues of the day, and except for one lying toad from a Washington DC rag, I’ve been treated fairly.
But I’ve never had a dumber question from a reporter than I had this week. Of course, it was from Newark.
“With the speculation about NJ Gov. Chris Christie’s running for president refusing to die, we’re wondering whether his weight and questions about his health would be an obstacle to his potential candidacy… Do you have any thoughts about how Christie, should he seek the GOP nomination, should handle questions about his health and weight?”
That’s what the liberal press wants to talk about? This is the First Amendment that the founders fought for and shed blood for? So that top reporters for big, metropolitan newspapers could make fat jokes.
The reporter, Susan K. Livio, writes for the Star-Ledger in Newark, NJ, where homicides have been so prevalent, you’re lucky to live long enough for weight to be a health issue.
The Star-Ledger almost collapsed two years ago and had to rid itself of 40% of its staff to stay afloat. It’s easy to see why.
Susan the scribe was so excited to write about whether Chris Christie was too fat to be President, she could hardly contain herself.
I asked her if she was serious, and she replied:
“Uh, yeah. It’s not like every pundit and media outlet hasn’t talked about it. I don’t mind snarky comments about how the media shouldn’t be talking about this.”
Well, contacting me, I should hope not!
I drew on my years of experience as an effective political communicator and addressed the issue with a sobering, yet thoughtful, analysis.
“So what if Christie’s waist size is higher than Obama’s approval polls?”
Somehow, I don’t think I made it into the story…
