If you go by the newspapers and the breathless mainstream media, the most important announcement in history, aside from the Second Coming, will be the decision by New Jersey governor Chris Christie whether or not to seek the Republican numbination for president.
For those who have followed this story, it might seem odd that so much more has been written about Mr. Christie's size than about his substance.
It's true that we haven't had a potential candidate for the Oval Office this big since William Howard Taft eased his 350 pounds behind his desk in 1909, but it may be wise to reflect that there was even more to Taft than met the eye. He was a reformer, trying to break up the corporate strangleholds on the government (then called "trusts") and helping economic development in Central and South America. He was also the only president to later serve as Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. However, if you listen to the "news," all you'll hear about Taft was that he was our fattest Chief Executive.
For the same reasons, you'll be regaled about Michelle Obama going shopping in a baseball cap at Target, Sarah Palin's fashions, Rick Perry's gaffes or whether Ron Paul or Newt Gingrich is the kind of guy you could sit down an have a beer with.
Has anyone heard an interviewer ask any of the candidates what they think of the protests in New York City and elsewhere against corporate greed and corruption? Has anyone tried to pin down any of the candidates on their stand on tax loopholes? How many have even mentioned the moving of corporate offices overseas to avoid taxes?
Actually. the only real statement of policy I've heard has been the brilliant speech given by Elizabeth Warren, running for the Senate in Massachusetts. At a recent church service, the minister quoted the speech and the congregation burst into applause. Why haven't we demanded similar policy ststements from the other candidates unstead of the same old garbage about "too much government" and "no more taxes?"
If they're serious about reducing the debt, why not everybody pull his weight? If they think the rich pay too little, why not have the guts to say so? If they feel America really has equal liberty and justice for all, let them explain our legal system, our tiered educational system and our dysfunctional system of medical care. Let's not worry about how fat they are, what religion they follow or whether their hairdo is in style. We're trying to pick the leader of a country, not the cover of GQ or Cosmopolitan.
If Chris Christie decides to run, urge him on. The more the merrier. Put him under the microscope like the others should be. But render unto Weight Watchers the things that are Weight Watchers.