As NewsBusters has been reporting, the media's obsession with New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's weight has become totally absurd.
On Friday's "Morning Joe," during a discussion about obesity prompted by a pathetic column by the Washington Post's Eugene Robinson entitled "Christie's Hefty Burden," MSNBC's Al Sharpton joked, "So what I think we should do is put Governor Christie in jail for 90 days" (video follows with transcript and commentary):
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AL SHARPTON, MSNBC: I lost 120 pounds.
JOE SCARBOROUGH, HOST: And how did you do it?
SHARPTON: It started, I lead a protest in Vieques, Puerto Rico, around navy bombings, and I went on a fast when I went to jail. When I came out, I had realized I could conquer my appetite. Most of what we eat is what we think we want.
SCARBOROUGH: So it’s the Al Sharpton Jailhouse Diet. You should do a book.
Let's be clear that Sharpton was joking. However, would he make such a joke if Christie was a Democrat or a woman?
Manhattan has a United States Congressman named Jerry Nadler who's served since 1992. Has there ever been this kind of focus on his obesity?
Or what about liberal darling Michael Moore?
The reality is there's always something media members find to try to disqualify conservatives from being president, and despite Christie still having not announced he's running, the Left are out in force ridiculing his weight.
Just imagine what the attacks will be like if he actually enters the race.
Perish the thought.
*****Update: NB reader Sandy Schulz notes that Michael Kinsley went after Christie's weight Thursday evening writing at Bloomberg, "Look, I’m sorry, but New Jersey Governor Chris Christie cannot be president: He is just too fat. Maybe, if he runs for president and we get to know him, we will overlook this awkward issue because we are so impressed with the way he stands up to teachers’ unions. But we shouldn’t overlook it -- unless he goes on a diet and shows he can stick to it."
*****Update II: Christie's father, wife, and brother all want him to run. Decision comes this weekend.
*****Update III: MSNBC's Martin Bashir on Thursday actually referred to Christie as "the great white hope!"
