Jon Corzine playing the Fat Card?

[marmar]

from the NY Times:



Corzine Points a Spotlight at His Rival’s Waistline

By DAVID M. HALBFINGER
Published: October 7, 2009


It is about as subtle as a playground taunt: a television ad for Gov. Jon S. Corzine shows his challenger, Christopher J. Christie, stepping out of an S.U.V. in extreme slow motion, his extra girth moving, just as slowly, in several different directions at once.

In case viewers missed the point, a narrator snidely intones that Mr. Christie “threw his weight around” to avoid getting traffic tickets.

In the ugly New Jersey contest for governor, Mr. Corzine and Mr. Christie have traded all sorts of shots, over mothers and mammograms, loans and lying. But now, Mr. Corzine’s campaign is calling attention to his rival’s corpulence in increasingly overt ways.

Mr. Corzine’s television commercials and Web videos feature unattractive images of Mr. Christie, sometimes shot from the side or backside, highlighting his heft, jowls and double chin. .......(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/08/nyregion/08fat.html?_r=1&hp

[babylonsister]

1. I think this is just dumb. What is the point? Are NJ politics that scummy? nt

[BoneDaddy]

4. YEah pretty much so

NJ politics are often very scummy. But Christie is kind of the epitome of your early century capitalistic pig.

[Kahuna]

24. Pretty much. But whatever it takes to defeat a bushie, I'm down with.

I shudder at the thought of christie bing govenor. :scare:

[karynnj]

29. The ad in context does not really emphasize that really standard line

(though I would bet the ad man knew exactly what people would think.)

As to the photos, it is literally impossible to not show his heft. Compared to the campaign that the Republicans ran against Menedez, this is innocent.

[Captain Hilts]

2. The overweight are the most discriminated against in the workplace. It's an

interesting move. I guess they're counting on that discrimination being active in the voting booth.

You know, overweight folks are self-indulgent, lazy and have no personal discipline.

Even worse if they smoke!

[customerserviceguy]

3. Sizism is the last acceptable prejudice

Jay Leno would never make a sexist or homophobic joke, but he hurls barbs at large folks all the time.

[BoneDaddy]

6. Maybe because for the overwhelmingly majority of obese people

it is something within their control and is an indication of the choices they make as opposed to being born into a specific gender or sexual orientation.

[marmar]

7. So that's license to make fun of them?

:wtf:

[BoneDaddy]

12. Never said it was OK to make fun of them

but let us stop with the obese victimization card that is so often played on DU that eliminates any self control or personal choices that play into a person's obesity.

[Dorian Gray]

33. Regardless of that....

I don't get why people have to be rude of assholes because people are larger.

[BoneDaddy]

46. True

and agreed

[karynnj]

32. Did you see the ad?

It really does not emphasize that. It is one not all that innocent line. As to the pictures - they are not distorted or exaggerated.

[marmar]

52. Sorry, but the slo-mo pic is designed to show his body. ..... That said.....

..... it still wouldn't prevent me from voting for Corzine. (If I lived in NJ)

[Captain Hilts]

8. Exhibit A!!! That uniform statement doesn't hold for a lot of folks. nt

[BoneDaddy]

11. Bah, it simply doesn't hold up to the facts

and the constant search for a reason to justify what clearly is bad choices in life is so self defeating and ultimately does damage to those who believe it.

Show me an obese person who eats healthy, exercises daily and takes care of themselves and I would postulate that they represent a very very small minority.

[Captain Hilts]

15. Right here! I'm overweight and run 4 miles a day and scull. In fact, when I went

to donate blood at Walter Reed, they took my blood pressure and said, "you're a runner, aren't you?" Yep.

I don't drink and don't smoke. Never have.

My curse is being short. I'm 5'2" and wear a size 8.5 shoe. Weird for women.

[BoneDaddy]

48. overweight and obese are two different animals in my

book. I am not promoting a body building or supermodel bod, hell, I don't have even close to that. But I have never met someone who was obese (who didn't have a medical condition that caused or contributed to it) who wasn't that way due to lifestyle

[customerserviceguy]

51. "Within their control"

Funny, I recall the same argument used against gay and lesbian people by the intolerant.

And even if for 100% of people who are larger than others there is the ability to completely control it, what gives you the right to give them shit over it?

[Bluerthanblue]

56. you are one of the few people

i've ever heard make the connection to the way gays have been and continue to be treated and the way the obese are consistently treated.

It's bigotry, and intolerance. By those who don't have any idea of the true situation, as well as those who have to continually be obsessed about and tightly control their intake of food for fear of gaining weight, and those who've gone to the extreme of surgically mutilating their bodies to achieve weight loss.

It's not a "choice" most people would want to be accused of failing to make if you ask me.

:shrug:

[customerserviceguy]

64. I'm just talking about how bigoted assholes on the right

have (and still do) insisted that sexual orientation is a choice. Once upon a time, they had a majority of people believing that 'logic'.

Is that what you're arguing in the case of size?

[BoneDaddy]

65. Are you rational?

How incredibly amazing how you could compare obesity to sexual orientation... how steeped in victim thinking are you? Time to grow up

[Bluerthanblue]

53. i believe you will eat your words someday. How many people

actually successfully lose weight and keep it off long term? I'm talking truly obese people?

If it were as "simple" as you and all the diet industries make it out to be, why would it be a growing problem, much less an epidemic?

Those who succeed in long term maintained weight loss often live lives obsessed with keeping the weight off- and have a relationship with food that is vastly different than ectomorphs. People can live without cigarettes, alcohol, recreational drugs etc. People can also exist without being sexually active. (note the italics- i don't believe sexual orientation is a 'choice')- How long can people live without food of some kind? It is one of the few things that living things cannot abstain from without death.-

I sincerely believe that it will be found that many obese individuals are obese not by choice, or lack of self control but as a result of several factors. From genetics to the processing of our foods (growth hormones etc) and the effects that going on and off very low calorie diets have on the body's built in survival mechanism- causing people to gain far more weight in the long run than if they accepted their body's variation from the societal ideal.

It's not a simple problem- and never was.
http://diabetes.diabetesjournals.org/content/57/7/1768.abstract
:hi:

[BoneDaddy]

66. Yeah I have a bridge to sell you too

Give me a break, EAT my words....guess that is the way you see things. Time to take control and accountability of your life...

[bigdarryl]

5. I told you Corzine was a dick head

ARROGANT ASS!!!

[DainBramaged]

9. Would you rather have a Repuke who wants to ELIMINATE women's rights

and make NJ into the charter school capitol of the US while draining our treasury for his buddies, like Rove, who got him to run here?
OH, and on edit, who is trying to block equal rights for Gays? Is that OK with any of you?

There's a saying when it comes to fighting the Pukes in the new millenium,

whatever it takes to keep them out of power.


Sorry some here are unhappy with the campaign, but those same folks would let the Pukes win rather than fight them as they fight us. The time of passive acceptance wen dealng with Pukes is over.

[marmar]

10. I think the tactic is tacky.....but I'd still certainly want Corzine to win.

.... And I suspect Christie isn't running a clean campaign either.

[Miss Authoritiva]

19. Tacky but apparently effective...

The polls have been tightening up since the Corzine campaign started featuring more ads with full-body shots of Christie. I'm not going to speculate about correlation and causation, but I have the feeling that to the degree the average voter actually pays attention to the gubernatorial campaigns, they simply didn't know what Christie looked like (hell, more than a few probably thought Whitman was running again).

[BoneDaddy]

13. He is, overwhelmingly, the best choice

comparably.

[Kahuna]

18. Up yours! If you're really from, NJ you now what that means.

:grr:

[DainBramaged]

21. From the part of NJ that is RED!!!!

Other than this asswipe county I live in.........The rest of NJ is Blue. It's amazing how sometimes you catch fish without bait.........

:hi:

[Kahuna]

23. I know your part is red. Very nice down there though. I'm from the blue part..

:hi:

[DainBramaged]

25. I grew up in the Blue part up by the city

but 25 years ago we moved here because it was less crowded. Little dd I know it is the Red bowels of the State. However, as the older red fucks have died off, a new younger and more Progressive population has replaced them, and hopefully by the time the current generation grows up, the takeover will be complete.


:hi:

[Kahuna]

27. Good luck with all of that!

:hi:

[Sebastian Doyle]

55. Well of course he is

He's a former CEO of one of the biggest criminal organizations on the planet. That's all you need to know to realize he's a total shitbag. He's also DLC, but after Goldmine Sucks, that's just redundancy.

[vi5]

14. They really need to hand out clothes pins at the ballot..

..I'm going to hit the button for Corzine but it really is very begrudgingly.

I'm glad my state is so reliably blue most of the time, but man do we have issues here politically speaking.

[tilsammans]

16. Corzine's campaign has resorted to the same ugly tactics . . .

. . . as Christie's, unfortunately.

Nevertheless, Corzine must stay. Christie would be as disaster for NJ.

[Kahuna]

17. I have to admit, the use of the "fat card," is pretty obvious in this case...

Those ads make christie look quite unattractive. :applause:

[Iggo]

20. Is "Fat! Fat! The water rat!" a legitimate political stand?

Jeez.

[DainBramaged]

22. Well, would yu accept the Rovian tactics of the Repuke Party as legitimate?

Fight fire with fire if you can't quench the flames. What can we ell you.

Or would those of you who are purer than the rest of us prefer giving NJ back to the pukes? :shrug:

[MadBadger]

26. The biggest reason I'm sitting out this election

Its a disgusting campaign run in this state.

[karynnj]

34. But your profile says WI - you have to sit out this NJ election

[MadBadger]

37. Graduated from Wisconsin this year. Live in Jerseyy

[karynnj]

40. Makes sense -

Congratulations

[tabbycat31]

36. the stakes are too high to sit this one out

[MadBadger]

38. I'll root for him, but I wont vote for him.

[tabbycat31]

39. what about downticket Democrats

could you at least bring yourself to vote for Dagget?

[MadBadger]

41. I'm not sitting the election out, just this one race.

[DainBramaged]

43. Then go back to Wisconsin, you don't deserve a Blue NJ

:puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :puke: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:

[DainBramaged]

42. First, you aren't from Jersey, or is that a ploy in you profile????

second, if you are from Jersey and you DON'T vote, you hand over the election to the Pukes, JUST like we did in 2000 because so many think their vote doesn't count.

It is unfortunate you think that because you don't agree with the campaign,m the rest of the voters should suffer under a Puke. Shame on you.

[karynnj]

28. WELLLLL it is pretty obvious

The "threw his weight around" likely was intentional - but it is a pretty standard phrase. Let's just remember that the ENTIRE campaign in 2006 against Menendez was that he was corrupt - and Christie played his role opening an investigation -- that never saw the light of day after the election. Now, which was less fair.

As to faturing "unattractive images", are there images that do not show his double chin, jowls and heft - he's a pretty big guy.

[DefenseLawyer]

30. Let the DU hand wringing commence!

Bless your hearts.

[Dorian Gray]

31. NJ Politics...

who knew there was a place that made NY politics look sane.

[WI_DEM]

35. I hope it doesn't piss off NJ's overweight voters, of which I'm sure there are many

but I think most of them get what the ad is really about.

[T116]

44. Corzine is pretty hefty himself. I like the ad though.

[Fuzz]

45. I'm disappointed in Corzine. Never liked someone buying their seat

in the first place.

[tabbycat31]

47. it could be much worse

I fear that Christie would turn NJ into California (aka bankrupt). Corzine's made some tough choices but he's competent at the job.

[Fuzz]

50. True, all true. Tired of the lesser of two evils decisions we're forced into though.

Also tired of the same old bullshit NJ politics. Don't know the solution either.

Sucks.

[DainBramaged]

60. So you think the seat should be handed to him? HE USED HIS OWN MONEY

NO ONE owns him. JESUS what is wrong with you people. You live in NJ, do you WANT a Puke elected again?? A ROVE protege???

[Fuzz]

61. Sigh. Thanks for that wonderful response.

[DainBramaged]

62. No thank YOU for letting us know how you feel about the only DEM in the race

:grr:

[Mr. Sparkle]

49. I just watched the ad, and thats the crap the NY Times comes out with !!

I barely noticed the fat bastard at the end, but i did notice that Christie has managed to skirt the law.

FFS Bill, up your game.

[GoCubsGo]

54. While I find making fun of people's weight to be reprehensible...

...I remember what the rethugs did to Max Cleland or John Kerry. Especially Max Cleland. Corzine's commercial is complementary in comparison. I find it very difficult to get all outraged over this. It is sad that Corzine had to stoop to this level, but unfortunately, sometimes that is the only way to deal with these fucks. Make the eat what they have been dishing out for the last several decades.

[DainBramaged]

59. HEAR HEAR

Those getting offended by this may have another agenda here, or VERY short memories.

[robcon]

57. There could be blowback from this.

I think Corzine was wrong to do it.

[DainBramaged]

58. What's the blowback, a Puke gets elected? Get over it.

They should go after him for everything he has ever done in his miserable life. You don't live here. YOU don't understand the ramifications of a Puke governor again in NJ. YOU don't understand how Gay rights will be set back another generation, how women will have their rights revoked, and how minorities Will suffer from this clown and his cronies.

[DainBramaged]

63. How Christie Has Been Hurt In New Jersey: Mammograms

So how exactly is it that Jon Corzine has been catching up with Chris Christie in the New Jersey gubernatorial race? A lot of it has had to with women voters -- and mammograms.

Over the last several weeks, Corzine has been relentlessly hammering Christie over his advocacy of legalizing mandate-free insurance policies -- that is, not subject to state requirements that they cover certain procedures, which under New Jersey law include mammograms, autism screenings and other preventive care.

James Wolcott notes that this ad in particular has been given heavy rotation, warning women voters, "But if Chris Christie was governor insurance companies could drop mammogram coverage."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A5xbnlnoLSw&feature=player_embedded

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eM2agSqvLqw&feature=channel