Not that I'm anywhere near right wing--let alone a supporter of the Congress loonies--but there are a few things to note about New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie:
1. His handling of the Hurricane Sandy crisis was brilliant--better than Bloomberg's, and I'm a Bloomberg fan. Christie was on the scene every moment, and rightly chewed out sluggards who didn't get off the beach. By embracing Pres. Obama, a Democrat, he raised his national profile, got assistance for New Jersey, and helped Obama, who owes part of his election win to those kissy-face photos--and doesn't dare forget New Jersey nor its governor.
2. Christie totally loves his job, can hardly believe his good fortune--his working-class parents would be so happy, his son made Princeton, George Clooney flatters his wife--and his enthusiasm makes people glad to see him.
3. He's a great talker: so good at insults that candidates called on him to help their sagging campaigns. It was riveting TV when he sat down at NJPAC for an interview about his life. ("My father was Irish, my mother was Sicilian, so there was no argument that wasn't worth having.") Hope that appearance is on youtube.
4. About the fat issue, he's right on: inviting comics to make jokes about him--so long as they're funny. (Did you hear the shouts of audience joy when he showed up on the SNL news?)
5. He blasted that ridiculous ex-White House doctor who made fatal predictions about his size--never having met him, having no idea of whether he might run for any other office. How dare she? Who would consult a doctor who practices in that manner? (I myself had bacon and cheese for breakfast, lady, you got a problem wit dat?)
6. Christie and I are eons apart on local--and probably moral--matters, but for the moment, those are steamrolled over by his successful national manner. We'll see how it goes, but when the cameras suck up to him, which they can't seem to help doing, I'm watching.