Mitt Romney Poked Fun At Chris Christie's Weight: 'Guys! Look At That!'
Mitt Romney decided not to pick New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) as his running mate, in part because of his lack of physical fitness. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
By Amanda Terkel Posted: 11/01/2013 10:10 am EDT | Updated: 11/01/2013 12:31 pm EDT
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was on Mitt Romney's vice presidential short list initially, but the GOP nominee took him off in part because of his weight.
"Romney marveled at Christie’s girth, his difficulties in making his way down the narrow aisle of the campaign bus," the authors write. "Watching a video of Christie without his suit jacket on, Romney cackled to his aides, 'Guys! Look at that!'"
The Romney campaign had dubbed its search for a vice presidential nominee "Project Goldfish," and Christie was stuck with the code name "Pufferfish," according to a report on the book by The Washington Post.
Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty was Lakefish, Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio) was Filet-O-Fish, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) was Pescado and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) was the not-very-secretive Fishconsin.
Mr. Romney made the decision not only because of the fund-raising restrictions Mr. Christie would face as the governor of New Jersey, but also because Mr. Christie did not offer the same amount of information to Mr. Romney’s team of vetters as the other potential vice-presidential picks.
According to a memo on Mr. Christie from the vetting team, it had unanswered questions on a defamation lawsuit against the governor from earlier in his political career, on a Securities and Exchange Commission settlement involving Mr. Christie’s brother, on names and documentation of his household help, on information from his time as a securities industry lobbyist, and on his medical history. “The dossier on the Garden State governor’s background was littered with potential land mines,” the authors write.
Romney also didn't like Christie's tendency to show up late to campaign events.
Beth Myers, who oversaw the search for Romney, replied to The New York Times, "Governor Christie complied fully with the Romney campaign's request for documents in a timely manner, including a complete medical report from his internist and cardiologist."
The industrialized north was a hot-bed for unionization. That's where the Democrat influence came in. The southern states were segregated and the southern Democrats were vehemently against integration. It was the rural north that was Republican due to the Republicans being the anti-slavery party. If you remember, the first civil rights legislation was under a Republican president (Eisenhower) in the Brown V Kansas Board of Education. Since then, many of the more Liberal southerners have gone to the Republican Party. A lot of the northern Democrats have been duped by the influx of the neo-left which are the old Socialists and Communists from the '50s.
News 
Market Data 
Discover 
