Is it ok to talk about a politicians weight?

Yesterday, during New Jersey’s Governor Chris Christie's press conference, in which he announced that he would not participate in the Republican presidential race, the issue of him being obese was discussed and whether it is appropriate for a reporter to write about it and if it affects his job performance.

Since he is a public figure and a role model, I think that his weight is an issue that should be discussed, especially with the invention of recent government programs like first lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move Campaign, which was created to help get our youth active and reduce the extremely high rates of childhood obesity found in America.

 According to the statistics, over the past three decades, childhood obesity rates in America have tripled, and today, nearly one in three children in America are overweight or obese. The numbers are even higher in African American and Hispanic communities, where nearly 40% of the children are overweight or obese. In his state alone the obesity rate is 28.1 %. As governor how can he promote programs like Let’s Move when he’s not doing anything about his own weight issues. So for Christie to say “it is ignorant for the people who consider themselves to be serious commentators to say that he is undisciplined because of his weight,” is ridiculous, when it is actually an issue that should be discussed; because he is creating the illusion to some children that it is ok to be obese and unhealthy just because he is a politic.