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Is Chris Christie’s Weight-Loss Surgery a 2016 Clue?

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Photo Credit: New Jersey National GuardNew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who recently described himself as “the healthiest fat guy you’ve ever seen,” revealed Tuesday that he’s taken a major step toward slimming down.

The Republican told the New York Post that he underwent lap-band stomach surgery over the Presidents Day holiday — auspicious timing given that news of the procedure is seen as the latest indication that he’s eyeing a White House run in 2016.

Christie, however, denied that the procedure had any political implications, saying the decision was made after pleas from his family to shape up after a milestone birthday.

“I’ve struggled with this issue for 20 years,” he told the newspaper. “For me, this is about turning 50 and looking at my children and wanting to be there for them.”

Christie checked into a surgery center under a false name on Feb. 16, the Post reported. The procedure, which is less intrusive than gastric bypass surgery, is meant to make individuals feel fuller and cut down on food intake. One analyst told NBC News on Tuesday that Christie could lose 100 pounds if he does cut back on his eating.

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Mitt Romney Invites Axelrod, Former Chair of DNC, Chris Christie, Others to His Summer Retreat

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Photo Credit: Politico The guest list for Mitt Romney’s June retreat has a few surprising names not traditionally seen together with the former GOP presidential nominee.

The list of high-profile speakers include Democratic political consultant David Axelrod, who was President Barack Obama’s campaign adviser in 2008 and an Obama senior strategist in 2012, The Boston Globe reported Tuesday. During the 2012 campaign, Axelrod was openly critical of Romney, often slamming the Republican for his political stances.

Another staunch Obama supporter, and the former chairman of the Democratic National Convention, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa is also on the list.

New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie is also expected to speak at the retreat. The Republican caught flak from his own party last year when he worked together with the president on Hurricane Sandy relief.

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Chris Christie Comes Out Against Gay Conversion Therapy

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Photo Credit: Mel Evans/AP

After initially saying he was undecided on the topic, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is against gay conversion therapy. Christie faced criticism when he said earlier in the week he wasn’t sure if he would sign legislation banning the practice on minors.

“Governor Christie does not believe in conversion therapy,” spokesman Kevin Roberts said in a statement to the New Jersey Star-Ledger. “There is no mistaking his point of view on this when you look at his own prior statements where he makes clear that people’s sexual orientation is determined at birth.”

Gay conversion therapy, also known as reparative therapy, claims to be able to change the sexual orientation of gay people through religious counseling, intense therapy and other methods. Health organizations, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, American Medical Association, American Psychiatric Association and the World Health Organization, have all spoken out against conversion therapy, saying it can cause serious and long-term harm. The New Jersey state senate’s health committee approved legislation banning the practice on Monday.

Christie, who is widely thought to have 2016 presidential aspirations, has not said whether he will sign the bill banning the practice. He remains opposed to same sex marriage.

At a press conference Wednesday, Christie said he wasn’t sure if he would sign the bill because he needed more information, as well as wanting to give parents as much leeway in raising their children as possible.

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Rand Paul to Chris Christie: Cool it With the Temper Tantrums & Grandstanding, Alright? (+audio)

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If it seems like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and Gov. Chris Christie (R-N.J.) have been in the news an awful lot recently, it’s because they have been — the New Jersey governor for his harsh criticism of House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and the National Rifle Association and the Kentucky senator for his vow to “nullify” the president’s new gun-control measures.

And if you’ve been waiting on a news story that involves both GOP heavyweights, well, you’re in luck: Sen. Paul on Friday publicly reprimanded Gov. Christie for “not standing up for Second Amendment rights in the ongoing gun control debate,” as CNN puts it.

“You have some Republicans backing down like Christie backing down and criticizing the NRA, and I think that doesn’t do us any good,” Sen. Paul told conservative talk radio host Laura Ingraham. “So I think Republicans do need to stand more firmly on this issue.”

Asked why he thinks Gov. Christie chose to take such a hard stance against the NRA and its “reprehensible” anti-Obama ad, Sen. Paul said he thinks the governor is merely posturing.

“I think he may be solidifying his support with Democrats in New Jersey and maybe liberal Republicans,” the Kentucky senator said.

Listen to audio:

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Video: Chris Christie Gets Another High-Profile Endorsement, MSNBC’s Chris Matthews

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(DC)Going from being the darling of conservative commentator Ann Coulter to winning the affection of HBO “Real Time” host Bill Maher is quite a feat. But for Chris Christie, the Republican governor of New Jersey, praise from Democrats is becoming a regular thing.

On Wednesday’s broadcast of “Morning Joe” on MSNBC, “Hardball” host Chris Matthews, author of “Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero,” had some kind words for the popular Christie.

“Well, the man has style,” Matthews said. “And I think most people in New Jersey would say, as Peggy Noonan said in her column right before the election, he will be popular in New Jersey. He won’t be so popular in Republican Party circles because he did seem to help the president there a bit. Although Nate Silver and others don’t think it was the reason he won or anything.”

“But I do think he has style. And I know in Philadelphia where I keep in touch, and South Jersey, they love him. Regular people in my family and they’re very regular people —they like him because that ‘at-ey-tude’ — as we say in Philly, we pronounce it that way — ‘at-ey-tude.’”

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Christie’s Approval Rating Soars

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photo credit: bob jagendorfNew Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has seen a dramatic bump in his approval rating in the aftermath of Superstorm Sandy, the super-storm that pummeled his home state late last month.

The Republican governor, who served as the keynote speaker at this year’s Republican National Convention and is widely considered a potential 2016 Republican presidential candidate, is now seen favorably by 67 percent of New Jersey voters. That’s a rise of 19 percentage points from October in the poll from Rutgers University released Wednesday.

Christie will face reelection next year, and is likely to face popular Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) in the contest. But if the governor is able to solidify some of the gains earned by his handling of the storm’s aftermath, he could significantly improve his chances of winning a second term.

But there is a concern that Christie’s short-term reward for working closely with President Obama could hurt his long-term prospects within the Republican Party. Already, some prominent conservatives have argued that Christie’s embrace of the president in the days following the storm hurt GOP nominee Mitt Romney’s electoral chances.

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While New Jersey Residents Suffer, Governor Christie Goes on Saturday Night Live

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Tens of thousands of New Jersey residents are without power. Many have lost homes and everything else that they have. Some don’t have enough to eat and others are struggling to stay warm.

This is not the time for a responsible leader to go do his self-promoting shtick on Saturday Night Live. But Christie seems so tone deaf that he puts his self-promotion ahead of anything else.

Yes Giuliani went on Saturday Night Live a few weeks after September 11, but that wasn’t a series of gags, it was a serious tribute to those who died in the attacks. It had very little in common with Christie showing off the same routine that he does every time he’s in the vicinity of a video camera. And at a time when New Jersey residents still need help, why is their Governor spending time on a comedy show cracking jokes about what people have been going through?

We’ve got people from Louisiana and North Carolina coming in to help New Jersey, while Christie hops from one photo op to another. Sandy, like everything else, has turned out to be all about the monumental ego of a big man who wants to be an even bigger man.

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Chris Christie Telephones Obama to Congratulate Him, But Emails Condolences to Romney

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[Editor’s Note: Chris Christie lashed out over the media’s report that he had called Obama. Christie claims that is was, in fact, Obama who called him.] New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie said that he had called President Obama to congratulate him on his win in the 2012 presidential election — but has only sent an email to Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee for whom he campaigned heavily earlier this year.

“We didn’t have a political strategy discussion,” Christie said of his call to Obama, according to Bloomberg. “I said congratulations on your win last night Mr. President, he said thank you governor.”

Christie added that he had sent an email to Romney on Wednesday night.

“We haven’t spoken on the phone yet,” he continued.

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Laura Ingraham: No Surprise if Chris Christie Becomes a Democrat

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Republican New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who came out long ago in favor of his party’s nominee Mitt Romney’s candidacy for president, apparently upset a lot of people on the conservative side for his embrace of Romney’s opponent, President Barack Obama in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. And according to conservative talker Laura Ingraham, it was taken to the point of “embarrassing himself.”

On her Tuesday radio program, Ingraham, the author of “Of Thee I Zing: America’s Cultural Decline,” criticized the New Jersey governor for his latest comment expressing his excitement in hearing from Obama supporter and rock star Bruce Springsteen.

“Speaking of embarrassing himself, Chris Christie … was out there and he was very excited, not because he’s voting for Romney,” Ingraham said. “He’s excited because he got a phone call: not just from the president of these United States, but he got a phone call from Bruce Springsteen.”

Ingraham went on to point out that Christie shares a character trait with Obama in that he often talks about things in context of himself.

“You know what, I’ve just got to say this: He has a lot more in common with Obama than we thought,” she said. “It’s all about Chris Christie. ‘My Jersey Shore,’ ‘my roller coasters underwater,’ ‘my hero Bruce Springsteen,’ ‘I have to pinch myself to go on Air Force One as the son of an Italian immigrant,’ or whatever he said.”

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Governor Christie Denied Romney Request To Appear At Campaign Event Just Days Ahead Of Election

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photo credit: sandyreliefBOSTON — New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, who was effusive in his praise of President Barack Obama when the two leaders toured damage from Hurricane Sandy last week, turned down a request by Mitt Romney to appear with him at a rally on Sunday night in Pennsylvania, The Huffington Post has learned.

Christie’s decision will only add to questions among Republicans about what the governor — who is up for reelection a year from now — is thinking, and why he went out of his way to heap praise on the president, and then refused to appear with Romney.

The Romney rally was held at a farm in Morrisville, Pa., not more than 20 minutes from Trenton, the New Jersey capital. The physical proximity of the event to New Jersey only added to questions in the Romney campaign about why Christie chose not to come.

“You can’t tell me he couldn’t have gone over there for a night rally,” a Romney campaign source told HuffPost.

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