Today in Fat-Hatin'

Fat-Hatin' Fauxgressive for Governor: New Jersey Governor Jon Corzine's campaign is currently running this ad against Corzine's Republican opponent, Chris Christie:

Voiceover: [over montage of traffic and emergency scenes] If you drove the wrong way down a one-way street, causing an accident and putting the victim in a trauma center, would you get away without a ticket? Chris Christie did. If you were caught speeding in an unregistered car, would you get away without points? Chris Christie did. In both cases, Christie [fade-in image of Christie from the neck-up, with double-chin and scowling expression] threw his weight around as US attorney and got off easy. If you didn't pay your taxes, ignored ethics laws, would you get away with it? [slo-mo video of Christie getting out of a vehicle] Chris Christie—one set of rules for himself, another for everyone else.

The New York Times, engaging in fat hatred even as it purports to condemn it, opens their story with: "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." Sigh.

Corzine laughed off criticisms, but his series of ads which "feature unattractive images of Mr. Christie, sometimes shot from the side or backside, highlighting his heft, jowls and double chin" are having what is certainly the desired effect: "In a recent survey conducted by Monmouth University, voters were asked to say the first thing that came to mind about Mr. Christie. 'Fat' was one of the most frequent responses."

As for Christie, he says he's "numb" to fat jokes at this point, having been subjected to them his whole life (I hear ya, buddy), and notes: "I don't see how it's relevant to my being governor." Neither do I.