At the RGA conference in San Diego today, Bill Bennett, standing with Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, reportedly joked: “Bulky chic. … We’re a big party.”

It’s funny because it’s true.

Burly politicians, it seems, are thriving these days.  It hasn’t always been that way.  For decades now, it has been assumed that Americans simply wouldn’t tolerate a chubby Commander in Chief.

President Bill Clinton was forced to jog (sometimes to McDonalds) in order to maintain this charade.  And former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee shed major pounds before running for president.  But now, both Barbour and Christie are thought of as legitimate GOP contenders (though Christie swears he won’t run for president in 2012).

Of course, Christie has long dealt with this stigma.  While running for governor in 2009, Christie famously dared Democratic Governor John Corzine to “man up and say I’m fat.”  (Corzine was trying to subtly capitalize on the notion that Christie was overweight, going so far as to accuse him of “throwing his weight around” in one of his ads).

And despite Christie’s early success as governor, the criticism hasn’t gone away.  In fact, as The Week recently noted,

Appearing on a Philadelphia Fox affiliate, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill, a Columbia professor and political analyst, opined that Christie was too fat to make a successful presidential bid. “He doesn’t have the body type to win,” Hill said. “Let’s be honest… he’s fat.”

Not only do I disagree with that analysis — I have a theory that Christie’s weight might actually be helping him.

There is, after all, an “everyman” quality about a guy who is a few pounds overweight.  From Chris Farley to Kevin James, there’s something refreshing about a guy who simply isn’t too concerned about not eating carbs.

You might not trust (or like) the guy who is a little too tall, dark and handsome — and has perfect hair (see Mitt Romney).  In fact, you might resent that guy.  But darn it — you’d go have a beer with John Goodman any day of the week.

If pressed, I’m guessing political scientists might argue the reason a heavy person cannot be elected president is because being overweight somehow subconsciously symbolizes being undisciplined.

In some cases, that may be true.  But keep in mind Chris Christie is governor of New Jersey.  And if you were to ask the typical guy in New Jersey to name a few people who symbolize toughness and leadership, you’d probably hear names like former New York Football Giants coach Bill Parcells or New York Jets coach Rex Ryan — and maybe even Tony Soprano’s James Gandolfini.  (George Clooney probably wouldn’t make the list).  Christie fits right into that paradigm.

Christie, of course, has become a rock star to national conservatives — not just for his political courage and willingness to stand up to the teacher’s unions — but for also for rhetorically standing up to reporters.  (His appeal may have begun in New Jersey, but it has transcended the Garden State).  While some conservatives may shrink away from the media, only to bash them from afar, Christie goes head-to-head with liberal reporters on a regular basis — and usually wins.  (He’s also not above getting into it with hecklers).

Christie says things that other politicians are afraid to say, either because they aren’t tough enough to say them — or because they couldn’t get away with saying them.

Could it be that Christie’s size helps him here?  Whether it makes him the likable “everyman” who can get away with talking tough — or the stereotypically tough “football coach” model leader that the public has been thirsting for, is unclear to me.  But one thing is for sure, the old rules don’t seem to apply to the new adventures of Chris Christie.

Note: I’ll be guest blogging at HotAir these next few days.  Check out my Politics Daily column, my blog at MattLewis.org, and follow me on Twitter.