Christie Calls Montclair Man ‘Communist’ On Radio After ‘Fat’ Insult (WATCH)

MONTCLAIR, NJ — One is a “communist.” The other is a “fat a**.” And together, they make for a heck of a water cooler conversation.

Montclair has its fair share of communists and “lefties,” according to New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. And a Monday call from one local critic of the governor – “Mike from Montclair” – managed to get his goat during Christie’s ongoing try-out to replace Mike Francesa as the host of a talk-radio show on the all-sports network WFAN.

The call from Mike Goldstein, a longtime Montclair resident and self-proclaimed Democrat, started off heated and didn’t let up.

“Governor, next time you want to sit on a beach that is closed to the entire world except you, you put your fat a** in a car and drive to one that is open to all of your constituents…” Goldstein began.

And that’s when Christie cut him off.

“You know Mike, I love, I love getting calls from communists in Montclair,” the governor deadpanned.

It got worse from there, with Christie calling Goldstein a “bum” and Goldstein retorting by labeling the governor a “bully” and alleging that he has “bad optics.”

After Goldstein is cut off, Christie goes on to criticize the "leftward" lean of Montclair, commenting that his radio detractor’s hometown is no surprise.

Watch a clip of their conversation below (original source: @SportsFunhouse).

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Montclair Facebook page here.

FAT SHAMING CHRISTIE

While Goldstein's frustrations are understandable, his dig at Christie’s weight may have been a cheap shot.

Pauline Bergstein, a New Jersey-based psychologist who specializes in eating issues, told Patch last year that people shouldn’t fat-shame anyone… including public figures such as Christie.

Those who pick on Christie for his weight issues may just be looking for an easy target, Bergstein opined.

“As much as Donald Trump's personality has a polarizing effect on the public, so does Governor Christie's,” she told Patch. “I believe that those who disagree with his tactics and his political rhetoric find it easy to target his weight as another negative characteristic.”

• See related article: Time For Chris Christie 'Fat Shaming' To End, Experts Say

But take heart, haters. Those looking for a reason to bash Christie have plenty of other material to work with (click headlines to read the article).

Watch: Things Got Heated Between Chris Christie And A Sports Radio Caller

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Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: YouTube (original Twitter post from @SportsFunhouse)