Would you vote for a bearded man?

[Larry_Borgia]

I think almost all of the people on this board would vote for a bearded man. Sadly, this board does not represent America.

[What_Exit]

@CBCD

New Jersey recently elected a man with a beard to be governor, Jon Corzine. In his inauguration yesterday, Jon Corzine said he was going to focus on getting rid of corruption in New Jersey politics.

As if!

I even voted for him, beard and all.

Of course I where a beard several months every year and don’t see why it would be a problem.

Jim

[CynicalGabe]

I’ve heard the "women don’t trust men with " thing before?

Why is that? Some evolutionary thing? Only the stronger and more capable man can shave himself?
As to the OP:
As long as the guy wasn’t a republican, I’d have no trouble voting for him.
Assuming of course, it wasn’t that half-ass beard Gore was sporting for awhile.

[ultrafilter]

@CynicalGabe

I’ve heard the "women don’t trust men with " thing before?

Why is that? Some evolutionary thing? Only the stronger and more capable man can shave himself?

Couldn’t be. Way back when all men had beards. It’s most likely cultural, given that we have had bearded presidents before.

[Ice_Wolf]

I think I recall my English mother having a thing about men with beards, reckoning that clean-shaven was best. Perhaps because an unkempt beard meant an unkempt fella, I dunno.

Anyway – I’d vote for a bearded guy. As long as I agreed with his policies.

[Love_Rhombus]

As I understand it, facial hair or the lack is due to peer pressure and fashion mostly. I shaved my goatee on the advice it would make me look more “respectable.” I liked it too, since it grew in red and my head is black. I felt special.

I can imagine Cheney with muttonchops, somehow. And Clinton with a slick little mustache.

Would you say that a candidate would have to have guts to run with a tidy beard? I’m not imagining ZZ Top style (thought that would be refreshing). I bet as long as Castro is around, no US President or hopeful will try one, at least.

[Thudlow_Boink]

Would you vote for a man with a Hitler moustache?

[liberty3701]

Yeah, that whole women-not-trusting-bearded-men thing seems odd to me. I can’t be impartial on this subject, since my father has a beard, and Papa is the most trust worthy, respectable person on the planet. I would vote for a guy with a beard in a heart beat if I liked his politics. I’d vote for a short guy, too. Or a tall, bearded woman. Alas, I do know someone who voted for Bush because he is “cute,” so clearly there are people out there… and I mean out there.

[Neptunian_Slug]

@Love Rhombus

Let’s say, for president. A fellow who embraces your values wholeheartedly, has a clean record, much experience…and a big-Moses-style beard he’s had forever and refuses to shave. Would he get your vote?

I honestly wasn’t sure if this should go in GD; it’s so heavy in there.

As a bearded guy, yeah I would, but many folks won’t. This board is surely not representative of the general populace. But a good number of folks wouldn’t vote for a bearded person, a short person, an ugly person, a black person or any number of physical characteristics that bother them. Being five foot six, bearded, and not terribly good looking, I guess I can count out the presidency.

It’s not fair, but its life.

[Jet_Jaguar]

I sure as hell wouldn’t vote for a bearded president. OTOH, If he had muttonchop sideburns and a handlebar moustache, especially the kind where the mutton chops connected to the moustache, that would be different…

[Cunctator]

@Ice Wolf

I think I recall my English mother having a thing about men with beards, reckoning that clean-shaven was best. Perhaps because an unkempt beard meant an unkempt fella, I dunno.

I’d say that’s the basis for the aversion and the reasoning possibly goes:

Beard = unkempt = slack about grooming = lazy

[Scarlett67]

Why not? I married one. (And I kiss him on a pretty regular basis, too . . .)

[Nic2004]

@YaWanna

He didn’t have that beard until after he was elected, you know.
Sure, I’d vote for him. But I wouldn’t kiss him.

Although I also have a beard, I wouldn’t kiss him either.
Vote, yes.

[Elendil_s_Heir]

@ultrafilter

Couldn’t be. Way back when all men had beards. It’s most likely cultural, given that we have had bearded presidents before.

Not since women got the vote, though.

Yes, given the stipulations of the OP, I would vote for a bearded candidate. And if his name weren’t Lex Luthor, I would just as readily vote for a completely bald candidate, given the OP’s stipulations.

[Captain_Amazing]

@ultrafilter

[li]Only four presidents have had significant beards, and they all served between 1860 and 1890.[/li][li]Only two presidents have had significant mustaches, and they all served between 1900 and 1920.[/li][/list]

I count more than that

Presidents with beards (some of whom also had mustaches): Lincoln, Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Benjamin Harrison

Presidents with mustaches but no beard: Chester A Arthur (actually, Arthur had some sort of strange animal on his face, that started as sideburns and then kept going until it turned into a mustache), Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, William Howard Taft. (The fascinating thing was that all of these people served all almost chronologically, with just the bearded and mustached Harrison and the cleanshaven McKinley not fitting the pattern. Apparently at that period in history, the “dyspeptic walrus” look was seen as presidential,)

[Rubystreak]

I actually aesthetically prefer men with beards if the beard is full and well-groomed, in general, so I definitely would vote for a man with a nice beard. A lot of men aren’t capable of growing in a nice, thick, even beard, and I think those scraggly guys ruin it for the rest of men. It’s too bad, really.