# Could Obama Beat Up Schwarzenegger?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [November 1, 2008, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624 "2008-11-01T19:52:01Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/1 "2008-11-01T19:52:01Z")
So the Governator was talking smack about Obama’s skinny arms and legs. I think Obama could beat the crap out of him though. Isn’t Obama about 8 inches taller than him?
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### Author:  [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/2 "2008-11-01T20:01:52Z")
Obama has the marked disadvantage of being human. the Terminator Will. Not. Stop.
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### Author:  [@Punoqllads](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Punoqllads)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/3 "2008-11-01T20:08:35Z")
All Obama would have to do would be to apply his Vulcan nerve pinch.
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### Author:  [@Darryl\_Lict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darryl_Lict)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/4 "2008-11-01T20:08:53Z")
Obama is younger and quicker. If he could gouge out Arnie’s eyes and kick the Terminator’s steroid shrunken nuts, he’d win. If Arnie could wrassle him to the ground, it’d be all over for Obama. Arnie outweighs him by probably 80 pounds, and even though he is a bit flabby, he’d still kick Barack’s ass.
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### Author:  [@EpicNonsense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EpicNonsense)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/5 "2008-11-01T20:09:32Z")
> [@Lobsang](#):
>
> Obama has the marked disadvantage of being human. the Terminator Will. Not. Stop.
rofl..
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### Author:  [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/6 "2008-11-01T20:31:35Z")
Even at the height of his shirtless career, Schwarzenegger was muscle bound, and probably not that good an actual street fighter. Of course, nothing in Obama’s background suggests particular physical prowess or ability in a street fight either, AFAIK. If we could open a time warp and bring back John McCain the young naval aviator and naval academy boxer from the 60s, I suspect he could beat the crap out of a Schwarzenegger or Obama from any point in time.
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### Author:  [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/7 "2008-11-01T20:32:55Z")
Moved from General Questions to Mundane Pointles Stuff I Must Share.
**Gfactor**
General Questions Moderator
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### Author:  [@Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fish)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/8 "2008-11-01T20:40:57Z")
Well, if either one of 'em tried a move, their bodyguards would leap in. Obama’s got the Secret Service on his side.
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### Author:  [@Mr.Excellent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Excellent)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/9 "2008-11-01T20:50:05Z")
> [@yabob](#):
>
> Even at the height of his shirtless career, Schwarzenegger was muscle bound, and probably not that good an actual street fighter.
Why is being muscle-bound a disadvantage? Even absent fighting experience, I’d think that this at least ensures that any punch you can get to connect will have some _force_ behind it.
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### Author:  [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/10 "2008-11-01T21:03:09Z")
Depends on how the fight goes.
If it stays standing up, I’d give Arnold and prime McCain about even odds. One is more trained in the sporting version, but Arnold has plenty of stunt practice, and is strong as hell. If it goes to grappling Arnold owns all. Obama has a poor chance against Arnold, nothing indicates that he has a lot of fighting experience, and I doubt he could match either the punch and certainly not the grappling strength of the governator.
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### Author:  [@Captain\_Carrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Carrot)
#### Post date: [November 1, 2008, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/11 "2008-11-01T21:06:08Z")
> [@Mr.Excellent](#):
>
> Why is being muscle-bound a disadvantage? Even absent fighting experience, I’d think that this at least ensures that any punch you can get to connect will have some _force_ behind it.
Having big muscles means that there’s more flesh that gets in the way of a smoothly-executed move. Plus, the tissue is built towards strength, not finesse, so you could aim for the gut and hit the ribcage hard, thus hurting your hand.
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### Author:  [@mmmiiikkkeee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmmiiikkkeee)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2008, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/12 "2008-11-02T00:05:13Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#):
>
> Having big muscles means that there’s more flesh that gets in the way of a smoothly-executed move. Plus, the tissue is built towards strength, not finesse, so you could aim for the gut and hit the ribcage hard, thus hurting your hand.
You’ve got to be joking :p. Actually, if you read Arnie’s book “education of a body builder” he talks about how he did a lot of stretching and other exercises to prevent becoming stiff and muscle bound; it was something he was against.
He also boxed when younger, but not competitively. His buddy and fellow body builder Franco Columbo was a competitve boxer before he got into the weights, so I’m pretty sure they boxed with each other and that Arnie was at least somewhat competant.
Add to this the fact that when Arnie was starting out in body building (before he got famous) that his body went to his head and gave him a huge ego. In his book he admitted to starting fights with strangers almost on a daily basis; he was a typical young punk who happened to have a mammoth body and liked strong-arming people. I think he’s got enough experience and is still in good enough shape to take out Obama even now.
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### Author:  [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2008, 3:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/13 "2008-11-02T03:53:30Z")
> [@](#):
>
> Could Obama Beat Up Schwarzenegger?
Arnie is running for president? 😕
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### Author:  [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2008, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/14 "2008-11-02T04:01:40Z")
> [@Captain\_Carrot](#):
>
> Having big muscles means that there’s more flesh that gets in the way of a smoothly-executed move. Plus, the tissue is built towards strength, not finesse, so you could aim for the gut and hit the ribcage hard, thus hurting your hand.
You’re shitting us, right? :eek:
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### Author:  [@Staggerlee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Staggerlee)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2008, 4:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/15 "2008-11-02T04:10:42Z")
> [@mmmiiikkkeee](#):
>
> … at least somewhat competant. …
Unlucky.
Surely Barack would use his Hamas connections and take out Arnie via a carbomb or somesuch?
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### Author:  [@brickbacon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brickbacon)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2008, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/16 "2008-11-02T06:47:52Z")
> [@Acid\_Lamp](#):
>
> Depends on how the fight goes.
>
> If it stays standing up, I’d give Arnold and prime McCain about even odds. One is more trained in the sporting version, but Arnold has plenty of stunt practice, and is strong as hell. If it goes to grappling Arnold owns all. Obama has a poor chance against Arnold, nothing indicates that he has a lot of fighting experience, and I doubt he could match either the punch and certainly not the grappling strength of the governator.
Arnold today would beat either of them at any point in their lives. McCain is a tiny man. He is about 5’7" and roughly 160 lbs. Arnold is about 6’2" and 250 lbs. Do you really think McCain or Obama would even have a shot? Not only that, but Arnold was still in great shape as recently as 2003 when the last Terminator movie came out. I doubt he has completely given up working out and being fit. Either way, Arnold would crush him.
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### Author:  [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2008, 6:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/17 "2008-11-02T06:51:24Z")
> [@brickbacon](#):
>
> Arnold today would beat either of them at any point in their lives. McCain is a tiny man. He is about 5’7" and roughly 160 lbs. Arnold is about 6’2" and 250 lbs. Do you really think McCain or Obama would even have a shot? Not only that, but Arnold was still in great shape as recently as 2003 when the last Terminator movie came out. I doubt he has completely given up working out and being fit. Either way, Arnold would crush him.
I thought Arnold was much shorter than that for some reason.
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### Author:  [@Green\_Bean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Green_Bean)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2008, 7:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/18 "2008-11-02T07:10:28Z")
No, Arnold is about 6’2.
One of the reasons he was so successful in bodybuilding was that he had a really massive frame. But he wasn’t so huge that he was all out of proportion to his competitors. In other words, he looked bigger and grander standing there. But he wasn’t so much bigger that he was “too big.” Lou Ferrigno (arguably) was a little too big
Arnie could take both of them. He’s a talented natural athlete to begin with, and as **mmmiiikkkeee** said, he wasn’t “musclebound.” He retained great flexibility.
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### Author:  [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2008, 7:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/19 "2008-11-02T07:56:17Z")
> [@brickbacon](#):
>
> Arnold today would beat either of them at any point in their lives. McCain is a tiny man. He is about 5’7" and roughly 160 lbs. Arnold is about 6’2" and 250 lbs. Do you really think McCain or Obama would even have a shot? Not only that, but Arnold was still in great shape as recently as 2003 when the last Terminator movie came out. I doubt he has completely given up working out and being fit. Either way, Arnold would crush him.
Nah, I give it to Obama. Arnie’s a bodybuilder, but Obama played pickup basketball games in _Chicago_. Obama’s probably got a shiv on him at all times, and would have no problem with shanking Arnie. (Besides, if you’ve seen the photos of Arnie at the beach, he’s gotten a bit _flabby_ in his old age. I guess being the Governator keeps him too busy to work out.)
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### Author:  [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)
#### Post date: [November 2, 2008, 8:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/could-obama-beat-up-schwarzenegger/470624/20 "2008-11-02T08:09:52Z")
Haven’t you people been listening ? Obama’s the Antichrist. It would work out something like this :
Arnie : “Goodbye.” \< Points Uzi at Obama \>
Obama : “FOOL !” \< raises a hand; there’s ominous Latin chanting in the background \>
\< Arnie fires; the bullets stop in midair and dissolve in flames \>
Obama : “And now, my children, it is time to FEAST ! !”
\< The Secret Service agents around Obama take off their sunglasses, revealling that they all have red glowing eyes \>
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