I care a great deal. He has dark skin. If he is giving a State of the Union address, I don’t want to see somebody like that with their head, face, and body covered with light colored nicotine patches. He could lie and say that he was attacked by a dog and they are just Band-Aids but the Secret Service is supposed to protect him from dogs. There is no need to bring dogs and the Secret Service into this.
OTOH, the Secret Service could shoot any convenience store employee that tries to sell him Kool Menthol’s because they are threatening his life. He wouldn’t even have access to them then unless he gets an intern to smuggle them in.
Don’t agree. He could easily say, along with legions of other smokers, “don’t start smoking, look how hard it is to quit - I really tried but I can’t, even though I know it will probably kill me”.
Or even “for some, it is easier to become the President of the United States than to quit smoking”.
I guess his choice of brand could be controversial. If he doesn’t smoke menthols, he’s “not black enough.” If he does smoke menthols, he’s promoting a stereotype. Maybe he should go back to the chronic.
This seems a bit too categorical. Obama himself has described smoking as “socially unacceptable.” There may not be a lot of voters who would be turned off by seeing him smoking, but it seems entirely reasonable that a savvy politician would consider kicking the habit rather than risk alienating even a few.
Cigar smoking carries a different image. It’s rare enough in today’s society that it’s seen as a quirk rather than a socially unacceptable habit.
Hitler may not have been a drinker or a smoker, but according to a History Channel special I saw about a year or so ago, Hitler was addicted to drugs. I don’t recall which one(s), though.
Back to Obama, I’m a non-smoker who thinks smoking is a nasty habit, but I don’t see how it’s relevant to the election any more than, say, drinking a lot of coffee.
Some people think that Bush was elected because more people would have liked to have a beer with him than Gore. Would voting based on being a smoker or not be any less retarded?
I had seen that GQ thread earlier. I think it should be clarified that Argent Towers did not say that whether or not Obama smokes is a polarizing issue. He said, “Smoking is a polarizing issue.” As in, smoking in general.
I also thought What the’s OP was phrased in a perfectly neutral manner, and it was kinda lame that the thread got dumped on so quickly. But nonetheless, if we are going to put someone’s words in quotes then let’s get the context right.
Fair enough, although from that thread (and much of this one) it seems as though other people believed that Obama smoking is indeed a polarizing issue.
You’re right that I took Argent’s words slightly out of context, though.
Cigars don’t have the same social stigma attached to them as cigarettes, although in my opinion they are nastier. Cigarettes are not politically correct anymore.
Cigars, smoked the way Americans tend to smoke them (one a day or less, without inhaling) have a tiny fraction of the risk of cigarette smoking. It’s not zero, but it’s an order of magnitude lower.
Anyway, this is a ridiculous issue. Who cares if the President smokes? So long as he’s not lighting up in public, who cares?
Frankly, if Obama’s a smoker and he wins the election, I hope he keeps right on smoking. A President has enough stress without having to kick a physical addiction at the same time. Let the guy have his smoke, for God’s sake.
I don’t care if he lights up in public. I guarantee you, if I was walking out of a stressfull speech in a building where smoking was banned indoors, first thing I’m doing is saying to my Secret Service agent, “Gimme that lighter back.”
Mother: I’ve I catch you with those cigarettes again, you will be grounded, Mister.
Boy: Why? The President smokes.
I mean, the times are changing. When I was a child before grade school, my grandparents used to babysit me during the day, and my grandfather smoked like a chimney.
Fast forward 25+ years, my mom, the same one who let me stay with her Dad smoking around me constantly, told me that I shouldn’t let my daughter stay at this lady’s house during the day because her husband smokes in the morning and evenings, when my girl isn’t even there.
Who cares if Winston Churchill or LBJ smoked? This is 2008. Society as a whole views smoking as a big no-no, and there are plenty of soccer moms who would vote for McCain if Obama was seen lighting up…
