# Would a snake-handler be more electable as POTUS than an atheist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [June 6, 2012, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237 "2012-06-06T04:01:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/21 "2012-06-06T17:43:57Z")
> [@](#): > > I would actually prefer an atheist because they are good without being threatened by a diety with punishment. If you are only good because there is a threat of punishment, it makes me wonder what action you are suppressing yourself from doing. To be fair, many theists are also good for reasons independent of divine punishment. A theist can quite comfortably say “We have an inherent sense of right and wrong because God made us to have such a sense”. Now, that specific subset of theists who think that atheists can’t be moral, _those_ people scare me, because in order to be able to believe such things, they must have gotten very good at ignoring their own consciences. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/22 "2012-06-06T18:11:26Z")
Here’s an incomplete list of folks, in order, who would be elected POTUS before an atheist We can quibble about the order: Female Christian Latino Christian Black Female Christian Jewish Male Jewish Female Snake Handler Christian Devil Worshipper Artificial Intellilgence Intelligent Dolphin Convicted Fraud Artist Convicted Rapist Atheist ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/23 "2012-06-06T18:55:15Z")
> [@Sailboat](#): > > I can’t get over the mental image of the Secret Service tensely watching the President handle venomous snakes. 🙂 Now I have an image of an irritated President looking on as the Secret Service handles snakes _for_ him. “You know guys, this really misses the point.” ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/24 "2012-06-06T19:16:21Z")
A snake-handler would, at any rate, make a good WH intern. [rimshot] ---
**Author:** ![NDP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ndp/32/55_2.png) [@NDP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NDP)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/25 "2012-06-06T19:31:20Z")
As a variant to the thread topic, would an atheist be more electable as POTUS if he or she was a non-Libertarian conservative Republican who ran against a Christian liberal Democrat? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/26 "2012-06-06T19:34:42Z")
A great many people have serious and unfounded moral qualms about atheists, but I think almost every non-snake handler thinks snake handlers are completely insane. And they are. So I think the OP is probably right, and in the interest of getting society to accept atheists, we need to found a conspiracy that will get one party to nominate a snake handler and the other to nominate an atheist. It will take a few cycles to get off the ground, but elections are already such a circus that it’ll be one of those “Fox turned into a hardcore sex channel so gradually, I didn’t even notice” situations. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/27 "2012-06-06T19:34:55Z")
> [@aruvqan](#): > > I’ll join you. Toss in holding a bong to that gay married atheist recovering alcoholic and you would pick up the grass city vote as well … 😃 > > I would actually prefer an atheist because they are good without being threatened by a diety with punishment. If you are only good because there is a threat of punishment, it makes me wonder what action you are suppressing yourself from doing. :dubious: Well, ya lost me there. If they’re doin bong hits, they’re not really in recovery, but the bong hits aren’t a deal breaker in and of themselves. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/28 "2012-06-06T19:40:39Z")
> [@NDP](#): > > As a variant to the thread topic, would an atheist be more electable as POTUS if he or she was a non-Libertarian conservative Republican . . . Og, that’s a rare breed. **Clothahump** is the only one I’ve ever even heard of, and I’m not entirely sure about “non-Libertarian.” ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 11:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/29 "2012-06-06T23:48:42Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > A snake-handler would, at any rate, make a good WH intern. [rimshot] Only if they’re working for Clinton. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 6, 2012, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/30 "2012-06-06T23:55:28Z")
> [@BrainGlutton](#): > > A snake-handler would, at any rate, make a good WH intern. [rimshot] > [@Guinastasia](#): > > Only if they’re working for Clinton. Michelle Obama: “Excuse me, that’s _my_ snake and I’ll take care of any handling of it, _if_ you please.” ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 2:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/31 "2012-06-07T02:41:34Z")
> [@Der\_Trihs](#): > > Michelle Obama: “Excuse me, that’s _my_ snake and I’ll take care of any handling of it, _if_ you please.” (Avoiding continuing this hijack with my Mo’Nique impression.) Ahem. As for the OP, I would like the snake-handling president to demonstrate his mad skillz at every State of the Union Address. There could be office pools. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/32 "2012-06-07T03:54:54Z")
What kind of limits can be imposed on a presidents risk taking? I know Bush used to mtn bike, but I don’t know how aggressively. Can the POTUS skydive? Base jump? Would a religious activity be different? ---
**Author:** ![foolsguinea](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foolsguinea/32/14751_2.png) [@foolsguinea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/foolsguinea)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/33 "2012-06-07T04:19:03Z")
> [@Shodan](#): > > Considering the insistence of some that the Christian Right would never, ever go for a Mormon, I am inclined to take the idea that they would go for a snake-handler over an atheist who otherwise agreed with them with about three and a half buckets of salt. This. An adherent of an exclusivist religion may well prefer someone who agrees with him that all other gods are false and certain other sects are wacky, over someone who follows the “wrong” religion. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/34 "2012-06-07T04:48:02Z")
Snakehandling is also illegal, is it not? ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/35 "2012-06-07T04:55:26Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Snakehandling is also illegal, is it not? In some states. It’s not a Federal offense, though. POTUS might just want to do it at the White House, on his plane (new hit mashup movie: _Snakes on Air Force One!_) or in national parks. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 4:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/36 "2012-06-07T04:58:00Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Snakehandling is also illegal, is it not? According to [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snake_handling#Legality): > [@](#): > > The states of Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee have passed laws against the use of venomous snakes and/or other reptiles in a place that endangers the lives of others, or without a permit. The Kentucky law specifically mentions religious services; in Kentucky snake handling is a misdemeanor and punishable by a $50 to $250 fine. > > _\_ > > The practice is legal in the state of West Virginia. > > Snake handling was made a felony punishable by death under Georgia law in 1941, following the death of a seven-year-old girl from a rattlesnake bite. However, the punishment was so severe that juries would refuse to convict, and the law was repealed in 1968. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/37 "2012-06-07T14:19:22Z")
> [@rat\_avatar](#): > > Even in liberal Seattle it is common for the “conservative” radio network to have call in segments about how they could never trust an atheist. > > Quirky religious beliefs are far more palatable to most people, many even liberal Christians think that the entirety of their moral will is based on their belief in a deity with the ability to punish. > > They simply do not believe humans are capable of being good on their own, they would never vote for someone like that to carry the football. A problem with “trusting an atheist”—if by that you mean trusting an abstract, hypothetical atheist, as opposed to trusting a particular person who happens to be an atheist—is that you have no idea what he _does_ believe in, only what he doesn’t. If I were advising an atheist who wanted to run for president, I would advise him to publically and clearly explain what he does believe—especially in terms of the moral or ethical code he lives by—and why. That, I think, would at least increase the chances that voters would trust him. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/38 "2012-06-07T17:11:42Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > …If I were advising an atheist who wanted to run for president, I would advise him to publically and clearly explain what he does believe—especially in terms of the moral or ethical code he lives by—and why. That, I think, would at least increase the chances that voters would trust him. Oh, definitely. He or she would simply have to, in order to have any chance at all of being elected. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/39 "2012-06-07T17:26:44Z")
Well, I’ve said before that I don’t care _what_ a POTUS believes, religion wise, as much as I care how _hard_ they believe. Realistically, no ones going to be elected anytime soon that isn’t at least nominally a christian, so all of our politians are. OK, so be it, but a snake handler, by definition, believes hard, and that worries me. Truth be told, though, the fundathiest who’s screaming that the non-existence is proven fact (Dio, are you lurkin?) worries me almost as much. ---
**Author:** ![Imago](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/85e7bf/32.png) [@Imago](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imago)\ **Post date:** [June 7, 2012, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237/40 "2012-06-07T20:49:18Z")
> [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](#): > > Nonsense, by that logic Stalin could be elected over Ayn Rand since Stalin occasionally expressed religious sentiments during World War II. Stalin caused millions to starve while he got drunk and watched Disney movies. All in all, a very good far-right-wing American. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-a-snake-handler-be-more-electable-as-potus-than-an-atheist/624237.md?page=3)