# Would you vote for a bearded man? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 18, 2006, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503 "2006-01-18T13:18:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Love\_Rhombus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/love_rhombus/32/10694_2.png) [@Love\_Rhombus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Love_Rhombus)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/1 "2006-01-18T13:18:55Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![sikle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/fbc32d/32.png) [@sikle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sikle)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/2 "2006-01-18T13:31:30Z")
Sure. A person’s physical appearance means little to me. He/she could dress as a walrus for all I care, as long as they honest, and have the views I agree with. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/3 "2006-01-18T13:50:00Z")
Billy Gibbons is running for President? Anyway, I’d vote for a bearded lady if I thought she were more competent than the current holder of that office. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/4 "2006-01-18T14:00:43Z")
Years ago I applied for a job as a used car salesman (OK so shoot me). The guy who ran the car yard told me I had the job but I had to shave my beard off. I told him I didn’t want to do that. He said that women do not trust men with beards and I was welcome to work there as long as I liked but I would not make any sales. Turned out he was dead right and further research found plenty of evidence that women don’t trust men with beards. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/5 "2006-01-18T15:08:42Z")
I’d vote for a guy with good policies, integrity, and a chance of winning even if he wore a spandex suit with a giant red “P” on the chest. Daniel ---
**Author:** ![iwakura43](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de0a6/32.png) [@iwakura43](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iwakura43)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/6 "2006-01-18T15:09:48Z")
> [@don't ask](#): > > Turned out he was dead right and further research found plenty of evidence that women don’t trust men with beards. I’ve heard this said before. Do we mean ‘big bushy beard’ or ‘facial hair in general’? ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/7 "2006-01-18T15:16:24Z")
I wouldn’t care if he were bearded. If he had purple spiked hair, I confess I would probably not vote for him. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/8 "2006-01-18T15:21:13Z")
I don’t like to think that fitness to run a country of the size and complexity of the United States would be decided based on quantity and location of body hair. Given that I have a beard, I think I’m biased in this matter. ---
**Author:** ![CBCD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc348/32.png) [@CBCD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CBCD)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/9 "2006-01-18T15:30:28Z")
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! ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/10 "2006-01-18T15:47:17Z")
Same here. Or even _her_, should such be the case. ---
**Author:** ![Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/779978/32.png) [@Amazon\_Floozy\_Goddess](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amazon_Floozy_Goddess)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/11 "2006-01-18T16:10:32Z")
Is there food stuck in the beard? ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/12 "2006-01-18T16:28:39Z")
Or a bone? ---
**Author:** ![Dead\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9fc29f/32.png) [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/13 "2006-01-18T16:29:14Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Anyway, I’d vote for a bearded lady if I thought she were more competent than the current holder of that office. Pretty likely at the moment, wouldn’t you say? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/14 "2006-01-18T18:32:48Z")
As a bearded man, I would vote for a bearded man, in my experience, I am a wonderful guy, totally trustworthy. The Dems could run an inanimate object against the Pubbies in 2008 and I would vote for him/her/it. ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/15 "2006-01-18T18:36:03Z")
Why not? I voted for Lincoln! ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/16 "2006-01-18T18:37:20Z")
Yes. In fact, I kind of find it disappointing that there aren’t more politicians with facial hair, especially compared to the 19th century. (I’m clean shaven, so no bias here.) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/17 "2006-01-18T18:38:30Z")
> [@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! Little Jimmy said the same thing. It’s in the inaugural script. By law they have to say it, they just don’t have to mean it. ---
**Author:** ![YaWanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/bbce88/32.png) [@YaWanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YaWanna)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/18 "2006-01-18T18:39:13Z")
> [@Electronic Chaos](#): > > Why not? I voted for Lincoln! 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. ---
**Author:** ![ultrafilter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/3d9bf3/32.png) [@ultrafilter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ultrafilter)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/19 "2006-01-18T18:46:44Z")
I just did a quick survey of a [collection of presidential portraits](http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/odmdhtml/pptime.html), and noted a few things: [ul] [li]Only six presidents have had significant facial hair. There are seven if you count Martin Van Buren and his monster sideburns, but I don’t.[/li][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][/ul] I don’t know anything about the styles of those time periods; perhaps someone who does could comment? ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [January 18, 2006, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503/20 "2006-01-18T18:54:44Z")
> [@Evil Captor](#): > > The Dems could run an inanimate object against the Pubbies in 2008 and I would vote for him/her/it. Knowing the Dems, they will run an inanimate oject against the Pubbies. Or Hilary Clinton. Either way, they’ll lose. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-you-vote-for-a-bearded-man/340503.md?page=2)