Letters to the Editor
-
Hell
If it wasn't for caffeine and nicotine, I'd have been dead 10 years ago.
-
not a negative for me..
The fact that he smokes is a huge positive! I was actually a little disappointed when he said he quit for the campaign.
then again the only parts of "Friends" that are funny are the parts where Chandler smokes.
then again I am French-Canadian, where the much beloved, and departed separatiste premier Rene Levesque was never seen without a smoke in hand (and to this day people put smokes between the fingers of his statue - yeah, the sculptor left space for a cigarette)
...man I want a smoke now.
-
Even the smoker was bothered?
Wow. I would have thought the smoker at least would have some sympathy for someone fighting nicotine addiction. OK, I'm sure we'll all agree it should be a non-issue, and I'm sure we'll all agree small things get overblown, but why? And what do we do about it?
I don't have an answer to the second, but I have a guess for the first. People seem to seek stories to grip onto to use as guides for bigger questions, like who to vote for. Obama smokes, therefore I can conclude about him that... Same with Hillary and her choking up in New Hampshire, Edwards and his haircut, Kucinich and the story that he saw a UFO. Sometimes these stories are accurate guides, like Bush Sr. and the supermarket checkout scanner led to a correct conclusion that he was out of touch. So maybe I do have a notion to answer the second question. Supporters of a candidate need a different story. In Obama's case, the story about him cluing in Richardson when he didn't know the question during his turn in a debate seems to have stuck with Richardson. Repeating that story can show Obama as someone who fights fair and has the confidence to think he can help an opponent and still win, and that his basic instincts lead him to do the right thing.
-
vices...
do not a bad president make. in fact, the good ones were philanderers or alcoholics or slave owners or gamblers or some combination thereof.
and you gotta admit, obama probably looks incredibly cool with a cigarette in hand.
-
Big Deal
President Bartlett would often step outside of the Oval Office for a smoke. He was an awesome President.
-
Wouldn't bother me
Hopefully he'll have more luck quitting over time.
-
straw stories
Koppleman let me get this straight...today's stories are that Richardson, according to an anonymous Clinton associate said Obama "couldn't win." Second hand anonymous quoted story? Lame.
Now a seriously written story about...smoking?
*sigh*
Although it is considerably better than the "I'm f**ing Obama" video. That was lame with a whole new rheostat of lameness.
Or your comments about Richardson when he endorsed Obama?? I hope for the sake of the angriest "Judas" callers among Clinton's current supporters that Obama names Richardson as his Vice President. Not because he "traded" for an endorsement. But because Richardson has earned it...not for his Obama endorsement, but for his fine service record to his nation. AND it would make a nice ticket. Judas calling...lame.
And I begin to think that this primary season will never end.
-
This is why we have Bush for president
Can people really be that dumb?
-
Alex, this line pretty much sums up War Room:
"Now, I know what many of you are probably thinking -- what an insignificant issue, what a silly thing for anyone to focus on when determining a presidential candidate."
Every Obama "issue" you and Joan choose to focus on fits that description.
-
Imagine...
...Obama giving a speech swaggering around the stage with a cigarette like Sammy Davis Jr used to do.
Now there's a picture, Obama pointing his cigarette at people while enforcing a point.
-
Any Cig Smoker is a Friend of Mine
I am more likely to vote for Obama since learning he's an occasional smoker. The puritanical anti-smoking crowd is in many ways more sanctimonious than the evangelical Christian Right. And that's really saying something about the anti-smoking lobby. Maybe Barak will include a Smoker's Bill of Rights in his platform
-
Better to pay for cigarettes
Then to take money from cigarette makers. Anyone know if Obama gets money from Big Tobacco?
How about McCain?
-
I love Obama! I'm going to vote for Obama! He's the best! Wait....he smokes? THEN FORGET IT!!!
Personally I would much rather he did not smoke. One, it's bad for his health. Two, it sets a bad example for all the impressionable minds out there who don't already find Joe Camel keen. Three, every time somebody parodies him, they're gonna be whipping out the cigs in both hands, ala Pat Nixon. Four, the cigs might keep Obama up till 3 a.m., when something might be happening in the world. Five, it would probably damage the classic paintings in the White House. Six, we all know what happened to the last president who kept tobacco products around the Oval Office.
-
Better to pay for cigarettes
Then to take money from cigarette makers. Anyone know if Obama gets money from Big Tobacco?
How about McCain?
-
Poll BS
"In a 2007 poll conducted jointly by the Washington Post and ABC News, 21 percent of respondents said they would be less likely to vote for a given candidate for president solely because that candidate smoked."
"Less likely" . . . "solely because that candidate smoked"?Anyone who even answers that question is a f*cking idiot.
-
Heaven help us...
... from those who get bogged down in such minutia! Let's keep our eyes on the ball, folks (a line from "American President"). Think of the war in Iraq, the economy, global warming, 40+ million without healthcare insurance, Supreme Court nominees... just the tip of the iceberg of what is important in the upcoming election. Don't get sidetracked by expecting perfection in the personal details about any nominee but rather in what they will do for our country. I'm not going to let the fact that Senator Obama fell off the wagon a time or two keep me from letting him lead us into a new way of thinking and out of this incredibly deep whole Bush and the GOP have dug for us. Let's stay focused and vigilant.
-
The folly of polling
All other things being equal, I'd prefer a non-smoker, too. But I can't imagine a race where the candidates would be closely enough matched for that to change my vote (not even this one). Also, a person who has quit isn't a smoker anymore, even if they fall off the wagon occasionally.