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Is America ready for a fat President?

Is America ready for a fat President?

  • Yes

    Votes: 23 56.1%

  • No

    Votes: 18 43.9%
  • Total voters
    41
It could be plus for Christie given how many obese people there are. For all the thousands of fat-jokes Democrats and comedians would tell it would earn him sympathy votes.
 
Does it count that Christie has had some sort of bariatric surgery and has already lost a significant amount of weight?
 
Viv said:
Is this the same guy debating against racism in another thread? Fattist now? Shocking stuff.

Imagine the size of his peer group of voters, btw...
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When I was still a subscriber to Newsweek, so I guess '99-'01, a guest columnist who was a very large lady wrote a powerful essay on how on of the last "isms" was "weightism." It was very painful to read about how often she was regarded as "stupid" and "unclean."

When I read the post that referred to obesity being a character flaw, I thought to myself, "Wow, that lady was right--and nothing's changed in all these years."
 
I aint skinny, in fact I could lose 50 lbs. I haven't because my wife is a great cook and I don't have enough self control not to overeat. Just a fact, I wasn't born this way, I just like chow and booze. Character flaw. How is it not?
nota bene said:
When I was still a subscriber to Newsweek, so I guess '99-'01, a guest columnist who was a very large lady wrote a powerful essay on how on of the last "isms" was "weightism." It was very painful to read about how often she was regarded as "stupid" and "unclean."

When I read the post that referred to obesity being a character flaw, I thought to myself, "Wow, that lady was right--and nothing's changed in all these years."
Click to expand...
 
I would say that in modern US politics, weight may be in an issue but a negligible one. Historically, it wasn't unusual for either party to attack the other by claiming it was full of fat old rich men.

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Politics are not kind to the overweight...
 
sawyerloggingon said:
I never thought America would be ready for an admitted coke head so I think being fat is no problem.
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Wait... you mean... in a country where wife beaters, alcoholics, slave traders, slave owners and adulterers have been president, the one that bothers you is the one that did coke? Hahahahahaha.
 
My vote doesn't factor in weight, so I don't mind. I think it sets an unhealthy example for the nation but I'd vote for a competent overweight leader over an incompetent one.
 
I don't think we will be seeing any fat or bald candidates making it past the primaries, the media won't allow it.
 
The fact that this is even being discussed speaks volumes about our current political process. All negative.
 
Didn't Bush-43 and Ann Richards agree to invoke the CIA 7-year rule
and not trash each other on past drug use in the 1996 Texas Gubernatorial race?
sawyerloggingon said:
I never thought America would be ready for an admitted coke head so I think being fat is no problem.
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Beginning with the first President, when did USA Presidents stop smoking and growing dope ?
 
lizzie said:
I think it depends on his or her other characteristics. Fat couch potato idiot, who wants to spend his time smoking cigs and drinking diet soda? No, certainly not. Fat person who is otherwise intelligent, savvy, and has adequate character for the job? Hell yeah- I'd vote for him.
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You will have to try to cross that bridge when you come to it.:lamo
 
radcen said:
Is America ready for a fat President?

Somebody with the physical stature of a Chris Christie, but with less seemingly corrupt baggage.

Point 1: He was elected Governor. Yeah, but Governor is not President.

Point 2: We had Taft as President, and he was quite the hefty guy. Yeah, but that was literally 100 years ago. Time and attitudes change. A man with a full beard would have a hard time being elected in today's political environment, and we have many of those in our past, also.

So, is America ready for a fat President?

ETA: Please note that the question is not about Christie specifically. He is just a ready example. It is a generic question in nature.
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or a female whose cankles are so bad she wears skirts less frequently than say her husband
 
Anyone who doesn't vote for Chris Christie is a weightist and should be shunned by society for their bigotry.
 
People don't care about fatness in a president. If they did, the same hopeful couldn't be elected as a governor.

An incorrect comparison could be make with respect to a black or female president. What surprised a lot of people, or at least blacks, is although there have been many black elected officials, their constituencies have almost always been made up of mostly black voters where on both sides, a lot if not most voters would vote for and against a candidate based in part on race. President Obama got elected by mostly white voters.
 
radcen said:
Is America ready for a fat President?

Somebody with the physical stature of a Chris Christie, but with less seemingly corrupt baggage.

Point 1: He was elected Governor. Yeah, but Governor is not President.

Point 2: We had Taft as President, and he was quite the hefty guy. Yeah, but that was literally 100 years ago. Time and attitudes change. A man with a full beard would have a hard time being elected in today's political environment, and we have many of those in our past, also.

So, is America ready for a fat President?

ETA: Please note that the question is not about Christie specifically. He is just a ready example. It is a generic question in nature.
Click to expand...

America has had a fat president before, President Taft.
 
Henrin said:
Didn't that guy get stuck in the tub?
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yes he did. He is also the only president to become the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court.
 
radcen said:
Is America ready for a fat President?

Somebody with the physical stature of a Chris Christie, but with less seemingly corrupt baggage.

Point 1: He was elected Governor. Yeah, but Governor is not President.

Point 2: We had Taft as President, and he was quite the hefty guy. Yeah, but that was literally 100 years ago. Time and attitudes change. A man with a full beard would have a hard time being elected in today's political environment, and we have many of those in our past, also.

So, is America ready for a fat President?

ETA: Please note that the question is not about Christie specifically. He is just a ready example. It is a generic question in nature.
Click to expand...

Fat guys can usually pull it off if they're also tall and broad shouldered and practice a commanding posture.

http://www.luminarium.org/renlit/henry8walker.jpg
 
joko104 said:
It could be plus for Christie given how many obese people there are. For all the thousands of fat-jokes Democrats and comedians would tell it would earn him sympathy votes.
Click to expand...

There are loads of obese voters. Perhaps a campaign to enable access for obese people....to plane seats, bus seats, train seats, roller coasters might be a bridge too far but...

nota bene said:
When I was still a subscriber to Newsweek, so I guess '99-'01, a guest columnist who was a very large lady wrote a powerful essay on how on of the last "isms" was "weightism." It was very painful to read about how often she was regarded as "stupid" and "unclean."

When I read the post that referred to obesity being a character flaw, I thought to myself, "Wow, that lady was right--and nothing's changed in all these years."
Click to expand...

I agree. I've debated this in a few forums and people just can't see how it is as bigoted and discriminatory as any other bias.

mak2 said:
I aint skinny, in fact I could lose 50 lbs. I haven't because my wife is a great cook and I don't have enough self control not to overeat. Just a fact, I wasn't born this way, I just like chow and booze. Character flaw. How is it not?
Click to expand...

What's wrong with liking chow and booze? Does it make you a bad person?

Does it feck.

Hatuey said:
Wait... you mean... in a country where wife beaters, alcoholics, slave traders, slave owners and adulterers have been president, the one that bothers you is the one that did coke? Hahahahahaha.
Click to expand...

In a thread where people who have seen all of the above though, how can so many think weight is a key policy issue?

Hard Truth said:
I don't think we will be seeing any fat or bald candidates making it past the primaries, the media won't allow it.
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If the right overweight person comes along, he will control the media in the same way as any other candidate. There have been plenty of authoritative media savvy big people in other sectors who don't give a toss about weight, whose weight just doesn't seem to matter...Gerard Depardieu, Orson Welles...add your own...
 
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