ABC poll: Obama smokes cigarettes- Would you vote for him?

That would be like not voting for someone 'cause he/she is FAT.

As long as someone can run the country, if we ever were so lucky to find that person, who gives a darn?

Presidents are human too. You'd think. Except for the Reptillians.

Oh they'll (the press) find something, they always do. Even if they have to make it up out of whole cloth.

It'll become clear over the next few months who the press want to win in 08, and I am fairly certain it won't be Mr. Obama. Can anyone think of a reason?

Originally posted by mecheng
I'm not a smoker, but I'm sick of people picking on them. If people want to smoke, who the hell am I to tell them not to??? Do what you want and stay out of other peoples business.

You can interpret more from the choice of personal liberty that's being infringed than from the accusation.

The ghettozation of smoking is a good example of how addiction is regarded as a moral issue and weakness - an inculcated psychological knee-jerk reaction not entirely different from burning witches and accusing the mentally ill of demonic possession.

Anti-smoking sentiments are especially ridiculous stemming mostly from a segment of population that burns most of the fossil fuels and religiously drives large powerful engines long distances.

Stat's say the poor still smoke. The cumulative toxic effect of people smoking cigarettes is miniscule compared the destruction of life as we know it. The single, largest contribution to carbon emission made by cars - it is not so much industry, or solar, or government - it's everyone's fault. The planet is being destroyed because we need to use them even though they're killing us.

At one time, smokers retired to a designated area for that function. The fixation with making smokers more responsible is reminiscent of a gentile age. Smoking isn't acceptable, healthy or constructive - but human psychology is not one-dimensional. The universe not only folds outward, but folds outward in a mirrored effect, increasing exponentially along the way.

Righteousness is balance and judgments made from self-experience are sometimes not balanced. I'd prefer an honest smoker to a self-righteous hypocrite. Meekness is not so much respecting one's superiors as knowing freedom from the self-righteous judgment of defects.

Addiction is society's disease and any view of the human animal's present predicament that denies it is incomplete.
What was it - Oh yeah, smoking...
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

No one likes the smog choked haze of clogged traffic idling. But it's never razed with the same personal zeal. I hope China takes an initiative with the engineering of carbon-less cars.

Originally posted by dgtempe
That would be like not voting for someone 'cause he/she is FAT.

Good one. When was the last time we had a fat president? Taft? Or for that matter, a bald one. Eisenhower, I guess.

It's all about image today. And 60 second sound bites. Candidates are sold to the electorate like a campaign for a new face soap.

But then, you all knew that.

Originally posted by yeahright
It's all about image today.

HAHA... I get what your saying and I agree 100%. But, how do you explain Bush then?

With the mess this country is in right now, I could care less if he smokes.

The real question is, can he do the job?

I'm not sold on him at this point, but it has nothing to do with smoking.

Can he/she do the job? That is the upper most item on my mind when considering any of them.

I suspect a great number of people will be thinking along the same lines. This tactic could well backfire.

Originally posted by LostSailor
But, how do you explain Bush then?

Easy. Look who he ran against. Slack jawed hangdog dullard boring Kerry. And before that, Mr. Excitement, Gore. And he was actually beaten by Gore in the popular vote.

Gore's about as appealing as gum on your shoe.

A lot of good books don't get read, most good quality TV shows don't last, many good movies don't get seen, and a load of good people don't get elected (not referring to Kerry or Gore). In fact (IMO), the best possible candidates never even run.

If it was about ideas, intelligence, and capability, Dick Lugar would have been a two-termer by now. But he may be the only guy with less curb appeal than Gore or Kerry.

The really burning question is, of course, does he inhale.

There hasn't been a cigarette smoking president, to my knowledge, since Johnson.

In this case, I don't think that anyone is sniping at Obama. It's merely that once the campaign begins, he like all candidates, will be under the "microscope" and behaviors such as smoking will most certainly influence some voters, rightfully or wrongfully.

Little things count in terms of image. I remember when Clinton was running for president in 1992, he always wore a Timex Ironman watch in every setting that I ever saw him. That watch impressed me.

Once he was elected, I never saw him wear that watch again.


[edit on 2007/1/18 by GradyPhilpott]

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
In this case, I don't think that anyone is sniping at Obama. It's merely that once the campaign begins, he like all candidates, will be under the "microscope" and behaviors such as smoking will most certainly influence some voter, rightfully or wrongfully.

Yeah, well that's what I'm getting at. The campaign has not even begun yet, with the guy just having barely announced it, and there's already some wack ABC poll telling people that he smokes and would people vote for a smoking president. :shk: They broke this horsey's leg before he even left the gate. I'd bet a million dollars that some dirt digging, paid Hillary shmuck made a tasty little phone call to his buddy up at ABC and gave them the idea.

Look at it this way. Now that the poll has come out, and I have no idea how it turned out, but if it looks bad for a smoking president, then Obama has plenty of time to kick the habit and he'll have the ABC poll to thank for the heads up.

Originally posted by GradyPhilpott
Look at it this way. Now that the poll has come out, and I have no idea how it turned out, but if it looks bad for a smoking president, then Obama has plenty of time to kick the habit and he'll have the ABC poll to thank for the heads up.

kk Grady, you definately got a point there.

Yep, so what's it gonna be Bammy. You gonna quit for the White House? I don't think they got ash trays up there, but if you look real close you might find an old one and a tasty Cuban cigar in the dumpster labelled "1962".

Originally posted by FlyersFan
Obama said he 'struggled with' crack earlier in life.

Only in America......
"Well, I struggled with crack earlier in my life, and then I decided I wanted to become President. So here I am." LOL! Just having fun.

Originally posted by FlyersFan
As far as we know he's over his addiction (or are crack addicts just in remission like alcoholics??)

Once an addict, always an addict. That's how it goes (with crack, crystal meth, heroin, alcohol). Ask a drug counselor. Remission...just like alcoholics...for the rest of their life.
No way I'm voting for him. Every person I ever knew growing up (or later) who got into crack had some kind of major "screwball" element to them. I've known too many losers who got into it.

Originally posted by FlyersFan
I'm sure he wouldn't light up crack while president. That would be insane.

Crazy, yeah, but anything is possible.
My observation has been that the majority of leopards never fully lose their spots.
I'm truly glad I now know this.
I'm not saying he's a "bad" guy either. But based on the crackheads I've known, there's no way I'm voting a reformed one in. This "closet" weakness is scarier then his smoking habit, IMHO (even though it might be in check for now).

[edit on 18-1-2007 by rocknroll]

The Hillary Connection -

Here ya'll go .... this 'leak' is connected to the Hillary camp
www.insightmag.com...

Obama spent four years in a wahabbi muslim madrassa (school).
That's the Hillary leak.

[edit on 1/19/2007 by FlyersFan]

Hillary's folks didn't have to do a background check on Obama to find this out. Obama has talked about it himself in his book.

In addition, the word Madrassa is Arabic for school:

What is a Madrasah?

In the Arabic language, the word مدرسة implies no sense other than that which the word school represents in the English language, such as private, public or parochial school, as well as for any primary or secondary school whether Muslim, non-Muslim or secular.

So, yes, he went to school while in Indonesia. And since Indonesia is a Muslim majority nation, it is likely his school was Muslim. He also went to a Catholic school there.

An interesting study in the NYTimes:

The Madrassa Myth

Last year, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell denounced madrassas in Pakistan and several other countries as breeding grounds for "fundamentalists and terrorists." A year earlier, Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld had queried in a leaked memorandum, "Are we capturing, killing or deterring and dissuading more terrorists every day than the madrassas and the radical clerics are recruiting, training and deploying against us?"
...
We examined the educational backgrounds of 75 terrorists behind some of the most significant recent terrorist attacks against Westerners.
...
Of the 75 terrorists we investigated, only nine had attended madrassas, and all of those played a role in one attack - the Bali bombing.

So whomever falls for this political crap has learned their lessons well from Colin Powell and Rumsfeld.

Oh, and FF, from your source:

Although Indonesia is regarded as a moderate Muslim state, the U.S. intelligence community has determined that today most of these schools are financed by the Saudi Arabian government and they teach a Wahhabi doctrine that denies the rights of non-Muslims.

Read carefully. Especially note that "the US intelligence community" (and we know how dependable they are to give us the truth) today (Obama attended this school MANY years ago). And it says MOST of these schools teach a Wahhibi doctrine. :shk:

Obama has said that his particular school taught a moderate doctrine.

I know, Don't shoot the messenger. But I never did hear back from you on the false claim you made about Obama's name, so I'm quick to point out the assumptions made by you and your sources.

[edit on 19-1-2007 by Benevolent Heretic]

Attending a Wahhabbist muslim school does tend to make one raise one's eyebrows a mite. However, it was until he was ten. I fail to see any real significance to this...other than surprise, surprise...someone, a democratic presidential wannabe (Ms. Clinton) playing on fear.

The Wahabbi sect of islam is very fundementalist as a whole true enough. Mr. Obama shows no signs of being a fundamentalist anything.

The history of drug use is much more worrisome to my mind. A person with a history of substance abuse in the most high pressure job in the world might, and I use the word might, be tempted to fall back into old patterns of behaviour.

Now you guys are starting to creep me out....
....muslim school.....
geez, I don't know guys...
This thread is very enlightening.
Here's a conspiracy:
What if he's been trained since he was a kid to infiltrate, become our President and.......
*fill in here*

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic
Oh, and FF, from your source: ... Read carefully. ...

I posted it to show the Hillary connection. This article says the information came sifting through people from her camp.

But I never did hear back from you on the false claim you made about Obama's name,

I have a life. I've been busy. I absolutely didn't post a 'false claim'. I read an article and then couldn't find it again, so I posted what I could find. Barrak comes from Barraka - a muslim word.

so I'm quick to point out the assumptions made by you and your sources.

Yes .. too freak'n quick. What the hell are you talking about?!?! You are rather obnoxious these days ... rolling your eyes and all ... get a grip.

Exactly what assumption did I make? None. I am posting an article that claims to have been filtered through the Hillary camp. It goes to what we were all thinking/discussing .. that Hillary is getting out the guns and is taking aim.

Geeeze .. go have a martini or something.

Did he ever been and alcoholic?

Well My mother was a smoker for 50 years she finally gave up due to health related reasons with her hart.

did I stop loving her for been a smoker?

Sorry but I find this thread question so silly that I don't know what to say.

BTW it has nothing to do with you directly True American.

Originally posted by FlyersFan
I posted it to show the Hillary connection.

And I agree with you on that. Hillary's people are so threatened that they must make false and misleading claims. It's up to us, however, to reveal the bogus claims, not add our own fuel to the fire (which is what it seems you are doing) unless that's your true opinion. In which case you're certainly entitled to it.

I absolutely didn't post a 'false claim'. I read an article and then couldn't find it again, so I posted what I could find. Barrak comes from Barraka - a muslim word.

This is a false claim. Barack has always been Obama's name. Baraka is a Swahili name. ONE PERSON on the Internet (Free Republic) posted an opinion piece saying that Obama's father's name was once Baraka, but there's absolutely NOTHING to support that claim.

Just as this is a false claim:

Originally posted by FlyersFan
Obama spent four years in a wahabbi muslim madrassa (school).

That's not what the article says. YOU said that. I'm just saying take credit for what YOU add to the story instead of crediting it to Hillary's camp. Unless you're working for Hillary's camp.

You are rather obnoxious these days ... rolling your eyes and all ... get a grip.

I am no more obnoxious than usual... And where did I roll my eyes again?

Exactly what assumption did I make?

That Obama's school was of the Wahhabi doctrine. See your quote above. That's not stated in the article. It just says that today most of these schools teach a Wahhabi doctrine.

None. I am posting an article that claims to have been filtered through the Hillary camp.

And then filtered through your opinion on the matter, apparently. And that's ok, I'm just saying back up your claims.

Geeeze .. go have a martini or something.

Uck! Yuck! Ptooey! No, thanks.

And WHO are you accusing of eye-rolling, again???

C'mon. This isn't about either of us, it's about the Hillary machine and its claims. I'm just saying that if you're going to personally support that machine, please post sources.

Originally posted by marg6043
Sorry but I find this thread question so silly that I don't know what to say.

BTW it has nothing to do with you directly True American.

lol marg, umm, keep in mind that what I was after with this thread was to discuss more the issue of the media (ABC) and/or the Hillary camp trying to discredit Obama, playing the usual defamation of character game. Because really, you're right, the thread title is otherwise kinda silly.