Barack Hussein Obama...a sneak smoker?

This thread is intended to complement the thread about Obama being a closet Muslim (which I think has been thoroughly dismissed -- he is a twenty year member of his Christian church -- enough said.) That thread can be viewed here...

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My thread pertains to Obama being an admitted cigarette smoker.

I like Obama. But his smoking habit is a real pit-fall for him and his supporters. Already, I hear people (assuredly non-smokers) questioning his character and backbone. How can he be a leader when he can't even control his smoking? Do we want a leader without the will to give up such a filthy habit? Will he lead the USA to a path of destruction, the way he seems willing to self-destruct himself?

Assuming that cigarette smoking is indefensible (and a lot of people agree with this, even smokers) how will he move past this?

Point of speculation: If Obama is like most smokers, he is not going to be quitting soon, and certainly not under the stress of a major campaign. He is likely to compound his problems by promising to quit, and then be caught sneaking around -- not a pretty picture!

Please note: I personally think this is a ridiculous challenge to Obama (JFK was a heavy smoker and nobody seemed to notice that, or care.) But I also think this aspect of Obama’s life style -- remarkably -- has the potential for bringing him down like nothing else. This bomb is ticking.

Before I get jumped by any smokers -- I personally don't think there is anything grievously wrong with cigarette smoking. This will not be something I consider at all when I cast my vote. I actually like hanging out with smokers. I am not arguing that.

Comments?

Maybe that not be such a bad thing, there was a lot of good Presidents that were smokers, maybe when they smoke it gives then a quite time to reflect in their decisions.

Well that of course depend on what they smoking!

Non-smoking is like a holy crusade in this country. Soon we'll have a Church of Non Smoking and maybe even the Nonsmokers Party and of course Smokers Anonymous. All of them filled with former smokers who are now holier-than-thou because they've quit.

There probably are people who wouldn't vote for a smoker. It is unhealthy but so is being a president--it takes years off your life. Seriously, if this is the worst thing you can find about Barack Obama then he's golden.

[edit on 10-1-2008 by Sestias]

LOL ......
I just had to start laughing when I read this thread.
This reminds me of my entire life when my mom would
sneak out of the house to the front porch to puff a couple
drags of her menthols. And eventually I picked up the habit
at about 15 yrs old then quit for many years only to start
again in recent years which I now smoke about a pack a day.

So does that make me a bad person cause I smoke ???
or should I say, does that make me incompetent in my
duty cuz I smoke ??

If your answer was yes, then my mom will be over to your
house in a few days to tan your hide with her bedroom
slippers. LMAO

I'm not endorsing Obama by any means, but to say a
person's smoking habit will affect the way he conducts
his business is like saying a snowflake will still remain
a snowflake after walking thru he!!!

which I still find very amusing. In my opinion, this is a
wasted thread with no viability on the issues at hand.

So he smokes !!!! .... so what ???

no offense, just my honest opinion

Originally posted by SimonSays
In my opinion, this is a wasted thread with no viability on the issues at hand. So he smokes !!!! .... so what ??? No offense, just my honest opinion

No offense taken

Really, one of the points of my OP was to show how a trivial thing such as smoking compares to a trivial thing such as specific religious affiliations -– neither of these illustrates a person’s basic character or abilities. Yet both of these things are very polarizing.

Anyone who has lost a close relative or friend due to smoking (and their numbers are legion) has a different attitude here. They consider smoking a VERY bad thing. I am sympathetic towards them. But a person’s character is measured by many different things, some of which are important and others which are less so.

IMO – the significance of smoking falls in to the “less so” category. But I am sure there are a lot of voters that will vote against Obama STRICTLY because he is a smoker, especially if he says he’s trying to quit and then fails to do that, and is subsequently caught sneaking a puff or two by some gleeful photo-journalist. That inevitable picture makes me squirm with its combined defamatory power and utter irrelevance!

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I think it is interesting that, in the S. Carolina debates from Thursday, Senator Thompson accused Huckabee of wanting to implement a NATIONWIDE ban on smoking. It’s true! Google “Huckabee smoking ban” and see the results, or check on a USA Today story here. Do you think – maybe perhaps – Obama’s smoking might be made an issue by Huckabee in a face-down? What are the chances? (I would say 99%)

[edit on 11-1-2008 by Buck Division]

reply to post by Buck Division

LOL ... I understand your point
but even so, if Huckabee wants to make something out of Obama's
sneek smoke, then most will consider it a trivial tactic from Huck and
disregard it as non-sense nit-picking, at least from my point of view.

What bothers me most is with the Huck's smoking ban .... once
again Big Brother is trying to control our lives AND our habits.

And which is the bigger problem ???

one man sneeks to smoke ?? ..... OR
someone making a law that I can't do it anymore ???

I gotta tell ya if anybody comes to my property and tells me
I'm going to jail cuz I smoke cigs is gonna get some lead
pointed in their direction. It's my right to smoke on my own
property even if it is already banned in every federal building
already and most business establishments.

You have just made my mind up about Huck
he will most def NOT get my vote
if he's taking away more of my rights

I could care less if Obama is a smoker. This is besides the issue at hand. We are voting for the future of America! Look at his policy! Look at his stance on things! Not his bad habits. This is the problemt with our election system today, no one votes on the political issues at hand. Most people voting for Hillary are voting Hillary for one reason: she is a women. People voting for Barack: because he is black and supports "change" (however he never really seems to mention what this "change" is and how he is going to make it happen. Anyone that actually reads into these candidates' stances on important issues would undoubtedly vote Ron Paul, no matter who they are. America is a problem now, Ron Paul is the solution. Ron Paul R[EVOL]UTION!

Originally posted by MiKeB420
People voting for Barack: because he is black

LOL, he is not totally Black
His father was black but his mother was white
that makes him Bi-Racial ......
just for the record

There are multiple reasons for reading Barack Obama's autobiography, Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance. One is to learn what an extremely gifted bi-racial person has to say about growing up in a black-white world.

Source

[edit on 11-1-2008 by SimonSays]

I could care less if he smokes or not, it won't influence my vote. I vote purely on platform. Interestingly, I wonder if smoking actually "humanizes" him to voters; it might even encourage the vast amount of smokers in America to vote for him.

On this topic, here's an interesting site that shows the medical history of some U.S. presidents: www.doctorzebra.com...

reply to post by TheScribe

I smoke and I WON'T be voting for him. It's not the smoking
that got me thinking this way. It was his Muslim upbringing.
I have nothing against Muslims, but what kind of foreign
policy would he have with Israel if he was elected?
They probably would not talk to him much less invite
him to dinner. How many former Muslims have been invited
to visit the Israeli Prime Minister's House under normal
peaceful conditions ??

Who knows ..... that may be a good thing for some ..... ???

Yea, yea .... I know he has stated that he is a Christian now
and attends The Church of Christ in Chicago. But the Clinton
investigation of him concluded that he doesn't attend regularly.
he doesn't go anywhere, regularly. He has cut ties with siblings.
What honorable Christian man disassociates himself from his
entire family??? One that has something to hide ?? In my personal
opinion, I can't trust him to lead this country if he has no moral
or ethnic foundation to stand on. Yes, he is smart and intelligent.
You have to be in order to graduate Harvard Law School. But that
doesn't make him a good candidate for president. His past is too
rocky and kinda smells fishy to me. His past would be a detriment
to his foreign policy which I might add he has no experience in
or has a game plan that will work at present.

Just my opinion

Originally posted by TheScribe
On this topic, here's an interesting site that shows the medical history of some U.S. presidents: www.doctorzebra.com...

Excellent stuff, Scribe. This is great info.

I've heard that JFK was a cigarette smoker, but he went out of his way never to be photographed smoking a cigarette.

Also, regarding your comment about smoking resulting in a more "human" appearance -- I don't think this is Obama's problem. Maybe Hillary should start smoking, if that is the case? But really, you may have a point there.

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So, this was an interesting thread. I hope most people realized that I intended the OP mainly as a joke! Like most jokes, there is an element of truth about it that I hope gave it a little bite.

I am glad to see that most of ATS rejects the idea that little character quirks can make or break a candidate.

Woops. Double post.

[edit on 18-2-2008 by Buck Division]

Given the recent revelations about the possible sexual orientation of Obama, discussed in the thread here, I wanted to bump this older discussion back to the top.

People! People! People! Let's get to the bottom of MY ISSUE FIRST! We all need to know for a fact whether Obama is a sneak smoker before we start speculating about his sexual proclivities!

There will be time enough for that, after my issue here is resolved!

One critical issue at a time, please. Doesn’t that make more sense?

reply to post by SimonSays


Barack was raised by his white mother and grandmother; he barely knew his black father. I'm rather surprised he wrote two books referencing good ole absentee dad, who was never a part of his life. Barack's mother and grandmother deserve the kudos instead.

Because of Barack's upbringing, he is more characteristically white than any other ethnicity. Sad but true, folks. Get over it and look at the issues and his "change" chant instead.

reply to post by Buck Division


How does it honestly matter?

The best leaders in history have smoked: JFK, Churchill, Eisenhower, Lincoln etc etc

The only famous leader who despised smoking and vilified it as a "dirty habit"? Adolf Hitler...

Frankly smoking is a personal choice. Calling it "undefensible" is a bit like calling eating red meat undefensible. We know its bad for us, but frankly most of us dont give a #. I know I dont... quality of life is a considerably more important factor to me than quantity.

Judge Obama on his merits, not on his choice of vices. It's hardly like hes pulling a Spitzer is he

Are you kidding me? Seriously? Him being a smoker is probably the only redeeming quality about this guy. AHHH! The man is a Marxist that is in lock step in the NWO domestically like Bush is internationally. This is the same fluff crap... can we just talk about Edwards haircut while we are at it? Man there are more pressing issues at hand with the future of this nation than this communist's nicotine habit. Please someone wake me from this Hollywood excrement.

With best regards.

[edit on 21-5-2008 by shai hulud]

Who would I trust more

A smoker?

or an alcoholic?

(and before anyone says about bush no longer drinking, remember the AA adage - once an alcoholic, always an alcoholic)

I can't see it matters - it's like not voting for someone because they eat chocolate.

Why did you use his full name? What purpose does that serve? How many people type a thread "William Jefferson Clinton". People use his middle name to humiliate him (out of idiocy).

And who cares if he smokes. He has a right to smoke. Smoking is not illegal. He can certainly quit smoking if he wants. They have the patch, the gum (which works for sure), and now pills which are very effective.

What is the point?

reply to post by Sublime620


Ahh, it's nice to see you again Mr. Burgundy. Hell the only reason I'm responding is that I am jealous with envy of your avatar.

With pleasantries aside, may I remind you that Mr. Obama is a member of the party that has passed so many asinine smoking laws that it's almost Mel Brooks quality logic. The dems hate big tobacco...what's it going to look like when their Messiah is puffing a Camel when the RJ Reynolds is in the Republicantandneverwillhavetheballscans camp. Hell, I hope he lights one up when he's inaugurated. Hmmm. strange conflict of interest.

I love brick.
.