I am registered to vote in the Pennsylvania democratic primary on Tuesday. I don't really like either candidate, and I'm not sure I am actually going to vote. But if I do, I'm certainly not voting for Obama.
And it is because of Obama's smoking. Before you say that's stupid, hear me out. This is a short post.
Obama apparently smoked cigarettes regularly (5-10 a day) for years (possibly as many as twenty-six). He only quit when he decided to run for president. In fact, his quitting is so recent, that he apparently still uses quitting smoking products (e.g. nicotine pathces, nicorette gum).
One of Obama's central campaign issues is health care. On Obama's Web page for health care, there are three bolded points that define "The Problem," in his opinion:
Millions of Americans are uninsured or underinsured because of rising medical costs.
Health care costs are skyrocketing.
Too little is spent on prevention and public health.
A significant percentage of our national health care costs are attributable to smoking. These costs were preventable.
So, regardless of whether Obama is right or not on health care, he is essentially asking us to "do as I say, not as I do." And that is show stopper for me.
This goes beyond the image of Obama grabbing a cigarette break behind the Capital Building because you can no longer smoke inside of it. It goes beyond the fact that he has been framing himself as a role model and community leader for years when he only stopped smoking last year. It is about the issues.
Health care is perhaps Obama's (and the Democrats' in general) central issue this election cycle. And yet he has made a personal choice that for years has blatantly undermined the goals he wants to set for the country on this important issue. He talks about prevention and rising costs, and yet he was rising these costs himself via preventable action.
Maybe the country as a whole does not, but I expect my leaders to lead by example. Or at the very least, I expect them to not contradict their central theses with their errant personal behavior.
Update: I have decided not to vote in this PA primary. Note that I view this primary stage as very different than the actual presidential election, which I think was lost on some of the readers of this post. I think that one should vote in the presidential election, even if you have to choose between candidates you don't particularly like. But in the primary, one is in no obligation to do so. In the primary, you are promoting a candidate for selection by their party. In order to get me to promote you, you have to be pretty compelling. In this case, this smoking issue was enough to get me to not promote Obama in the primary.
In other words, neither candidate was compelling enough IMHO to get me to promote them for their party's nomination in this primary. And just because I said I wasn't voting for Obama in the primary didn't mean I was going to vote for Clinton in the primary or that I am going to vote for John McCain in the general election. In fact, like I said, I am choosing not to vote in the primary, and I have no idea who I will vote for in the general election.
And it is because of Obama's smoking. Before you say that's stupid, hear me out. This is a short post.
Obama apparently smoked cigarettes regularly (5-10 a day) for years (possibly as many as twenty-six). He only quit when he decided to run for president. In fact, his quitting is so recent, that he apparently still uses quitting smoking products (e.g. nicotine pathces, nicorette gum).
One of Obama's central campaign issues is health care. On Obama's Web page for health care, there are three bolded points that define "The Problem," in his opinion:
Millions of Americans are uninsured or underinsured because of rising medical costs.
Health care costs are skyrocketing.
Too little is spent on prevention and public health.
A significant percentage of our national health care costs are attributable to smoking. These costs were preventable.
So, regardless of whether Obama is right or not on health care, he is essentially asking us to "do as I say, not as I do." And that is show stopper for me.
This goes beyond the image of Obama grabbing a cigarette break behind the Capital Building because you can no longer smoke inside of it. It goes beyond the fact that he has been framing himself as a role model and community leader for years when he only stopped smoking last year. It is about the issues.
Health care is perhaps Obama's (and the Democrats' in general) central issue this election cycle. And yet he has made a personal choice that for years has blatantly undermined the goals he wants to set for the country on this important issue. He talks about prevention and rising costs, and yet he was rising these costs himself via preventable action.
Maybe the country as a whole does not, but I expect my leaders to lead by example. Or at the very least, I expect them to not contradict their central theses with their errant personal behavior.
Update: I have decided not to vote in this PA primary. Note that I view this primary stage as very different than the actual presidential election, which I think was lost on some of the readers of this post. I think that one should vote in the presidential election, even if you have to choose between candidates you don't particularly like. But in the primary, one is in no obligation to do so. In the primary, you are promoting a candidate for selection by their party. In order to get me to promote you, you have to be pretty compelling. In this case, this smoking issue was enough to get me to not promote Obama in the primary.
In other words, neither candidate was compelling enough IMHO to get me to promote them for their party's nomination in this primary. And just because I said I wasn't voting for Obama in the primary didn't mean I was going to vote for Clinton in the primary or that I am going to vote for John McCain in the general election. In fact, like I said, I am choosing not to vote in the primary, and I have no idea who I will vote for in the general election.
