Comments on: Possibles, Pundits, Polls and 40 Pounds…

By: A Root of Evangelical and Mormon Political Conflict? | Article VI Blog | John Schroeder

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 04:19:27 +0000

[...] Comments John Schroeder on Possibles, Pundits, Polls and 40 Pounds…Doug King on Possibles, Pundits, Polls and 40 Pounds…AZCON on Possibles, Pundits, Polls and 40 [...]

By: John Schroeder

John Schroeder — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 12:34:03 +0000

Doug:

Acknowledging and agreeing with your central point that substance matters more than style, I have to disagree that body weight is a matter of style.

As you can see, Lowell and I had a bit of a disagreement on bringing up the Hucksters weight, Lowell being far more sympathetic towards it than I.

Bottom line is this – it is a matter of personal discipline and THAT matters tremendously when it comes to being POTUS.

While analogies to alcoholism are overwrought, weight problems like those Mike Huckabee struggles with, share many aspects of addicition and if he cannot overcome that is is not suited for office.

I know how harsh I sound here, but I speak from personal experience. I have lost about double what the Huckster lost – though I started about a year earlier and have continued after the election – and I HAVE KEPT IT OFF.

Not trying to brag here – simply establish some credibility.

By: Doug King

Doug King — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 06:37:44 +0000

Up or down, body weight is irrelevant to political office. Unfortunately, stage persona has been a major factor with voters which is why superficial factors like weight, hair, dress, glamor, etc. receive so much scrutiny. Even our Presidential “debates” have been dumbed down into contests about who can appear the most regal while stating the obvious.

As rough as our economic problems are, I hope they make voters somewhat wiser and that voters increasingly elect experienced leaders based on past performance. Preoccupation with style and sound bites helped get us into our current mess.

By: AZCON

AZCON — Sat, 27 Feb 2010 05:04:47 +0000

Just a point of clarification. Cardinal Francis George spoke at BYU’s monthly “Forum.” Three weeks a month, (Tuesday mid-morning) BYU students and faculty gather in the Marriott Center for “Devotional.” This is usually a 20-35 minute talk by either one of the General Authorities of the church or a member of the university administration or faculty. The other week of the month, a speaker is chosen from a wider field. This “other” week is called “Forum.” These speakers may chose either religious or secular topics, with religious topics usually being of a more general nature. t is customary to have 12-20,000 in attendance. When it’s done, they all go back to class.

Otherwise, thanks for the work you both are doing.

As for additional potential entries for 2012, I believe Thune, Daniels, and Gingrich will all give it a hard look. The GOP has only selected a single candidate as their nominee who has not previously run, that being George W. Bush. I chalk the first two of these, and Pawlenty and Santorum, as primarily positioning themselves for a second run, and beginning to build the organization that can win both a primary and a general.

There will have to be more conservative entries to fill the vacuum when neither Palin or Huck run. I think the odds are less than 25% for each.

I actually think that Mitt is marginally in favor of all of their entries. I see several as conderable for the VP nod and think that Romney would prefer someone who has been publicly vetted and sharpened. (So it is for pragmatic competents.) All of these people would represent the very conservative wing. (I think the only thing that would really hurt him is someone who enters from his left.)

I think Newt has to run to “burn out the dead wood” left from past years, like audultery/divorce. If he can do that, I think he could do a great job managing Mitt’s legislative agenda.

Just some thoughts.

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:23:11 +0000

About the once again rotund former governor from Arkansas….in his recent interview on Huckabee with First Lady Michelle Obama on her efforts to stop childhood obesity, he told her that he planned to get back on the wagon as a salute to her work on this issue. Due to the relative recency of this commitment, I doubt the folks in Iowa could have noticed. If he was serious, then in a month or so, we should notice a gradual thinning out.

But he has plausible deniability now that the weight loss indicates a coming campaign. Rather he can just point to the First Lady and his support for her. Yeah right.