What if Sarah Palin Were Obese?

I wrote a blog a while back asking the question, "If all things were equal and everything else about him was the same, would you still vote for Obama if he were obese?" I wondered how much his physical fitness mattered in terms of how the public felt about him as a leader. Most of you who commented felt that it did matter and in fact may have swayed your vote.

So now, I wonder once again, would Sarah Palin have received the VP nomination if she were obese? If all things were the same, except her weight, would she have been chosen to run with McCain? I mean, if she were still Governor of Alaska, was just as amazingly brilliant as she is, and still had all those kids (including her pregnant teenager), would we even have heard of her?

I tend to think not. What do you think?

Comments

[Bademus]

No. She wouldn't have been choosen if she was obese, older or a man of any age or size. Her beauty pagent good looks are her ticket to the big time. Fortunately for progressives she doesn't have much to back them up. Americans are suckers for a pretty face.

[CD-Host]

Sarah Palin's biggest strength is blazing charisma being Obese she likely wouldn't have that. For example she adjust her hair style to create the right balance of sexy v serious to contrast with the tone of her speech, i.e. a sexy and fun style when digging, a serious librarian look when doing humor... The same range wouldn't be there with the same effect.

That is not to say that if she developed her policy and experience and also became obese she couldn't win office, but the sexyness plays into her current persona.

[bwilder]

Nope. Obama as an obese man would not have been elected.
His fitness and work-out routine are seen as a sign of discipline
and good health. Obesity is seen as a sign of weakness.
It's not always the case, but it is the general belief.

An obese Sarah Palin would not have been chosen as the VP candidate.
She was chosen because of her looks. She's not the least bit
intellectual. I do not see her as "amazingly brilliant" at all. No natural
curiosity which is a precursor for brilliance. She's ambitious and
conniving and in my opinion a bit sociopathic.

If looks were not the issue, then the McCain folks would have chosen
a woman of substance, maybe even one who is overweight. But
not obese.

[GuidedByEwoks]

Sometimes I wonder...what if the person posting this were fat?

[HVW]

I wonder what you really think about the question and obesity!!!

[gfk]

If McCain had wanted a woman to run along side him, there were so many more qualified than Palin. Rush Limbaugh said, "We are the ones with a babe on the ticket." He also said of Hillary something like who wants to watch a woman grow old. Palin was picked because she looks good and that's it. How sad we have come so far and yet not so far. We have a long way to go.

[kejia]

Were a candidate medically obese, there would be legitimate health concerns. Assume that "fat-Sarah" is not medically obese, but could stand to lose 15-20 pounds. On the camera we would perceive that as obese.

Well, we certainly wouldn't have seen those "I'm Voting for the Chick" signs. And had fat-Sarah rather than thin-Sarah been elected governor of Alaska, she would have needed more qualifications than thin-Sarah currently possesses to get so far. But there are charismatic people who also happen not to be thin. So fat-Sarah could exist but she would would be a different person. And possibly a democrat!