At Election Central I noticed a link to this article about how Barack Obama decided to quit smoking over the winter holidays. His wife wants him to quit for the obvious health reasons. Perhaps just as importantly smoking is just bad PR in this day and age. The article linked above in the Trib has some interesting discussion about the negative associations smoking has today. The article quotes a communications studies prof saying smoking “doesn’t go with the social, environmental message of reform he would like to project.”
So, an interesting set of questions about the culture and politics and Obama’s public image. But here’s another question. Aren’t people who are in the early stages of quitting a nicotine habit really irritable and on-edge? And isn’t running for president extremely stressful?
To preempt all the emails about the dangers of smoking and the importance of quitting, I’m certainly not disagreeing. It just made me think that presidential campaigns are usually times when people revert to bad habits (eating, smoking, drinking, etc.) not when they quit them.
