A surprising number of responses to my Algore piece Tuesday concentrated on the ex-veep’s embonpoint, a common theme being that the guy is just too lardy to get elected. On the other hand:
Derb — just a thought, but I haven’t seen Gore in the news in a while. This would make sense if he is slimming down to presidential weight, and wants to keep it a secret. Everyone always knew Ted Kennedy wanted to run when he started dropping the pounds. Perhaps we’ll see a sleek new Al Gore in a few months time. Those sternocleidomastoid muscles need time to really get in shape.
Course they do. On the other other hand, let’s not discount the identity-politics factor. There are a lot, a lot, of lardies in the U.S.A. — take a stroll around your local WalMart store. And if you think racial resentment runs hot in America, let me tell you, it is nothing compared to the resentment we couch potatoes feel towards the fit and sleek, damn your wretched abs and pecs.
It may be that Al’s in hiding not to buff up, but to lard up — a beer’n’Twinkies diet and lots of TV. What happened to that special White House wide bathtub they had made for Pres. Taft, I wonder? These are strange times.
