Obama Smokes Out Blue Collar Voters?

Tony Horwitz is not entirely wrong about Barack Obama attracting blue collar supporters by dropping Nicorettes and taking a return trip to smoking. [New York Times “Leader of the Pack”]

He just doesn’t have the brands right. Nor does have the tobacco history quite right.

He suggests that Obama would identify with blue collar whites by smoking Winston, the long-time cigarette sponsor of NASCAR. It’s not a bad idea, except that Winston is generally perceived as a convivial brand based on its historical connection to another great talker, Winston Churchill. It is also rarely smoked by women.

Obama is already perceived as convivial, his problem is that blue collar whites are not sure that he strong enough on defending America. For that reason, he’d be better of with Marlboro, the traditional cigarette of the fighting man which is notable for having a subliminal medal on the pack. As a bonus, this brand is also widely smoked by women. He could attract the blue collar and the Hillary vote all in one.

On the other hand, he would alienate the elite who long ago exited smoking. But wait, there is a solution.

Historically, he is right that tobacco is the first great product of America since the establishment of Jamestown. But not cigarettes - they are a 19th century innovation that only took off during WWI. You could argue that cigarettes as an inhaled form of smoke is rather like the crack version of tobacco. Historically, Indians puffed on a rough product that could not be inhaled or even taken with the portable regularity of cigarettes. In other words, Obama could still form a relationship with tobacco that does not carry the dread of lung cancer. Yes, that would be smokeless tobacco – what was once known as chew. But today, they come in a convenient pouch, endless colors, flavors and working class subtexts.

Nevertheless, he would be the better candidate if he could account for his smoking habit and reach out to voters by talking about why he got into it and what it took to get on the road to quitting.

The greater part of smoking is what it means to the smoker and why. If he could address that – and all the pieces he needs to understand this are in Cigarette Seduction – then voters would get to know who he really is as a person.