Are we Stashin' the 'Stache?
I laugh out loud at two fellow bloggers: Radley Balko and Jonah Goldberg. Both men are incredibly talented, nuanced writers and have cult-like fans. I will sometimes post their observations to pass a little humor your way.
Today, Goldberg touches on a slightly less-publicized problem plaguing John Bolton as he awaits approval as the new U.S. Ambassador to the UN: The 'stache. Even though our own Matt Lewis contends that you absolutely cannot get elected in the great state of North Dakota without one (as Governor Hoeven will attest)
...it looks like a no-go when asking America to like you. Yes, there was a time when sporting the 'stache was cool. Magnum PI is a great example of man who embodied ALL that was good about tight jeans and facial hair. But like much of the styles in the 70's and 80's...we've progressed past that look.
Since I'm stuck in Northern Virginia--I don't see too many mustaches on men below the age of 65.
Are there politicians out there in the Great Wide Open who can take back the reputation of the mustache?
BOLTON'S TRUE ACHILLE'S HEEL... [Jonah Goldberg]
...is obviously that mustache.
I'm only partly kidding. I think we've discussed it around here before, but I think it's fascinating that mustaches endure in America as much as they do despite the fact that almost no politicians have them and with the exception of Tom Selleck -- and Burt Reynolds in the late seventies and early 80s -- virtually no popular Hollywood icon wears one. Am I wrong for thinking that Bolton will be the highest-ranked government (or at least most prominent) official in years with a full-blown Marlboro man lip-warmer?
I've had beards and goatees (or van dycks) before. But I've never been a fan of the straight out 'stache. I think it works on some people. But I think that having all of that hair at, shall we say, a hygenic crossroad is just a bad idea.
Regardless, one obvious part of the equation is that mustaches have regional resonance. I'm not very up to speed on country music or Nascar, but the 'stache seems to be alive and well where such passtimes are thriving. Similarly, professional baseball seems to be another holdout. With all of the discussion of the south and west's political ascendancy in American politics, it's a bit surprising we haven't seen more politicians with mustaches in recent years. Could it be that at the national level, facial hair is too much of a red-state identifier?
So here's a question for you to discuss amongst yourselves (i.e. please don't inundate me with email on it): Looking forward, in what order will we have: a female president, a Jewish president, a black president, a president with facial hair?
Today, Goldberg touches on a slightly less-publicized problem plaguing John Bolton as he awaits approval as the new U.S. Ambassador to the UN: The 'stache. Even though our own Matt Lewis contends that you absolutely cannot get elected in the great state of North Dakota without one (as Governor Hoeven will attest)
...it looks like a no-go when asking America to like you. Yes, there was a time when sporting the 'stache was cool. Magnum PI is a great example of man who embodied ALL that was good about tight jeans and facial hair. But like much of the styles in the 70's and 80's...we've progressed past that look.
Since I'm stuck in Northern Virginia--I don't see too many mustaches on men below the age of 65.
Are there politicians out there in the Great Wide Open who can take back the reputation of the mustache?
BOLTON'S TRUE ACHILLE'S HEEL... [Jonah Goldberg]
...is obviously that mustache.
I'm only partly kidding. I think we've discussed it around here before, but I think it's fascinating that mustaches endure in America as much as they do despite the fact that almost no politicians have them and with the exception of Tom Selleck -- and Burt Reynolds in the late seventies and early 80s -- virtually no popular Hollywood icon wears one. Am I wrong for thinking that Bolton will be the highest-ranked government (or at least most prominent) official in years with a full-blown Marlboro man lip-warmer?
I've had beards and goatees (or van dycks) before. But I've never been a fan of the straight out 'stache. I think it works on some people. But I think that having all of that hair at, shall we say, a hygenic crossroad is just a bad idea.
Regardless, one obvious part of the equation is that mustaches have regional resonance. I'm not very up to speed on country music or Nascar, but the 'stache seems to be alive and well where such passtimes are thriving. Similarly, professional baseball seems to be another holdout. With all of the discussion of the south and west's political ascendancy in American politics, it's a bit surprising we haven't seen more politicians with mustaches in recent years. Could it be that at the national level, facial hair is too much of a red-state identifier?
So here's a question for you to discuss amongst yourselves (i.e. please don't inundate me with email on it): Looking forward, in what order will we have: a female president, a Jewish president, a black president, a president with facial hair?
posted by Maureen at 10:21 AM
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