Obama's Full-figured Surgeon-General Pick Object of Media Scorn

By Thomas Lifson

"Critics and supporters across the blogosphere have commented on photos of Benjamin's round cheeks, saying she sends the wrong message as the public face of America's health initiatives."

Her supporters, on the other hand, feel that Benjamin may display more empathy for the "34 percent of all Americans aged 20 and over (who) are obese" due to her life experiences dealing with her physiognomy:

"- she's in a better position to understand obesity and contemplate out-of-the-box ways to roll back ever-expanding American waistlines." (ibid)

This is a case of the role model theory hitting affirmative action theory. Are overweight people to be excluded from government leadership posts? A certain degree of heftiness has not been seen as a negative when it comes to Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor. And what of a President of the United States who smokes? The overweight constitute not just a group openly scorned and discriminated against, they are also a large (in two senses) voting bloc.

Hat tip: Ralph Alter