Martin O’Malley plans to announce a presidential campaign on May 30. After the news came out, several pictures of the former Maryland governor shirtless started making the rounds on social media.
When viewing the ambitious pol parading his pecs in public, one can’t help but notice his resemblance to another frequently shirtless politician, Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Sources: Wikimedia Commons, Health Fitness Revolution
Is O’Malley trying to send the message that, if elected president, neighboring countries should quiver in fear of being invaded Ukraine-style? Or perhaps intimidation of critical press would be O’Malley’s preferred way to mimic Putin.
Maybe O’Malley is trying to swipe some of Hillary Clinton’s female support by exploiting his dad bod physique. Clinton has the support of seven in 10 female Democratic primary voters to O’Malley’s 3 percent, according to a May survey by Public Policy Polling survey.
While Putin’s repeated outings half-dressed do not seem to be doing him political harm, there is a less fortunate precedent in the United States. In May 2011, then-Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Ill., agreed to display his muscles on the cover of Men’s Health magazine. It didn’t do his political health any good. He resigned in March this year over questionable expenses and his “Downton Abbey”-themed congressional office.
Source: David E’s Fablog
To be fair, O’Malley’s shirtless pictures are from polar bear plunges that raise money for the Special Olympics, a noble cause that too-often gets lost when the public ogles him.
Former Sen. Scott Brown, R-Mass., was also photographed shirtless in February 2014 at a polar bear plunge fundraiser. The picture was not enough to help Brown win his Senate bid in New Hampshire months later.
While O’Malley intended for his shirtless body to go public, other shirtless politician pictures have resulted in resignations.
Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., famously resigned in May 2011 after tweeting a suggestive photo of himself to a female follower. Rep. Chris Lee, R-N.Y., resigned in February 2011 after he sent a photo of himself with his shirt off to a potential mistress and the image was made public.
Other politicians, such as President Obama and House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., have been photographed shirtless. But that was different because they were swimming and not at public events. Obama even told reporters in 2010, “I’m not going to let you guys take a picture of me with my shirt off.” When Ryan was photographed exercising for Time Magazine in 2011, his shirt stayed on the whole time. Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., was photographed swimming shirtless in the Dead Sea in 2013.
Shirtless pictures have a poor track record in American politics, and it seems unlikely O’Malley will be the exception to the rule. We all support transparency, but let’s leave shirtless pictures to the Russians.
