Barack Obama: "I Am Now a Vegan"

Obama and Kucinich, American Heroes

In a speech this afternoon in Altoona, Pennsylvania, Senator Barack Obama made a groundbreaking announcement:

I have long been an advocate of the less fortunate among us, of those who life has handed a crooked deck, the short end of the stick, an unfair deal. There are no Americans for who this is more true than the populations of our feedlots and industrial farms. It is time to end the exploitation of farmed animals on American soil. It is time to give up hamburgers as we have given up slave-holding. It is time for us to end our dependence on milkshakes as we must end our dependence on foreign oil. It is time to acknowledge that the fishing industry does damage to our oceans far beyond that of emissions from our coal burning power plants. I invite all Americans to join me in a bright future free of cruelty and exploitation, free of the blood of innocents killed only for our pleasure.

While details of his animal liberation agenda were vague, he obviously doesn't lack conviction. When questioned directly by a reporter after the speech, Obama stated "Yes, I am now a vegan. From a personal perspective, it doesn't hurt that people of African descent are invariably lactose intolerant."

Longtime vegan and perennial presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich was supportive, saying "It's wonderful to see a young politician like Barack taking a stand on such an important, under-discussed issue." Democratic National Committee chairman Howard Dean was less enthusiastic: "While we support Mr. Obama's right to stand up for his principles, this decision takes him so far away from mainstream American belief that it's difficult to regard his candidacy as viable. The corn and soy lobby think they've pulled off a coup here, but he's just lost his Super Delegates." (It's worth noting that the Vermont dairy lobby is especially strong.)

Personally, I'm torn. I'm thrilled that Obama's gone vegan, but I can't help wishing he'd won the presidency first. The only way this won't hurt his campaign is if Hillary Clinton declares herself an atheist and John McCain comes out as gay.

Permalink

• 1.

  Comment by chrisjs on April 1, 2008 5:19pm:

  Peter Singer can convince him to go back.
• 2.

  Comment by debya on April 1, 2008 5:21pm:

  Rick Astley is vegan, too?
• 3.

  Comment by iamtangerine on April 1, 2008 5:25pm:

  April fools.
• 4.

  Comment by Laura Leslie [www] on April 1, 2008 5:41pm:

  *sigh* I wish.
• 5.

  Comment by Jason Das [www] on April 1, 2008 6:14pm:

  Nuts, annoying that Rick Astley video is coming up ... YouTube has apparently replaced a bunch of videos with that. Hopefully tomorrow it will be back to the video of Obama's speech?
• 6.

  Comment by IsaChandra on April 1, 2008 7:58pm:

  I saw the video before it was taken down and all I could think was that he was probably taking medication in gelatin pills.
• 7.

  Comment by Veganne on April 1, 2008 10:09pm:

  And then he milked a cow for a photo op.
• 8.

  Comment by SolarSiStar [www] on April 2, 2008 1:43am:

  So he's flipped flopped or is this an AFJ/!!
• 9.

  Comment by courtneythevegan [www] on April 2, 2008 7:07am:

  Not funny =[
• 10.

  Comment by GuineaPig [www] on April 2, 2008 10:33am:

  not a very convincing April fools day joke. Although it would've been great if it were true.
• 11.

  Comment by annlee on April 2, 2008 12:31pm:

  Yes, we love your article on Obama being a vegan. We hope that this will bring attention to vegetarian/vegan families who are being harrassed by their state officials over their lifestyle.
  Being one of those that went through having the police come into our church looking for us and being told by the Judge that we would not be in her court if we had not been "VEGETARIAN".
  We know what parents are going through and we know that we must stand strong against ignorance.
  Shirley Dumas
• 12.

  Comment by Mirri on April 2, 2008 2:59pm:

  Obama is hardly a vegan. Check out his trip to an Italian market today, where he samples various kinds of pork and salami, and praises on how good they tasted. He just wants to please everyone. Words matter.
  
  See today's Washington Post: "Obama Savors Some Very Special Pork." http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/04/02/obama_savors_some_very_special.html
  
  "Ezekial Ferguson, one of the workers and a self-described big Obama fan, held out a slice of pata negra, a fancy Spanish ham, explaining that it had only recently been legalized in the United States. "What do you mean just legalized? It's so good it's like a drug or something?" said Obama. "Pretty much, yeah, just wait," said Ferguson.
  
  He explained that the ham came from a type of black-hoofed Iberico wild pig that wanders around eating acorns, "which turn into delicious fat in its muscle tissue, and also make it really healthy for you." That drew a chuckle from the reporters Obama had brought along. "All I know is it tastes good," said Obama. "That was delicious."
  
  I am disappointed.
• 13.

  Comment by Penelope on May 27, 2008 6:13am:

  I think it's great that America has compassionate leaders in their midst. Now maybe we can end the wars
  The vegan diet is healthy and cruelty free.
  We kill 50 billion animals on this planet every year, 10 billion in America. Time to stop the slaughter, and the negative energy created by these killing processes, and raise our consciousness
  We need leaders to follow
  This is good news for the planet
  United Nations 2006 report stated that flesh eating is the nuber one killer on the planet
  The Inergovernmental panel for climate change says we should control our carniverous appetites if we want to address greenhouse gas
  Methane is created by livestock and the UN has stated that livestock creates more greehouse gas than all the cars trucks boats trains planes and all the transport in the world put together.
  So we can all turn the climate crisis around really quickly by going veggie
  Penny Bassett-Scarfe
  Australia
• 14.

  Comment by Penelope on May 27, 2008 6:13am:

  I think it's great that America has compassionate leaders in their midst. Now maybe we can end the wars
  The vegan diet is healthy and cruelty free.
  We kill 50 billion animals on this planet every year, 10 billion in America. Time to stop the slaughter, and the negative energy created by these killing processes, and raise our consciousness
  We need leaders to follow
  This is good news for the planet
  United Nations 2006 report stated that flesh eating is the nuber one killer on the planet
  The Inergovernmental panel for climate change says we should control our carniverous appetites if we want to address greenhouse gas
  Methane is created by livestock and the UN has stated that livestock creates more greehouse gas than all the cars trucks boats trains planes and all the transport in the world put together.
  So we can all turn the climate crisis around really quickly by going veggie
  Penny Bassett-Scarfe
  Australia
• 15.

  Comment by teri-sharan on May 27, 2008 7:10am:

  Hi, I am all for the likes of leaders like Obama to lead the most powerful nation in the world today, America, into the future. We need compassionate kind leaders to set things in motion, by being the example for others to follow. We need to reverse the damage that we ourselves have created in the world through our own doing, our eating habits playing a very very major role. Violence. wars and disease cannot be eradicated from this earth if somewhere in our everyday lives indirectly or directly we support the harming of other beings, be it humans or animals. We kill billions of animals daily purely for satisfying our tastebuds! We say we 'love' our pets but we kill other animals for our food. It doesn't make sense!We 'love' our children, but other children are killed somewhere somepart of the world by us human who instigate war or create famine. Each of us needs to deeply reflect on this. How can we enjoy peace and know what it is to be kind and compassionate and about truly human qualities when we do not daily practice a peaceful style of existence? A leader who lives a healthy clean compassionate life and loves all beings, humans and animals alike, has the power to change many many people, the entire nation if not the world for the better. The global warming situation really needs our urgent attention. The earth is weeping and sending out clear signals. It is a real wake-up call! We need to inform every single person on this earth of how urgently all of can change the way we do things, what we eat, find out how it is produced, the affect on the environment of our every action etc make a difference! We can all help save our precious beautiful planet for our children and help in restoring peace, harmony and love and bring an abundance of heavenly blessings to our wonderous world. We got to act real real quick...before it's too late! So let's all take stock, use our power wisely, make the right choices, choose the right leaders who really care about people, animals and the environment. Embrace a new way of living! Choose a noble, healthy, kind and compassionate lifestyle. Oh heavens above, help us, have mercy on us! teri-sharan, Australia
• 16.

  Comment by xedgexpax on July 20, 2008 11:15am:

  http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=5216984653&ref=ts#/group.php?gid=26168428833
  Please join my facebook group "Vegans for Obama" at the above link. We need to show or next president that our votes count...an so do the animals!!!
• 17.

  Comment by e.v. on September 8, 2008 2:37pm:

  this isn't funny.
• 18.

  Comment by pablo on September 8, 2008 7:41pm:

  Hello Iam from argentina the evil country of meat, but me an a lot of people are vegans here, and we hope that obama win for k.o. with his position he could show to the new and necesary world ,that the corporations of meat bussines are killing the earth, our healt , our ground, our body , our lives. And by the way ... the world is bored of "bushes" puppets . Thanks god for people like this man !!
• 19.

  Comment by pablo on September 8, 2008 7:41pm:

  Hello Iam from argentina the evil country of meat, but me an a lot of people are vegans here, and we hope that obama win for k.o. with his position he could show to the new and necesary world ,that the corporations of meat bussines are killing the earth, our healt , our ground, our body , our lives. And by the way ... the world is bored of "bushes" puppets . Thanks god for people like this man !!
• 20.

  Comment by Rob on October 6, 2008 10:36pm:

  Screw Obama and screw you hypocrites. I am a vegetable rights activist. I love vegatables and wish to save them from carrot juice sucking scumbags like you vegans. Veggies deserve to live as much as you do. How many trillions of harmless baby sprouts are MURDERED every day by you hateful people. How are your pathetic lives any better or more valuable than our veggie brother and sisters lives? Screw you. Eat a steak. Save a vegetable.
• 21.

  Comment by Elaine on November 10, 2008 3:08am:

  I do not get it. Is this a joke or not? It appears from other stuff I found on the net that he is a vegan, at least in his private life.Can the author or someone else clear this up....I have been going around telling people it is true!!
• 22.

  Comment by Laura Leslie [www] on November 10, 2008 11:36am:

  Look at the date, Elaine.
• 23.

  Comment by Elaine on November 13, 2008 4:10am:

  Yeah I did,and I read the other comments. So why is it on a vegan site to fool people?Also, he did make a comment about it being appropriate that the president is "mindful" of cruelty inflicted on animals so I thought this was just an extention of that.And his mindset about preferring a shelter dog also fit the picture, so I thought it was just possible.He is unusual in lots of other ways...
• 24.

  Comment by veganmadness on November 15, 2008 1:32pm:

  um...it was posted on APRIL FOOLS DAY PEOPLE!!!!!!!! get it? its a joke. ha ha...?
• 25.

  Comment by Tam on November 15, 2008 3:05pm:

  i am so happy of knowing that our president is vegan. from now on we will live in peace no more killing.... i know this web site which is talking about good news... peaceful news....suprememastertv.com....i hope that our president obama will change the world by leading every single one on earth to know that meat eating is cause bad to our environment and to our planet.
• 26.

  Comment by Daisy-Mae [www] on April 1, 2009 8:31am:

  That really would be amazing. One day!! *sighs whistfully*
• 27.

  Comment by Cardinal John Henry Newma on April 10, 2009 5:24pm:

  Animals have done us no harm and they have no power of resistance.…There is something so very dreadful…in tormenting those who have never harmed us, who cannot defend themselves, who are utterly in our power.
• 28.

  Comment by sabrina on June 25, 2009 10:10pm:

  i am so happy obama is vegan and its about time some one said something what they do to animals is so cruel. If people get arrested for killing people why is it ok to kill animals. Its murder and people ahve pets and its crazy they eat meat ! And what they been doing to the race horses is a tradgady !!! japan sucks . I am so happy bamma you r the best !