(From the Washington Post)
(from AP).Following up on a recent blog post about the history of height in presidential persuasion, some interesting observations emerge from the republican primary. The Washington Post notes the following:
A candidate's physical presence can be an important advantage in modern American politics. Rightly or wrongly, height lends stature to a candidate's image. A taller candidate may be seen subconsciously as more presidential. Campaigns often go to great lengths to shroud a shorter candidate's height and avoid side-by-side comparisons with larger rivals, just as Hollywood moviemakers use visual tricks to disguise the real size of some of their biggest -- or, that is, smallest -- stars. America, it seems, likes its leading men tall. (from Washington Post)
Some thoughts on the physical appearances of the republican candidates:
- Mitt Romney appears the most presidential. He is old enough to give the aura of wisdom and experience yet young enough to be appealing. In addition, Romney is among the tallest.
- John McCain's age (born 1936) is a considerable negative, especially if he faces off against Barack Obama (born 1961) where the race is framed as experience vs. change and the past vs. the future.
- Rudy Guliani is the only candidate to wear glasses. Although I have yet to see an academic study stating that wearing glasses makes you less appealing to the voters, I do believe this is true based upon the considerable number of politicians who work hard to rid their glasses via contacts, surgery, etc.
Consider some of the following links:
- Head and Shoulders Above the Rest (Washington Post--excellent article)
- What's More Important... (blog entry)
- Height is Might (Economist)
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