D?j? vu all over again?

[goofer]

I will respond since I am the starter of this superficial thread.

Truman and Roosevelt were presidents before the television age which is the point of my opening post. McCain is a war hero and I believe to be an honorable man but he has a boring, monotone delivery. Obama will likely come across better on the tube. As for substance, I cannot comment. I have not seen enough of Obama to know what to expect.

For the record, I support neither of these men and will continue to support the Libertarian ticket.

Traderx

That is precisely my point. We should be LISTENING to what the candidates espouse and NOT so concerned about their style and appearance. Unfortunately we as a nation will never have the opty to have another Truman or Roosevelt or even Eisenhower because of the television age. Those fellows would never be elected to public office because of the image they projected. It is SAD. McCain must be very special because his character and genuiness comes across even though he could be described as a shlepper. He may be the last of his breed !! This is a defining election. We will now get the specificity of the Obama policies and they will be analyzed and dissected to the core. But our responsibility as citizens will be to LISTEN and not be swayed by superficialities.

 

[Linda]

I am not being disrespectful but the tone of this thread is extremely superficial. One of the great presidents of the 20th century was Harry Truman....not known for his oratorical skills or charisma. Character, integrity and judgement were his strong points. Franklin Roosevelt, argueably one of our top 3 presidents, was physically challenged and was a shell of a man in 1945. Yet he is a giant in the eyes of history. The tone of this thread would have dismissed these 2 great men as insignificant because of their style or looks. Substance and character are the hallmarks of greatness. McCain has all the traits to be a great president. Obama has all the hallmarks of being a great president but I believe he needs more experience in the ways of govt and the ways of politics on a global scale. Lets listen to what the candidates say and ignore what they look like or what they are wearing or how tall and good looking they are. We are blessed to have 2 excellent choices this year....but I think we need to focus on their ideas and policies and not on their looks and style. I admire Obama greatly but I believe he is not ready now. Of course my opinion may change as the debates begin. I will keep an open mind. But my decision will be made of substance and not style.

Thank You!!!!!! I think we can all agree that Obama is better at delivering a speech - big deal.

 

[goofer]

One of the other points I would like to raise is the incessant spin that accompanies our political process. There is entirely too much "noise" that needs to be filtered. All the spinmeisters distort and outright make up stuff. The voter needs to educated himself or herself and get the facts. This takes work and dedication. But isn't democracy worth the effort ? We need to be informed voters......nothing more or less.

 

[Geo]

I am not being disrespectful but the tone of this thread is extremely superficial. One of the great presidents of the 20th century was Harry Truman....not known for his oratorical skills or charisma. Character, integrity and judgement were his strong points. Franklin Roosevelt, argueably one of our top 3 presidents, was physically challenged and was a shell of a man in 1945. Yet he is a giant in the eyes of history. The tone of this thread would have dismissed these 2 great men as insignificant because of their style or looks. Substance and character are the hallmarks of greatness. McCain has all the traits to be a great president. Obama has all the hallmarks of being a great president but I believe he needs more experience in the ways of govt and the ways of politics on a global scale. Lets listen to what the candidates say and ignore what they look like or what they are wearing or how tall and good looking they are. We are blessed to have 2 excellent choices this year....but I think we need to focus on their ideas and policies and not on their looks and style. I admire Obama greatly but I believe he is not ready now. Of course my opinion may change as the debates begin. I will keep an open mind. But my decision will be made of substance and not style.

Don't underestimate the superficial. The lights, smoke and mirrors. The Hollywood. Granted many that discuss these issues on this board are smart enough to look beyond it and do form opinions and vote on issues. But IMHO, the majority of people in this country form opinons and act on the superficial...

And this is exactly why this is a great thread (again, IMHO).

I saw a video of Nixon that night after he first saw himself on the TV monitor. He said he wished he would have shaved.

 

[goofer]

Geowickey

The fact that the superficial is the most important ingredient in the selection process of our political leaders is pathetic. We get what we deserve !!!

 

[scooterbug44]

We can biatch and moan about the 24 hour news cycle, its need to fill time, and manufactured drama and conflict, but because of it we will not elect an ugly or inarticulate president (again).

I believe it was the movie "American President" where they said (very paraphrased) "if we had TV we wouldn't have elected a president in a wheelchair" re :FDR.

I consider articulateness, the ability to speak extemporaneously, and eloquence some pretty good indicators of intelligence, but the sheeple are certainly believing the muddy e-mails and uber out of context sound bites.

 

[Here4Good]

I am not being disrespectful but the tone of this thread is extremely superficial. One of the great presidents of the 20th century was Harry Truman....not known for his oratorical skills or charisma. Character, integrity and judgement were his strong points. Franklin Roosevelt, argueably one of our top 3 presidents, was physically challenged and was a shell of a man in 1945. Yet he is a giant in the eyes of history. The tone of this thread would have dismissed these 2 great men as insignificant because of their style or looks. Substance and character are the hallmarks of greatness. McCain has all the traits to be a great president. Obama has all the hallmarks of being a great president but I believe he needs more experience in the ways of govt and the ways of politics on a global scale. Lets listen to what the candidates say and ignore what they look like or what they are wearing or how tall and good looking they are. We are blessed to have 2 excellent choices this year....but I think we need to focus on their ideas and policies and not on their looks and style. I admire Obama greatly but I believe he is not ready now. Of course my opinion may change as the debates begin. I will keep an open mind. But my decision will be made of substance and not style.

FDR was a great communicator - he had a regular radio show, called "Fireside Chats". He used these chats to convince the American people, who were frightened and skeptical, that his programs were the right thing to do. Despite being an aristocrat, he knew how to talk to people, and used the media very effectively.

I don't ask that the President be a great public speaker, but I do ask that he have the ability to convince us that he knows what he's doing and that the actions he is proposing are the right ones. I also ask that he be able to hold his own in discussions with other world leaders.

It's called politics, folks - if you can't communicate and convince, then stay the heck out.

 

[goofer]

I know the biography of FDR as well as many of the other presidents. Do you honestly think FDR, HST, Eisenhower, or Calvin "the business of America is business " Coolidge could be elected president in the television age ??? I think not.

I referred to HST as lacking oratorical skills not FDR.

 

[Geo]

Geowickey

The fact that the superficial is the most important ingredient in the selection process of our political leaders is pathetic. We get what we deserve !!!

Yes. Ok. I get the feeling you are telling me this as if I don't agree with you.

But what you or I think about how things are doesn't change how things are...

The reality is that the superficial is important.

 

[Smiling JOe]

The 1960 Presidential campaign featured the first televised debates. Pundits agree that Kennedy’s good looks, charisma and ease in front of the camera helped him get elected. By contrast, Nixon looked haggard, awkward and shot bullets of sweat at television screens.

After painfully watching McCain deliver a speech last night, his unrelenting monotone made me wonder if this election campaign won’t be a repeat of the 1960 campaign. Obama is at ease in front of a camera and uses the teleprompter like a pro. He has an interesting vocal delivery and has charisma. McCain is pale and boring by comparison. I think this fall will be a long season for Republicans.

The only differences are that Kennedy had experience and Obama has almost no experience. One other noticeable difference is that Kennedy words, "ask not what your Country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your Country." Obama on the other hand wants to create more government dependency, getting people to ask what their Country can do for the people. The difference is HUGE.

BTW, I love the redundant thread title. I love the redundant thread title.