by R.A. Scott

Created on: September 20, 2008   Last Updated: October 07, 2008

"I don't really feel like I have to have a debate with my husband over issues."
-Laura Bush

Richard Nixon and John Fitzgerald Kennedy, wow remember them? Both know how much debates can affect the outcome of elections. Richard Nixon lost the election and lost the debate according to those who watched the debate on TV. He looked tired, had a days growth of beard and just didn't look healthy and strong. On the other hand, JFK looked tanned, refreshed and he had actually used makeup prior to the debate. I think he wore make up each day before leaving the house.

Radio listeners, are there any of those left, thought that Nixon won those debates but of course you can't see the person. Radio allows you to hear the message not see the messenger. Seeing the messenger changes the whole perception of the message. Because of that, debates are a waste of time and effort. People cheer for the color tie that debaters are wearing. Is a hair out of place? McCain won't need to worry about that, he'll need to worry about his silly comb-over being in place. Yes, John we know you're bald, you're not fooling anyone.

Debates don't show the candidates and their policies in the best of lights. Seldom do debates prove to be of any real worth. Candidates spend much more time choosing the clothes they are going to wear than they do worrying about the policies they want to talk about.

Clothes matter because so many people don't care about the issues. Many chose to be willfully ignorant about the issues or simply aren't intelligent enough to understand the issues. So they look at the nice color of the tie or some other stupid things that show up visually when they watch the debates. Oh, what a pretty blue tie.

This is where democracy fails. Many people are too stupid to be able to vote. I have often thought there should be a test to determine if you know enough to actually vote. However in all the democratic countries around the world simply being born is reason enough for you to vote.

So, over the years people have developed systems for their candidates appearing on television. They know what colors look good under various lighting conditions and they learn, over time, just how their candidates look under all kinds of circumstances. They are going to find the clothes that hopefully make their candidate look more presidential than the other candidate. There is a big science behind how the candidates look by the time they get on television.

Yes, unfortunately debates can help determine the outcome of elections. Actually, it's not so much the debate as it is the color of the tie. That is truly unfortunate.

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