by Dante de Miura

Created on: October 09, 2008

The case for Barack Obama lies in recent history and how the majority of people actually determine their selection.

In 1960, a young Senator from Massachusetts battled a veteran politician named Richard Nixon. Nixon, then the current vice president under Eisenhower, brought eight years of White House experience and a mighty political base. The race was not predicted to be close. The on-going verbal sword fight centered around the Cold War with Russia and our stalled economy. Nixon touted experience and a steady hand as the best fit for the time. Kennedy chanted the battle cry of "change" and vowed to get America rolling again.

None of this mattered much.

As Nixon carried a good-sized lead going into a first-of it's kind television debate, he was confident. Too confident.

The use of television in the presidential debate that year for the first time ever changed the game...forever.

For the first time, millions of Americans saw with their eyes the two candidates side by side, each sending visual and auditory signals that would take on more meaning than ever before.

The judgement happening real-time in the minds of voters was being processed and made in mere instances vs. the traditional methods of weighing the facts and mapping candidate accomplishments and experiences and making comparisons. In these moments there was an new factor introduced in American minds that affecting voting preference. A new form of comparison was born. Who looked more presidential? Who do I perceive as a better leader for our country based on appearance, verbal and non-verbal signals? Who looked more comfortable in his skin? Who looked more confident?

For whatever reason that day, Nixon refused to conform to the recommendations of those producing the show on this new political medium. Sure, television sets had been around a great while, but politicians were not used to the customs and rituals of appearing on camera. Against the advise of the show handlers, Nixon refused to wear makeup. Kennedy accepted. As one data point in this exchange, it was interesting to note that Nixon appeared older and his face was washed out. Kennedy looked good.

Of course, Kennedy held his own in the debate. Not that his rhetoric matched the polished politician so much as he was confident in whatever he said, he kept himself poised and together, he was business-like and, oh yeah...he looked good and he looked healthy.

From that moment on the election took a turn. People saw (visually) that Kennedy looked like a leader.

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