As the debates approached during the campaign just ended, I, the eternal optimist, had a thought which I tried to bury because it meant that what has just come to pass would come to pass, that Barack Obama would win.
And the thought was this: in every presidential election where there have been debates, the more charismatic candidate won the election. Just look at the roster, winner in bold.
- 1960: John F. Kennedy v. Richard Nixon
- 1976: Jimmy Carter v. Gerald R. Ford
- 1980: Jimmy Carter* v. Ronald Reagan
- 1984: Walter Mondale v. Ronald Reagan
- 1988: Michael Dukakis v. George H.W. Bush
- 1992: Bill Clinton v. George H.W. Bush
- 1996: Bill Clinton v. Bob Dole
- 2000: Al Gore v. George W. Bush
- 2004: John Kerry v. George W. Bush
- 2008: Barack Obama v. John McCain
Not just that. In every presidential election since 1976, save for 1988, the candidate perceived as more anti-Washington won as well.
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*If you ever watch video from the 1976 campaign and compare that to imagery from the 1980 campaign, it’s striking how less dynamic Jimmy Carter had become once elected.
Here is my respones to the election as a gay Republican:
#2 – What reponse is that?
Regards,
Peter H.
Also, you have to go back to 1976 to have a winning candidate with more military experience than the loser – assuming you give Gore’s Vietnam military jouralism stint the advantage over GWB’s national guard experience.
Even Evan Thomas, the editor of Newsweek, is reported as saying the cult of Obama is a bit scary.
Dan, there is an excellent book called “The Selling of the President” that examines this very issue in the context of the Kennedy-Nixon debates. When I read it back in college it was out of print, but it appears that Amazon is carrying it now. I read it as part of a class on Mass Communications. very interesting read. Just thought you and others might be interested.
It’s only going to get creepier, Swampfox. Chairman O announces Mandatory Community Service. Call it the “Obama Jugend.”