Thursday, October 16, 2008

I was really going to try not to be superficial...

but why start now?

I'm talking, of course, about the debate last night. Clearly, if you've been reading my blog, you know exactly where I stand politically. So I won't bore you with all the reasons why I thought Obama won last night. I'm here to talk about much more important matters; who actually looked the part of president last night?

Was it the guy in the dark pinstriped suit which made him look even paler than he was, his white hair and skin the exact same color? In a word, no. If your wife is as rich as McCain's is, there is no excuse for not having the perfect suit that's going to read well on television. I'm not saying it wasn't expensive or well-tailored. I'm saying, those pinstripes seemed to vibrate. And it was too dark for him. And playing off the yellow teeth....shudder. (Dude, Crest Whitestrips work wonders....and no, they don't pay me to say that).

I know this is not a beauty contest—though someone might want to remind Sarah Palin that. But if you don't think in the era of television, these sorts of things matter....might I remind you of Nixon/Kennedy debate? Not that I was there, but apparently Nixon sweated up a storm. But apparently, it made a difference.

What makes someone look presidential? Posture does wonders. Obama sat straight, spine erect, the entire time. He never appeared to fidget nor did he make annoying little guffaws the way McCain did. And you know what? It was incredibly effective.

So. Turns out your mom was right. Sit up straight. Don't fidget. Don't interrupt when someone is talking.

And most importantly....brush your teeth.

3 comments:

Elizabeth said...

I totally agree.

I watched it for the first time last night (CNN international reruns it at a decent time) and was frankly embarrassed for McCain.

Even if you take out the serious points (plans, truthfulness, etc...), Obama was just more presidential in every single way.

He looked composed and fantastic. His "quips" sounded like the respectful, off-the-cuff, retorts of an intelligent man.

And then McCain...Snarky, practiced and phony-sounding quips that he looked SOOOOOOO weirdly pleased to have said. And the bad sportsmanship and rude manners.

UGH. I really cannot even believe this race.

Nanette said...

As I wrote before....McCain is starting to remind me of Cotton Hill (the mean spiteful grandfather war hero) on "King of the Hill."


Not in the least presidential. And certainly not a gentleman.

I've heard some pundits call Obama "professorial" and I'm like....is that a bad thing??

Elizabeth said...

No joke! And apparently it's also bad that Obama is calm and cool....