- Image by Beverly & Pack via Flickr
Every presidential hopeful makes the case for themselves on their stance on issues. They might not say a whole lot but they do attempt to let their record and their in line fairness with other voters speak for themselves. Without it they feel as if they have no chance in winning the oval office but the truth is it isn’t what you say, but how you say it that seems to matter the most these days.
While it’s true that there have been many great presidents in the last 50 years, many of them might not have just been the best guy for the job, but also the most charming guy in office. Somewhere around the time of the great Kennedy vs. Nixon debates did the world start looking at a President not only for who he was but also “how” he was. The argument can be made that since that time the more charming, or charismatic, a president has been, the more likely he has been to win the White House.
This idea was in full effect in 1992. There an unknown governor from Arkansas that challenged the returning president George H. Bush. The governor was Bill Clinton. At the same time that he was making his push for the oval office was an independent candidate Ross Perot. The two men that were running against Bush were not of equal caliber. Clinton was an Oxford graduate and had the political pedigree. Perot was a self made billionaire. Clinton may have only been equipped to handle the office, but where both of them succeeded was being able to charm the American people more than Bush did.
It was Clinton that took office, much in part to the way he was able to dominate at the debates and show a little humor where Bush had been unable to do so. It’s a wonder if a President can win the office without being charming?