A Candidate's Appearance And Looks...

[arwalden]

would definitely NOT influence my support (or non-support) of their candidacy... BUT...

I wonder how much a candidate's looks will affect the amount of support they receive. Could something like crooked teeth, or a bad combover, or "big-hair", or drab suits, or acne scars keep the best candidate's support from building?

-- Allen

[soothsayer]

1. nah

Jimmy Carter wasn't good lookin'. Clinton looked like he combed his hair with a brick. Dumbya can't hold his face right, between his smirk and his squingy little eyes. I don't think looks matter too much (but I wish Dean had a different neck than he does)

[Spentastic]

2. It can and will

However, as they say nobody is perfect. The media of course ignore the fact that the present resident is an unkempt red face monkey with poor posture and a tendency to sit legs akimbo.

The media will possibly attack as follows. Supporters I have no axe to grind here, I'm British and I just want you to get rid of Bush. So in no particular order.

Dean - Too short. You obviously need to be 17ft tall to be president. Unless you are called Bush.

Kerry - Bloodhound / Lurch. You obviously need to stun the world with your great looks to be president

Mosely Braun - Looks like a black WOMAN The horror! You need to be white and male to be president. What would the Saudis think if we elected a woman? We'd be a laughing stock.

John Edwards - To smooth. You need to look like the kind of man you could share a beer with. Or in Chimpy's case, loads of beers some whisky with a couple of coke chasers for good measure.

Joe Lieberman - Mr Palpatine. Looking like the evilest man in the Star Wars galaxy does not make you evil enough to be president of the U.S.

Dennis Kucinich - Looks like a normal bloke. How dare he not conform. Someone should get him to bulk up and get a tan dammit.

Al Sharpton - Once again, He doesn't appear to be white.

Dick Gephardt - Looks like a bit like a duck. Well I couldn't think of anything, so I did what the media will do made something up.

[pippin]

3. Gephardt, a bit like a duck??

I always thought he looked more like a rabbit--you know those pinky lashless eyes, but a duck?

You forgot Clark--always thought he belongs with the cast on Star Trek.

[Anaxamander]

4. Yeah, I remember a while back someone said Kerry was too...

..."French" looking. How the hell does someone LOOK French? Apart from wearing a red and white striped shirt and a beret, that is?

[Kolesar]

5. I knew a short guy whose political career was "cut short"

He could have been state rep, mayor, ... whatever, but got stopped at one minor office. People do judge you on your looks and I think that voters are looking for strength in a male candidate. It stinks, but I did not make the rules.

[Poiuyt]

6. Lincoln

Now there's a hunk!

[grannylib]

15. He was pre-tv, before it "mattered" so much...

[economic justice]

7. Unfortunately.......about Kerry

Someone (who doesn't follow politics) said to me quite awile back, "Yeah, one of the Democrats running looks look a Munster." They were talking about John Kerry. What's even sadder is I knew who he was talking about! The cartoonists have a field day with Kerry's longish face and I truly believe that "different" look hurts him - which is VERY sad. Superficial and just.......well.....you get the idea.

[smirkymonkey]

11. I think Kerry is kind of

sexy...I know very few agree with me, but I saw him in person a few years ago and found him quite attractive, in a strange way.

Couldn't put my finger on it, maybe it's because I go for the brainy types.

[kaitykaity]

8. Good looks have hurt Edwards. "Too pretty, too light, too

young-looking".

I think Clark's good looks have helped him. The stars
and the resume come first, then the looks put him over
the top.

[NewJeffCT]

9. It is somewhat important

I think I read somewhere way back when that people who watched JFK debate Nixon on TV thought JFK won - he was younger, better looking and looked sharp on TV, while Nixon was older, not good looking and not dressed or prepared for TV (5 o'clock shadow, too)... however, those listening on radio thought Nixon won.

[RandomUser]

10. Looks matter: Already proven by the infamous Nixon-Kennedy debate

Most of the people who listened to the debate on the radio said that Nixon won the debate. Most of the ones who saw it on tv said Kennedy won the debate.

Kennedy was a lot better looking and Nixon had a five-o'clock shadow. Looks matter. The visual appearance of the two candidates was the only difference between the radio and tv audience, and yet the two populations had significantly different opinions of who won. Thus, appearance must have been the determining factor that created this difference of opinion.

[smirkymonkey]

12. On the other hand, if JFK Jr. ever

had a chance to run, I am pretty sure he'd get almost 100% of the women's vote.

Looks aren't everything, and they are not what I use to decide on a candidate, but in this sound-bite, media-mad age we live in, it has some power among the uninformed and uninterested.

[Catherine Vincent]

13. Actually, in 1992 Clinton and Gore's looks mattered to me.

But not the way you think. I thought those two were too good looking to be president and vice president. So I voted for Bush. But thank goodness I came around in 1996.

Forgive me, I was stupid back then.:-)

[eissa]

14. I think it matters to a certain extent

I think we're passed the days of Kennedy-Nixon. I think looks play a small part to some degree; no matter how intelligent/presidential someone is, if they're looks are a distraction it will be a problem. We have a great professor here at work whose teeth are horrendous; it's hard to concentrate on what he's saying when all you're thinking is "My God -- has this man EVER been to a dentist?!?!"

[pippin]

16. I f looks matter how did we get

anything as ugly as Chimp and Cheney?? (Also add to the ugly list the whole white house entourage. Yuk!)

[Hippo_Tron]

17. Well Trent Lott was senate majority leader for all of those years...

And has the ugliest looking hairpiece ever...

[mlawson]

18. It makes a huge difference

to the apolitical voters in the middle. We absolutey must remember that.