Northeasterners, to much of the rest of the country, seem to lack "the common touch" or need a charisma transplant or appear stiff, aloof and remote or (you get the drift). A midwesterner, or a border state person, or a westerner--and not an elitist--would seem, on the face of it, to have a better chance to appeal.
Just thought I might bring that up, but I do agree that we need a "regular guy" persona on the ticket for the Dems and maybe choosing a guy from the New England area wasnt the best idea.
It's an acting job.
Skills required include: • Being able to act naturally and come across well on TV • Being able to speak plainly and clearly about complicated issues • Being "likable"
Kennedy, as you point out, had these skills. Reagon had them, Clinton had them. We can decry the fact that the presidency has become an acting gig, but it is critically important that the president be able to communicate with and influence people.
So don't focus on where the candidate comes from - focus on his acting skills.
Of course, we want more than that, but it's what we've been missing in our last two presidential candidates
W learned to act -- with a lot of back-lot support. The costume dept did more work for W than for Nancy Reagan. And props ... like an aircraft carrier? That ranch in Crawford, however puny in acreage -- "You Call That a Ranch?" asked the headline on a column in the Austin paper -- was courtesy of the location scouts. Does W. actually know how to ride a horse? Did he ever own a cow before he bought that location, er, ranch? Is W anything but an actor and a drugstore cowboy? Could he rope a calf? Brand a steer? De-tick an infested animal? No, but can he dress up and prance around like a Marlboro Man, sure. Did Marlboro sell? Did W , the brand, sell? And did anyone ever go broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public? Karl Rove didn't. W didn't. So let's not forget to look at packaging and branding our candidate next time. Find one who can communicate in sound bites, take him out of Boston, get him a potemkin ranch and some cute outfits ...
