I think Americans have that "American Idol" thing going when choosing presidents

[CatWoman]

for that reason alone, Chris Christie will never be president. And he knows it.

When was the last American president elected that was overweight?

[monmouth]

1. Taft....And a special bathtub for his very large carcas..LOL....n/t

[Forkboy]

2. I think it definitely comes into play, probably more on a subconcious level than anything.

It's been ingrained over decades of tv and movies that good looking people project leadership and honesty. That's why I trust Romney implicitly! How could anyone looking that smooth steer me wrong? :)

[DCBob]

3. I was thinking the same thing.. his visual image is pretty bad.

not that there is anything wrong with being a bit overweight but that is a big negative when running for the highest office in the land.

[PatSeg]

25. People might be able to handle

"a bit overweight", but Christie is dangerously obese. It not only is a distraction, it is a major health issue. Anyone with that much extra weight is a prime candidate for a heart attack and/or diabetes, but not a likely candidate for the White House.

[MrMickeysMom]

4. Oh, I thought you were referring to voters only going for entertainment...

I never watch "Idle", but I understand more people are willing to vote due to the entertainment value of it, rather than understanding how government is OF, BY and FOR the People!

[socialist_n_TN]

7. Yep that's what I thought too. I actually think that we're right

Americans are beginning to, more and more, look at a presidential election as a reality show. Like American Idol. Donald Trump is a prime example of this syndrome.

[MrMickeysMom]

11. Do you suppose we'll be going on "Soma Holidays" next?

I ain't kidding, either.

Somebody wake me up from this disengaged from reality (what is reality) dream-state!

[socialist_n_TN]

28. Apparently that's the ONLY type of vacation

that the bosses want the workers to have.

[Obamanaut]

5. Many people vote for 'the name you know', thus keeping incumbents

long past the time when they should have been sent home.

[quinnox]

6. For sure, one reason I think Romney has a great shot at

the presidency. A slim, all American, good looking, chief executive type, he is from central casting.

Obama also is a very handsome dude obviously.

It matters a great deal, these factors, more than it might seem.

[WinkyDink]

8. It is not "AI." It is, in fact, America post-JFK.

[CatWoman]

10. there is much truth in what you say

i recall reading somewhere that his and Nixon's was the first televised debate.

Nixon looked all sweaty and terrible, and JFK looked great. He was locked in after that.

[WinkyDink]

16. Radio listeners thought Nixon had won the debate. TV viewers? Not so much.

Then, of course, there were Jackie and the adorable children.

"Telegenic" became more and more important.

[CatWoman]

24. agreed

I read that about the radio listeners, too.

now I'm having Gore vs Bush flashbacks :nuke:

[sufrommich]

9. I think the last funky looking president was LBJ. nt

[MrMickeysMom]

12. Who wasn't elected... n/t

[Brother Buzz]

14. Are you thinking of Ford?

LBJ won the election in 1964 but opted to NOT run in 1968.

[MrMickeysMom]

22. Yes, I stand corrected...

He did win that, didn't he?

[WinkyDink]

17. Check the 1964 election. :-)

[MrMickeysMom]

23. Yow! Yes!

I can always count on someone firing brain cells better than I do that late! :-)

[ChoppinBroccoli]

13. I Thought You Were Talking About The Fact That................

.................the best singer almost NEVER wins "American Idol." I can think of MAYBE two times when the best singer actually won.

[Scottybeamer70]

15. Yep......

his weight will "sink" him.............or something........

[Pubs_R_Racist]

18. You are correct

and the voting is rigged just like on American Idol too.

[IndyPragmatist]

19. This was the one thing I dislike about Obama's campaign

It felt like he put a HUGE emphasis on celebrity endorsements. I remember the commercial that had dozens of celebrities talking about voting for Obama. Then you had Dave Matthews going to every college campus and campaigning for Obama. The result was a lot of people voting who didn't know who the hell they were voting for or why, but they were doing it because it was cool.

You have to give them credit, this was the first time it ever became "cool" to vote. But the way that this came about always irked me. I'm glad these college students voted for Obama, but many would have voted for Dick Cheaney if he ran the campaign like Obama did. I really hope that the 2012 campaign focuses more on issues than in 2008.

[quaker bill]

20. Campaigns that focus on "issues" consistently lose

Image makes a winning campaign. Folks on either end of the spectrum like to think "issues" are what matters, and skilled politicians keep these folks engaged and busy writing white papers and doing issue advocacy, however what they focus on is building an image.

People (most) vote how they feel, not how they think. Successful candidates work to have people "feel good" about voting for them. On a good day "issues" will get you 20+ percent of the vote, and party affiliation another 15 to 20 percent. If that is all you have, you lose.

[NYC Liberal]

21. Yep. Campaigns are about marketing and selling your ideas.

You have to get elected before you can put them into action.

Yes, there should be a discussion of the issues. But you have to sell them.

[NNN0LHI]

26. I know racists who voted for Obama because of the Andy Griffith and Ron Howard ads

If he was good enough for Andy and Opie he was good enough for them.

Amazing how that works isn't it?

That bugs you, huh?

Don

[PatSeg]

27. Republican candidate

have big oil, Wall Street, insurance, banks, etc. backing them, so I guess celebrity endorsements help to even the playing field. JFK used a lot of celebrity endorsements as well. A lot of Democratic candidates have done so. Republicans get corporate America and we get Hollywood.