Presidential debate assignment

Watching Obama and Romey debate for 10 minutes without audio really makes me notice things I didn't notice before. One of the most prominent things that I noticed is how their hands kept me intrigued somehow. It was almost like the same method used to keep a.d.d. people to concentrate in visual media  Ie. in excessive scene cuts in movies and television. I find this very interesting because from the amount of energy put out in their hand gestures I kind of get the feeling like they have a hand gesture instructor. When Obama or Romney have something really definitive to say they will stare into the camera and have more defined and blunt hand movements to possibly match the levels of earnestness in what they are saying.

Romney seems to shake his head more than Obama does. I get a feeling like he is refuting a claim that Obama made. They both understand the television medium enough to know that appearance and stature is just as important as what they have to say. This assignment reminds me of when Marshall McLuhan critiqued the first televised presidential debate (Nixon-Kennedy). His main points were how the party that could understand the television medium the best would essentially win. What he meant was who ever looked the best could win over people. It’s kind of sad, in the way that is all it takes. On the radio it sounded like Nixon won, because of his sterner voice, but on television it looked like Kennedy won because he seemed to look better, he had taken a couple precautions. He had a make up artist, Nixon didn’t. This effected Nixon’s credibility because he was sweating profusely which made him seem nervous, where on the other hand Kennedy had make up on which helped out in that area. Kennedy also critiqued his outfit by figuring out what his background was going to be so he could stand out on color tv and more importantly black and white, because at the time that is what most people had.  Nixon wore a grey suite which in that specific case made him blend in with the scene, Whereas Kennedy stood out. 

      The way a presidential candidates present themselves is extremely important, especially when they are defending themselves. I say that because it’s easier to gage someones vibe when they are dealing with a problem. The way in which they deal with that problem is a key signifier on how they will solve more to come. It is also important because we all have problems and watching someone solve a problem is really relatable and therefore its easier to judge their character by it.