Presidential elections: It's the charisma, stupid.

[bestseller92]

I think it's a sound theory that could be studied emperically.
A quick search turned up this study which seems to confrim your hypothesis, but I can't read the whole article, so I can't really determine their methodology.

I've read studies that indicate attractive people get jobs, promotions & higher incomes in the workplace, so I (personally) wouldn't be surprised to see a similar result in a Presidential study. But there are always confounds with research...attractive people may have more charisma because of their attractiveness, while fewer "non-attractive" people have high charisma.
So there's more than one factor involved, that are difficult to tease apart.
(Aside from the substance of their platforms )

Interesting thoughts. I don't think that attractiveness and charisma go hand-in-glove, though. There were a lot of actors who were better looking than John Wayne, but zero who had more screen presence or charisma.

[carolinagirl]

I thoroughly agree with this theory. I observed the same thing way back when Reagan was running. He had so much charisma, there was no way ANYONE could beat him. And the country needed that charisma at the time. The more I look at it, the more it seems the President is just a figurehead who makes us look good, and the voters pick the one that they like the best. It's a popularity contest. Congress is who really runs the country anyway.

[SMLCHNG]

I thoroughly agree with this theory. I observed the same thing way back when Reagan was running. He had so much charisma, there was no way ANYONE could beat him. And the country needed that charisma at the time. The more I look at it, the more it seems the President is just a figurehead who makes us look good, and the voters pick the one that they like the best. It's a popularity contest. Congress is who really runs the country anyway.

[flyboy55]

I thoroughly agree with this theory. I observed the same thing way back when Reagan was running. He had so much charisma, there was no way ANYONE could beat him. And the country needed that charisma at the time. The more I look at it, the more it seems the President is just a figurehead who makes us look good, and the voters pick the one that they like the best. It's a popularity contest. Congress is who really runs the country anyway.

I don't think I would use the word 'figurehead' to describe U.S. presidents. They wield an enormous amount of power. While they may not always get their domestic agendas through Congress (I think that falls under 'checks and balances') the president sets the course. Our most recent president has taken the idea of executive privilege to historically unprecedented lengths and has done more to weaken the 'checks and balances' designed into our system of government than any president before him.

[ScarletB]

I thoroughly agree with this theory. I observed the same thing way back when Reagan was running. He had so much charisma, there was no way ANYONE could beat him. And the country needed that charisma at the time. The more I look at it, the more it seems the President is just a figurehead who makes us look good, and the voters pick the one that they like the best. It's a popularity contest. Congress is who really runs the country anyway.

I don't think I would use the word 'figurehead' to describe U.S. presidents. They wield an enormous amount of power. While they may not always get their domestic agendas through Congress (I think that falls under 'checks and balances') the president sets the course. Our most recent president has taken the idea of executive privilege to historically unprecedented lengths and has done more to weaken the 'checks and balances' designed into our system of government than any president before him.

If the President is mostly supposed to "Make us look good" then Bush has failed on yet another level. Sometimes I think it won't matter to me who wins as long as they can actually pronounce "NUCLEAR" if I have to hear NUCULUR one more time I'll scream. The man who can press the button should at the very least learn how to pronounce it. I can't believe in 8 years no one ever tried to correct him.

I know it's a small thing but it's always driven me crazy. That and "idear"