The media and the Democrats ignore the image factor repeatedly. Neffinger also confirms my impression that Fred Thompson might be the best GOP presidential candidate.
In one oft-retold (but rarely fully appreciated) story, back in the 1980s Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes ran a piece skewering Reagan's policies on the elderly - or so she thought. But while her voiceover delivered a scathing critique, the video footage was all drawn from carefully-staged photo-ops of Reagan smiling with seniors and addressing large crowds with a determined look on his face. After it ran, Reagan image polisher Mike Deaver called Stahl, who braced herself to be chewed out for doing such a one-sided hit piece. Instead, Deaver thanked the mystified Stahl...for broadcasting all those images of Reagan looking his best.....
For voters who don't pay close attention to issues, it's not easy to figure out which positions are best (not least because conservative think tanks and media do an excellent job at muddying the waters of debates democrats would otherwise win). So what can a casual voter do? Go with what they know. Every day they make judgments about people they interact with, size 'em up, trust their instincts. So they use the same method to pick a candidate.
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