Obama's historic victory only confirms one thing: charisma, more than anything, determines election results.
- In '08, Obama is no doubt more charismatic than McCain.
- In 00' and '04, Bush, though somewhat dim-witted in perception, was still more charismatic than both Kerry and Gore (ironically, Gore became surprisingly charismatic AFTER he exited politics).
- In '92 and '96, Clinton was more charismatic than both Dole and Bush.
- In '88, Bush was more charismatic than Dukakis.
- In '84 and '80, Reagan was more charismatic than Mondale and Carter.
- In '76, Carter was more charismatic than Ford.
- In '72, my understanding is both Nixon and McGovern were charismatic, but McGovern's ill-focused charisma might actually prove to be an anomaly.
I agree 100% ... I also agree with the marketing people that Obama ran an amazing campaign but I don't think it was the marketing that made people vote for him.
Posted by: Fred | December 07, 2008 at 10:59 AM