The leader of the free world did not make their way into the Oval Office of the White House by chance. Image is one of the vital appeals to the donor as well as voters from the 318.9 Million people living in the United States. When a candidate runs for the presidency, they have usually been in politics for a set amount of years and gained notoriety that will later be necessary when running for office. From Franklin Roosevelt’s fireside chats to the first televised political debate, the voters were able to fill in the blanks of a candidate’s image, and create a relatability factor of their politicians. Most of the presidents since Franklin D. Roosevelt to Barack Obama have had an image to the public of being healthy, strong, and a leader in
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To evaluate the current election, one must go back as far as the wave of new media. Franklin D. Roosevelt shaped radio for presidents for the next two decades that followed. Now a president’s voice could be right inside the home with a warm fire and family gathered round. “In some ways, the 1933-1945 presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, the longest in American history, was a form of rule by radio. The new Medium established FDR to “project” his charisma and insure his influence over the nation”(Schwartzenberg 145). Radio was soon followed by television, but did not become common until the late 1950’s in the American home. The first publicly televised debate was The Kennedy-Nixon Debate of 1960. At the time getting an image and sound at the same time was a new experience for the senses, which also allowed a candidate 's charisma to be displayed on a screen. In the current election the debate was now something of a spectacle, the nation was watching to see who would hang in there with the worst of comments the longest. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are both different in personal image. Trump is six feet three inches, which is eleven inches taller than Clinton. Theodore Roosevelt was the last president the nation had that was under six feet. That is a loud message as to where voters place importance on image. Something like height can relate to strength and power in comparison to other world leaders. With the ushering in of televised presidents, now height does matter. Outward appearances are not only things of pictures, but now an issue of importance for
To evaluate the current election, one must go back as far as the wave of new media. Franklin D. Roosevelt shaped radio for presidents for the next two decades that followed. Now a president’s voice could be right inside the home with a warm fire and family gathered round. “In some ways, the 1933-1945 presidency of Franklin Roosevelt, the longest in American history, was a form of rule by radio. The new Medium established FDR to “project” his charisma and insure his influence over the nation”(Schwartzenberg 145). Radio was soon followed by television, but did not become common until the late 1950’s in the American home. The first publicly televised debate was The Kennedy-Nixon Debate of 1960. At the time getting an image and sound at the same time was a new experience for the senses, which also allowed a candidate 's charisma to be displayed on a screen. In the current election the debate was now something of a spectacle, the nation was watching to see who would hang in there with the worst of comments the longest. Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are both different in personal image. Trump is six feet three inches, which is eleven inches taller than Clinton. Theodore Roosevelt was the last president the nation had that was under six feet. That is a loud message as to where voters place importance on image. Something like height can relate to strength and power in comparison to other world leaders. With the ushering in of televised presidents, now height does matter. Outward appearances are not only things of pictures, but now an issue of importance for