Quote:
Originally posted by Cube Inmate+Jul 30 2004, 06:33 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Cube Inmate @ Jul 30 2004, 06:33 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-Cowperson@Jul 30 2004, 07:57 AM
If you believe image is more important than substance, he probably needed better TV makeup because he looked like he was sweating a bit (or a sheen on his face) and seemed to lick his lips a lot.#  # :P I switched to a few different stations just to see if the sweaty look just happened to be one camera. It wasn't. Does image matter?
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Some sources I've read believe that the debate between Kennedy and Nixon in '60 was a major factor in the outcome of that election, where Nixon looked clammy and nervous while Kennedy looked calm and cool. The explanation: Nixon refused to be "made-up" for the TV cameras...
Image is something, for sure. [/b][/quote]
From an account (link below) of the Nixon/Kennedy debate:
For many who saw the 1960 debates on television, especially the first match-up in Chicago, the most apparent image remains a sickly-looking, perspiring Nixon juxtaposed with the handsome Kennedy. "I remember Nixon sweating," said Clif Webb, the Washington television news anchor who produced the Radio Smithsonian program. Recounting his childhood memories, Webb pointed to what many experts say was a disastrous error for the Republican nominee in the first debate: his decision not to use make-up. Having just recovered from a brief illness and forever battling his 5 o'clock shadow, Richard Nixon appeared gaunt and slightly haggard. In contrast, the younger Kennedy proved much more telegenic than his counterpart, immediately giving him the edge among viewers.
Kennedy was actually the first to turn down cosmetic help, according to Larry Bird, a Smithsonian curator of political history. "Nixon declined make-up because Kennedy declined," said Bird. And although declining make-up was probably not a strategic move on Kennedy's part, some say Nixon's poor image in that first debate helped push the Democratic nominee over the top in his razor-thin victory.
Yet image wasn't the only thing that carried the day for Kennedy in the first debate. His aggressive style eclipsed Nixon's more conciliatory posture. To many, Kennedy appeared more presidential. And in a strategic move designed to neutralize Nixon's advantage as Vice President, Kennedy addressed his opponent only as "Mr. Nixon," instead of the customary "Vice President Nixon." Bill Clinton used the same device in his 1992 debates with President George Bush, drawing criticism from Senator Bob Dole in their 1996 debates.
http://www.si.edu/i+d/debate.arc.html
Cowperson