For presidential candidates, image may trump debate issues

The wide swings in debate performances by this year's presidential candidates reflect the fact that in modern campaigns, a candidate's image is the message, according to linguistic anthropologists who have studied presidential campaigns. Candidates send important messages to voters through even their smallest gestures, the researchers say. For example, in this year's first debate, President Barack Obama often looked down at the podium and was criticized for appearing disengaged. In subsequent debates Obama directly addressed his Republican opponent, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, and increased the use of a hammering hand gesture sometimes called the "power grip." Michael Lempert and Michael Silverstein explore the surprisingly important role of such personal touches in Creatures of Politics: Media, Message and the American Presidency , just published by the Indiana University Press. They conclude that U.S. presidential campaigns are all about a candidate's brand and celebrity, more than issues brought up at a debate. "The message is an all-encompassing collage of impressions, including the image politicians project with their personal style and language and the visual images they use to communicate their approachability with the electorate.