VP Style

In one of my classes today we were talking about whether Gwen Ifill should be allowed or not allowed to be the moderator tonight. She may or may not have a bias in her book coming out but I don’t think that she is going to have that much of an impact whether the viewers think which candidate does better. In this article it talks about the style and presentation of the candidates is going to influence how the viewers perceive them. Allan Louden, a communications professor at Wake Forest University, said about presentation, “Does this matter? Yes, because we judge these things by our own personal life experience and we judge by how they treat each other. It provides an insight into character.” People can either base their opinions solely on what the candidates say or a combination of their answers and how the candidates present themselves. If the debate was not broadcasted by the media on television and was only on the radio, would it make a difference how the candidates are perceived? Looking at the first debate ever televised Nixon/Kennedy 1960 and due to Nixon’s sickly demeanor from being injured and 20 pounds under weight, Kennedy looked fantastic in comparison and the viewers focused on what they saw and what they heard. For tonight's debate, neither candidate is ill but how they present themselves is going to influence voters opinions.