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Politics
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| How Do Presidential Candidates Measure Up?
Maryland Newsline Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2004 Four inches. It may not seem like much, but that could be the hurdle standing between President Bush and a second term in office if he faces Sen. John Kerry in November. Or so say believers in the Presidential Height Index, which holds that since
the rise of television in American homes, the tallest presidential candidate
has won the popular vote in every election except two:
The theory puts the 6-foot-4-inch Kerry on solid ground against Bush, who measures in at an even 6 feet, according to his 2001 physical released by the White House. “Height counts,” said Dr. Tim Blessing, a Penn State/Alvernia College presidential scholar. “Kerry will tower over Bush, and that will provide a very visceral kind of comparison and a powerful image.” Beryl Wing, president of the Association of Image Consultants International, NY/Tri-State Chapter, agreed that height and other physical factors can sway votes. “It makes sense,” she said. “People vote for the most powerful looking. We want the top dog to lead us.” But Steven F. Hayward, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, a Washington-based think tank, isn’t sold on the PHI’s predictive powers. It is “a bit of a fluke,” he said. “The problem with that is that you’re dealing with a small sample size.” And the theory overlooks other factors that can influence campaigns, including the power of money and incumbency, the health of the economy, candidates’ track records and their positions on issues. The Intimidation Factor Thomas F. Schaller, an assistant professor of political science at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, also finds the intimidation factor interesting – especially if Kerry ends up facing Bush in a debate. Schaller recalled a 1988 presidential debate when the senior Bush greeted Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis with an exaggerated long handshake – a move he said was orchestrated by Bush’s campaign manager to reaffirm the fact that Bush was taller. “It will be revenge on the Bush family,” he said. “Kerry will want to do a long handshake to make the same point.” Feet and Inches The rest of the Democratic pack lags behind the lanky Massachusetts senator. Sen. John Edwards runs a distant second at 6 feet, followed by retired Gen. Wesley Clark and the Rev. Al Sharpton, who are both 5 feet 10 inches. Rep. Dennis Kucinich stands 5 feet 7, a full 3 inches taller than James Madison, the nation’s shortest president, who is said to have stood 5 feet 4 and weigh about 100 pounds. Then there’s former Vermont governor Howard Dean, who clarified the issue of his height after a New York Times story called him “diminutive.” According to an October 2003 piece from The New Republic, Dean told a group of reporters on his campaign jet that he is “Five-eight and three-quarters,” but that he usually doesn’t mention the “three-quarters” because “it sounds like I’m sensitive about my height. And I’m not.”
However, that didn’t keep Dean from climbing to new heights at a campaign event. CNN video footage from an endorsement in early January by 6-foot-5 former basketball player and senator Bill Bradley shows Dean stepping up onto a podium platform at the same time Bradley steps down. Bradley then remains at Dean’s side, giving the appearance that the two were about the same height. Neither the Dean, Bush or Kerry campaigns returned calls for comment. Dean may claim not to be sensitive about his height, but some of his supporters are. A forum on the Howard Dean 2004 campaign Web site is dedicated solely to how the candidate measures up. One loyal poster, using the moniker “Vermontah,” wrote: “I would unfortunately go as far as to call him vertically challenged though I stand behind his campaign to the death.” A later post, by “chris1379,” claimed: “I’ve been voting for Dean since he first ran for state-wide office, but my first thought on hearing that he was thinking of running for president was: He is too short.” Trends in Hair and Clothes At least Dean doesn’t have facial hair – an apparent presidential faux pas for nearly a century. The last president to sport a mustache was William Taft, who served from 1909 to 1913, while the last bearded president, Benjamin Harrison, left office in 1893. Both Schaller and Blessing agree that the lack of facial hair on candidates is a cultural issue that reflects societal trends. But Blessing, Wing and Hayward contend that other physical traits may be factors. “Since the television era began, experience has not been so important. Image really becomes important, allowing presidents to get in with little experience,” Blessing said, citing John F. Kennedy, who served four years as a congressman and one term as a senator, and Carter, who served as governor of Georgia, as examples. “The visual phenomenon is so powerful it puts people in office.” Hayward agreed. “Since politics has become show business, you have to be decent looking but not too handsome,” he says. Since Nixon, presidents have had “a distinct look,” Hayward added, noting Carter’s smile and Ronald Reagan’s matinee-idol features. “Even Clinton had a Reaganesque rock-star quality.” Blessing said Bush’s “rubbery, mobile face” could cost him. “When he smiles one corner of his face comes up,” he said. This characteristic could be responsible for Bush’s infamous smirk. “People respond to that,” Blessing said. “No question – looks will play a role in this race.” Wing has noticed a shift in Bush’s attire that may influence how voters view him. “He’s started to wear light blue ties – a paler, friendly hue that signifies trust,” she said. “He needs all the trust elements he can get.” As for Kerry, Wing says it’s hard to know if his height will make a difference. “He has a patrician aura, and that’s his main stumbling block,” she said. “He looks like a Northerner one might be afraid to approach. [Americans] like the ‘guy next door.’ ” However, Wing notes that lately Kerry has appeared more friendly and approachable on the campaign trail. “Very strong body language trumps everything,” she said. “If he keeps the looser body language, it will go a long way to helping him win.” Copyright © 2004 University of Maryland Philip Merrill College of Journalism
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