I spent 20 minutes in mid-debate with the sound off. In terms of the nuance of body language, Romney kicked Obama's a**. If I was an American - and even from my POV as a Canadian who has often thought Obama is too soft, and glammy- I would much rather have Romney facing off with adversarial world leaders than Obama. Obama could barely even look at Romney, and primarily addressed Jim Lehrer.
Romney, for the most part, remained engaged with Obama, and looked him in the eye (when Obama wasn't seeking refuge by looking down at his podium or at the moderator).
I wish that the screen shot had a wider vertical dimension so their hands were in view when looking down at their podium, but it appeared that Romney seemed to disengage momentarily to make quick notes, while Obama spent an inordinate amount of time staring down at his podium like he was wishing he was anywhere but there.
In their final statements, Obama chose to address Jim Lehrer, Romney looked directly at the camera and addressed the viewers.
In regard to policies discussed, I have my views that have been covered in other posts, but in my mind that twenty minutes spoke volumes in terms of who is the more presidential ......
And to any potential repliers, that 'debates should be listened to and not "watched"', here is my re-reply:
And I re-watched the replay of that portion with sound, as well as the post-debate commentary on several stations.
Look at the statistics re: the 1960 Nixon-Kennedy debate. According to TV viewers, Kennedy won by a landslide, radio listeners picked Nixon hands down.
Psychiatrists and psychologists give as much weight to body language analysis as verbal. I don't have their formal training so I turn down the sound to focus my attention. |
