|
Release date: Sept. 24, 2004 Kerry Needs Mannerisms Makeover, Says Emory's Westen
Contact: As the presidential debates approach, Sen. John Kerry's campaign continues to ignore the subtle interpersonal and linguistic nuances that people unconsciously register in deciding which candidate they would rather have in office for the next four years, says Emory University psychologist Drew Westen. "Kerry's problem is not that he seems particularly unlikable. It's that he doesn't engender strong feelings of liking. And if strong negatives are the kiss of death for a politician, weak positives mean that the candidate never gets kissed," says Westen, who has conducted studies of subconscious voter behavior. Despite their policy stances, Bush comes off as the populist, whereas Kerry comes off as the aristocrat --precisely the opposite of the meta-message the Kerry campaign needs to be sending, Westen says. "Whereas the President speaks in rolled-up shirtsleeves, dropping the g's at the end of words, and using folksy expressions, Kerry speaks in ties -- and often in tongues -- never challenging the President with simple questions as the President does so effectively against him," Westen says. "And just a few weeks after being hit with Cheney's "sensitivity" attack, what was the Kerry campaign thinking when they dressed him in a pink tie? Subliminal message, anyone?" Some of Kerry's nonverbal and linguistic mannerisms, though clearly unlikely to influence voters with strong political commitments, undoubtedly irritate swing voters, who do not like Bush but cannot seem to find it in their hearts to swing to Kerry, Westen says. Here are just a few of the mannerisms Westen recommends Kerry should change to prepare for the debates: * Kerry has a habit of throwing stiff punches above his head, which seems stilted and does not convey a sense of power or authority. * He tends to use phrases like "ladies and gentlemen" interspersed in the middle of sentences that seem stiff, and give the appearance of awkwardness. * In recent attacks on the President, he has used phrases such as "fantasyland" and "in denial" that sound to the average voter like psychobabble or "girliemanspeak." Given the Bush campaign's constant references to threat and war, he needs to choose masculine language, not language that smacks of "sensitivity." * He has a tendency to have incongruities between his words and his facial expressions, as in his first campaign ad, when he expressed optimism about America with an impassive face. "These kinds of incongruities register with voters unconsciously, reduce likeability and undermine his message. Perhaps most importantly, the Kerry team needs to recognize that what will be remembered from the debates are crisp, snappy, funny lines that cut to the chase--and cut to the bone of the President's weaknesses," Westen says. "If he has not hired a team of comedy writers, it's time to do so." Reach Westen at 404-727-7407 (w), 404-375-6639 (cell) or dwesten@emory.edu. For more political news, visit the election news page. |
|
||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
copyright 2001
For more information contact: