Project President: Bad Hair and Botox on the Road to the White House
Ben Shapiro
Thomas Nelson
Buy: Project President: Bad Hair and Botox on the Road to the White House
From A Press Release
Book Description
Who is Winning the Image War?
Like it or not, image matters in presidential politics, as much or even more than the substance of candidates' positions. Bestselling author and nationally syndicated columnist Ben Shapiro reveals just how much image matters, and what candidates are willing to go through (today and historically), to win the biggest prize of them all-the presidency.
In his enthralling new book, Project President: Bad Hair and Botox on the Road to the White House, Shapiro takes a fun romp through history of presidential imagemaking, ranging from presidential hair (John Kerry's election losing coif) to presidential height (Lincoln's big advantage), to what it means to be a "boots" candidate, and why if you're a "suit" candidate you'll almost certainly lose. Shapiro rates the current crop of contenders and makes predictions based on historic precedent.
In Project President: Bad Hair and Botox on the Road to the White House, Shapiro reveals:
- The top ten "image candidates" of all time-and, the five worst. Where do today's candidates stack up?
- Suits VS Boots: Shapiro notes Teddy Roosevelt's advice to William Howard Taft on cultivating a rustic image-horseback, yes, tennis, no-and explains why Jimmy Carter's cardigans gave him no chance against Ronald Reagan's rancher mystique.
- The Long and Short of It: Size matters. Shapiro reveals why the taller candidate has almost always won the presidency-even before television was a factor.
- Taking Bullets for Ballots: Candidates and their military service. Shapiro focuses on the campaigns of 1992 and 2004 to show why military service is not the political trump card it once was.
- Old School vs. New School: The issue of age in presidential campaigns. How has it played out in history, and how is it playing out today?
- The Beer Buddy Syndrome: Who would you rather have a beer with-George H.W. Bush or Bill Clinton? JFK or Nixon? "Beer buddy" is shorthand for likeability. And it matters.
- The Hair Makes the Man: Out of forty-three presidents, only five have been bald. Hair is the reason George McGovern stood little chance in 1972, and could partly explain JKF's victory in 1960. Does Mitt Romney's perfect hair work for or against him? John Edwards: Is his hair the sole basis of his popularity? Will Rudy's baldness seal his fate with voters?
- The Spouses: They matter, now more than ever. Jackie Kennedy greatly aided her husband's political quest, contributing to his glamorous Camelot image. Rosalynn Carter's polish balanced Jimmy Carter's earnestness. Hillary Clinton became a major campaign issue in 1992. Tipper Gore's job in the 2000 campaign was to demonstrate her husband could be passionate. And then there's Teresa Heinz Kerry.
Ben Shapiro takes a delightful look at politics in our image-obsessed society. The charm of Shapiro's book is that it shows that it has always been this way-statecraft as stagecraft, and politics as entertainment appealing to mass tastes. The result is a compelling collection of political arcana, riveting stories, laugh-out-loud anecdotes from along the campaign trail, and, ultimately, a savvy guide to how to succeed in the modern political arena.
Buy: Project President: Bad Hair and Botox on the Road to the White House
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