Debate Plan Shorts Obama's Height Advantage

Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama would sit at a table at two of three presidential debates this fall, according to a formal proposal unveiled Thursday, which, perhaps unintentionally, would neutralize Obama's height advantage.

The Commission on Presidential Debates proposed the less formal, more conversational talk-show format for two of three 90-minute debates it's seeking this fall. The third debate would be a town hall-style session in which the candidates would be free to get up from high stools and walk around the stage.

The two presumptive nominees haven't yet responded to the commission's proposal.

Obama is about 6 feet 1 inch tall; McCain is 5 feet 9. Candidates often try to use their heights to gain some sort of advantage in face-to-face debates, but it doesn't always work.

Al Gore wandered close to the shorter George W. Bush in 2000, who dismissed him with a shrug as if to say, "What are you doing over here?"

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[MariaHopeful]

What he will do about the looks advantage? Or the youth advantage? Or the appeals advantage? Or the knowledge advantage?

[JerseyBob]

Differences in appearances juxtaposed can lead to unfair assumptions. Think of Rostand's Cyrano. With no willful insult to McCain, rather a tongue in cheek response to your questions, may I suggest that Christopher Smith, in "The Author Apologizes to a Lady [read electorate here] for His Being a Little Man," writes in part:

Yes, contumelious fair, you scorn
The amorous dwarf that courts you to his arms,
But ere, you leave him quite forlorn,
And to some youth gigantic yield your charms [your vote],
Hear him-oh hear him, if you will not try,
And let your judgement check th' ambition of your eye.


(RIP George Carlin}

[NotMcCain]

Or the mobility advantage. I have no idea* why McSame wants 10 townhall meetings. Every time he walks around on stage he looks as old as Methusalah.

*Not really. We saw before that he plans to stack the so-called town halls with friendly questions for him and antagonistic ones for Obama. In other words, Republican style, to cheat.

[Americanium]

Good...now they cannot complain that Obama is looking down on McCain.

[smartcookienyc]

Excellent demonstration of "reduce, recycle, reuse" -- McCain can stand on some old fasioned telephone books ...

Many of us use the electronic kind now and find those yellowing pages obsolete.

[americandiaspora]

Oh this is too rich, you just walked into this comment, I just cannot keep my pen still:
LUCKY THEY DO NOT HAVE THE DEBATE IN A NUDEST COLONY¦¦.

[dollars2donuts]

OMG...the visual on that one...LOL!

[MariaHopeful]

My goodness! Now you have set me off!