Baby-kissing. Shaking hands along a rope line. Looking directly at the camera. Smiling.
There are a lot of small things that add up to a picture of a candidate. Few are awfully consequential by themselves -- though when millions are watching a debate, a misstep on the personal side matters greatly.
Mostly, though, the demeanor of a candidate is a cumulative effect. We're hard-wired to ask a fundamental question, even if it's usually subliminal: Do I like this person?
The New York Times caught a moment last night that didn't turn up on TV (excepting, it turns out, CSPAN), but I think encapsulates precisely that most important point.
Both women, as well as the third audience member, were especially emphatic about their feelings on the two men’s performance after the debate. All three said that Mr. McCain shook hands with several audience members and then left fairly quickly. Mr. Obama and his wife, Michelle, stuck around to shake far more hands, pose for pictures, sign autographs, and answer more questions, including from people who had been on stage but did not get a chance to ask their questions. Only when Secret Service agents told them it was time to go did the couple leave (upon which they headed for a post-debate fundraiser at Al and Tipper Gore’s house nearby).
"McCain leaving right afterward was pretty shocking to me – even some of the big McCain fans among us were really surprised he did that," Ms. Jackson said. "I thought the Obamas came off like real people much more in the end."
Ms. Trella added: for, "I was very impressed that the Obamas stayed til the very end, shook everyone’s hand, and just seemed very accessible. I think they won some people over by just sticking around and seeming happy to talk more."
Think about that. How hard would it have been for McCain to do the same? Then ask the second question: How much would it have mattered? If the Times had not documented the moment, it would have mattered not at all. But that's exactly the point. Obama is doing things that come naturally to him; he likes it, and it shows. A few dozen extra votes would be a bonus, sure, but those extra few minutes were about the sheer joy of campaigning. McCain, on the other hand, may have viewed it as inconsequential (I have more important things to do than chase a few dozen votes) or he may find the extra gladhanding distasteful. It doesn't matter which; the fact remains, one candidate reaches out, and the other doesn't.
What clearer demonstration could anyone need of which candidate cares more? What clearer demonstration could there be of which candidate will make a better President for all Americans?