Obama Debate, Essay Example

The opening question of the second presidential debate addresses the issue of employment for college graduates. Jeremy, a second-year undergraduate, wants to know how Barack Obama and Mitt Romney plan to stimulate the job sphere. But the answer Jeremy receives from the candidates provides little information about how they will fix the issue. They dodge the question: Mitt Romney goes on a tangent, explaining how he created jobs in the past as governor and how he can do it on a national level, and Barack Obama momentarily address the issue before going on the offensive, attacking Romney for letting Detroit go bankrupt. Needless to say, Jeremy is left scratching his head.

Both candidates non-verbal actions communicate stress and repulsion. Romney speaks quickly; he blinks erratically and forcefully smiles. This indicates that he may be lying or nervous. Obama speaks in a deliberately slow drawl; his head motions and vocal inflection show signs of annoyance and incredulity, as he explains that, what Mitt Romney has just said is untrue. The congruency between Obama’s body language and the condescending message of his speech create the appearance that believes what he is saying. To me, he is being truthful. Romney, on the other hand, seems to be lying; his body language does not match his message. He seems to be consciously altering his body language to match the hopeful content of his message. this gives the audience reason to believe that he is faking it.

Do I think that 100% of politicians are truthful 100% of the time? No, I don’t. But when the content of their speech matches the character of their body language I am more inclined to believe what they are saying. Congruency is crucial, and I think this, among other reasons, is responsible for Barack Obama’s success as a politician. You don’t have to agree with Obama, but there is no denying that he believes his own shtick.