Swanni's HDTV Presidential Forecast!

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Swanni's HDTV Presidential Forecast!
Could the ultra-clear high-def cameras change the election?
By Swanni

Washington, D.C. (February 6, 2008) -- In 1960, Democratic Sen. John F. Kennedy defeated Vice President Richard Nixon in part because the latter failed to shave in the first presidential debate. Nixon's 5 o'clock shadow made him look unfriendly, if not downright sinister.

Can you imagine if the debate had aired in crystal-clear High-Definition TV? In fact, one could argue that Nixon would have never even been nominated for high office if the voters had first seen him in high-def.

Well, this year's debates are being broadcast in high-def by CNN -- and how the candidates look could be having an impact on the race.

High-Definition TV's picture is so precise that the facial imperfections and aging signs of TV personalities -- and presidential hopefuls -- are now visible to the naked eye.

So, which candidates benefit from the high-def cameras and which ones suffer?

I have assessed each party's top contenders on how they look in high-def -- and I've given them a 'Swanni HDTV Rating' with four 'smiley faces' as the best possible score.

Let's start with the Democrats:

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Illinois)
Obama's face is relatively-smooth and unmarked, although the high-def cameras do note what appears to be a few pock marks in his cheeks, probably a sign of some teenage acne. But overall, he has a good face for high-def.

However, there are those two veins popping out of the upper right corner of his forehead. In high-def, they look like they belong in a AAA Road Map. Whenever he appears upset, the veins seem to thicken and expand, as if they are about to intersect at Route 15. Makes me wonder if he has a blood pressure problem.

But other than that, Obama gets a clean bill of health from this HD observer.

Obama's HDTV Rating:

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY)
If this tightly contested election promises a new wrinkle in American politics, the wrinkles start in Mrs. Clinton's face. Her eye-lids have more creases than a 10-year-old pair of pants and her upper lip has those little tell-tale wrinkles of a smoker (although I have read that she banned smoking in the White House during her husband's two terms so maybe she once smoked and gave it up.)

It's not that she looks terrible, but high-def exposes the aging signs of any 60-year-old (Unless your name is Romney; more on that later.). It also doesn't help that she wears too much make-up in HD; every time she smiles, the wrinkles jump through the heavy pancake. She needs to sit down with a high-def makeup specialist.

On the plus side, the New York senator has pretty blue eyes, which look smashing in HD. Internet reports have suggested the effect is a fake -- color contact lenses, some say -- but you can't tell in high-def. Mrs. Clinton also has a nice, bright smile (albeit with more wrinkles) that shows well in HD.

Clinton's HDTV Rating:

Click to read Part Two -- The GOP In HDTV!

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© TVPredictions.com
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Swanni (Phillip Swann) is president and publisher of TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN, Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood Reporter. He can be reached at swann@tvpredictions.com or at 703-505-3064.

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