Warren Harding Error

Today is election day in Virginia. In honor of election day I put on my Warren G. Harding campaign button. I found it many years ago in my grandmother's button jar. I like to make up stories about the history this button has seen. The 1920 election was the first national election in which women could vote. Sometimes I imagine my great grandmother wore this button the first time she voted. It is a reminder to me that even though we live in a great country, we still have a long way to go. Women have only been allowed to vote for the last 90 years. Cars have been around longer than women have had the right to vote! Every time I take out this button it reminds me of my duty as a citizen and how I should never, ever take this right for granted. It is a real shame that so many of us do, especially when so many people have fought so hard to have this right.

The button also has a second meaning. It is a reminder to vote, but to also be a well informed voter. Warren G. Harding is arguable one of the worst presidents we ever had. Historians have joked that he won because he was so handsome and all the women used their newly won voting rights to choose him. This might not be too far off the mark based on Malcolm Gladwell's theory in Blink. He calls it the "Warren Harding Error." Women would not have been the only people susceptible to this. Warren to many people looked like a president. He was tall and good looking. Never mind that he was hardly qualified. People are drawn to tall individuals who look the part. I will not go into specifics; read Blink for an in depth explanation.

Richard Nixon also suffered from this idea of "looking presidential," in his fateful 1960 debate with Kennedy. This was the first televised presidential debate and Nixon, who did not wear makeup, looked sickly and tired. Kennedy, on the other hand, looked tanned, fit, and rested. People made assumptions then and there.

Now I am not saying that everyone picks candidates based on the superficial, but we should do our research on our candidates. Know why you are voting for someone. Do not vote just because they "look like a governor," or because they are a Republican or Democrat. Know their positions on issues, know their qualifications and skills, and know that they are going to serve the people, not their own interest. Your vote is much too valuable to simply cast without some careful thought.

If you have not voted today, please do so. We are so fortunate to live in a country where we can. The United States may not be perfect, but it will never improve if the people do not make their voices heard.