Appearances: Candidates need to remember -- it is not just about how you look

Over the next few months we are going to get sick of candidates for president of the United States trying to look like regular people.

We are going to get tired of "candid" shots at restaurants and references to how they are fighting for "regular Americans."

And some of them are actually to claim they are "regular Americans."

But what many of them are going to find this campaign season is that voters -- the ones who really are undecided -- are looking for more than someone who spouts a line and gets their picture taken a lot.

They will be looking for someone who really does understand the stresses and the concerns of regular Americans.

So, unless part of this year's crop of candidates' messages will include substance -- and a real plan to address the concerns that real American families face on a daily basis, they might as well hang it up.

We have been through a couple of elections that were decided on image and promises.

And you can see where that got us.

This time around, we need information, plans and an assurance that we are not electing another Washington insider who will get to the Oval Office and promptly forget who put him there -- or one who is simply unable to understand that there are branches of government for a reason.

So, get your picture taken all you want. And shake a few hands, too.

But if you want to win votes, be prepared with some real answers to some real questions.

That is the standard this time around.

Published in Editorials on April 15, 2015 10:53 AM