It’s not about height, it’s about voters’ personal preferences/prejudices. The voting public brings their personal prejudices, whatever they may be, to the polls with them. Whether they favor Evangelicals/Mormons, or blue/brown eyes, or tall men, or women, they want ‘someone like me.’ Only better.
Actually, tho, it is the case historically that the taller of the two presidential candidates wins. So, if the GOP race comes down to Romney/Santorum on stage alone, you’d better hope Romney, the Hollywood casting picture-perfect candidate, isn’t 6’5”
I’ve not been speaking here of who *I* like. I have no primary vote, and will go R in November no matter who the party’s nominee is. I would have voted for Newt, had I a primary vote, at least as it stands today. He could be out of the race by March 6 for all I know. Newt does not have a presidential demeanor, the farthest thing from it, and he has a ton of baggage, yada yada. But he does get folks’ attention. When he speaks, people listen, whether they love or hate him. He’s almost always fascinating to listen to, and some would think the disheveled professor is someone they’d like to have a beer with because he’s ‘like me.’
Santorum so far hasn’t gotten people to sit up and pay attention. He has an extremely interesting life story and, with enormous courage, has put his life decisions behind his words. What’s not to admire? But, the other side of that coin is, increasingly, he’s becoming perceived as the ‘holier than thou’ candidate, which doesn’t lead the average voter to want to have a beer with him, either. That’s just the way the electoral realities cookie crumbles.
Iowa disproved your ‘analysis’ that people haven’t sat up and noticed Santorum.
This analysis, a month ago - totally valid. But things change.