en the voters' perception that he understands the challenges of their daily lives" (1996, October 8, B7). Clinton's strategists recognize that their candidate's relative youth is an effective marketing point, not merely with regard to the target voter but also in relation to the majority of the voting population. Alison Mitchell points out how effective Clinton?s campaign has been at "raising the age issue subtly and indirectly, not by making any reference to Bob Dole's 73 years, but by linking the 50 year old President to children, technology and anything future oriented" (1996, October 11, A12).
One of the real challenges to Dole's marketers is finding relevant and effective ways to connect the experiences of a man old enough to be their father, or even their grandfather, to the lives of baby boomer era voters. Schnur observes that Dole's "references to events now half a century old seem dated and irrelevant, reinforcing Dole?s image as a candidate out of touch with modern America" (1996, October 8, B7).
Particularly in the television era, Dole's campaign faces a daunting challenge. Even with carefully controlled lighting and makeup, their candidate is quite obviously Clinton's senior. Television does serve to communicate one important message about Dole without explicitly stating it: the camera helps remind viewers of Dole's war wound and, consequently, of his heroism under fire. However, his injured arm was acquired in a conflict perceived as ancient history by much of the population, including the swing voter segment. For this group, Dole's war record is to a large extent irrelevant. Gibbs and Duffy summarize the typical attitude of the swing voter toward Dole's military background: "She knows a little of his story, admires his gritty recovery from his war injury, but is worried that he might not live out his term" (1996, October 14, 52). As James Carville writes in an open letter to Senator Dole, "Understand tha...