Nice analysis! A colleague of mine wrote a series of critiques like this recently. I think you're absolutely right. Our candidates are increasingly under pressure to campaign to a design conscious nation. It started when televised media came around and kicked all the ugly candidates out of running for office. Now that we are becoming increasingly concerned with personal style and customization, it's becoming essential for candidates and the entire election process to be increasingly stylized and style-conscious. But this can get dangerous. Hiring the President based on the aesthetic appeal of his/her propaganda leaves us just as susceptible to putting the richest, sneakiest candidate in the White House as any other voting strategy, unconscious or not.