Westen says much of the problem was the way the Affordable Care Act was constructed.

CNN: To sway voters, tens of millions spent on health care ads

In The Political Brain, a wonderful book about the role of emotion in politics, Drew Westen talks about curb appeal.

FORBES: If Obama Wins, It Will Be by a Smile

The delay in implementing that provision, Westen says, let conservative groups run ads against the law before Americans experienced its benefits.

CNN: To sway voters, tens of millions spent on health care ads

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Drew Westen.

CNN: Commentary: Is Obama overexposed?

Drew Westen, an Emory University psychology professor who wrote "The Political Brain, " said the ad debate is about much more than health care.

CNN: To sway voters, tens of millions spent on health care ads

"He's thoughtful, he's articulate, he's handsome, he doesn't fit any of the stereotypes of the dangerous dark-skinned black male that people see every day on television, " Mr Westen said.

BBC: Is America Ready For A Black President?

Of course, Westen is referring to personal curb appeal.

FORBES: If Obama Wins, It Will Be by a Smile

For coffee, there is a retro-looking Kees van der Westen espresso machine, as sleek and sexy as a motorcycle, and a bartender with plenty of time to make and remake shots, unprompted, for finicky bean snobs.

NEWYORKER: Thirstbar��vin