Anyone have any idea which politician started this practice? Is it relatively new? Or has it been around for ages?
Thanks!
Do they? I hadn’t really noticed.
Just a wild guess, but possibly it’s something they’re trained to do by their PR consultants. Perhaps its considered less confrontational/rude than pointing with a finger. I remember seeing a documentary ages ago which mentioned that from Thatcher onwards a lot of British politicians went to classes on what gestures to make when giving speeches etc.
Pointing with a single finger is considered a “weak” gesture. I’ve noticed public speakers using a doubled-fingered point instead. I’ve not noticed the thumb thing, does GW do it?
Is it because using a thumb to point means you can simultaneously make a fist? You are signaling purpose and direction (the pointing) and strength (the fist).
Of course, the whole pointing thing is riddled with phallic symbolism. 
I deny the premise. Please demonstrate that more than oh… a half-dozen politicans do this regularly.
I read an article several years ago that said this was the reason. Pointing the pointer finger at the crowd is interpreted as confrontational/aggressive/rude so they point with thumbs which give emphasis without turning off the crowd.
I read the same thing Zoff did I guess. Pointing is confrontational;pure fist is aggressive; thumb pointing is tempered assertiveness and optimism.