Tip:
Highlight text to annotate it
X
A little bit of makeup goes a long way for Louis Ortiz -- all the way to the White House...
"Bam, that's Barack Obama!"
The former technician makes a living pretending to be the most powerful man on the planet.
And he doesn't work alone -- his partner Mike is Mitt Romney.
"It's a weird business cause people who don't like Mitt Romney, they don't like me"
From their carefully dyed hair to perfectly iron suits, being a political impersonator
is a full-time job.
"What kind of tie you are you wearing, Louis? I have red and blue so I didn't know what
to do."
But it's not just appearances that matter -- both men also have to work on other defining
traits...
Mike Cote: "The mannerisms and stuff are easier for me. It's the voice"
Luis Ortiz: "Me, Obama has got such a cool swag when he walks. He's very smooth..."
But the real test comes on the streets...
Even the crowds who come to see Barack Obama and Mitt Romney together in New York have
their favorites.
"Obama, and I don't know the other guy.."
"He speaks like him too" "And the hand thing..."
"That's perfect !"
"No, I don't have the same success, no. I don't even have health insurance."
Though it may be about pretending, the business of impersonation is very real.
Just like the presidential candidates, Mike and Louis are starring in debates -- but they're
charging $30,000 per show.
In a tight election race, this is a parallel world in which both candidates are big winners.