Introduction Since the first televised debate between Vice President Richard Nixon (R-Calif.) and Senator John Kennedy (D-Mass.), the election process has never been the same. Despite the seemingly important democratic aspect of presidential debates, the actual impact of debates on voters’ perceptions of potential candidates is highly doubted by many scholars. Potential candidates, journalists, and a few scholars have expressed, however, the importance of presidential debates in directing voters’ attitudes (White, 1982; Asher, 1988; Reagan, 1990). For instance, President Reagan was quoted as saying “I almost blew the whole race during my first debate” (Reagan, 1990, p. 327). He believed so strongly that his poor performance against Mondale in the 1984 debate almost caused him to lose the presidency. The purpose of this paper will be to refute claims made by doubtful scholars as to the importance of presidential debates. Throughout this paper, studies will be presented which directly refute the idea that debates do not have a substantial effect on voter perception. It will also explore the evolution of the selection process and how that has directly affected the importance of debates. In addition, it will provide evidence of the importance of presidential debates by evaluating multiple theories (Neustadt, Light, and Presidential Roles Theory) of presidential success and show how debates can be central in the foundation of their future achievements as president. This analysis will also explore the sinister aspects of debates in which the media uses sound bites to direct voter perceptions and use miscomprehension among voters to distort their views about potential candidates. Shift in Focus: Party to Candidate Issues In recent ... ... middle of paper ... ... to Clinton (3rd ed.). Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Neustadt, Richard E. (1990). Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents: The Politics of Leadership from Roosevelt to Reagan (Rev. ed.). New York: The Free Press. Pika, Joseph A. & Maltese, John Anthony (2009). The Election Process. In Abraham Goldberg, The American Presidency (pp. 95-151). Congressional Quarterly Press. Reagan, Ronald. (1990). An American Life. New York: Simon and Schuster. Wattenberg, Mark P. (2004). "Elections": Personal Popularity in U.S. Presidential Elections. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 34 (1), pp. 143-155. White, Theodore H. (1982). America in Search of Itself. New York: Warner. Yawn, Mike, Ellsworth, Kevin, Beatly, Bob, & Kahn, Kim Fridkin. (1998). How a Presidential Primary Debate Changed Attitudes of Audience Members. Political Behavior, 20 (2), pp. 155-181.
Examining the conceptualizations and theories of Neustadt and Skowronek’s in comparative perspective, this essay makes the principal argument that both of these theories only represent partial explanations of how success and efficiency is achieved in the context of the Presidency. With Neustadt focusing saliently on the President’s micro-level elite interactions and with Skowronek adopting a far more populist and public opinion-based framework, both only serve to explain some atomistic facets of the Presidency. As such, neither is truly collectively exhaustive, or mutually exclusive of the other, in accounting for the facets of the Presidency in either a modern day or historical analytical framework. Rather, they can best be viewed as complementary theories germane to explaining different facets of the Presidency, and the different strengths and weaknesses of specific Administrations throughout history.
The U.S. president is a person deemed to be the most fitting person to lead this country through thick and thin. It’s been such a successful method that it has led to 43 individual men being put in charge of running this country. However, this doesn’t mean that each one has been good or hasn’t had an issue they couldn’t resolve when in office. But no matter what, each one has left a very unique imprint on the history and evolution of this nation. However when two are compared against one another, some rather surprising similarities may be found. Even better, is what happens when two presidents are compared and they are from the same political party but separated by a large numbers of years between them. In doing this, not only do we see the difference between the two but the interesting evolution of political idea in one party.
The Democratic candidate Senator Kennedy from Massachusetts, and Vice President Nixon both agreed. on the televised debates. Each debate was given a subject matter that the candidates agreed to. correspond their answers to the subject. The first debate was on the issues.
Though Kennedy and Clinton addressed their audiences nearly thirty-two years apart, each rhetor faced a common rhetorical barrier – an American populace too heavily focused on the personalities within each respective presidential election rather than the true issues confronting the United States. To overcome that barrier, both Kennedy and Clinton utilize definitional strategies – in the form of association – as well as language strategies –specifically, historical allusions. Whether or not the speeches directly correlate with both candidates winning their presidential elections does not concern the examination; this paper observes how exactly the rhetorical devices used served to dissolve the barriers between the rhetor and the intended audience.
Millions of viewers tuned into the National Broadcasting Company television network for a special broadcast on the 27th of October. Viewers were anticipating Ronald Reagan’s “A Time for Choosing” speech. Reagan was acknowledged for his acting in motion pictures and television episodes since 1937, and was now being seen in an unfamiliar role. Reagan emerged in support of the Republican nominee Barry Goldwater. Barry Morris Goldwater was a businessman and five-term United States Senator from Arizona and the Republican Party's nominee for president in the 1964 election. “A Time for Choosing” was effective, because he gave personal examples to capture the audiences’ attention, and gave humor to a tough subject.
The president has a significant amount of power; however, this power is not unlimited, as it is kept in check by both the judicial and legislative branches. The president is held responsible for passing legislation that will improve the lives of everyday Americans, even though he shares his legislative powers with Congress. The sharing of power acts as an impediment to the president’s ability to pass legislation quickly and in the form it was originally conceived. However, Americans do not take this into account when judging a president, as they fully expect him to fulfill all of the promises he makes during his campaign. By making promises to pass monumental legislation once elected without mentioning that Congress stands as an obstacle that must be hurdled first, the president creates unrealistic expectations of what he can fulfill during his time in office (Jenkins-Smith, Silva, and Waterman, 2005). A president is expected to have the characteristics that will allow him to efficiently and effectively lead the nation and to accomplish the goals he set during his campaign (Jenkins-Smith et al., 2005). There have been a handful of presidents that have been immortalized as the ideal person to lead the United States and if a president does not live up to these lofty expectations the American public will inevitably be disappointed. Since every president is expected to accomplish great things during his presidency, he is forced to created and project a favorable image through unrealistic promises. The combination of preconceived ideas of the perfect president and the various promises made by presidential candidates during their campaign create unrealistic expectations of the president by the American public.
George Bush and Ronald Reagan went head to head for the Republican spot. It certainly paid off for Bush in January 1980 when he won the Iowa Republican straw poll. He only defeated Reagan by a small margin. It was looking as if Bush might actually beat Reagan to the nomination. The debate between Bush and Reagan was very upsetting yet disturbing. Bush refused to participate, which led to a problem on the stage. The problem on the stage was that As Reagan attempted to explain his decision, the editor of Nashua Telegraph ordered the sound man to mute Reagan's microphone. With Reagan being filled with rage he responds "I am paying for this microphone, Mr. Green."(R.V. ,169) After that unfair debate Reagan swept the South with their votes, and although he lost five more primaries to Bush, including one where he came in third behind John Anderson, the former governor had a lock on the nomination very early in the season. Reagan would always be grateful to the people of Iowa for giving him " the kick in the pants" he needed.(USPE1980, 4)
Shugart, Matthew. "Elections: The American Process of Selecting a President: A Comparative Perspective." Presidential Studies, 34, 3 (September 2004): 632-656.
Understanding and evaluating presidents’ performance often poses challenges for political experts. The nation votes one president at the time and each presidency faces different tests. The environments surrounding a presidency have a tremendous impact on the success and failure of that presidency. In addition, the president exercises his power through a check and balance system embody in the Constitution. As stated in (Collier 1959), the Constitution created a government of “separated institutions sharing power.” As a result, a president works with others institutions of the government to shape the nation’s agenda. Thus, determining a presidential performance becomes difficult, especially when it comes to comparing the performance among presidencies.
...evision, viewership and ratings of presidential debates have been steadily decreasing over the past few years (Chart). According to Nelson Media Research, between 1960 and 1961 the ratings for presidential debates dropped from 59.5% to 31.6% and moreover dropped 62.4 million viewing to 46.1 million people viewing between the ’92 and ’96 elections alone (Chart).
Richard E. Neustadt, the author of Presidential Power, addresses the politics of leadership and how the citizens of the United States rate the performance of the president's term. We measure his leadership by saying that he is either "weak or "strong" and Neustadt argues that we have the right to do so, because his office has become the focal point of politics and policy in our political system.
Breakthroughs in technology throughout the twentieth century similarly morphed the institution of the American presidency. Embracing and adjusting to changing technology is a key attribute of the modern presidency, for the use proper use of technology makes the presidency appear strong. While mass media was an available medium during the presidency of Herbert Hoover, it was not effectively used until the Roosevelt administration (Thompson, 9/11/2014). The use of technology has enabled presidents to effectively address the nation, developing the modern presidency’s paternalistic role, in both times of crisis as well as presidential elections. Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s use of the radio to address the nation during the Great Depression and World War II demonstrates the paternalistic use of media in the modern presidency, creating a stronger connection to the American people. The 1960 Presidential Election further demonstrates the importance of the modern presidency adapting to technological advancements. The televised debate between Richard Nixon and John F. Kennedy shows the importance of technology to the presidency; for Americans who watched the debate and those who listened to the debate had different perception of who won (Thompson, 9/18/2014). Incorporating technology is a major element of the modern presidency, the use of mass media has greatly strengthened presidential administrations as well as the image of presidential candidates
In the last three decades, polls became an important instrument for the media, especially television networks, to determine who wins and who loses the election. Caprini conducted a study about the impact of the early prediction of a winner in the 1980 presidential race by the television networks. He observed that, shortly after 8 p.m. Eastern standard time, NBC announced that, according to its analysis of exit poll data, Ronald Reagan was to be the next president of the United States (Caprini, 1984, p. 866). That early call was controversial because the polls in many states were still open at the time and, in some of th...
You would expect malicious rumors and constant drama to stay in one specific category of television entertainment for young teenagers, and not be seen on nationwide presidential debates, but that is not the case. With the simple desire to make the other candidate look unfit for the position of being president, a candidate may state something that arises multiple questions, which then strays away from the real topic of what their political campaign has to offer when trying to make the United States the best it can possibly be. All of which leaves voters in a confused frenzy when trying to decide who they should vote for.
Public speaking is one of the most under rated skills learned in school, yet is one of the most valuable. The way you communicate shows a lot about you, and can influence other’s opinions of you. In every profession communicatiis important. Good communication skills, no matter what you plan to do in life, will help you out greatly and improve your chances against a harsh job market. I am majoring in Business Administration and Law, and communication is one of the biggest parts of business and law, yet communication is hardly ever taught in business classes for my major. I think that a communications class like public speaking, for example, should be not just for a college class, but taught in high school and middle school as well. I believe several classes would allow anyone to become an expert speaking. The only way to fully learn public speaking is to get up in front of people and talk to them. One can not learn public speaking from a book.