Synthesis Essay On Presidential Elections

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When watching Alec Baldwin or Kate McKinnon on your screen, you cannot help but laugh. From McKinnon's eyes bulging out of her head to Baldwin’s impressions, audiences have their popcorn ready and remotes in hand to change to channel four, all of them waiting to see one thing- their political input. At 10:30pm every Saturday night, millions of Americans became amused by the political satire on their screens. Ever since the 1960’s, these television screens changed the minds of millions of Americans, and without television, presidential elections would have never been the same. Because of the influence of candidates using the television, America has become more of a democracy than it has ever been. One hundred years ago, political elections …show more content…

According to source C “Holding a presidential election today without a television debate would seem almost undemocratic.” The personal connection between people through a screen brings Americans together. As the people feel more connected, they feel more empowered to speak of their political opinion. Thus, a new form of democracy was formed in the 60’s, which emphasized the power of Americans’ first amendment rights. During the election of 1960 between Kennedy and Nixon, the use of political campaigning on televisions changed presidential elections forever, as it did for most political elections. Kennedy had a certain disadvantage to Nixon, as he was younger than most presidents, never held foreign policy experience like Nixon, and being one of the first Catholics to run for presidency on a major ticketing booth. However, researcher have found that due to Kennedy’s friendly smile, smooth tone of voice, and good looks, that would make him look better on camera and have a better connection to the audience compared to Nixon, who was perceived as more strict and stiff. “Kennedy benefited because his image on television was “crisp”; Nixon’s- light-colored suit, wrong makeup, bad posture- was “fuzzed” (Source C). This factor that everyone can connect and relate to this man made Kennedy win the election in 1960. Television had brought people closer to the

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