DOCSLIB.ORG

Limping Towards the Convention Bounce

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Limping Towards the Convention Bounce Politics: US elections II Limping towards the Convention Bounce Bush’s incumbent bonus in the graph shows the extent to which the portrayal of candidates on ABC, NBC and CBS correlates media is turning into a problem for with voting intentions. Since the end of the pri- John F. Kerry maries, the networks have been portraying Kerry much more positively than the President. After a n election campaigns, challengers generally certain time lag, the variations in media portrayal I have a much harder time than incumbents were clearly refl ected by voting preferences – to a to make it onto the media agenda and into pub- slightly different degree for each candidate, how- lic awareness. In the US election campaign, the ever. John Kerry seemed to need a long-term and party convention with its centerpiece, the offi cial far more positive media echo than President Bush nomination of the presidential candidate, is con- in order to score points with voters. If the media’s sidered to be one of the greatest opportunities for assessment of the candidates turns only slightly the challenger to create the necessary awareness in favor of the President, John Kerry starts losing through the media. Still, two weeks before this ground in opinion polls. One obvious explanation year’s Democratic convention, ABC, NBC and for this asymmetry is the Senator’s lack of a clear CBS announced that they were not planning on media profi le. As a challenger, Kerry has to fi ght covering the party convention for more than one against President Bush’s incumbent bonus: Voters hour each day of the three days of the event. For have had the opportunity of getting to know him John Forbes Kerry, this reduced media attention during his four-year presidency, while John Kerry means a loss of a much-needed platform for him- still appears to be a somewhat unknown quantity. self and his stances on issues. While President President Bush must keep his supporters happy, Bush has been the subject of daily media report- while John Kerry still needs to convince them. ing by virtue of his offi cial functions, John Kerry, The opinion-leading US media did not do much after the fi rst half of the 2004 campaign year, has to counteract Kerry’s inherent disadvantage. been unable to convey either his program to his On the contrary: Once John Kerry had practi- voters or the reasons why they should elect him cally won the nomination on Super Tuesday, the the next President of the United States. media began to lose interest in the Senator (see chart 2 and 3). In June, they covered President Kerry’s lack of media profi le Bush twice as often as the challenger. The low made him lag in opinion polls media attention for Kerry had immediate effects: Although leading opinion research institutes oc- According to a Gallup opinion poll in July, the casionally suggest otherwise, John Kerry does not number of voters claiming not to have an opin- have a stable lead over President Bush in popular- ion on the Senator from Massachusetts was just ity ratings. A look at the media analysis illustrates as high as last March. The current results of a what opinion polling data alone cannot. The fi rst Pew Centers study confi rm the assumption that Comparison of evaluations in ABC, NBC and CBS evening news, 3/22 – 7/2004 30 positive values: Bush better rated than Kerry 6 George W. Bush Poll: John Kerry needs 20 Media Tenor Bush leads 4 complementary trend Poll: media attention 10 Bush-Kerry Kerry leads 2 more than President 0 0 Bush, in order to -10 -2 lead in opinion polls. John Kerry -20 -4 -30 negative values: Kerry better rated than Bush -6 3/22-28/2004 4/5-11/2004 4/19-25/2004 5/3-9/2004 5/17-23/2004 5/31-6/6/2004 6/14-6/20/2004 6/28-7/4/2004 3/29-4/4/2004 4/12-18/2004 4/26-5/2/2004 5/10-16/2004 5/24-30/2004 6/7/-6/13/2004 6/21-6/27/2004 Media: Difference between share of positive and negative evaluation of both Bush and Kerry (Bush:+, Kerry:-) Poll: “As of today, do you lean more toward Kerry, the Democrat or Bush, the Republican?” Source: Media Tenor Basis: 5,995 statements about Bush and Kerry 03/22 – 07/04/2004 in ABC, NBC, CBS evening news 12 Media Tenor Quarterly Journal No. 2/2004 Politics: US elections II Presence of Bush and Kerry Presence of Kerry January – June 2004 and opinion poll 100% 60% Volume of coverage 9,5 “So far, Kerry’s George W. Bush on Kerry most formidable 80% 50% Poll: no opinion on Kerry 7,5 political talent seems to be 40% 6,0 60% “not-ness”. He won 30% 4,5 the Democratic 40% primaries by not 20% 3,0 being Howard Dean; now he is a whisker 20% 10% 1,5 ahead in the polls John Kerry because he is not 0% 0% 0 January February March April May June March April May June Beginning of July George Bush.” 100%: All statements by or about the candidates 100%: All statements by or about the candidates; poll (The Economist, Source: Media Tenor Basis: 35,907 statements by or about Kerry and Bush Source: Media Tenor; Gallup Basis: 15,000 statements by or about Kerry July 24th) 01/01 – 06/30/2004 in 7 US media 01/01 – 07/13/2004 in 7 US media media coverage affected this lack of opinion. Ac- media have simply informed the public poorly in cording to that study, voters are more interested the second quarter. in the election this year than in the past three elec- tion years. They follow the media coverage of the Focus on foreign policy gives campaign more attentively and think about the Bush incumbent bonus election more intensively. Thus, the fact that vot- While President Bush was struggling with the ers have no opinion of Kerry cannot be explained consequences of Richard A. Clarke’s revealing by a general disinterest of the voters in the cam- book as well as the repercussions of the prison tor- paign or general indifference towards the candi- ture scandal in Iraq, the New York Times advised dates. The most plausible cause is the fact that the John Kerry to concentrate his campaign on voting Bush out of offi ce, instead of trying to distinguish Candidate coverage in the campaign himself with his stances on factual issues. How- year: Topic structure ever, after the fi rst six months of the campaign, it has become obvious that a candidate simply 100% cannot create a sustainable and impressive pro- fi le without addressing factual issues. The fourth graph illustrates the topical structure of candidate 80% coverage by the opinion forming US media in the fi rst half of the 2004 campaign year over time. In 60% the fi rst quarter of 2004, the media focused on the Democratic candidates’ campaigning during the Campaigning primaries. At that time, voters received only little 40% information on factual issues, and John Kerry, by virtue of winning most of the ballots, received almost the entire media attention. In March, af- 20% Issues ter the primaries were practically over, the media increasingly provided information on factual is- 0% sues. Campaigning only played a secondary role January February March April May June in the second quarter. Simultaneously, the media 100%: All statements by or about John Kerry continued to lose interest in Kerry. The chart on top of page 14 demonstrates the topical structure Source: Media Tenor Basis: 63,432 statements 01/01 – 06/30/2004 in 7 US media of reporting on John Kerry and George W. Bush. Media Tenor Quarterly Journal No. 2/2004 13 Politics: US elections II Coverage of Bush and Kerry: sue-focused profile of himself in the media? The Comparison of topic structure following two explanations are possible: Either Kerry’s communication advisers purposefully 100% Jan - March 2004 April - June 2004 and strategically decided to hold back issue-ori- ented concepts, or the John Kerry only media, in their news other 80% appeared in the selection, simply ig- media as long as his nored the information 60% campaign was Kerry provided. A look campaign at the media agenda interesting. suggests the answer. 40% The charts below show personality the topical agenda of the opinion forming Ameri- 20% can media on leading US politicians in the second quarter of 2004, compared with that of the same issues time period in 2000. In the first election year since 0% September 11 the campaign agenda has entirely Bush Kerry Bush Kerry shifted towards foreign policy, which stands out Share of coverage as a topic in the current election year, receiving Source: Media Tenor Basis: 20,256/15,000 statements about five times more attention than four years ago. 01/01 – 06/30/2004 Bush and Kerry in 7 US media The second most important topic is terrorism. This year, both issues seem to push all other is- John Kerry’s presence in the media primarily de- sues below the awareness threshold that used to pended on the journalists’ interest in campaign be very important in 2000: domestic policy, social issues, both in the first and the second quarter. security, the economy and health care. The strong When campaign coverage diminished, so did John focus on foreign policy automatically translates Kerry’s presence in the media. Had the senator into yet another incumbent bonus for President succeeded in raising attention by tackling factual Bush.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • The BCCI Affair
    The BCCI Affair A Report to the Committee on Foreign Relations United States Senate by Senator John Kerry and Senator Hank Brown December 1992 102d Congress 2d Session Senate Print 102-140 This December 1992 document is the penultimate draft of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee report on the BCCI Affair. After it was released by the Committee, Sen. Hank Brown, reportedly acting at the behest of Henry Kissinger, pressed for the deletion of a few passages, particularly in Chapter 20 on "BCCI and Kissinger Associates." As a result, the final hardcopy version of the report, as published by the Government Printing Office, differs slightly from the Committee's softcopy version presented below. - Steven Aftergood Federation of American Scientists This report was originally made available on the website of the Federation of American Scientists. This version was compiled in PDF format by Public Intelligence. Contents EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................ 4 INTRODUCTION AND SUMMARY OF INVESTIGATION ............................................................................... 21 THE ORIGIN AND EARLY YEARS OF BCCI .................................................................................................... 25 BCCI'S CRIMINALITY .................................................................................................................................. 49 BCCI'S RELATIONSHIP WITH FOREIGN GOVERNMENTS CENTRAL BANKS, AND INTERNATIONAL
    [Show full text]
  • What's Next for the United States?
    February 2021 Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Office USA, Washington, D.C. What's next for the United States? Part 2: Climate Change and Energy Supply By Sabine Murphy How is the Biden administration changing the direction of the U.S.? The KAS Office USA takes a first look, in a series of five country reports. This report deals with climate and energy challenges. The White House website promises “swift action to tackle the climate emergency” and a “clean energy revolution”. Key Policy Goals The Biden-Harris administration doesn’t make it a secret that the fight against climate change is on top of the to-do-list. Climate is prominently listed on the White House website as one of seven top policy priorities. It states: “President Biden will take swift action to tackle the climate emergency. The Biden administration will ensure we meet the demands of science, while empowering American workers and businesses to lead a clean energy revolution.”1 The Biden administration takes a decidedly different approach to energy use and the impact of rising temperatures on the environment than its predecessor. After four years of the Trump administration denying scientific findings about climate change, Biden has pledged to follow science and involve the entire federal government in the fight against climate change. By creating inter-agency working groups and a National Climate Task Force, Biden wants to ensure that his policies for the production of clean energy and the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, are not limited to single agencies but will be implemented throughout the federal government. During his campaign, Biden promised to reach a goal of net-zero emissions across the economy before 2050, and to eliminate pollution caused by fossil fuel in electricity production by 2035.
    [Show full text]
  • The 2004 Election a Matter of Faith? 1 David E
    10397-01_Ch01.qxd 3/26/07 10:41 AM Page 1 The 2004 Election A Matter of Faith? 1 David E. Campbell ew observers of American politics deny that in recent Fyears religion has come to play an increasingly important role in the nation’s elections, especially the presidential election. To some, per- haps many, religion may appear to be a new factor in national politics. But today’s focus on religion is really just a variation on what has been a common theme throughout U.S. history. In 1800, Thomas Jefferson had to deal with accusations that he was an atheist; in the late 1800s, William Jennings Bryan invoked biblical themes to support economic policy; in 1928, Al Smith faced anti-Catholic mobs on the campaign trail; in 1960, John F. Kennedy too had to forestall anti-Catholic sentiment that, while muted when compared with what Smith faced in 1928, lingered nonetheless. Religion, then, has long been a feature in national elections. Yet that does not mean that the religious cleavages of the past correspond to those of the pres- ent. Rather, the last thirty years have seen a re-sorting of the parties’ electoral coalitions along religious lines. No longer are Democrats and Republicans divided along the old lines, defined by whether they are Catholic or Protestant. Instead of religious denomination, the parties are divided by religious devo- tional style—that is, a way of being religious. People who are more devout— regardless of denomination—are more likely to favor the GOP. Obviously, such a statement is a generalization.
    [Show full text]
  • Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
    Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin http://psp.sagepub.com Deliver us from Evil: The Effects of Mortality Salience and Reminders of 9/11 on Support for President George W. Bush Mark J. Landau, Sheldon Solomon, Jeff Greenberg, Florette Cohen, Tom Pyszczynski, Jamie Arndt, Claude H. Miller, Daniel M. Ogilvie and Alison Cook Pers Soc Psychol Bull 2004; 30; 1136 DOI: 10.1177/0146167204267988 The online version of this article can be found at: http://psp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/30/9/1136 Published by: http://www.sagepublications.com On behalf of: Society for Personality and Social Psychology, Inc. Additional services and information for Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin can be found at: Email Alerts: http://psp.sagepub.com/cgi/alerts Subscriptions: http://psp.sagepub.com/subscriptions Reprints: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsReprints.nav Permissions: http://www.sagepub.com/journalsPermissions.nav Citations http://psp.sagepub.com/cgi/content/refs/30/9/1136 Downloaded from http://psp.sagepub.com at University of Missouri-Columbia on March 31, 2009 10.1177/0146167204267988PERSONALITYLandau et al. / TERRORAND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT PSYCHOLOGY AND BULLETIN SUPPORT FOR G. W. BUSH Deliver Us From Evil: The Effects of Mortality Salience and Reminders of 9/11 on Support for President George W. Bush Mark J. Landau University of Arizona Sheldon Solomon Skidmore College Jeff Greenberg University of Arizona Florette Cohen Rutgers University Tom Pyszczynski University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Jamie Arndt University of Missouri Claude H. Miller University of Oklahoma Daniel M. Ogilvie Rutgers University Alison Cook University of Missouri According to terror management theory, heightened concerns Keywords: terror management theory; terrorism; 9/11; George W.
    [Show full text]
  • Introduction Ronald Reagan’S Defining Vision for the 1980S— - and America
    © Copyright, Princeton University Press. No part of this book may be distributed, posted, or reproduced in any form by digital or mechanical means without prior written permission of the publisher. Introduction Ronald Reagan’s Defining Vision for the 1980s— -_and America There are no easy answers, but there are simple answers. We must have the courage to do what we know is morally right. ronald reagan, “the speech,” 1964 Your first point, however, about making them love you, not just believe you, believe me—I agree with that. ronald reagan, october 16, 1979 One day in 1924, a thirteen-year-old boy joined his parents and older brother for a leisurely Sunday drive roaming the lush Illinois country- side. Trying on eyeglasses his mother had misplaced in the backseat, he discovered that he had lived life thus far in a “haze” filled with “colored blobs that became distinct” when he approached them. Recalling the “miracle” of corrected vision, he would write: “I suddenly saw a glori- ous, sharply outlined world jump into focus and shouted with delight.” Six decades later, as president of the United States of America, that extremely nearsighted boy had become a contact lens–wearing, fa- mously farsighted leader. On June 12, 1987, standing 4,476 miles away from his boyhood hometown of Dixon, Illinois, speaking to the world from the Berlin Wall’s Brandenburg Gate, Ronald Wilson Reagan em- braced the “one great and inescapable conclusion” that seemed to emerge after forty years of Communist domination of Eastern Eu- rope. “Freedom leads to prosperity,” Reagan declared in his signature For general queries, contact [email protected] © Copyright, Princeton University Press.
    [Show full text]
  • One-Quarter of Presidents Lost Before They Won, but Mitt Romney Won't Be
    January 22, 2015 One-quarter of presidents lost before they won, but Mitt Romney won’t be among them by JOSHUA SPIVAK Taking heart to the saying “third time’s the charm,” Mitt Romney has shaken up the nascent 2016 presidential race with his announcement that he may not be done seeking the presidency. The electorate may be tired of Romney, but his persistence is somewhat presidential: A quarter of presidents ran unsuccessfully for the office at least once before winning. From Thomas Jefferson to George H.W. Bush, there is a long history of losers coming back to claim the White House. Still, Romney’s supporters should have good reason to be worried that his third time could be another flop. What separates Romney from other comeback presidents is that he’s already received his party’s nomination and lost once before. The recent comeback kids did not receive the nomination in their first runs for office. For example, both Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush came in second in their earlier attempts for the nomination. Reagan, probably the most noteworthy candidate who ran more than once, boosted his name-recognition and his credibility with the party’s conservative base in his first two runs, especially when he almost toppled sitting President Gerald R. Ford in 1976. But once you look at the candidates who received the nomination, lost the general election and ran again, the road back to the White House appears much tougher. The last person to lose as a nominee and then go on to win the presidency — or even to get his party’s nomination more than once – was Richard Nixon, who lost the election on a razor-thin margin in 1960 and then won triumphantly in 1968.
    [Show full text]
  • Congressional Record—House H3279
    April 29, 2014 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — HOUSE H3279 lending programs, it would be difficult for not be there when you need it. We lost State Senate, I supported charters as them to object on budgetary grounds. millions in sales because Congress one of the best hopes to genuinely re- For every dollar put into Ex-Im, Che- dithered. form our school system. ney said, ‘‘there’s been a $20 return to Ladies and gentlemen, at the end of In Congress, those of us who support the U.S. economy.’’ the day, this is the most straight- charter schools should express that And again, the same speech, Vice forward imaginable proposition. This is support by ensuring that Federal pol- President Cheney said: about shoring up, strengthening, sup- icy encourages States to adopt expan- Ex-Im Bank is remarkably effective at porting the manufacturing sector of sive charter laws. helping create jobs, opportunities for trade, the American economy and creating Further, we need to ensure that stable democracies, and vibrant economies good-paying jobs. Washington does not put up bureau- throughout the world. The Bank has made a With that, Mr. Speaker, I yield back cratic roadblocks that would keep tremendous contribution as a rapid response, the balance of my time. State, city, and county governments service-oriented agency designed to meet the export financing needs of American busi- f from experimenting with new ideas and nesses. CURRENT EVENTS AFFECTING establishing effective charter school Indeed, the Bank has been reauthor- AMERICA programs. ized a number of times throughout its Mr. Speaker, I cannot say enough The SPEAKER pro tempore.
    [Show full text]
  • Face the Nation
    © 2005 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved PLEASE CREDIT ANY QUOTES OR EXCERPTS FROM THIS CBS TELEVISION PROGRAM TO "CBS NEWS' FACE THE NATION. " CBS News FACE THE NATION Sunday, December 4, 2005 GUEST: Senator JOHN KERRY, (D-MA) Foreign Relations Committee MODERATOR: BOB SCHIEFFER - CBS News This is a rush transcript provided for the information and convenience of the press. Accuracy is not guaranteed. In case of doubt, please check with FACE THE NATION - CBS NEWS 202-457-4481 BURRELLE'S INFORMATION SERVICES / 202-419-1859 / 800-456-2877 Face the Nation (CBS News) - Sunday, December 4, 2005 1 BOB SCHIEFFER, host: Today on FACE THE NATION, Senator John Kerry in his first Sunday interview since January. A shift of fewer than 100,000 votes in Ohio and John Kerry would have become president. So how would he handle Iraq today and will he run again? We'll put those questions and more to the senator from Massachusetts. Then I'll have a final word on paying for good news. But first, Senator Kerry, Iraq and politics on FACE THE NATION. Announcer: FACE THE NATION with CBS News chief Washington correspondent Bob Schieffer. And now from CBS News in Washington, Bob Schieffer. SCHIEFFER: Good morning again. With us in the studio, Senator Kerry, and welcome back to the... Senator JOHN KERRY (Democrat, Massachusetts): Good morning. SCHIEFFER: ...Sunday talk show circuit. This is your first Sunday appearance... Sen. KERRY: Glad to be here. SCHIEFFER: ...I believe, since January, our first face-to-face interview since... Sen. KERRY: Happy to be with you.
    [Show full text]
  • March 17, 2015 VIA CERTIFIED MAIL the Honorable John Kerry
    March 17, 2015 VIA CERTIFIED MAIL The Honorable John Kerry Secretary of State U.S. Department of State 2201 C Street NW Washington, DC 20520 The Honorable David S. Ferriero Archivist of the United States National Archives and Records Administration 700 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20408 Dear Secretary Kerry and Mr. Ferriero: The undersigned represent nonprofit organizations concerned with government transparency and accountability. Recently, the New York Times reported that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton exclusively used a private email address – the server for which was located at her residence in Chappaqua, New York – to conduct official government business. A number of media and transparency organizations have submitted Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests pertaining to Secretary of State Clinton’s email correspondence while serving at the Department of State. These organizations include The Associated Press, Gawker Media, Judicial Watch, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). Congressional committees also have requested access to these emails. Unfortunately, the New York Times report suggests that Secretary Clinton’s use of only a private email account for State Department business without a contemporaneous government record – a potential violation of the Federal Records Act – may have been an intentional attempt to circumvent public oversight. Regardless of intent, the exclusive use of a private server made it impossible for the State Department to search Secretary Clinton’s
    [Show full text]
  • All of That Aside, All the History Aside, It Really Is a Place, and I'm Going To
    All of that aside, all the history aside, it really is a place, and I’m going to say something that’s going to sound a little bit supercilious, and that is, it’s like Comic-Con, and for those of you out there, students who know what Comic-Con is, it’s just the same thing. It’s a bunch of people, instead of comic books and action figures and movies, it’s politics. It is a massive love, of the process. It’s meeting people who you haven’t seen sometimes in 4, 8, and 12 years. The 1992 Clinton, New York convention, there was a huge party for those of us who worked on Bobby Kennedy’s campaign in ‘68, I hadn’t seen some of those people in 20 years. And both parties, it is an opportunity for people who are in the business of politics in 50 individual states to find one moment in time when they can all come together and basically say, “aren’t we lucky we chose the best business in the world to be in?” People don’t think of conventions as being internal, they think of conventions as being external, because they are external in the sense of sending a message. But they’re also internal, Republicans find other Republicans and they say, “Oh my god, I am right. Look at all the people who agree with me.” Democrats do the same thing. So, there’s a lot of subset things that are going on at these conventions, that aren’t going to be picked up by television and aren’t going to be taught by the teachers.
    [Show full text]
  • Convention Bounce Bush and Kerry Remain in a Dead Heat
    04 Polling Note, 7/23 – Convention Bounce Bush and Kerry remain in a dead heat in a scrum of national polls today. Those, plus all state polls, are posted on the Polling Unit site on the intranet. (Click the "04 Election Spreadsheet.") Separately, the following memo dissects the storied "convention bounce." -- What goes up does not always come down. That's the charm of the "convention bounce," the jump in support that customarily accompanies a presidential candidate's nominating convention. Sometimes it's a short- term thing, the race quickly returning to form. But it can be a more profound event - a coalescing of public preferences that charts the course for the remaining campaign. So it was in 1992, the Year of the Bounce. Bill Clinton went into the Democratic convention one point behind George H.W. Bush - and left it 29 points ahead. Skeptics scoffed, calling it momentary. But it lasted: on to Election Day, Clinton never trailed. The next-biggest bounce of recent times (since 1968) was Al Gore’s in 2000, a 19-point convention gain (compared to Clinton’s net of 30). But in Gore’s case it wasn’t enough. Now it’s John Kerry’s turn, with George W. Bush to follow. Will they fly? If so, how high, and for how long? FACTORS – The polls ahead will tell. But two factors this year may make it tougher than usual for the candidates to achieve a large or lasting bounce: attention to the race, and attachment to the candidates. Conventions can boost both these.
    [Show full text]
  • Social Media #Ftw!: the Influence of Social Media on American Politics
    SOCIAL MEDIA #FTW!: THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA ON AMERICAN POLITICS by Kenneth Scott Ames A thesis submitted to Johns Hopkins University in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Government Baltimore, Maryland April 2014 © 2014 Kenneth Scott Ames All Rights Reserved Abstract Social media has transformed politics in America. Its effect has impacted the way candidates campaign for the presidency, Members of Congress operate their offices, and advocacy organizations communicate with policymakers and supporters. Social media allows politicians and organizations a method to connect directly and without filters with people across the country, assemble a constituency, and solicit their support at a reduced cost and greater reach than traditional media. Social media is not simply the next in a line of communications technologies: it has changed everyday activities and connected people in a manner never before possible. The rise of smartphone technology has enabled this trend since people can access the Internet almost anywhere making a mobile device a potential organizing and fundraising tool. Social media has transformed politics in America because it creates an instantaneous multi-directional public dialogue that offers the ability to rapidly analyze the data and learn from the findings on an unprecedented scope. Thesis advisor: Professor Dorothea Wolfson Readers: Representative William F. Clinger, Jr., and Professor Robert Guttman ! ii! PREFACE While I was contemplating my thesis topic, I knew I wanted to write about a topic that was timely, relevant, and interesting in the field of political communications. Many of my first classes at Johns Hopkins University were on government, politics, and the presidential election.
    [Show full text]