Georgia Southern University Digital Commons@Georgia Southern Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of Fall 2007 Man Behind The Curtain: The 2004 Election from a Historical Perspective Melissa Michelle Merritt Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd Recommended Citation Merritt, Melissa Michelle, "Man Behind The Curtain: The 2004 Election from a Historical Perspective" (2007). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 590. https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/etd/590 This thesis (open access) is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies, Jack N. Averitt College of at Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Georgia Southern. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THEMANBEHINDTHECURTAIN: THE2004ELECTIONFROMAHISTORICALPERSPECTIVE by MELISSAM.MERRITT (UndertheDirectionofCraigH.Roell) ABSTRACT The2004electionwasaverycontentiousdisplayofmoderndemocracy.Itillustrated thatpoliticalcandidatesmarketthemselvesasthoughtheywereproductstobebought fromastore.Byutilizingnewspaperarticles,autobiographies,andvariousothersources, thisstudyseekstoshowseveralthings.First,itillustratestheevolutionofpresidential campaignsfromthefirstcontestedelectionuntilthecontroversial2000election.Second, ittracestheriseofthe“ChristianRight.”ItthendelvesintotheColdWarandthe“War onTerror”asacontinuationoftheformer.Finally,thestudyculminateswithan examinationofthe2004presidentialelectionthatdrawsallofthesethemestogetherto illustratethemanipulationoffearandreligionusedbytheRepublicanPartyinthe2004 election. INDEXWORDS:President,Election,ChristianRight,ColdWar,WaronTerror,2004 Election,GeorgeW.Bush, THEMANBEHINDTHECURTAIN:THE2004ELECTIONFROMAHISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE by MELISSAM.MERRITT B.A,GeorgiaSouthernUniversity,2005 AThesisSubmittedtotheGraduateFacultyofGeorgiaSouthernUniversityinPartial FulfillmentoftheRequirementsfortheDegree MASTEROFARTS STATESBORO,GEORGIA 2007 2 ©2007 MelissaM.Merritt AllRightsReserved 3 THEMANBEHINDTHECURTAIN: THE2004ELECTIONFROMAHISTORICALPERSPECTIVE by MELISSAM.MERRITT MajorProfessor:CraigH.Roell Committee:JohnSteinberg MichelleHaberland ElectronicVersionApproved: December2007 4 TABLEOFCONTENTS CHAPTERPage 1INTRODUCTION……………………………………………….……………...6 2POLITICIANSORPACKAGES?THEMARKETINGOFTHE PRESIDENCY……………...………………………………………………….....8 3THERISEOFTHECHRISTIANRIGHT…………………………………....27 4EXITTHECOLDWAR……………………………………………...…….…50 5ENTERTHEWARONTERROR…………………………………...…….…62 6CONCLUSION:THE2004PRESIDENTIALELECTION………….……...78 REFERENCES………………………………………………………………………….85 5 CHAPTER1 INTRODUCTION AsaninformedandconcernedcitizenlivingintheUnitedStatestoday,Ifearthe modelofconformityandtheintentionalshapingofpublicopinionthatourgovernment appearstobeorchestratingbyusingreligionandfear.Themostsalientexampleofthis inmodernsocietyappearsintheRepublicanpresidentialcampaignofGeorgeW.Bushin 2004.Hepositionedhimselfasareligious,specificallyChristian,leaderwhowasGod’s choicetoleadournationinuncertaintimes.Bush’sbaseistheChristianRight. HistoricallythisgrouphassoughttoChristianizeAmericangovernmentandhaswaged waronsecularsociety.Religionisanimportantpartofthehumanexperience,butitisa personalpracticeandbeliefsystem.Inademocraticsociety,onevoiceshouldnotspeak foreveryone. TheBushadministrationalsoplayeduponpublicfearthattheterroristattacksof September11,2001created.Clearly,thereisaterroristthreat,butthereisevidencethat suggeststhattheWhiteHouseraisedtheterroralertsstrategicallyinordertoproduce supportforthePresidentduringtheelectionyear.AfterBush’sre-electionin2004,there hasbeenaconspicuousabsenceofsuchthreat-levelraisings.Thisadministrationoften referstothe“WaronTerror”anytimesomeonecriticizestheiractions.The administrationdissuadesanalysisandcriticismofthepresidencyasbeingunpatrioticor notAmerican. Thisthesisisnotaleftistdiatribeagainstacontroversialandlargelyunpopular President.Thegoaloftheworkistodrawattentiontothemanipulationofreligionand fearinthe2004PresidentialelectionthatRepublicansusedtogainsupportfortheir 6 party.Thethesiswilladdressthreemainthemesinordertoestablishahistorical frameworkforthemainargument.Themarketingofthepresidencyfromthefirst contestedelectionuntilthecontroversial2000electionwillbeexaminedinordertoshow thatpublicrelationsandperceptionsaretremendouslyimportantinapoliticalcampaign. ThepropagandatechniquesoftheColdWarwillbecomparedtothe“WaronTerror,” withthecontentionthatthelatterwarisacontinuationofthefirst.Thepurposeofthis willbetoshowpastinstancesoffearmongeringinordertoachievepoliticalgoals.The historyoftheChristianRightwillbeaddressedinordertoillustratethegroup’sevolution intothepowerfulpoliticalentitytheyhadbecomeby2004andintothepresent.These themeswillbedrawntogetherinthefinalchapterthatwillshowtherelevancetheyhave inthe2004election. WorksthatexaminetheuseoffearandreligionbytheRepublicanPartytendto befewinnumberandwrittenbypopularandcontroversialfiguressuchasAlFranken andBillMaher.Theworksgenerallyarenotscholarlyandthusarenottakenseriously. Mygoalistocreateawell-researchedscholarlythesisthatwouldcauseeventhemost ardentRepublicanandGeorgeW.Bushsupportertothinkandconsidermyargument. Therearenospecificworksthatnecessarilycreatedthedesiretowriteonthis topic.IamextremelyinterestedinpoliticsandhavebeensinceIwasfirstoldenoughto votein2000.Myownpersonaloutrageattheeventsofthatelectionmademerealize thatpoliticsarenotfairandperhapsAmericaisnotthedemocraticutopiaIwastrainedto believeitwas.BywatchingthenewsandcriticallyanalyzingtheworldIhavemade observationsandcametoconclusionsthatcreatedtheideaforthisthesis. 7 CHAPTER2 POLITICIANSORPACKAGES?THEMARKETINGOFTHEPRESIDENCY America’sfoundingfathersaimedtocreateanovel,enlightenedformof governmentthatwouldbedevoidoffactionalpartypolitics.Theysoughttohavean electoralsystemthroughwhichaselectgroupofqualifiedmenwouldchoosethe presidentinadignifiedmanner. 1Therealityofthisdreamwasshortlived.The presidencybecameahighlysoughtafterposition.Contendersforthejobandtheir supporterswerewillingtousequestionabletacticstosecuretheoffice.Themarketingof thepresidencyevolvedovertime,beginningwithGeorgeWashington.Presidential candidatesincreasinglyrelieduponrhetoricandcleverlydevelopedtechniquesto packagethemselves,eveninfalse,waystogainpopularsupport.Thisstrategyseemed necessarybecausevotershavespecificqualitiestheybelievetobepresidential.The combinationofthesequalitiesprobablydoesnotexistinonesingleperson,andthus presidentialcontendersmustcreateanimageforthemselvesthatreflectspopularopinion. Candidatesalsooftenresortedtotacticsthatweredishonestanddishonorableinorderto maketheiropponentslookweakorunqualified.Thistrendreachedanapexintwentieth centurypoliticswiththeadventofmassmediatechnologies. Evenasearlyasthesecondpresidentialelection,RepublicanandFederalist opponentsdisseminatednegativeinformationaboutthecompetingcandidates. BroadsidesandpamphletsportrayedThomasJeffersonasanatheistandenemyofthe Constitution.Rev.TimothyDwightcontendedthatifJeffersonwon,theBiblewouldbe 1KathleenHallJamieson. PackagingthePresidency:AHistoryandCriticismofPresidentialCampaign Advertising (NewYork,NY:OxfordUniversityPress,1996),5. 8 burnedandprostitutionwouldbelegalized. 2Likewise,handbillsdepictedJohnAdamsas anaristocratandamonarchist.Indeed,thepartysystemevolvedafterthisnotable election,becomingthereafteraprominentfeatureofpoliticsduringthemid-nineteenth century. 3 Bythe1828electionbetweenAndrewJacksonandJohnQuincyAdams,political advertisinghadbecomeextremelypopular. 4Thecandidatesthemselvesgenerally refrainedfromblatantlycampaigningforthemselves. 5Nevertheless,acandidate’s reputationandperceptionbythepublicbecamecrucialtowinningelections.Thiswas largelybecause,bythistime,votershadaccesstothenamesofelectorsandknewwhich specificcandidateanelectorsupported. 6AndrewJackson’scampmadegreatuseoftheir candidate’sreputationasawarhero.Jackson’stroopsdubbedhim“OldHickory”forhis determinationanddedicationtothem. 7Hissupporterslabeledhimasafarmerandbrave soldierwhocouldrelatetothecommonperson.Bycontrast,hisopponentsportrayed Jacksonasuneducated,lackinginculture,andinexperiencedinpoliticalaffairs.They alsoaccusedJacksonofmurderingsoldiersandmassacringIndians. 8Significantly, JacksonformedacorrespondencecommitteeinWashingtonthatcounteredtheseclaims. Thisorganization,whichalsocollectedcampaigncontributions,compiledvoterlists,and issuedpamphletsandbroadsides,servedasaprecursorforthemodernDemocraticand 2KathleenHallJamieson. DirtyPolitics .NewYork,NY:OxfordUniversityPress,1992),43. 3Jamieson, PackagingthePresidency ,8. 4Ibid,6. 5FlorenceWeston, ThePresidentialElectionof1828 (Philadelphia,PA:PorcupinePress,1974), 6Jamieson, PackagingthePresidency ,5. 7Ibid,6. 8Ibid,7. 9 RepublicanNationalCommittees.ThecreationofJackson’sDemocraticPartyinthis electionalsoledtotheemergenceofthemodernAmericanpartysystem. 9 Theelectionof1840wasthefirstfullscalepresidentialelection. 10 Campaigning effortsincludedspeeches,parades,torches,flags,songsandbanners.Theincumbent, MartinVanBuren,soughttomaintainhispositionagainsthisopponentWilliamHenry Harrison.Harrisonwasthefirstcandidatetofabricateanimageforhimselfthatwas contradictorytoreality.Bornthesonofawealthygovernor,Harrisonusedcampaign materialthatportrayedhimasafarmerandwoodsmen.Heusedlogcabins,cider,and coonskincapsinordertoingratiatehimselftothecommonvoter.VanBuren’steam