[ABCDE] VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 What Determines Election Outcomes? POOL PHOTO BY JOE CAVARETTA—REUTERS Democratic presidential nominee John F. Kerry, right, and President George W. Bush respond to questions from moderator Bob Schieffer during their third and final debate at Arizona State University in Tempe, Ariz., Oct 13. INSIDE Analysis of Where They Mean Season D.C. Voting 7 Campaign Ads 9 Stand 10 17 Rights October 20, 2004 © 2004 THE WASHINGTON POST COMPANY VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program What determines election outcomes Official Word Lesson: What determines the name of the president as a http://www.georgewbush.com/ the outcome of an elec- title, it is capitalized: “in case the Bush-Cheney ‘04 tion—political parties, issues, president and Congress agree,” “the Official Web site of the Republican ticket: the candidates’ personalities crowd gathered around President George W. Bush and Richard Cheney or campaign advertising? Bush,” “patient diplomacy started Level: Middle to high in the Clinton administration.” This http://www.johnkerry.com/index.html Subjects: Government, is consistent with Associated Press Kerry-Edwards civics, history, journalism style. Some usage and style manuals Official Web site of the Democratic Related Activity: Language will state that the special regard for ticket: John F. Kerry and John Edwards arts, mathematics the office of the President of the United States makes it an excep- http://www.votenader.org/ National, state and local elections tion to the rule of handling titles Nader/Comejo 2004 lend themselves to a look at the used for classification; therefore, Official Web site of the Independent requirements, process and impact your students will see “president” ticket: Ralph Nadar and Peter M. Camejo of elections. This is the second of both capitalized and not. You may five online guides that focus on the wish to use this capitalization guide http://www.votecobb.org broad question: Whose vote really to call attention to style manuals Cobb/LaMarche 2004 counts? In this guide, we examine and variations on usage rules. Official Web site of the Green ticket: the influence of political parties, It is Post style to capitalize David Cobb and Pat LaMarche issues and campaign advertising. the sobriquet First Lady. Activities in this online guide Journalism students will note http://www.factcheck.org/ encourage students to study the that Associated Press style does Annenberg Political Fact Check issues of this campaign and to not consider “first lady” or “first The mission of the Annenberg program determine each candidate’s stand. family” as formal titles. The AP is to “monitor the factual accuracy of How much is a candidate’s posi- style is to always use lower case what is said by major U.S. political tion determined by his or her party with those informal titles. players in the form of TV ads, debates, affiliation, poll results and public speeches, interviews and news releases.” opinion, and personal conviction? Party On What role do third parties play in “Origin of Species,” an excerpt http://www.tray.com/cgi-win/pml1_ defining one or more important from David Von Drehle’s study sql_PRESIDENTIAL.exe?DoFn=2004 issues? And why do candidates of the major political parties is Political MoneyLine and other groups spend so much provided to begin discussion of Contributors, financial picture of money to produce campaign adver- past and current political parties, 2004 candidates. Also has 2000 tising and to target audiences? their differences and impact. and 1996 election finance data. If there are18 battleground The Democrats and Republicans states that “count”—What aren’t what they used to be—see http://www.washingtonpost.com/ about the citizens in the other if students can distinguish wp-dyn/politics/elections/2004/ states and D.C. that are a “given them today by platform, posi- Politics 2004 as to how citizens will vote”? tions and politicians’ messages. Current and archived Post articles Does reporting of swing states Who selects the candidates encourage or discourage voting? that represent each party? http://www.nytimes.com/pages/poli- tics/campaign/index.html?th Check out Capitalization Compare the Candidates New York Times Election 2004 coverage Teachers and students may Where do the major candidates wonder about the capitaliza- stand on important issues? For http://www.npr.org/templates/ tion used in this guide and The a week or more have students topics/topic.php?topicId=12 Washington Post. When “president” compile the presidential candidates’ Politics & Society stands alone it is not capitalized, NPR campaign, national and and when “President” is used with CONTINUED ON PAGE 3 international coverage 2 October 20, 2004 VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2 advertisements and the role the Read About It media plays in disseminating them. positions on the issues. Listen to In addition to The Post’s occasional Gormley, Beatrice. First Ladies: Women the candidates, read Post coverage, analyses of campaign advertise- Who Called the White House Home check official Web sites and chart ments, there are many excellent Describes the type of women (among the facts. Visit Campaign 2004 online sources. See “Political Ads” them athletes, pioneers, sophisticates (http://www.washingtonpost. sidebar for suggested starting and independent thinkers) who’ve com/wp-dyn/politics/) and select points. A study of campaign adver- been married to U.S. presidents “Comparing the Candidates.” The tising might begin with a review candidates are compared on eight of the techniques of persuasion Gould, Lewis, ed. American First issues (abortion, civil liberties, and/or editorial organization. Ladies: Their Lives and Their Legacy economy, education, energy/ On Oct. 11, Paul Farhi reported At 712 pages, this is an important resources, health coverage, national [“Toledo Tube Wars”] “between and comprehensive reference with security and foreign affairs). In March and late September, 14,273 essays written by leading historians addition, select “Special Reports” commercials about the presidential and political scientists describing for “Issues in the News.” For race aired on Toledo’s four leading younger students, use KidsPost’s TV stations. ... That number contributions of each First Lady. five-week series on the two major makes this smokestake city at candidates and the issues. the western tip of Lake Erie the Kramer, Sydelle A. Look-It- Give students “Where They epicenter of the presidential air Up Book of First Ladies Stand” on which to record the wars.” How would students like Easy-to-use format of lively information they find and to state to live in such an ad-saturated biographical sketches the main contrast they find between area? Do voters cease to listen positions. Information from these when they are bombarded daily? Mayo, Edith. Smithsonian charts may be used to produce Give students a copy of “Analysis Book of the First Ladies: Their a Venn diagram of shared posi- of Campaign Advertisements.” Lives, Times, and Issues tions and those that are distinct. This activity can be completed Highlights how the public’s expectations A more in-depth study might individually or in groups. As a formed the course of each woman’s life result by dividing students into warm-up exercise, one ad could be pairs or groups with each group studied with one third of the class Truman, Margaret. First Ladies: selecting a different issue to focusing on each segment. An Intimate Group Portrait research. Candidates’ positions, of the White House Wives statements of appropriate federal Get an Outlook Ingenious clusters of First Ladies show agencies and private companies, Elie Wiesel, author and college their public vs. private lives and the material produced by organizations professor, in “Mean Season” incredible demands of the First Lady’s job (for example, “America@work comments on the tenor of the produced by the AFL-CIO), inde- campaign. After reading his Pasten, Amy. First Ladies pendent sources and fact checking commentary that appeared Photo-filled guide to extraordi- groups should be reviewed. on the Post’s September 27, nary women who’ve left their 2004, op-ed page, the following Analyze Campaign Advertisements questions might be asked: mark on the White House Some campaign television adver- • Why does the current campaign tisements are classics (for example, disappoint and depress Wiesel? Thimmesh, Catherine. Madam Johnson’s 1964 “Merely Another • What happens when the President, the Extraordinary, Weapon” and his “Peace Little Girl” rhetoric becomes hateful and True (and Evolving) Story or “Daisy”) while others are being the attacks ad hominem? of Women in Politics churned out on a weekly basis in • Are the political adver- Captivating book illuminating the response to an opponent’s ad or tisements attacks rather than tenacity of First Ladies and other women statement. A study of campaigns or providers of positions on issues? who’ve paved the way for young women the election process is not complete leaders of tomorrow to ask the ques- without examining the impact of CONTINUED ON PAGE 4 tion: “Well, why not the presidency?” 3 October 20, 2004 VOLUME 4, ISSUE 2 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 post.com/wp-srv/politics/elec- Political Ads tions/2004/charting.html). • Do students agree that debates On Oct. 18, Florida, Ohio and http://livingroomcandidate. and stump speeches provide insults Pennsylvania were the three most movingimage.us/index.php instead of information and insight? visited states of both President The Living Room Candidate • Wiesel concludes that “what’s Bush and Senator Kerry. Study presidential campaign commer- at stake is the kind of world that cials, 1952-2004. Reflecting the use will be shaped by the vote of the Study Rights of the Internet as a campaign tool, American people in November.” A Marshall-Brennan Fellow this Web site also has a section, “The Agree with, disagree with or modify prepared the background paper and Desktop Candidate,” to view Internet his position in a short essay.