Improving Voter Participation

Voter participation is very low. While America defines itself as a democracy, it is hard to back this assertion up when such little of its population participates in electing the leaders of our country. According the CNN, only approximately 51% of our population votes, a staggering low number. Citizens feel that their vote really doesn’t matter in the large scheme of things, however the democracy of the United States is hurt by not having a majority of the population voting. I believe that this lack of participation is embarrassing, and I am relieved that people are addressing this issue and examine way to fix it. 

As an eighteen-year old high school student, the most humiliating statistic is the number of eligible youth voters. Jessica Babtsite reports that only 42% of eligible voters between ages eighteen to twenty-four vote. Personally, it does not surprise me that this number is so low. It seems as if politicians have neglected to reach out and connect the young people of America, and they have left us hanging. Most kids are indifferent about how our country is run, mostly because people have never cared to inform them. However, the problem is on both sides. Young people need to understand that it is pertinent to participate in the democracy that America has provided, and politicians need to understand that the young people of American have opinions and they do matter.
In 1990, an organization called Rock the Vote was created to improve the statistic of youth voting. The program informed kids, and encouraged them to vote. This program also awoken the politicians, and made them understand how necessary it is to address the youth of America. In 1992, just two years after the program started, there was nearly a 20% increase in youth voting. In 2004, 1.2 million young people voted in the presidential election. In 2008, 2.25 million young people voted. However in 2012, the level of youth voting stayed the same. As numbers have increased though, there is no doubt in my mind that despite the recent turnout in 2012, numbers in youth participation will continue to rise.

Social media has as well begun to influence voter turn out. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, blogs, vlogs, and Youtube, and email have all greatly manipulated not only the Presidential elections, but also any government election across the world. In an article on Voice of America, an online news site, James Fowler proclaims just how social media can influence an election. He says that he once received an email that said, “There was also a link that you could click on that allowed you to look up your polling place. And in some of the messages we also showed people the pictures of their friends who

Social Media

had clicked on the ‘I Voted’ button earlier in the day.” Social media affects both sides of elections, the voters and the candidates. Voters can become very informed on any candidate within seconds, as well as develop opinions on candidates within seconds. Social media has allowed voters to connect to their candidates like never before. On the other hand, candidates can also connect with their people like never before as well. They can get a feel for what the people are feeling and what people’s opinions are. Through social media, it is much easier for candidates to conform to the idea of everyone, rather than just the people they meet face to face. All of the connections created by social media have definitely influenced voter turnout, and it has definitely increased the numbers.

There is no doubt in my mind that by addressing the issue of voter participation and creating ways to improve numbers such as Rock the Vote or social media tactics, voter participation will continue to rise. I predict that both youth participation and total voter turnout will be at its greatest percentage by the 2016 elections. I know I will definitely be voting for the first time!

Red, White and Blue… and Rainbow too?

 

This week President Barack Obama announced his support of same-sex marriage to the public. He said that ” it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think same-sex couples should be able to get married” because his personal views are “evolving” with the modern time and that he wants to progress our country forward socially. The Constitution never specifically stated that marriages should only be between a man and a woman and it never discriminated against anyone due to their sexual orientation. Obama was only supporting the people’s right to live their life freely and keeping politics out of the social aspects of the country. His radical actions may have an impact in his 2012 campaignin November due to the views of the swing states. Those that oppose say that marriage is a sacred entity and it should only be between a man and a woman. Honestly, I think that marriage should just be about commitment between two people who love each other and honor the marital bonds by marrying for the right reasons and staying together for as long as possible. There is nothing sacred about a divorce. Of course, that is my own opinion and everyone is entitled to have differing views.

Game-Plan Change for 2012 Campaign

For example, North Carolina recently banned same-sex marriage and it received many young people opposing it regardless of their political party preference, which gives Obama’s campaign some hope because the future generation supports the equality for all sexual-orientations. I think President Obama’s timing was a little off with his announcement putting his campaign in jeopardy, but maybe the social issue of equality will overcome the political barriers and unite the new generation on the path to progress. President Obama’s campaign relies on his voters’ priority of social issues rather than other key components that fundamentally separate the political parties. However, President Obama feels confident in his actions because he feels as though he has support from talking with students who are the future of America. President Obama states that “when I go to college campuses, sometimes I talk to college Republicans who think that I have terrible policies on the economy, on foreign policy, but are very clear that when it comes to same-sex equality or, you know, sexual orientation, that they believe in equality,” he said. Regardless of the political parties, many people support marriage equality which gives hope to the future of our country and maybe President Obama’s 2012 campaign.

However, there are Obama-supporters that do not support gay marriage and many say that it is possible that he could lose their support with his statement. And however much national attitudes may be shifting, the issue remains highly contentious among black and Latino voters, two groups central to Mr. Obama’s success. Polls show that gay marriage is not a huge concern to swing voters and majority voters, but it might jeopardize his once “locked-in” minority voters.  New York Times Analyst Adam Nagourney states that “In truth, Republicans and Democrats are hardly sure whether this will be a deciding issue in any state, given how pressing economic concerns are, particularly in the swing states” meaning that many voters will not see this as an issue in the upcoming election and that they will instead focus on more important issues like the economy, for example.On Perry Bacon Jr’s Democratic blog Red, Black and Blue,he stated that “African-Americans voters, according to polls, are more likely to oppose gay marriage than other Democratic blocs of the electorate” which could be a huge factor in President Obama’s probability of being reelected. It is practically impossible to predict the outcome of the 2012 election based off of one issue, many components effect who will be the next President of the United States. Personally, I think Obama made a politically risky move because unfortunately there are still many people who do not think that all people should be granted the same rights and are  seriously offended and uncomfortable by Persident Obama’s announcement.

Only Got 30 Seconds to Save A Life

Emotion, persuasion, truth, and style: the keys to a successful campaign ad. Media is saturated with news, opinions, and entertainment as it reaches everywhere, from our televisions, to our phones. TV commercials are the only thing remaining that gives a presidential candidate full control over his image. So what makes a persuasive, yet entertaining presidential campaign? My answer: one that helps citizens to understand what the potential president would actually do. Giving such information enhances presidential accountability.

What can a president do? Make his or her priorities clear. Will he or she promote alternative energy, tax cuts, etc?

Presidents pursue their campaign plan so the answer to this question really matters. Presidents work to follow through with their key plan because the issues that they emphasize most in their campaign appeals are the issues they emphasize most in their first year in office.

Because every four years we collectively forget what presidents do, most criticism of presidential candidates and campaigns by journalists and specialists misses the mark. We complain that presidential candidates and their campaigns spend too much time attacking one another or that they don’t disagree clearly enough. However, candidates can reveal their agenda priorities in vague or negative appeals, too. In addition, if negative campaigns keep people engaged and vague claims keep them optimistic, then citizens are more likely to hear the competing agendas.

Effective political ads use sounds and images to communicate information, advance an argument, and affect voters emotionally, all in a very short period of time—frequently just 30 seconds. Ad makers must therefore use all of the cinematic tools at their disposal (video, images, voiceovers, sound and visual effects, music, titles, and editing) to win voters’ hearts and minds.

It only takes 30 seconds.

President Obama Supports Gay Marriage: Why He Did It and What It Means

Recently, it has made headline news that President Barack Obama has announced his support for the marriage of a LGBT couple. I know that a lot of my fellow classmates have already spoken about this but hopefully I will be able to keep this interesting and shed some light on the subject. In our government studies this year, several topics have caught my eye but one has been the use of campaign commercials and the relationship of the political parties. Hopefully I can examine the reasoning behind his decision to support gay marriage.

Vice President Joe Biden also came out and supported gay marriage three days earlier than . When I heard President Barack Obama’s comments, I had a few thoughts. I thought that maybe Barack Obama felt pressured into also supporting gay marriage just because his vice president supported as well. I also thought that maybe Vice President Biden stole President Obama’s thunder by supporting gay marriage just days before the President. It turns out that both the former and the latter might be true. According to The New York Times, Vice President apologized to President Obama for, “hastening him into an endorsement of same-sex marriage, several people briefed on the exchange said Thursday, even as the White House sought to capitalize in the campaign on Mr. Obama’s long-awaited expression of support” (1). The campaign of President Obama really wanted to be progressive and support gay marriage but Biden called a press conference first and his views were much different than Obama’s views. Even though President Obama’s support has been highly analyzed, Biden made the headlines first and some people have questions about President Obama’s motives. I don’t doubt that President Obama supports gay marriage, but I think he was forced into saying it by his fellow party members.

President Obama is now the first President of the United States to support gay marriage, but it does not necessary mean anything for the legalization in America of gay marriage. Sean Eldridge, senior adviser at Freedom to Marry, told Yahoo News, “Today is more about moral leadership and less about policy. I don’t think his statement will immediately translate into policy since marriage still is for the most part a state issue” (2). Eldridge brings up some good points. If marriage is mostly a state issue, it would take a while to make the 6 states that allow it to become 50. The President has shown support of LGBT in the past; this statement didn’t come out of nowhere. He ended the  ban of openly gay members to be in the military. He also, “supports the repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act, and he ordered the Justice Department last year to abandon the law’s defense” (2). Now that President Obama supports gay marriage, he is the best hope for the LGBT community to earn the right to get married. Although it could be just a political ploy, it seems like President Obama is trying his best to allow gay marriage in America even though he may not be ready to cope with the thought of it yet.

Obama said that he recently changed his mind when he spoke with openly LGBT members of the military. He has a track record with being supportive of gay rights and equality for all, but it is still unclear whether this is a political ploy or a truthful acknowledgment. Well, it’s both. The timing is good for his campaign and Joe Biden also came out and supported it, both signs that it could be a political act. His track record, however, proves that he does in fact support gay rights. Honestly, it is up to the reader to decide what his ulterior motives are and what he truly believes.

1.http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/11/us/politics/obama-campaign-tries-to-capitalize-on-marriage-issue.html?_r=1&smid=tw-share

2. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/OTUS/obamas-gay-marriage-views-policyabout-moral-leadership-advocate/story?id=16314661#.T7JenZ9YthM

Your Vote Is Your Voice

Throughout our Government and Economics course this year, we spent a great deal of time focusing on elections, specifically the essential question, “Do elections express the hopes and concerns of average Americans?” With the 2012 elections coming upon us quickly, voter participation is a huge part of average American citizens expressing their needs hopes and wants for the future of this country. However, in recent elections, there has been a lack of voter participation (the Illinois Primary is just one example) causing the voices of the citizens to vanish.

Americans want to express their opinions, but there are many distractions and difficulties when it comes to voting, causing a lack of voter participation. One example is attitudinal change, which is increased distrust and alienation. Negative attitudes towards politics are increasing year after year causing a modest turnout. Americans are becoming less and less confident about their own role in changing the government so they simply choose not to vote. What Americans do not realize is if they do not vote, their voice has no chance of being heard.

Another example that causes less and less voter participation is the Lifestyle Change Theory. This theory talks about how our lives are just too busy and we are too distracted to really jump into politics. This argument, all in all, suggests that we are too distracted by the media, new technologies and our jobs to be involved in politics. If American’s let their lives get the best of them and they choose not to vote, they will have no impact on the election.

Lastly, the role of the news media today seems to have a significant impact on the lack of voter participation. Today, anything that grabs the public attention seems to be fair game to the media, but people feel the media is attacking politicians for coverage and popularity, whereas in the past, the politician’s personal life was kept out of the news. When people only hear only the negatives about the candidates, it causes a lack of confidence in the candidate and causes the people to not want to vote. 

In this November’s presidential election, votes will be crucial.” Campaign participation in all its forms, from voting to watching debates, is likely to continue its downward slide” according to Thomas E. Patterson, the Bradlee Professor of Government and the Press at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government. American’s everywhere deserve for their voices to be heard, which is something that has had an impact on me throughout my time in Government class. Voter Participation will be essential in the 2012 presidential elections – people need to vote for their voices to be heard.

Campaigning: A Race to See Who Is…. Not the Worst?

As we wrap up the year in our government class, we aim to apply the things we have learned to real life situations. One topic we studied as campaigning and campaign strategies. One could look at Reagan, Bush, JFK, or any of our former presidents for that matter, and he or she could see the use of campaign ads or anything to push his campaign over another’s. The presidential elections are getting nearer and nearer which means that more and more campaign ads and other pushes to get a vote are being used. Recently, President Obama released a short clip

slamming Mitt Romney in regard to job losses in the past and Romney’s “plan” for the future. As I talked about (as well as many others) in my last blog post, media has a tremendous effect on the presidential race today because of how many people see it. This ad portrays a dark and solemn tone to represent a not-so-bright future under Romney. Because of what we have studied in our class time, I now have a more solid viewpoint on what this ad really means and what it actually does in regard to President Obama’s campaign. Honestly, if I was to be watching TV in the past and this clip came on, I probably would have done one of two things: either change the channel or just zone out completely for a little bit until it was over. Now, I can actually watch it, know what they’re talking about, and form my own opinion about it, which in this case, I see that President Obama is right when criticizing Romney.

Because of the influence that politicians have on voters, they can say so many things about themselves or other candidates to get people to vote for them.

Moreover, back to the campaign ad and its relevance, this isn’t all that the President, or Mitt Romney even, have done to criticize one another. President Obama has ads like the one about steel workers above, as well as videos like “When Mitt Romney Came To Town”, while at the same time, Crossroads Generation, an organization that supports Mitt Romney, recently released a video criticizing President Obama and the issue of student debt. Things are getting heated. Debate is starting. Every four years, this point in time is reached where it turns into a free-for-all and the candidates throw jabs and sometimes uppercuts at each other. This is that point in time. With all the possible ways to get under candidates’ skin and blast them, it turns into a criticism-fest. As if the campaign ads weren’t enough, the Obama administration made a website solely to poke at Romney in relation to his responsibility for job losses. All of these forms of campaigning are used to cause mass flow of information to voters so that they have everything at their disposure. All of this can be linked to Richard Neustadt’s claim of presidential persuasion. A president must persuade those in his cabinet, but that is once he is in office. A presidential candidate and his or her administration must not only dig up information on other candidates that would shoot him or her down, but they must also be able to persuade their audience in order to get their votes.

Presidential elections have and always will be about who can make the other look the worst. It will always be about who can say “Look at me. I’m not going to give you everything, but I’m sure as heck better than that guy”, and then have everyone that hears him believe it. This is the epitome of campaigning and its effect on the voters. It’s giving voters the opportunity to form an opinion, just like I have learned to be able to do by taking this class.

Don’t Let Your Voice Go to Waste

Throughout this trimester, I have learned a great deal of new material. Some I had no clue even existed or went on in our world, like every little step in the election process, from the Iowa Caucus all the way to voting day. There is so much effort and time that is being put into the campaigns. I now have so much respect for the candidates with the devotion of their time they put into everything. With all the time and effort the candidates put into the elections, the LEAST we could do is go vote on voting day. Besides, not everyone is granted this privilege to have a say, so we need to take advantage of this opportunity.

http://www.yourdictionary.com/images/articles/lg/379.PresidentialElection.jpg

One of the first things the candidates do is the Iowa Caucus. The Iowa caucuses are noteworthy for the amount of media attention they receive during U.S. presidential election years. Since 1972, the Iowa caucuses have been the first major electoral event of the nominating process for President of the United States. What the candidates do in the caucus is get more familiar with the people in Iowa in hopes to gain their votes. Since Iowa is relatively smaller than other states, this really gives the people the opportunity to really get to know the candidates better. Since they know the candidates on a more personal level, they have a better grasp of what kind of people the candidates really are and have very influential votes. For this reason, makes the Iowa Caucus a very reliable source to predict the future, because eight out of eleven elections, the candidate who won the Caucus ended up winning the whole presidency. The candidates put in a lot of effort, attempting to visit as many cities and make as many speeches and broadcasts as possible in order to get their ideas out in the open.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Iowa-StateSeal.svg

Another task the candidates have to go through is advertising. The candidates go from house to house, promoting their ideas and hopes for our country. One important key point the candidates try to accomplish, is promote their ideas to the swing states. By mainly focusing on the swing states, they hope to gain more votes. A swing state is a state in which no single candidate or party has overwhelming support in securing that state’s Electoral College votes. Candidates try to win over the swing states’ Electoral College votes so they can add those votes with the other votes that they normally receive from the strong conservatives or strong liberals. Candidates also have to make campaign commercials, but first they have to raise money in order to make these commercials. The candidates put a lot of time into raising money. Once, they have collected enough, they then have to put effort into actually making the campaign commercials. Campaign commercials are not easy to make, because they have to intrigue the viewers to stay attentive while watching it.

All of these exhausting events finally lead up to the voting day, where we the people voice our opinion on who we think would better our country. After all the candidates’ hard work and effort, only one can ultimately win. Our government taught me the vigorous elections process and all the little steps in between. It has also taught me the importance of our voice and how important it is to use it by voting.

Who can get More Dirt on Who?

This year in government we have studied election and how people campaign.  Campaign videos have become a big thing that can help a candidate gain votes.  Earlier this year we did an activity where we had to watch campaign videos and identify the tone, argument, and emotional appeal.  Through watching these videos I realized that videos can have a big impact on a campaign and how the voter feels.  These videos added insight to how a video can greatly affect a voter.  For example the “Prouder, Stronger, Better” add by Ronald Reagan was a great video because it made you feel like he made America great and after that video I found myself thinking I would have voted for him if i was alive then. The video below shows what a great campaign video looks like and why great videos can change thoughts about someone.    

After studying these videos I realized that they have a great impact on what people think about that person as a candidate.  While the video above is a great video and shows so many reasons why Ronald Reagan would be a great president not all videos today follow that path.  Today the elections and campaigning is all about who can dig up more dirt on who and make the other candidate look bad to the public. It has almost become something of which people want to make there appearance better to the public than their opposition.  The fact is that politics has become dirty and been made into something that it wasn’t in the past.  When one starts to run for office it is almost as if he must know that sometime during his campaign his opposition will or will try to bring out something dirt about him and try to hurt his campaign.

An example that has just come out recently is how President Obama released a six minute video on the internet talking about all the bad things the Mitt Romney has done in his business days.  There is also a shorter television version of the video that will be showed in the states of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Iowa, and Colorado all of which are considered swing states.    This video was released to try to sway votes toward Obama by making Romney look bad in the process.  In this video it is talked about how Romney costed many people their jobs for his own personal gain but what they leave out it Mitt Romney’s side of the story.  Mitt Romney states that he was not in charge of this because he was in charge of the Olympic Committee.  This video is a clear stab at Mitt Romney trying to gain more votes for Obama.  This is a dirt way to gain votes and in my opinion does not reflect well upon Obama.

This video is discussed in an article in USA Today where they talked about how it was a dirty video from Obama.  While I agree that this video is very dirty and wasn’t needed I will say that I know that both sides in campaigns play dirty.  Mitt Romney is probably guilty of some dirty advertising as well but in my opinion I think that both sides should cut it out.  No one likes people who play dirty and so I personally think that people should play fair and cut out all of this “Dirty play”.  What we need is everyone to go back to to advertising like Ronald Reagan.  His video “Prouder, Stronger, Better” was a great example of how to campaign and people need to model after that from now on.

Making Students into Educated Voters

American citizens value politics and government more than any other category of popular focus.  Government and politics fill the vast majority of news Americans tune into consistently throughout the day.

Governmental references are seen in cartoons, books, movies, satires, music, and any other form of entertainment that you might be able to think of.  You might hear conversations involving an election or a new policy being discussed at the table next to you when you go out to dinner.  Why are Americans so into the American government?

Americans value government because their beliefs are what fuel the nation and what it chooses to do.  It is clear why public education of politics and government is so crucial to the success and the strength of the nation.  I believe educating students in government will help create intellectual and reasonable voters which will be the foundation for the government in the future.  This is why I believe government class is the most important class I can take at Parish.

This unit, we have learned about how the American government works.  We have reviewed political parties, elections, congress, and the overall foundation of the American government.  I have found the elections section the most interesting because it truly seems candidates fight to beat the person running against them rather than to just win.  For example, we watched campaign commercials from the Reagan, Clinton, Obama, McCain, Bush, and Nixon.  I found it interesting how candidates such as Nixon and McCain only contradict their opponents beliefs without putting forward their solutions to the problem their opponents address.  Watch McCain’s commercial attacking Obama here.  While some choose to attack, some choose to advertise themselves rather than the faults of their opponents.  I prefer these commercials because I feel the candidate is mature and is self-dependent on his own success rather than his opponent’s.  I feel as if the commercials attacking the candidate’s opponent is somewhat of propaganda, which makes me dislike that person on a sense of him being immature and childish.  Watch President Reagan’s commercial in which he supports himself here.

Because we reviewed these previous commercials, I can see the resemblance in the current presidential election.  I remember seeing the Florida debate between Gingrich and Romney fighting over who invested their own personal money in Freddie Mac while Ron Paul finally butt in telling them to stop arguing over stupid things just to make the other candidate look bad.  See the debate here.  At the top of the page is a political cartoon I found amusing because it illustrates what the two republican candidates chose to argue about in front of a huge number American voters.   This unit has really allowed me to see the candidates deeper than what I was able to see before.  I have used what I learned in this unit to select a candidate who I believe would be the best president, which shows how this unit has helped me mature in my knowledge and judgement in politics.

We have also learned about the electorate college and the criticism it receives.  After reading entries from Walter Berns and Richard J. Durbin, I have learned about the pros and cons of the electorate college.  I personally don’t agree with the electorate college because I think it’s original purpose of protection from the uneducated public doesn’t apply to modern times.  Reading about the costs and benefits of the electorate college, a major costs is the sub-committees which over power the individual electorate. I can understand more clearly why newly elected politicians have trouble getting what they mentioned during their elections put into action.  Newly elected electorates are “shut out” by sub-committees which join together to progress their views over the ones who aren’t in their sub-committee.  I’ve enjoyed reading their works and they have helped gain an understanding of our electorate college.

I believe this year’s Government class has achieved what it was designed to do.  I have gained a greater knowledge and interest in how the Government functions.  This unit has lead me to read the news and have a better understanding of what I’m reading.  I would highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to become more involved and interested in politics, the news, or the current American community in general.  Government has shaped me into a confident voter and has achieved it’s goal of interesting me in the nation.

The Effects of Campaign Commercials

At first glance, campaign commercials seem to be just like every other ad on television or the internet. However, every aspect of a campaign commercial is meticulously thought of to come up the right balance of persuasion and communication to affect their audience. The effectiveness of the ad and how the message is communicated to the American public is important and can be a very influential part of the political process. In most people’s eyes, the television commercials during a campaign may not be the most significant issue, but with the average American watching 151 hours of television per month, commercials might be the most effective way of spreading candidate’s ideas. The study of campaign commercials showed the effectiveness and diversity of tactics used in elections to promote a candidate.

In the political spectrum, campaign commercials prove to be one of the most influential forms of promoting a candidate. It is extremely apparent that media has become rampant within all aspects of society and there is no difference in the political process. The impact of an ad can swing the vote one way or another. The expression of the candidate’s ideas and policies summed up in less than a minute has the ability to change voter’s minds. Our society has become one that enjoys quick, direct points rather than long, drawn out arguments and the means of communication to the public have changed with campaign commercials.  Arthur Sanders of Drake University argues that “They (TV ads) are the most powerful way still to reach voters who are only paying limited attention to a campaign. … People who see TV ads usually end up knowing more about candidates than people who don’t. The public is persuaded by ads; they pay attention to ads.” Sander reiterates the impact that these commercials can have on the public. During the 2008 Presidential election there were 29,000 political television ads aired in Virginia and 20,000 in New Jersey (two swing states), according to Taegan Goddard’s Political Wire. This is a testament to the importance placed on the commercials.

The main objective of campaign commercials is to attract voters, especially the undecided voters.  An effective ad must appeal to emotions, be persuasive, be truthful, and effectively utilize style. To achieve the desired emotional effect, the ad needs to establish a strong tone that clearly advances its argument and the effect of that argument, while being clear in how the producer wants viewers to feel. Persuasion is the main goal of the ad; to persuade voters, a central issue should be clearly defined and the importance of this issue should be effectively demonstrated to make an argument that convinces with logic and evidence. A candidate must be trusted to be elected and their commercials should prove his/her trustworthiness. Their commercial should present multiple specific factual claims with clear references to reliable sources. The cinematic style also plays an impact on the effectiveness of an ad. The use of video, photographs, sounds, music, editing, and transitions can be used to successfully communicate political ideas while creating a powerful dramatic effect.

The effectiveness of campaign commercials plays a vital role in political process. The support of candidates can ride on the way these commercials are presented to the public. With media becoming more influential in today’s society, candidates will be paying more attention to their ads on television.

To view more information on campaign commercials and to see prior Presidential campaign ads, visit http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/

The lasting image of Dwight D Eisenhower's commercial in 1952.

Dwight Eisenhower was the first Presidential candidate to use television to promote his campaign ads. The image above is from the first Presidential campaign commercial ever; it aired in 1952.