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.

Campaign Commercials – Newt Gingrich and Barack Obama

via World Press

Recently in government we have been studying about Elections and the basic information about it. I have seen a big change on how presidential commercials make such an impact to many people in so many different ways. I have also been examining the ways the candidates have persuaded people from the past and the present, and how many of these things have changed in all these years. It has been a very interesting subject to me how the presidential candidates can persuade people in such ways through their ads and commercials. Before this assignment I had never knew about the persuasion that was happening to them during the Presidential elections.

These commercials and ads persuade people in many different ways for the “Yes We Can”ads it was very inspirational to the people that dreamed of how if its possible anything can happen. Over 80% of america in 2008 thought that the country was heading in the wrong direction. With this ad it made people think differently, and how that the future was bright and it could be fixed for a better way. With my research I could see that persuasion is happening to everyone in each ad makes it own point either for good or bad, but for Barack Obama was trying to make people think definitely and he did a good way with this. Barack Obama was very good with his commercials which made him as popular as any president.

Newt Gingrich Campaighns

Obama was focusing on change but other republican candidates today are focusing on other type things like gas prices. Newt gingrich had an ad about trying to lower the gas prices even though some of his claims were crazy to other. Newt Gingrich add about “2.50 per gallon” was a great idea for this year campaign because that is one of the major things people are complaining about today. He did a great job getting into people’s mind that there is a chance Americans could pay 2.50 at the pump. That’s what made people like him more because he didn’t attack people, but he made it something about him which he could help. He was trying to persuade people by giving them more jobs and cheaper prices due to America not having to depend on foreign countries for supplies. All in all Newt had one of the greatest ideas using a campaign ad which could have gave him a push to persuade people with cheap prices and jobs.

I have learned a lot about campaign commercials which have really helped broaden my ideas on this coming election. I have figured out that many of republican have ads which ridicule their opposing candidate. I think that the real candidates are the true ones in which the campaign about what they are doing and not other people. Today America can be changed by modern day propaganda which can persuade and make people think differently about candidates, but people should try thinking differently like i did this year by learning about campaign commercials.