Doctor of Philosophy

dissertationThis study chronicles the first 40 years of appearances by presidential candidates on late-night talk television beginning with Nixon and Kennedy in 1960 to Bush and Gore in 2000. This dissertation exposes a historical trend in presidential campaigning and uncovers an increasing use of late-night talk television as a political communication forum. Media use and influence have evolved from campaign to campaign and by the 2000 campaign, late-night talk show appearances were seemingly obligatory. Presidential campaigns are important to the governance of our country and our democratic society. Through these elections, the authority of the government is given by the approval of the American people. The quality of any particular election is a function of the interplay among candidates, media and voters. The media's role in this process is the conduit disseminating information, which voters learn about their candidate. The changing media environment, where television has become the primary source of political information and changes in how news covers elections, has influenced candidate strategies creating the use of alternative media venues. In today's mass media culture, voters seem to want more than just speeches and policy papers from their candidates. They want to get to know them as people. Media uses have shifted towards the age of image politics with the consequence of millions of voters make their decisions about candidates based on personal characteristics and likeability. Research has shown that personal qualities or "likeability" are stronger predictors of voter choices than issues or ideology. Candidates are now opting to use alternative avenues like late-night talk shows to communicate their messages and sell their likeable images. These shows have become a more efficient means to an end. Today image politics dominate and entertainment television genres are a significant factor in election outcomes. Entertainment shows may be useful to sell a candidate's image but the benefit to the democratic process is debatable

The effects of debater styles on audiences during televised political debates

The goal of this study is to examine the effects of certain predetermined debate styles on television viewing audiences. The study used three separate gubernatorial debates with identical questionnaires attached to determine the behavioral traits viewers found most appealing in state level political candidates during organized, televised events. The author acknowledges that many studies of this nature are conducted on the national level. The author chose to analyze the same type of material on a lower level of government to determine what potential voters find appealing in state level potential elected officials. The study places the two selected candidates in competition with each other to allow study participants to select a final winner based on the areas asked to analyze. The study focused on external characteristics and personality traits only. This study has no political basis. The study is intended to serve as tool to future state level political candidates. It will describe and explain the platform presentation, attitude, and skills of political candidates potential voters support, with no interference from political platforms and policies

Music and the Presidency: How Campaign Songs Sold the Image of Presidential Candidates

In this thesis, I will discuss the importance of campaign songs and how they were used throughout three distinctly different U.S. presidential elections: the 1960 campaign of Senator John Fitzgerald Kennedy against Vice President Richard Milhouse Nixon, the 1984 reelection campaign of President Ronald Wilson Reagan against Vice President Walter Frederick Mondale, and the 2008 campaign of Senator Barack Hussein Obama against Senator John Sidney McCain. In doing so, there will be an analysis of how music was used to sell the image of these presidential candidates through both its juxtaposition with other forms of mass media (television advertisements, radio, internet streaming platforms) and the content found in a song\u27s lyrics. There will be an apparent shift in focus from candidates using original campaign songs written for the purpose of elections, toward a more prominent reliance on popular music of current and past eras. From original and politically direct works such as I Like Ike and Click with Dick, to the campaign use of popular hits like Bruce Springsteen\u27s Born in the U.S.A. and Fleetwood Mac\u27s Don\u27t Stop, I will demonstrate how presidential candidates and their teams found it beneficial to use notable music works in order to connect with a younger generation of voters. In conclusion, the reader will have gained enough understanding to realize how campaign music continues to play a role in the current political climate, demonstrating how far candidates have taken the use of music over the past sixty years

Building trust - from television to the internet : crowds, trust and digital engagement

In the late 1960s, American democracy entered a crisis of trust and declining civic engagement. Policy makers interested in rebuilding trust with the people have often resorted to new communication technologies, but the impact of these technologies is sometimes unclear. The research presented here found that the impact of novel communication technologies is sometimes over-rated and that too much significance has been placed on leadership charisma. Sound strategic and tactical plans are critical to a successful outcome of any trust building activity, as trust is not necessarily created and sustained through the same means. Second, such plans must regularly be revised, and require competent expert support to execute strategic goals. This work concludes that – at all levels of public leadership – a change in thinking about digital technology is required, and that such technologies should be approached as opportunities rather than threats. Such an approach helps identify and deploy creative solutions, and speaks to younger generations who are more likely to embrace new technologies.Public Polic

September 20, 2016

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/thedmonline/2011/thumbnail.jp

Political Rhetoric and the Media: The Year in C-SPAN Research, Volume 8

This volume of The Year in C-SPAN Archives Research features analyses of the C-SPAN Video Library, a digital collection of 275,000 hours of indexed videos, texts, and spoken words. Included in this volume are papers on Rev. Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaign, rhetorical analysis of agriculture policy, and an examination of Senator Edward Kennedy’s positions on health care. The text also contains analysis of the “spectacle of committee hearings” and a look at the visuals used in the second Trump impeachment trial

The Democratization of the Democratic Party: An Analysis of Democratic Party Reform 1972 - 2008

Frustration over the undemocratic nature of the 1968 Democratic Party presidential nominating contest set forth a reform movement that forever changed the Democratic Party and America’s political system. The resulting Committee on Party Structure and Delegate Selection (better known as the McGovern-Fraser Commission), at the direction of the 1968 convention, opened the Democratic Party to those outside of the Democratic establishment. The next 14 years would see a struggle between the Democratic Party establishment and “outsiders” over who would control the Democratic Party and its nominating process. This study examines the four major Democratic Party nominating process reform commissions over the 1970s and 1980s (McGovern-Fraser, Mikulski, Winograd, and Hunt) and whether or not each commission responded proportionately to perceived challenges from preceding election cycles. Additionally, this document provides analysis through the lens of the most recent Democratic Party nominating contest to prove that despite a strong role for the Democratic Party establishment, the current nominating system does not conflict with the original goals of Democratic Party reformers

Mr. Presidential Candidate: Whom Would You Nominate?

Presidential candidates compete on multiple fronts for votes. Who is more likeable? Who will negotiate more effectively with allies and adversaries? Who has the better vice-presidential running mate? Who will make better appointments to the Supreme Court and the cabinet? This last question is often discussed long before the inauguration, for the impact of a secretary of state or a Supreme Court justice can be tremendous. Despite the importance of such appointments, we do not expect candidates to compete on naming the better slates of nominees. For the candidates themselves, avoiding competition over nominees in the pre-election context has personal benefits—in particular, enabling them to keep a variety of supporters working hard on the campaign in the hope of being chosen as nominees. But from a social perspective, this norm has costs. This Article proposes that candidates be induced out of the status quo. In the current era of candidates responding to internet queries and members of the public asking questions via YouTube, it is plausible that the question—“Whom would you nominate (as secretary of state or for the Supreme Court)?”—might be asked in a public setting. If one candidate is behind in the race, he can be pushed to answer the question—and perhaps increase his chances of winning the election