Political Communication Final USD

Campaign Techniques

(broadcast, polling, phone banks, direct mail, internet)

Define Heuristics

A perspective that says democracy involves a competition among elite groups and influential political parties. It emphasizes that citizens can fulfill their democratic function simply by exercising their opportunity to vote for or against different elites. Heuristics are mental shortcuts that people use to make political decisions

Phone Banks

Allow campaign workers to make personal contact with voters Target uncommitted or weakly committed voters

3 Stages of ad strategy

Awareness Stage→ voter recognition, gaps in knowledge, voters influenced by character Discrimination Stage→ strengths vs. weaknesses, attack ads Post decision Stage→ reinforcement, boost moral, raise funds

Televised Candidate Debates

Began with the famous 1960 Kennedy-Nixon clash Allow candidates to reach undecided voters Increase visibility of lesser-known candidates

Characteristics of Online Campaigns

Candidate websites are sleek and interactive, bearing no resemblance to the dull, chunky, linear websites of elections gone by. Social networking plays a key role in the online campaign. Contemporary campaigns regularly place videos and political ads on YouTube, guaranteeing publicity in the online world and avoiding the costs of television ads. The speed and pulse of campaigning have quickened producing a fast-paced environment characterized by instantaneous messaging. Contemporary political are increasingly characterized by ever-more specialized uses of political persuasion techniques. *New Tools (social media and networking sites) aren't really making us better informed citizens*

Debates serve three different functions.

Candidates - key opportunities to win over undecided voters and to reinforce voters who have already make a decision concerning who they will vote for. Don't want to educate the electorate Exploit debates to achieve concrete political objectives Voters- decide which candidate best serves their interest, shares their values, how candidate might perform as president. Partisan Activists- shore up the base and articulate strategies to appeal to swing voters. Politically interested voters- stimulate conversation, sometimes funny and edgy conversations on social media and via twitter Less Involved voter- like stock car races, where you cheer for your driver and secretly hope an exciting minor accident will occur, in the form of a gaffe or good committed by the opposing candidate. Larger Political System- represent the only live, real time forum in which candidates stand side by side, discussing policy issues. Potential leaders before citizens (unmediated forum) No consultants Not screened or edited by journalistic gatekeepers. Exercises in civic education that help perspectives on vexing problems.

Talk show interviews

Candidates can use interviews on TV and radio talk shows to reach the large audiences drawn to this popular entertainment program format.

Transfer (association, the prestige heuristic)

Carries the respect and authority of something respected to something else to make the latter accepted. Also works with something that is disrespected to make the latter rejected - Goes both ways.

Attack ads:

Closing weeks of the campaign Question opponent's character or judgement

Glittering generalities

Colorful term for the appealing but vague words that often appears in prop. Obama "Yes we can" pretty much every slogan; "make America great again". No reasoning, no substantial information, emotional phrases that stir something p inside of us but not in a logical way. Can make or break a products or reputation of a candidates campaign. 10-second sound bites, twitter word count -Words include: change, patriotism, liberty, strong nation, victory, security, equality, strength

Figures of Speech

Concepts for improving political knowledge through changes in our political media- As discussed by iyengar

4th Estate & Functions of Press

Define : The first amendment guarantees freedom speech as well as not interfering with the press. (not sure if we need more for this but it can be found many places). The 4th estate is said to be the media, they are seen as the watchdog and to inform the citizens on issues that are going on. In order to be an effective citizen one must have basic info on the subject. Significance: democracy requires informed citizens. No governing body can be expected to operate well without knowledge of the issues on which it is to rule, and rule by the people entails that the people should be informed. Functions: Gov't Watchdog Clarify gov't choices > understand what choices we have Provide information for informed citizenry.

Political Satire (essay question)

Definition of Satire: A form of humor that employs ridicule to expose people's foibles, and irony, a complex comedic device that uses language to suggest an incongruity between the surface and deeper meaning of an event. Significance: Political Satire is an approach of political socialization. Political Satire has been a very key role in political socialization because it attracts the attention of audiences all ages. It can be found in late night shows while the kids are sleeping to the cartoons kid watch on Saturday mornings. While some people think that political satire can be negative because some audiences won't take it as satire but seriously, political satire is meant towards people who are aware of current issues and events or to spark interest in the audience to research or learn more about the topics and jokes. Example: The Daily Show with Jon Stewart is a perfect example of political satire because it blends news with political humor. While Jon Stewart talks about important facts and issues he uses a humorous approach that appeals to audiences. With the use of political satire, Jon Stewart seeks to promote viewers to engage in critical thinking about politics. Jon Stewart's use of political satire on his show caught audience's attention during the Bush administration and the war in Iraq. A scandal came out of soldiers torturing Iraqi prisoners. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld was reluctant to call the behavior torture in his speech. Stewart spoke on the issue by using language similar to Rumsfeld but actually acknowledging that it was torture. Tina's Fey's spoof of Sarah Palin in 2008

Cons of negative ads

Dispirits voters/demobilize people reduces trust rewards and promotes oppositional research boomerang: can hurt both candidates not effective on partisans shouldn't be too negative or too offensive

Biographical ads:

Early in the campaign Designed to acquaint voters with appealing aspects of their backgrounds

Campaigns- Communicator Qualities

Expertise knowledge, political experience, and ability Trustworthiness integrity, honesty, character, safety, and predisposition Goodwill perceived caring, empathy, and understanding

Mobilizing supporters

Facilitating a user's efforts to involve another actor in the campaign's goals and objectives Getting people to get others involved in the campaign Basic model: Send information to friends Distribute campaign brochures Call potential supporters Obamas on Iphones Opportunity to make calls in battleground states Information about the campaign Updates on local events Users statistics and standings

False dilemma

Fallacy is known by many name including "black and white thinking" "false dichotomy" and "false choice" Reducing a complex argument to a small number of alternatives and concluding that only one option is appropriate. Ex. Syrian refugees (not allowing them into the USA = the only option) In reality there are many possibilities that go unmentioned One product always works and the other never works One group intends to save the country, and the other is trying to ruin it The propagandist oversimplifies the situation and denies the existence of any neutral ground: "You are either an ally or an enemy" "You are either with us or you are with the terrorists" - Bush False dilemma: just because you don't want the war doesn't mean you don't respect and honor the soldiers. People speaking out against the war seen as not "with us" In the real world, most issues are not so simple and black and white. The more you are political aware and educated, the less likely you will fall for these techniques

5 Prescriptions of Improving Debates

Focus each debate on one topic, such as Medicare, how to expand economic opportunities for young people, climate control, or gun violence. Center the debate on a specific proposition. These could include: Should Medicare be replaced by private insurance? Etc.. Give candidates more time to develop and answer questions Consider innovative formats, such as a standard 45 minute candidate debate, followed by a British Parliamentary-style debate, with Congressional leaders asking tough questions of the opposition candidate. Feature a national contest, in which young people compete to ask the most non-standard, but thoughtful questions. Winners would get the opportunity to ask their questions, along with a follow up.

Techniques of Propaganda:

Goes back to WW1 and WW2... Nazi Germany Post wartime in USA - anti communism propaganda, fearing Japan Persuasive widespread message designed to represent the interests of a particular group. Attempts to bypass logic through faulty reasoning and emotional appeals Intentional brainwashing and persuasion that is not straightforward. Found in speeches, in debates, in articles, movies, TV shows and movies. FB and twitter: propaganda all you can do because there is a limit to how much you can say (character count) Giving someone else control over our thoughts and actions, preying on our fears and emotions to persuade us into their corner Crucial to be able to identify propaganda when you see it: media literacy. Once you are open to it then you can base decisions not on emotions and fear Rather than giving a course of action, they can describe a frightening scenario

Testimonial

Having some respected or hated person say that a given idea or program, product or person is good or bad.

Explain cognitive dissonance, selective exposure, retention and perception

Hostile media bias: we don't want discomfort in listening to other sides of the political spectrum Cognitive dissonance: A level of discomfort in watching something that doesn't align with your beliefs Selective exposure: listening to what you want to hear Selective retention: if you are exposed to something uncomfortable, you only remember what you want to/certain aspects of it Selective perception: You can perceive things differently than somebody else who is watching the same thing

Define Political Knowledge

How informed you are about politics, what you as a citizen know about what is at stake in politics, what your alternatives are, and also what your opinions are on political issues.

Involving

Involvement between site producer and site visitor To cultivate supporters and volunteers Basic model: Sign up sheets Volunteerism Campaign donations Transaction: email, blogs, polls, provide contact info 3. Gain enthusiasm

Civic Engagement and Issues

Is a problem with young people today, getting people interested and excited about politics, we can use satire, social networking, political knowledge is related to it. It's really important for democracy to exist. In the U.S., our political framework requires citizens be involved, informed and engaged. A 'government of the people' cannot function if there are no avenues for civic involvement, no methods for community deliberation, or no opportunities to influence government decisions. Elections, petitions, and public deliberation are all a form of civic participation. It is the role of the people to exercise these rights to participate, and the responsibility of the government to respond and respect them. For a civic engagement process to get the full benefit of group wisdom There must be diversity - the best decisions come from difference and deliberation, not immediate agreement and homogeneity. There must be room for independent thought and opinion - individuals need to have access to unbiased information and data to form their own opinion the group should be inclusive - individuals bring with them specialized knowledge from their experiences. When a section of the community is missing from the table a big chunk of information is also missing There must be a mechanism for aggregating individual input into a collective decision

Why is Political Comm important?

It is important because we want to criticize political communication when it fails to achieve democratic ideals and celebrate it when it spurs citizens to work collectively to change the status quo. It's a process, it doesn't just happen immediately, it takes time and many different people to turn a bill into a law for example. Political communication is using language to move people to think and act in otherwise that they might not think and act. Leaders hold the power of language to mold the attitudes of citizens. The language of political communication is filled with symbols, a form of language that represents ideas or concept and conveying rich psychological meaning. Symbols conjure up many strong emotions and include words like justice and freedom and nonverbal signs like the cross or the American flag. Political communication involves the transfer of symbolic meanings, the communication of highly charged emotional words that can arouse, agitate, and disgust. Words convey different meanings to different groups. Political messages inevitably call up different meanings to different groups. which is an inevitable source of friction and conflict in democratic societies.

What is the significance of political knowledge?

It is important because when you have an informed public it promotes civic virtue. It also promotes participation. If you have efficacy and you believe you are knowledgeable about something it can help you to construct stable opinions. If the public has political knowledge we can connect with our beliefs, values, and opinions. It also helps citizens link their attitudes with participation so it serves the best interests. So many people lack political knowledge and uninformed because they have a lack of incentive to become knowledgeable. There is also a disconnect between politics and everyday life. People do not feel the need to insert themselves into politics if they feel like it does not directly affect their everyday lives, however all political decisions affect the public whether people know exactly how or why.

Issue ads:

Later in the campaign Talk about their stance on issues; listing the different things they've voted for in their ads.

Townhall Meetings

Media format in which candidates meet with ordinary citizens Allow candidates to deliver messages without the presence of journalists or commentators. Mainly press events that have pre-approved questions

Bandwagon

People generally like to feel that they belong to a group, especially one that appears to be successful and popular. The BW technique manipulates people by appealing to this desire. Refers to any situation n which people attempt to be apart of something, "everybody is doing it" therefore you should too. This is a logical fallacy

What are some examples of political knowledge?

People often times refrain from voting because they feel like their one vote does not make any difference in the outcome of the election and therefore they lack political knowledge because they feel like it is a waste of time trying to soak up political information when his/her input is of such little consequence.

Plain folk

People tend to distrust those they perceive as outsiders and the plain folk technique takes advantage of this instinct. "I'm just a person just like you." Not logical Appear more like an insider in order to gain the public's trust, want to be seen as more normal. Romney - hard for him to connect with people (so affluent and way he talks) Manipulate the way they dress, the way they speak Using the same logic candidates attack the credibility of their opponents by labeling them "Washington insiders or "elitists"

Incumbent Speeches

People who hold office at all stages of government, from city council members to mayors and governors all the way up to vice president and presidents. They operate with advantage of incumbency because everything they do is newsworthy, by giving speeches on days like the 4th of July they reinforce their credibility for authority and leadership with voters. Can have speeches that sum up the successes and failures of the last 12 months.

What are some example of political comm?

Presidents like Roosevelt and Obama have used powerful political communication, filled with colorful language and symbols to arouse the imaginations of Americans, using speech to captivate , language to mobilize, and metaphors to promote their policies. Often using the symbols like the American flag and the words freedom and liberty to evoke emotions.

3 Debate Formats

Press Conference where a group of pre-selected reporters ask candidate questions Ensures the that panelists are experienced and will ask knowledgeable questions (PRO) Reporters can ask complicated questions or pose queries designed to trap candidates rather than engage in a policy dialogue (CON) Single moderator where the moderator, typically a television anchor or political correspondent, ask questions and serves as umpire Reduces chaos of having a team of journalists hurl questions at candidates Important for the moderator to have skill and to stick by the rules Town Hall Meeting featuring questions from the audience, frequently undecided voters, typically moderated by a well known journalist. They bring ordinary people into the electoral process, allowing voters to question candidates directly. Privileges democratic values Can zero in on issues Candidates adopt a more voter centered style, focusing on issues that are on voters minds.

Card stacking

Propaganda gives an unfair advantage to one point of view, while presenting the counterpoint in its weakest form, if at all. Give strongest argument for your side but downplay other side. Usually honest in terms of the information shared, they may be misleading because they present information out of context or obscure important facts. Sometime they can be subtler. "Travel? Adventure? Join the Marines" doesn't emphasize risks and sacrifice involved... One strong side of the story Effective because they use a little logic in them, rely on sound facts but engage in omission and other perspectives are unfair downplayed. "Sin of omission" In written or visual prop: printed in smaller typeface or in some way visually obscured. Are opposing viewpoints misrepresented? Does one side seem to be presented more thoroughly than the other?

Polling

Provides information candidates and their staff need to craft campaign strategies. 3 main purposes: Assesses strengths and weaknesses Check voter response Determine "hot-button" emotional appeals.

What is the significance of heuristics?

Scholars acknowledge that ideally people would follow politics closely and and have insightful perspectives about every issue, however this is unrealistic. So people develop shortcuts or heuristics to help them make political decisions like using political party associations as guidelines for casting their votes. They oftentimes rely on the views of respected opinion leaders in politics or television. While people might fall short in their knowledge of basic civics or international issues, they are still capable of making reasonable decisions in elections. The elite democratic theory says that the political system can function adequately so long as there is healthy minority of individuals who closely follow political issues, remain knowledgeable about politics, and partake in activist causes. Not everybody needs to have extreme political knowledge as long as some people do. This elite democratic theory says that because politics has become so complicated and time consuming for people to stay up to date on that as long as citizens exercise their opportunity to vote for or against different elites to represent their best interests, citizens can still fulfill their democratic function in society.

Broadcast Media

Spot advertisement 4 purposes: Establish name recognition Create a favorable image of the candidate (and a negative image of the opponent) Link candidate with socially desirable groups Communicate the candidate's issue positions Example: The "celebrity ad"

Explain Fragmentation and Polarization

Talking about how with the internet and cable news how we have become more polarized and makes talking to people in other political parties much more difficult, all of these choices fragment us into different groups.

Elaboration Likelihood Model

The Elaboration Likelihood Model of Persuasion (ELM) stipulates that there are two routes by which people process or think about messages: the peripheral and central routes. The model argues that persuaders must understand how people think about persuasive messages in order to craft a compelling argument. A key factor is political involvement, or the degree to which a campaign is perceived to be personally relevant or touches on personally consequential outcomes. Must devise different messages for low and highly involved individuals page.

What things have not changed?*

The media narrative Candidates still avoid issues (as do their websites, and their twitter, Facebook, etc. Candidates still focusing on propaganda instead

Define Political Communication

The process by which language and symbols employed by leaders, media, or citizens, exert either intended or unintended effects on political behaviors and attitudes of individuals or on outcomes that affect the public policy of a nation, state, or community.

Name calling

Use of negative words to disparage an enemy or an opposing view Insulting words are used in place of logical arguments, appealing to emotions, rather than reason Trump calling Fiorina ugly Bernie = socialist Hilary = unethical, prostitute to financial industry, emotional "lipstick on a pig" Carson = no experience Direct name calling: usually used if target audience is already leaning a certain way Indirect: subtle, a more jovial way

Direct Mail

Vehicle for communicating with voters and a mechanism for raising funds Useful for micro-targeting.

Low Involvement

Voters lack interest in the campaign Do not think the election has anything to do with their personal lives or touches on their core values, so they are not motivated to follow the campaign If they do plan to vote, they rely on simple strategies to make up their minds so the presidential campaign isn't a big deal to them at all, and they don't waste brain power thinking about who to vote for. They process the campaign peripherally relying on mental shortcuts or heuristics to make their voting decision. These cues are peripheral to the main issues in the campaign but can processed easily and simply. Low involved voters rely on heuristics like political party "I come from a family of Republicans, I'm voting for Romney, he's a good bet", the views of influential others "just heard Bill Clinton gave a great for Obama, Clinton's terrific, I'm voting for Obama"and easy to process cues. In order to persuade low involved voters, candidates must design simple messages that do not require much mental processing. Under low involvement candidates succeed when they emphasize appeals like these Endorsements, when prominent politicians, business leaders, or celebrities support the candidate Positive Associations between the candidate and symbols like the flag and family Physical Appeal, the candidates speaking voice, physical attractiveness, height, and political charm, conveyed via media, may be enough to sway some voters Similarity between the candidate and voters in terms of race, gender, or ethnicity. People rely on mental shortcuts like the appearance of the candidates website, the repetition of a candidate's name in advertisements can lead to people voting for them. So candidates who are very wealthy are more likely to win election to low level office, the more money you spend on a campaign the more likely you are to win a campaign.

Inform (internet)

Websites Basic model Candidate biography Issue statements News or press releases Types of informing Documentation Helps voters, contributors, journalists, even opponents Visitors look for this information on websites Enhances credibility of campaigns On the issues: Candidates tend to be vague and ambiguous Emphasize symbolic points that appeal to almost everyone (like Americanism and the flag) Candidates usually do differ somewhat on a number of issues Past performance: The "out" party blames the "in" party for the nation's problems The "in party brags about its successes and accomplishments Personal characteristics: Candidate can give an impression of competence or incompetence; they can appear strong or weak

Praeteritio

When a speaker refers to something or someone by clearly suggesting and then pretending they are not going to do so. Like when a political candidate says in a speech "I could tell you about how this candidate has a DUI, a criminal past, and multiple convictions, but I won't, instead I will tell you about XYZ"

Example

a citation of a specific instance of something from the past. Oftentimes this may be necessary to help an audience follow a political speakers otherwise vague points.

Catalogue-

a speaker offers a list of things, ideas, and arguments. Often this is done in conjunction with a logos appeal to suggest evidence or support for a claim the speaker is making. This makes the message appeal logical and can also make it appear as though they have considered all the possibilities which is why it is often used in political speeches

Stump Speech

a summary of the campaign's main message meaning it contains the main argument or arguments necessary to advance the candidate's campaign with voters. It becomes the the speech that the candidates give day in and day out with minor variations adjusted for specific audiences and circumstances. It can contain reasons affirming the candidacy of an individual, or it may contain negative references to an opponent. This kind of speech is called the negative attack speech. You persuade voters to vote for you by tearing down your opponent

Special Topic Speeches

an include speeches dedicated to a particular issue or subject that has become more prominent for the incumbent's constituencies, these could include issue framing speeches because the speaker uses the opportunity to bring awareness or attention to a particular issue, or public

General Candidate Speeches

any speech a candidate might make during a campaign, they are plainly and overtly about the campaign

Logos

appealing to logic or reasoning, using messages that are logical or rational you can appeal to an audience in a very effective way

leveraging speeches

because the incumbent uses the speaking opportunity to prime the awareness of the audience on proposed legislation or opposition to legislation in the hopes of convincing the audience to show their agreement with what they are proposing

Special Occasion Speech

can be used for an upcoming election and special topic addresses, these would cover holiday addresses, or memorial observance as well as a speech that that accompanies the signing of a new law.

Antithesis

deals with clauses in a speech set in opposition to one another, usually to distinguish between choices, concepts, and ideas. Using opposition to emphasize a point

Anaphora

deals with the repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive phrases, clauses, or line. Done for emphasis or clarity, as well as for sense of rhetorical style. It can help add pathos to messages, amplifying feelings and emotion

Internet Campaign Goals

inform, involve, mobilize, persuade

Definition

involves a statement of the precise characteristics of a concept, a thing, or even an individual. This often is employed to bring clarity to a point and/or to create a common reference for the audience.

Crisis Speeches

may be given by an incumbent in response to a particularly urgent situation, calamity, or disaster.

Pathos

means appealing to emotion and a lot of political advertisements and speeches use pathos-centered appeals

Pros of negative ads

more attention grabbing focuses on issues encourages activists negative information is given more weight in cognitive process than positive stimulates voter interest

Accumulation

refers to a situation in which two or more clauses are used in succession within a speech, saying essentially the same thing. Often done for emphasis or clarity

Ethos

refers to credibility, if somebody speaks with a strong sense of ethos we say they are saying that they are credible to talk about the message they are putting out.

Hyperbole

refers to intentional exaggeration of the truth. Here, a candidate is not lying, he or she is merely stretching the facts to make more dramatic or humorous the rhetorical impact of the speech.

Personification

the assigning of human characteristics to impersonal, nonhuman things. This is often used to create a positive or negative association with something by imbuing it with characteristics the audience might more easily understand. "Your cars parts are happier when they are cleaner"

Declaration of Candidacy Speech

usually takes place in the context of a planned media/photography opportunity states their candidacy, usually involve some introduction by the speaker about his/her background and a general statement about why the candidate is choosing to run for office and why now

Candidate Personal Crisis Speech

when background checks occur and negative or incriminating material is found against a candidate and ultimately prove embarrassing enough to threaten their entire candidacy. One response to this occurring is to give a personal crisis speech and acknowledge the information and come forward, answering questions, and begging public forgiveness and understanding. Giving a full accounting of the facts around the damaging information, story, or allegation all told from the candidate's perspective, you don't ask for forgiveness you ask for understanding

High Involvement

when voters are highly involved in the election they think very differently about political messages. Process campaign messages centrally and systemically. They are concerned about how the electoral outcome could affect their wallets, employment prospects, health care, or children's economic security so they pay a lot of attention to campaign messages Will they execute policies that advance their self interest. Campaign messages are most likely to influence high-involved voters if they persuasively address voters' economic and social concerns, contain compelling policy arguments, and offer hopeful solutions to vexing issues of national concern. Messages should focus on salient issues. They must resonate with voters' social values. Persuasive communications that resort to simple appeals will not persuade people who are more concerned and conscientious as voters. ELM says that when voters are high in involvement they process campaign messages centrally and systemically. They consider whether presidential candidates will execute policies that advance their self interest. Candidates need to explain how their policies will serve voters' immediate economic needs or address core problems raised by the campaign

What are some examples of heuristics?

when we vote for an electoral college to then vote for the next president of the United States we are utilizing the elite democratic theory. We trust these elites to represent our political interests and assume that they are better versed to vote for the President than we are as citizens.

Prolepsis

which anticipates refutation. In the situation, the speaker anticipates a criticism or counterargument to the one being presented, and actually voices the response to it before it can be made