COMM 422 Exam 1
compromise
- president may sometimes have to compromise in order to get some of their points agreed on -may need to give someone what they want -president must be the in between/ the bargainer
fragmentation
-TV news rarely use good statistics or background material for their stories ex: Iranian hostage crisis: info about the underlying issues was never discussed or covered, but images of protests and drama (the aftermath) were shown; the stories are fragmented to show only what the news thinks people want to see
personalization
-TV stories try to tell you about the person and their personalities -they get very personal, focus on the person ex: funeral of the Japanese emperor, TV covered the death but not other economic matters because the death is the more personal topic
public goods
-a good that is not divisible or easily acquired ex: national defense, roads
best presidential leaders: Lincoln
-abolished slavery -rapid industrialization brought the rise of big corporations, internal migrations from farms to cities, and the emergence of a large, urban working class -left behind a nation transformed, his new Republican party would be the country's dominant political force during a difficult reconstruction period
freedom
-any kind of governmental law restricts your freedom ex: government mandate on health insurance; people won't be able to afford one option
Clinton
-attempted to repeal a lot of Reagan's policy's but people did not like that or want that -his party paid a heavy price because of this -when he came back for his second term he changed his ways -however he was not able to impose his will the same way other presidents were -his major downfall was his moral character (affair with Monica Luwinsky)
be prepared
-audience must have confidence that the speaker is prepared and ready to deliver -must make the material your own
best presidential leaders: Franklin Roosevelt
-became president at the height of a crisis surpassed in the country's history only by the Civil War, economically America was on its knees -confronted this national emergency with optimism and resilience -had a strategy of experimentation -transformed America in foreign affairs and domestic life
best presidential leaders: Theodore Roosevelt
-built up American's military capacity, particularly its naval forces on two oceans -innovative in domestic policy (ex: trust-bust initiatives, creation of the interstate commerce commission, legislation to foster safety in the country's food supply and drugs
effectiveness
-can a candidate get things done and be efficient about it -do they have a good track record
economic regulation
-certain rules must be set to keep the playing field level ex: minimum wage
important traits valued by the public
-depending on the election these might rank in different orders of importance depending on what we need and what people want -leadership, competence and knowledge, honesty and trust, empathy, effectiveness
split-decision presidents: Eisenhower
-didn't have much of a visionary component -as president, he wasn't likely to perceive, or even search for, opportunities to alter the course of American history -Russia's launch of Sputnik raised a lot of fear in Americans and he never addressed it -was caught in a lie about America's involvement in the U2 spy plane incident
perception of policy effectiveness
-does the president make it look like what they are doing is effective -can we tell right away if they are failing
best presidential leaders: Jefferson
-excelled at developing schemes designed to outmaneuver his rivals -created the new Democratic-Republican party -eliminated internal taxes -cut the size of government -reduced national debt -doubled the size of America by purchasing the entire Louisiana territory from France
equity
-fairness -most powerful ex: there are 30% of people who do not have health care - this is not fair
split-decision presidents: Woodrow Wilson
-felt he had a right because of moral superiority which contributed to diplomatic and domestic misfires -had a strong sense of idealism: felt a need to encase his political aims in a larger structure of meaning -wanted to get America into the European war and the electorate believed that his rationale for American involvement didn't hold up as events undermined his idealistic pronouncements -America lost its zest for international adventurism and the country's domestic health began to deteriorate under his second term
find navigators
-find a strong group of advocates who can go out and spread the word for you -people are more likely to listen if they hear it from their friends or family ex: Obama campaign had their advocates/navigators talk to their friends and family who were not registered to vote and convince them to register and vote for Obama
talk smart
-find what channels people are actually using and use those channels to connect to them ex: Obama uses Twitter
public communication
-go to the public and explain what you want to do and why -get public support -may not always get full public support, but important to put yourself out there and try
rewards
-government doesn't do enough to reward most hard working people in society ex: tax cuts - every time you cut taxes it brings more revenue into the government; worth considering because it changes peoples behaviors overall, not just beneficial for the wealthy
split-decision presidents: Lyndon Johnson
-had a conviction that he could command forces far beyond the capacity of any president -under him Vietnam became a war that seemingly could not be won and from which the country could not come out of (military deaths had exceeded 20,000 and more troops were planned to go out) -the antiwar movement in America was tearing at the fabric of American society -funding for the war began to affect the American economy
Reagan
-had high assessment from his constituency and success in transforming the nation's political landscape and setting it upon a new direction -could get people to identify with him -was a very professional and respectful president (would never go into the oval office unless he was wearing his jacket) -even though people made him out to be a "distant president" he was in fact on top of everything and made all final decisions, did delegate but was not over reliant on staff and did not rely on them to tell him what to do ex: in 1981 Air Traffic Control threatened to go on strike, Reagan told them that they as long as they did not strike he could work something out with them, they went on strike and he fired every single one of them (thousands) ex: Paul Volcker - no one wanted Reagan to follow Volcker's plan and he did it anyway. Volcker's policy ended up working however Reagan's decision to follow him lost his party seats in the next election -would sometimes get numbers wrong, but he knew policy like no other president
split-decision presidents: Nixon
-harbored very venomous attitudes toward his political opponents -never governed as a conservative even though he called himself one -allowed himself to be drawn into the Watergate cover-up which exposed him and his flawed character -his economic policies ended up creating large amounts of inflation and unemployment -Watergate overshadowed everything and destroyed his presidency
Bush 43
-his biggest flaw was the Irag war -broke two big rules: ensure that no one can make the accusation that the president dissembled with the American people in order to spill America blood and ensure that the country doesn't get bogged down in a war that it cannot win and cannot end -there is little evidence that he conducted an assessment of all the risks and dangers, both military and political, of the war before his decision -was successful with the economy
public communication
-how do you communicate to the people on TV and in speeches -large group not small or individual
emotional intelligence
-how do you handle issues, conflict, hardships, etc. ex: Bill Clinton was not good with this; very bumpy emotion wise regarding his affair ex: Obama is very good with this; family man, no internal problems, no personal distractions, etc.
framing
-how the story is reported -the media decides how to construct and report the topic or story -gives the media a lot of influence
rebutle/refutation
-how you react to the proposition up for debate -must respond in a timely manner with rebutle or refutation if you want to be effective -must also respond using the same channel as the attack
overseeing the bureaucracy
-if someone does something that people don't like, the president gets blamed -the president is responsible for everything -the government cannot come across as divided
encoding
-involves the message ex: the war in Iraq
priorities
-is the candidate aware of what is the most important and what they want to focus on ex: Reagan: economy was the most important, social aspects had to go on the back burner and he never got sidetracked from this plan
organizational capability
-is your approach chaotic or put together and organized -how do you go about accomplishing things
justifiable behavior
-it is important to encourage what the government thinks is justifiable behavior ex: if you buy a house you get a specific interest rate/tax break
David Easton's systems approach
-it is useful to view political life as a system 1.) all political systems live in an environment 2.) all political systems have to interact with the environment 3.) the political system generates outputs and hopefully they are accepted 4.) through the outputs a feedback process occurs
life targets
-know the people who you want to reach -take into account the lifestyles of the people you are targeting
recoding
-media report of the story/message -the media puts the message out in their own particular way that usually emphasizes specific details based on who is reporting *this may be decoded rather than the original encoding (message)* ex: the ABC News report on the war in Iraq
be interesting
-mix style and substance -use humor -don't just limit yourself to one field of knowledge
efficiency
-most powerful -private sector is far more efficient than government ex: government produces goods that people think are free
best presidential leaders: Jackson
-moved the country a considerable distance toward democratic ideals -his democratic party became the country's dominant political force -embraced the idea of American's westward expansion but was careful about it
be committed
-must be committed to your message and what you are talking about ex: the mother who started M.A.D.D was very personally committed to her cause and new exactly why she was doing what she was doing
consultation
-must consult people in order to get your point supported by everyone -must consult with congress -should consult your party and the other party
gut values connection
-must make and maintain this connection -want to plant an image with a certain gut response ex: Bush is a strong and decisive leader, no matter what you think of him as a person you cannot deny this
adaptation
-must make things work -adapting to certain circumstances is key
coalition game
-must pull together people from all over the place -cannot only make policies that agree with your party and no one else -must have working alliances with congress ex: Carter was an "insider" who did not attempt to make coalitions with "outsiders" which was harmful to his presidency, he did not like chatting with congressmen and forming relationships, he did not form trust and friendship with anyone who he should have ex: Reagan was good at this, he was very cordial and friendly, he was personal with congress and did things that made them trust him and want to stand in his corner.
agenda game
-must take initiative -president must come out right away with what he wants to do and show that he's the leader -must choose only 2 or 3 priorities -includes damage control for certain situations -don't want to jumble up the agenda and confuse people (ex: in the video they talked about a meeting where it was clear that no one knew what was supposed to be addressed and the president did not show up when he was supposed to - there wasn't a clear agenda for the meeting or the presidency)
attack politics
-negative advertisements -just because people say that they do not like it, does not mean they won't use it
dramatization
-news stories have to have drama and conflict -cannot just be "ordinary" -if this doesn't exist, the story isn't reported ex: a senators hard work behind the scenes will not get reported
Obama's Syria speech
-not a classic war rhetoric speech -had everything except for public support and full congress support -loose credibility when you say things like "not too much force" or "it won't be too bad" - get people to think, then why are we doing it in the first place?
political constituency
-president must always return the favor and support those who were the most supportive of them -these people do not get everything they want, but they should have more access -"you dance with the person who brought you"
the congress
-president must deal with this in order to get agendas passed -always easier when this and the house are represented by the same party
the public
-president must win them over -must be on the presidents side
characteristics of the state of the union address
-president tells the country what exactly they want to do and how they will do it -an assessment to congress about the "state of the union" - how are things going, what needs to be changed 1. includes public meditation on values: talks about things that the public holds near and dear (ex: Reagan singled out certain people who had done great things for the country or their particular town/state) 2. assessment of certain issues: president announces what the exact issues are that they want to work on, lays out the presidential agenda 3. specific recommendations: what specific policy recommendations does the president have
presidential power (Neustadt)
-presidential power is the power to persuade -six constituencies: the public, the congress, political constituency, overseeing the bureaucracy, foreign policy, the media -when we asses a presidents record, we are concerned with how well they managed/handled these 6 constituencies
cognitive style
-processing information -do you understand what exactly it is that you are doing - realistically -don't have to be the "smartest"
decoding
-processing of the message -what people choose to pick out from the message ex: details about the war that you find most important
counter argument
-providing an alternative ex: "I don't deny this, but I think we should do this...", "I don't deny that I never do the dishes, but I don't do them because I always set the table"
best presidential leaders: Washington
-rose to the occasion through his actions as well as his persona -he toured the nation extensively in order to create a sense of national unity and would stay in a state in need until any problems were fixed -avoided permanent entangling alliances -was part of a successful plan aimed at restoring the country's public credit
social regulation
-stability in society (health and safety) ex:clean air, health requirements in restaurants, fire sprinklers in buildings
make others comfortable
-talk to the audience and allow them to like you -don't be harsh, use a light touch and humor (poke fun at yourself) ex: Kennedy made a joke about becoming a war hero - "it was involuntary, they sunk my boat"
power
-the ability to affect outcomes -3 faces
David Easton's definition of politics
-the authoritative allocation of values for society -political parties try to affect the authoritative allocation of specific values in a certain way -systems approach
the media
-the president needs a proactive media strategy in order to get positive media attention -the president can use this in a positive way -visual supremacy: if you have a story with positive images but a negative audio people are going to remember the positive images*
vision
-the presidents road map -what they want to do and where they are going to go
information processing
-tries to look at how people pick out and use information -encoding, decoding, recoding
deflection
-try to move attention away from the topic or attack -may use humor or another tactic
Obama
-very ambitious -very good campaigner - can campaign better than any other president could and is at his strongest when he is attacking -has not had success economically -has never gained public support for his health care reform -when he took office in 2009 the debt was $10.6 trillion, after his first term the debt was up to $16.2 trillion -has had the weakest credentials out of any president ever elected which may be part of the economic problem
Bush 41
-was a good man and was certainly well prepared for the job -no crisis level problems occurred during his watch -scored some significant triumphs -when the Soviet Union collapsed on his watch, he was able to transition with measured deftness -he contributed greatly, but didn't seek to initiate much change -he did not have a vision for the future and did not have a desire consider the importance of the future
foreign policy
-we must pay attention to our allies, enemies, other rulers, etc. -the president is responsible for foreign policy but must also have support of congress/public opinion
agenda setting
-what topics and stories the media picks to report on -gives the media a lot of influence
communication
-who says something, what they are saying, how they say it, and the channels by which they say it -who says the message determines source credibility -using the correct words is key (ex: "self-deportation" is offensive to many, use different language to get the same point across) -channels (modes): radio, TV, mail, etc. (ex: things like age can determine what channel is used)
personnel selection
-who the president picks for his staff and team -must pick people who know what they are doing and can do it effectively -team should have good background/experience
political skill
-working with congress/persuasion -working with foreign policy -getting your party elected in the midterm election
Aristotle's approach to rhetoric
1. Ethos: character credibility, who is the speaker 2. Logos: logic, evidence, can you support your argument 3. Pathos: emotion, can reach out and connect to people
findings on attack politics
1. attack ads grab attention: people pay attention to negative comments 2. people are more likely to remember negative messages than positive messages 3. they have to be credible: can be counterproductive if info is over the top, exaggerated, or filled with lies 4. if being attacked, you must respond in a timely manner: no longer than 48 hours after, if you do not respond in one way or another then people will begin to think that the attacks are true 5. inoculation (very relevant today): if you know that you may be attacked on a certain aspect then your best bet is inoculation; go out and explain yourself/defend yourself before your opponent has the chance to do something first; cannot let your opponent define you
characteristics of war rhetoric
1. communicate that the decision to use force is deliberate (conscious) 2. force is justified through a chronicle or narrative: here are the exact reasons why we are using force 3. call for support from the country: call for a unanimous public support system, everyone needs to be on the presidents side, also need support of congress (ex: when Bush wanted to go to Iraq he needed all of congress behind him) 4. legitimates the assumption of extraordinary power: the president must realize that he is assuming this power and that he knows it is a lot to ask 5. strategic misrepresentation: spin the story to your perspective, overstate the case to add emotion
Lasswell's model of political communication
1. source 2. message - is it clear 3. channels of communication 4. who are you speaking to 5. effects: must test the effects of all of the above*
features of inaugural addresses
1. unifies the national audience 2. rehearses communal values from the past 3. sets fourth political principles: a small general look into what the president will do 4. demonstrates the presidents appreciation for his constitutional obligation but also that he is aware of his limitations 5. urges people to focus on the new president and look into the future while drawing from the past: a coven between the people and the president
3 faces of power
1.) legal/institutional: what position do you occupy in society 2.) physical resources: money, defense weapons/capability, etc. ex: without money you cannot accomplish much or contribute much 3.) individual psychology and persuasion: convincing people why you are the best or why your policy is the best *persuasion may be the most important; presidential power is the power to persuade*
disorder bias
TV news closes the reporting by reassuring that everything is fine and that order has been restored in whatever the situation may be
four essentials to a great communicator (Roger Ailes)
be prepared, make others comfortable, be committed, be interesting
anti-government messages
efficiency, freedom, rewards
pro-government messages
equity, public goods, justifiable behavior, economic regulation, social regulation
selective perception
everyone uses this in terms of: -what we look at (ex: news station, newspaper, etc.) -what we see or read (ex: we pick out certain details that are important to us) -what we retain/remember -someone will always see something differently than you do
effective political communication (Sosnik, Dowd, Fournier)
gut values connection, adaptation, life targets, talk smart, find navigators
proposition
must propose something, must present an idea/argument
Bennett's information biases of media
personalization, dramatization, fragmentation, disorder bias
characteristics essential for presidential leadership (Kenski)
priorities, personnel selection, consultation, lobbying, public communication, compromise, perception of policy effectiveness
political argumentation techniques
proposition, rebutle/refutation, counter argument, deflection
qualities of presidential performance (Greenstein)
public communication, organizational capability, political skill, vision, cognitive style, emotional intelligence
competence and knowledge
when a candidate knows what they are talking about and seems confident in what they say
leadership
when a candidate knows where they are going and how they will get there
empathy
when a candidate understands how people feel and can connect with them (ex: "I feel your pain")
honesty and trust
when the audience believes in the candidate and can trust in what they are saying
