DEPARTMENT OF POLITICAL SCIENCE

AND

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

POSC 105

THE AMERICAN ELECTORAL SYSTEM

(Continued)



  1. THIS MORNING:
    1. Finish discussing campaigns and elections.
    2. Major points:
      1. How candidates and parties plan and run campaigns affects "citizenship."
      2. Campaign management reinforces the fragmentation of power.
      3. Fragmented power ultimately confuses citizens and prevents problem solving.


  2. MODERN CAMPAIGN TACTICS AND STRATEGIES:
    1. The impact of advanced technology
      1. Television, polling, computers, direct mail
        1. Generalization: despite its promise, technology has not improved the quality of political discussion in the United States.
      2. Evidence and arguments in support of this generalization
        1. Example: Focus groups
        2. In 1988 the Bush campaign used focus groups to "discover" that Dukakis could be made to seem vulnerable on a number of emotional issues such as "loyalty."
        3. The advertizing campaign that emerge from the focus group analysis stopped Dukakis dead in his tracks.
          1. Recall the film on television news: it opened with Dukakis and Bush literally dressing themselves in the flag while refusing to discuss important policy issues.
          2. This technique has been applied repeatedly since then, most notably by the Clinton administration and the AFL-CIO in 1996 and even today. (Listen for anti-John Fox ads on radio)
    2. The new breed of political consultants
      1. James Carville, Lee Atwater, Dick Morris
      2. They encourage their clients to follow a "strategy of ambiguity"
    3. The consequences:
      1. Soaring costs of running for office
        1. A huge portion of campaign funds pays for television advertisement. One can ask: what does the public get for all this expenditure?
          1. Trivialization of issues
          2. Personal agendas
          3. Personality over substance
          4. Generalization over specifics
          5. Negative advertisements
          6. The debasing of political discourse.
      2. Evidence for this point comes from a series of political ads to be displayed today.


  1. THE ELECTORAL SYSTEM:
    1. Read and think about on your own.
    2. The bottom line: one can argue that all of these factors has a profound and adverse affect on political participation, accountability, democracy, and governmental capacity:
      1. Plethora of public offices filled by elections.
      2. Registration requirements
      3. Primary versus general elections.
      4. Independent constituencies
      5. Campaign tactics


  2. NEXT TIME:
    1. Film: "Taking on the Kennedy's"
      1. The film illustrates many points about campaigning and the quality of American democracy.
        1. Warning: if you dislike the Kennedy family, this film will confirm your opinion. If you like the Kennedys or are neutral, it will raise lots of questions.
    2. Reading:
      1. Continue Squire and others, Dynamics of Democracy, Chapter 7.
      2. Essays under "Elections and Voting" on the web site.
      3. Note: the book How to Watch TV News (Postman and Powers) is highly recommended but not required.
      4. Hence, you should start reading There Are No Children Here, which I feel confident you will enjoy.
        1. See the web site for background material
        2. This book will covered on the third test.

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