Dirty Politics: Deception, Distraction, and DemocracyOxford University Press, 1993 - 335 pages Americans in recent years have become thoroughly disenchanted with our political campaigns, especially with campaign advertising and speeches. Each year, as November approaches, we are bombarded with visceral appeals that bypass substance, that drape candidates in the American flag but tell us nothing about what they'll do if elected, that flood us with images of PT-109 or Willie Horton, while significant issues--such as Kennedy's Addison's Disease or the looming S&L catastrophe--are left unexamined. And the press--the supposed safeguard of democracy--focuses on campaign strategy over campaign substance, leaving us to decide where the truth lies. In Dirty Politics, campaign analyst Kathleen Hall Jamieson provides an eye-opening look at political ads and speeches, showing us how to read, listen to, and watch political campaigns. Jamieson provides a sophisticated (and often humorous) analysis of advertising technique, describing how television ads use soft focus, slow motion, lyrical or patriotic music (Reagan used "I'm Proud to be an American") to place a candidate in a positive light, or quick cuts, black and white, videotape, and ominous music (for instance, the theme from "Jaws") to portray the opposition. She shows how ads sometimes mimic news spots to add authenticity (Edwin Edwards, in his race against David Duke, actually used former NBC correspondent Peter Hackis, who would begin an ad saying "This is Peter Hackis in Baton Rouge"). And Jamieson points out that consultants create inflammatory ads hoping that the major networks will pick them up and run them as news, giving the ad millions of dollars of free air time. The most striking example would be the Willie Horton ad, which the press aired repeatedly (as an example of negative advertising) long after the ad had ceased running. (In fact, it never ran on the major networks as an ad, only as news.) From a colorful, compact history of negative campaigning from Eisenhower to the present, to an in-depth commentary on the Willie Horton ads, to an up-to-the-minute analysis of the Duke-Edwards campaign in Louisiana, Dirty Politics is both a fascinating look at underhanded campaigning as well as a compelling argument for fair, accurate, and substantive campaigns. It is a book that all voters should read before they vote again. |
Contents
Introduction | 3 |
Accountability Engagement and Democracy | 11 |
The Role of Drama and Data | 15 |
Tactics of Attack | 43 |
Visceral Responses | 64 |
Pitting the Propositional | 102 |
Power of Ads to Shape News | 123 |
Adbites Ad Stories and Newsads | 136 |
The News Media as Sounding Board | 163 |
Notes | 289 |
310 | |
329 | |
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ad's advertising aired American Ann Richards argued argument asked attack audience broadcast Bush campaign Bush's candidate Carter claims cognitive communication context convicted coverage crime David Duke death penalty debate Democratic discourse Dukakis's Duke election engaged evocative fact first-degree murderers focus group furlough furlough program George Bush Goldwater Governor Harvey Gantt Helms images interview invited issue Jesse Jesse Helms Jesse Jackson Johnson Journal Kennedy Klan Lisa Myers Massachusetts Michael Dukakis missile narrative newsads Nixon nominee noted November October October 24 opponent oppositional paign percent political polls president presidential campaign press conferences prison pseudo-event question race racial rape Reagan reporters Republican response revolving door Richards Sam Donaldson says screen segment Senator showed soundbites speech story talk tank television tion victims Vietnam viewers visual vote voters William Willie Horton words York