Friday, March 12, 2010

March 11, 2009 AP Government Samantha Kuhn
Group B
In this era of electronic mass media, television commercials, image makers and spin control do voters get a true picture of the candidates and what they stand for? Is image more important than substance? How are political campaigns organized? Has the internet changed the nature of American elections? How do campaigns calculate the
preferences of voters? What role do the issues play in a campaign? What is the role of negative campaigning in election campaigns? What role do the debates play in American primary and presidential elections? How do professional campaign staffs affect American elections? Where does the money come from?

In the era of electronic mass media, television commercials, image makers and spin control voters are able to learn more about the candidate they plan on voting for because they have more access to information .The media often is responsible for false information being released and it could affect the view of the voter. Today’s mass media has negative and positive affects on political campaigns. Politicians have to be more careful about what they say and do in this era because they will be exploited by the media if they are not careful. The image that is displayed of the candidate through the media becomes more important to voters because it is what they see more often. The image displayed by the candidate can change a voters opinion on who they are. The substance behind the image and what the candidate stands for will always be more important that simply the image. The image and the substance combined is what will make a voter sure about the candidate he/she plans on voting for.
A political campaign is an organized attempt with the objective to manipulate the decisions of a specific group. Political campaigns are mainly used for electoral campaigns. The campaign tries to get the candidates ideas across to the voters. The candidate wants to make a lasting impression on the voter and will frequently repeat his/her main ideas in order to do so. The majority of campaigns try to keep their message general so that they can draw in prospective voters. Political campaigns are organized by the political campaign staff who works together as a small business. The campaign manager manages the campaign operations. Political consultants advise the campaign on their activities.
The Internet has affected and changed the nature of American campaigns because more information is available and easily accessible to the potential voters about the candidates. A potential voter can find out more about the candidate than is probably wanted by the candidate. Slanderous and false information may also be posted about a candidate and could change the opinion of the voter about the candidate leading him/her to dislike the candidate because of false information. People are gullible when it comes to reading gossip and most of what is put on the internet or that can be read about someone people will believe, especially if there is some sort of picture evidence. The internet had ruined the careers of some politicians and some are able to use it to their advantage.
Campaigns calculate the preferences of voters by the reaction that the campaign gets from the people. The campaign also calculates the preferences of voters by the opinion polls that are taken and looking back at the past preferences of states. Candidates can go to the states that they see needs more focus and can get the votes by calculating those preferences.
Debates allow the voters to see the different perspectives of the candidates against each other and how they react to some one disagreeing with them. The debates are important as the candidates are narrowed down. The money for campaigns comes from donations and campaign supporters as well as from the government supported by each political party.
The media has a large affect on the political world. These effects are both negative and positive. The internet, radio, and television is where major campaigning takes place for the candidates, but these things can also hurt there career by the things that are released for the world to know about them and the mudslinging and negative campaigning that is done.

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