Nominations Campaigns

and Elections

Unit and Daily Objective

• To describe the steps that it takes to win a presidential election in the United States.

• To compare primary campaign strategy to general campaign strategy.

• To describe criticisms of the method for nominating and electing the President.

• To describe the electoral college system, flaws and possible reform.

• To describe the recent evolution of campaign finance reform.

• To identify the candidates stand on current issues in the 2008 Presidential Election.

• To identify propaganda techniques in the 2008 campaign commercials.

Propaganda Techniques

• Plain Folks– Average Joe

• Testimonial/ Name Dropping– Celebrity

• Card Stacking- – Qualifications,

experiences

• Transfer- – Symbols and Ideas

Propaganda Techniques

• Name Calling– Liberal, Flip-flopper

• Fear

• Bandwagon – Everyone else is…

• Slogan-- – Catchy Tune or Phrase

2 Legit 2 Quit

Comparison to Elections in Other Nations

Types of Primaries and the Primary Season

The Electoral College

Impact on Strategy

Rationale, Problems, Alternatives

Campaign Financing

Campaign Strategy

Factors Influencing Voters

Lots of Topics to Cover

CampaignsNomination Election

Party’s Nominee Office

The Long and Winding Road

Exploratory Committee

General Campaign

Electoral Vote Count

Primary and Caucus Season

Formal Announcement

Getting Mentioned

General Election

Presidential Inauguration

The National Conventions

Nov. 2012

July,

August

2012

Jan

20, 2

013

The Long and Winding Road

Exploratory Committee

General Campaign

Electoral Vote Count

Primary and Caucus Season

Formal Announcement

Getting Mentioned

General Election

Presidential Inauguration

The National Conventions

Getting M

entioned

Explora

tory Committe

e

Formal A

nnouncement

Primary

and Caucu

s Seaso

n

The Natio

nal Conve

ntions

General C

ampaign

General E

lection

Electo

ral V

ote

Count

Presid

entia

l Inau

gura

tionNov.

4, 2008

July,

August

2008

Jan

20st

, 200

8

Campaign Strategy

Money Media

The Big Mo

Competing for Delegates• Caucus-

– Pyramid structure of delegate selection

– Iowa

• Primaries– Progressive Reform 1912– 1968– McGovern-Fraser Commission,

Superdelegates– New Hampshire

Competing for Delegates• Primaries

– Front Runner– Front Loading– Super Tuesday– Democrats

• Proportional

– Republicans• Winner Take All• Congressional District• Some Proportional

Keep the Big Mo Going!

Problems With the System• Disproportionate Attention to Early Contests

• Time Consuming for Officials

• Mo Money, Mo Money, Mo Money

• Low Participation in Primaries– 20%

• The Media decides who has the MO- Joe

Defenders• Forces Candidates to Press the Flesh

• Grueling Process is Good

Possible Reforms

• National Primary• Regional Primary• Four Stage Vote by State Population

National Convention

• Now a Rubber Stamp

• Platform–Minority Planks

• Send-Off Media Event

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcz4_JL5b7c

The CampaignRole of Technology• From Whistlestop to TelPrompTer to Direct Mail to

Video Tapes to World Wide Web to Cell Phones• Television

– Ads– News– Debates– Orchestra Pit Theory

• Avoiding the Gaffe 1 2 3 4 5

Organization• Campaign Manager• Fund Raiser• Campaign Counsel• Media and Campaign Consultants• Campaign Staff• Logistics• Policy Advisors• Pollsters• Press Secretary

The Campaign

“Money is the mother’s milk of politics.”

Does Money Buy Votes?

Campaign Finance Reform

Is like Hephalumps and Woozels

The Campaign

Finance Reform• Escalating Costs and Watergate

• Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974– Created the FEC– Matching funds

• Primary Season- for donations of $250 and less• General Campaign- Paid for on agreed upon limit• W= took General money, but not primary money

– Disclosure of donations and expenditures– Limit on Contributions by

• Individuals• Political parties

• Buckley v. Valeo• Political Action Committees

– Register with and disclose to the FEC– Financial Arm of and Interest Group– Can donate $5,000 per candidate per election– Can spend unlimited amount indirectly– Nearly 4000 PACS

Impact of PACS-Corrupt? Access? Reinforce?

Finance Reform

Campaign Finance Regulation• Corrupt Practices Acts of 1911 and 1925– Set disclosure requirements for House and SenateElections– Spending limits ($25k for Senate; $5k for House)– Ridiculously weak and regularly violated• 1971 Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA)• 1971 Revenue Act• 1974 FECA Amendments (FECAA)• 1976: Buckley v. Valeo (1976)

Issue Ad

Swift Boat Veterans

Questions to Ponder

• Are Campaigns too Expensive?

• Too Much Fund Raising Time?– Equal public financing has a snowball chance…

• Does Money Buy a Victory?– Jacobson- More money spent- the worse you do– Doctrine of Sufficiency

Questions to Ponder• Do Campaigns Make a Difference?

– Reinforcement?– Activation?– Conversion?– The role of selective perception, party

identification, and incumbency.

Questions to Ponder

• Are Nominations and Campaigns too Democratic?– Opportunities for the no-names– “Permanent Campaign”-does this discourage?– Promote individualism- “Candidate Centered”