Politics

The Terminator, The Gipper and the Banana Republicans

Submitted by John Stauber on June 1, 2004 - 11:00pm

"Acting has been a stepping-stone to political careers for numerous Republicans. In addition to Arnold Schwarzenegger examples include Ronald Reagan the former governor of California and two-term president of the United States. There are several reasons for this disparity. One is that the Republican Party has actively recruited and supported candidates from the entertainment world. Another is that Republicans often run as 'anti-government' or 'non-politician' candidates, so that an actor's lack of political experience can actually be an advantage for his campaign.

Main Source:

Excerpt from the book "Banana Republicans," June 2, 2004

Topics:

Right Wing

Politics

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Is America Being America?

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on May 31, 2004 - 11:00pm

John Kerry's presidential campaign has adopted and dropped several slogans, including a "better set of choices," "safer, stronger, more secure," the "courage to do what's right for America," "the real deal," "bring it on," "change starts here," "build a stronger America," and a "lifetime of service and strength," reports the New York Times.

Main Source:

New York Times, June 1, 2004

Topics:

Politics

Rhetoric

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Brand Name: "War President"

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on May 24, 2004 - 11:00pm

How is Bush-Cheney '04 like a marketing campaign? "In 2000, Mr. Bush shattered fund-raising records... by recruiting supporters to join a program called the Pioneers, fund-raisers who pledged to raise at least $100,000.

Main Source:

The Wall Street Journal, May 25, 2004

Topics:

Marketing

Politics

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Lie in a TV Ad, Voters Will Believe You

Submitted by John Stauber on May 12, 2004 - 11:00pm

Adam Clymer, formerly the New York Times Washington correspondent, is now the political director for the National Annenberg Election
Survey. He writes in an editorial column that "Americans like to say they are not influenced by campaign commercials, but then many people plainly
believe the attack ads that President Bush and John Kerry
are hurling at each other. Even people who say they learn nothing from the
advertisements believe the claims made in them, the

Main Source:

New York Times, May 12, 2004

Topics:

Advertising

Ethics

Politics

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The Sound of One Invisible Hand Clapping

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on May 9, 2004 - 11:00pm

Jackie Calmes writes: "Over the past four years, Mr. Bush has swung from free-market candidate to sometime-protectionist president and back again." But lately, on the campaign trail, "he has re-emerged as a full-throated free trader," even in "the most hotly contested states... with the biggest job losses." Why?

Main Source:

The Wall Street Journal, May 10, 2004

Topics:

Politics

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Planes, Buses and Outsourced Automobiles

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on May 3, 2004 - 11:00pm

George Bush is campaigning in Ohio, as part of a two-day, nearly 300-mile bus tour. Make that a bus-and-plane tour: "Tuesday's bus tour, about 60 miles through western Ohio, actually includes two airplane flights - one from Detroit to Toledo and another from Toledo to Dayton," reports Associated Press.

Main Source:

Associated Press, May 4, 2004

Topics:

Politics

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Schwarzenegger's More Feminist Side

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on May 2, 2004 - 11:00pm

PR Week's Douglas Quenqua asks: "Of the three men honored by a women's-empowerment group in Los Angeles last week for their 'support and advocacy of the issues that are important to women,' how many... have publicly mused over his great fortune at getting to stick a woman's face in the toilet?" If you guessed just one - named Arnold Schwarzenegger - you're correct.

Main Source:

PR Week, May 3, 2004

Topics:

Politics

Women

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Madison Avenue Knows Best

Submitted by Diane Farsetta on May 1, 2004 - 11:00pm

"The spots may be optimally situated by the blunt standards of Madison Avenue, which puts a premium on placing commercials in programs where they will have the most emotional effects," writes Jim Rutenberg, in an article on presidential campaign advertising.

Main Source:

The New York Times, May 2, 2004

Topics:

Advertising

Politics

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Two-party Epistemology

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on April 24, 2004 - 11:00pm

In the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary, a new survey by the University of Maryland shows that 57 percent of the American people continue to believe Saddam Hussein gave "substantial support" to al-Qaeda before the war with Iraq. "Why would so many Americans cling to patently false beliefs?" asks history professor Juan Cole. "One can only speculate of course. But I would suggest that the two-party system in the US has produced a two-party epistemology. Epistemology is the study of how we know what we know.

Main Source:

Juan Cole's Informed Comment weblog, April 25, 2004

Topics:

Politics

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A Dirty Trickster's Bush Bonanza

Submitted by Sheldon Rampton on April 18, 2004 - 11:00pm

"Roger Stone, the dirty-tricks hobgoblin of Republican politics, has exploited his Bush connections to become an influence-peddling force in the $13 billion Indian gaming industry," reports Wayne Barrett. "Stone's booming business in such a federally regulated enterprise makes his recent pro bono orchestration of Al Sharpton's double-edged presidential campaign an even stranger covert caper.

Main Source:

Village Voice, April 19, 2004

Topics: