1928–Anti-Smith Flier–Teddy Powers
The controversy of a Catholic becoming president is currently mostly strongly identified with President John F. Kennedy, but he was not the first to try. In 1928, Al Smith, the Irish-Catholic anti-prohibition New Yorker, was strongly scorned for his religion. This hatred was most evident from the Ku Klux Klan.
This flyer from the KKK is a good representation of the battle they waged against Smith. The largest text, “Why Desert?,” tells readers that they would betray their duties as American citizens if they voted for Smith. Americans are “Duty Bound” to reject Catholicism. The quote from the “New York Herald Tribune of Wednesday, June 6, 1928” is then used to evoke fear that Smith would “take his orders from Rome” if elected president. This was a very ripe fear in 1928, just as it was when Kennedy was elected in 1960. In The Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi: A History, Michael Newton notes that a KKK pamphlet said Smith would “no doubt fill every key position in the Republic with Roman Catholics… and no doubt leave the Army and the Navy in the hands of Rome” (95). This type of hyperbole is likely characteristic of attacks ads in all eras, but it was especially prevalent in this election.
Below the newspaper quote, the pamphlet advertises for a rally on “The Unfitness of the Al Smith” at fairgrounds in Kewanee, Illinois. These anti-Smith KKK rallies were not rare in the 1928 campaign. They were not only common but frequent, as evidenced by this description of one in Birmingham, Alabama in Presidential Campaigns: From George Washington to George W. Bush by Paul F. Boller, Jr.: “They began by dragging in an effigy of Al Smith. ‘What shall we do with him?’ asked the presiding officer. ‘Lynch him!’ yelled the citizens. A man with a knife at once fell on the dummy’s throat, gashed it open, and spattered a red fluid (mercurochrome) around the wound. Then, with howls of joy, people began firing revolver shots into the ‘corpse,’ kicking it and spitting at it” (229). Maybe this should not be surprising in light of the fact that the KKK is infamous for real lynchings.
These rallies were part of a very heated effort by the KKK to make sure that Smith did not become president. According to thestrangedeathofliberalamerica.com, they issued a “Klarion Kall for a Krusade” against him. They started their push when he was running for the Democratic nomination. When they failed to stop him from being nominated, they turned their attention to stopping his running mate, Joseph Robinson, from being nominated. Robinson, from Arkansas, represented everything the KKK valued in a candidate—he was a southern, Protestant, prohibitionist. And that was why he was such a threat to them—because he could help balance the ticket and get Smith elected. This effort failed as well, so the Klan shifted their focus to ensuring the ticket’s defeat in the general election.
Representative of the mood of the KKK in general, Amos G. Duncan, the Grand Dragon of the Realm of North Carolina, drummed up a fund of $8,000 to defeat Smith in his state. He said that his office would be solely dedicated to his defeat around the clock until election day. Although ostensibly the KKK was angry that Smith was running, his candidacy ended up helping the Klan by galvanizing their supporters around a common enemy. According to history-world.org, “Stressing white Protestant supremacy, the Klan enjoyed a spurt of growth in 1928 as a reaction to the Democrats’ nomination for president of Alfred E. Smith, a Roman Catholic.”
While the KKK was very overt about their anti-Catholic prejudices against Smith, that forthrightness was not common throughout American society. According to Time Magazine, “Since American traditions tended to inhibit direct assaults on religion, hostility to Smith’s Catholicism was often expressed in denunciations of him as a servant of the Demon Rum.” This veil gave Americans an excuse to implicitly hate his religious beliefs while casting their feelings as moral leanings. This might be similar to a racist voter in the 2008 election saying that he or she would not vote for Senator Obama because he is pro-choice.
Whether they were expressed implicitly or explicitly aside, Al Smith was of course not happy with the emphasis on his religion. According to Time he said, “Let the people of this country decide this election upon the great and real issues of the campaign and upon nothing else.” His dream probably did not come true, as he lost the Electoral College vote 444 to 87.
The flyer itself: http://www.authentichistory.com/1921-1929/01-historical/4-
1928election/1928_KKK_anti-Al_Smith_Flyer.html
Boller, Paul F. Presidential Campaigns: from George Washington to George W. Bush. New York: Oxford UP, 2004. Print.
Newton, Michael. The Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi: a History. Jefferson, NC: McFarland &, 2010. Print.
http://history-world.org/ku_klux_klan.htm
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,874025-3,00.html
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,874025-3,00.html
1876–Cartoon–Corey Bruce
This cartoon was illustrated by A.B. Frost based on a George Colt design. It appeared in Harper’s Weekly on September 2, 1876. The underlying message of this cartoon was to paint Samuel J. Tilden as politically corrupt. In 1868, Tilden acted as campaign manager for Horatio Seymour, the Democratic Party Nominee and Chairman of the New York State Democratic Committee. A year after that election, Horace Greeley, editor of the New York Tribune and a Republican, wrote a public letter to Tilden accusing him of allowing the New York Democratic Party to commit voter fraud. The actual letter written to Tilden from Greeley is placed in the upper right corner of cartoon. The Republicans felt that, by bringing this back into the spotlight, they could convince voters that Samuel Tilden was and still is a corrupt politician.
The rest of the illustration uses imagery representative of a scene from William Shakespeare’s Macbeth. In that story, Macbeth, the main character, murders to the good King of Scotland, Duncan, to gain power and rule. One of Duncan’s generals, Banquo, suspects that Macbeth has gained his power through an evil deed and voices this to the kingdom. Because of that, Macbeth ordered the murder of Banquo as well. Banquo then appears to Macbeth in the form of a ghost continually condemning him for his sins.
Pictured in the cartoon is Samuel J. Tilden as Macbeth sitting in a chair in his study. He appears horrified, guilt stricken and embarrassed as the ghost of Horace Greeley, the Republican Presidential Candidate in 1872, stands over him in condemnation. Here Greeley is pictured as Banquo’s ghost. As he points to the letter he had earlier written to Tilden, he is essentially haunting him of his past sins of corruption. Picturing Greeley as a ghost, also symbolizes his death before the Electoral College casted their votes in 1872.
Though this is blatantly an attack on Tilden and the Democratic Party by the Republican Party, it is not farfetched to see it as an inadvertent attack on the Democratic Nominee by his own party. Horace Greeley, in the election of 1872, ran as a Liberal Republican against Radical Republican, Ulysses S. Grant. Greeley, however, was nominated by the Democratic Party. So even after Greeley wrote that letter to Tilden, the Democratic Nominee in 1868, accusing him of allowing voter fraud, the Democratic Party still endorsed his nomination in the following election. The cartoon does not only illustrate the political corruptness of Samuel J. Tilden, but it also symbolizes a weakness in the Democratic Party, especially in their decisions over the past three elections.
Despite Republican efforts to burry Tilden as a strong opponent, the election of 1876 was one of the most controversial and close elections in American history. Samuel J. Tilden outpolled Rutherford B. Hayes in the popular vote and had 184 electoral votes to Hayes’s 165. However, twenty votes went uncounted and were disputed in three states, Florida, Louisiana, and South Carolina, each party claiming those states. The twenty disputed electoral votes were ultimately given to Hayes, giving him the victory over Tilden.
1960–Kennedy/Nixon Debates–David Geaney
The 1960 election was the first time that general election candidates took part in nationally televised debates. This added a new element to presidential election campaigns, as candidates not only had to sound good for the radio, but look good for the television as well. This new means of communication favored those who looked strong and authoritative, not only those who sounded the part. The adaption to this new form of mainstream media was quicker for some candidates than for others.
The 1960 election between John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon was extremely close. One of the events th
at many believe turned the tide was the first nationally televised debate. To many American’s who listened to the first debate on the radio, Richard Nixon was labeled the victor in the debate, but to the greater number of people that watched the first debate on television, John F Kennedy was overwhelmingly seen as the victor. Why was there such a disparity between the opinions of listeners and viewers?
In the first debate Nixon did not take as much consideration to his appearance as Kennedy did; he was recovering from an illness brought about by an injury suffered campaigning in North Carolina and looked pale, tired, and underweight. Nixon did not take into consideration that his appearance would be an issue, so he did not even bother to shave or apply television makeup. This gave him a disheveled look, which did not give him the image of a candidate vying for the presidency. In contrast to Nixon, Kennedy was tan, well rested, and fit, making him look stronger and more forceful than Nixon. Kennedy exuded confidence from the beginning, and his appearance reflected that of a man seeking the presidency. This contrast in appearance can be seen as a determining factor in the differing opinions listeners and viewers had on the subject, as it made Nixon seem weaker than Kennedy.
After the first debate, polls showed that Kennedy had moved from slightly behind Nixon, to just ahead of him, a turning point in the general election. For the subsequent debates Nixon was better prepared and looked the part. The general consensus among political observers at the time was the Nixon won the second and third debate, but that both candidates had their best performance and came to a draw.
Richard Nixon had yet another characteristic that did not help him in his television appearances; he perspired excessively. This perspiration led him to mop his face of the sweat, making him look nervous and unconfident to television viewers. There is some theory that Kennedy’s media team sought to raise the temperature in the studio hours before the debate, so that when the lights came on the candidates would be in extremely hot temperatures, thus causing Nixon to sweat profusely.
Just prior to the debates Richard Nixon injured his knee and it became infected. This made it more difficult for him to stand for the full hour of each debate, as was required, thus making him look shaky, which combined with his profuse sweating, made him look uncomfortable and lacking of confidence in front of an audience.
The image of Richard Nixon increased substantially following the first debate as he and his staff realized the importance of appearance and the nationally televised debates to public opinion and consequently the polls.
The candidates did their best to make it about Democrat v. Republican, rather than Kennedy v. Nixon, as can be seen in the first debate. Kennedy makes it clear that the election should be about parties with the realization that both candidates come from a party and thus represent the ideals of that party. Kennedy says, “I come out of the Democratic party… Mr. Nixon comes out of the Republican Party… I think Mr. Nixon is an effective leader of his party… The question before us is which point of view, and which party do we want to lead the United States.” Kennedy actually compliments Nixon and tries to ensure that rather an attack on character or the individual, at least the first debate should remain about each party and what they have and will do for the country should they be in power the next election.
The debates revolutionized the way the population viewed candidates and required that candidates also look the part if they wanted to stand a viable chance in election. While the subsequent elections did not have nationally televised general election debates, they have become tradition since, thanks to the precedence set by the Kennedy v. Nixon debates in the 1960 general election.
Sources:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jznAJySwkmM
First Nationally Televised Debate
Republican v Democrat, not candidate v candidate
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbrcRKqLSRw
“Our Campaigns – Event – First Kennedy-Nixon Debate – Sep 26, 1960”. http://www.ourcampaigns.com/EventDetail.html?EventID=10
“Our Campaigns – Event – Second Kennedy-Nixon Debate – Oct 07, 1960” http://www.ourcampaigns.com/EventDetail.html?EventID=11
“Our Campaigns – Event – Third Kennedy-Nixon Debate – Oct 13, 1960” http://www.ourcampaigns.com/EventDetail.html?EventID=12
“Our Campaigns – Event – Fourth Kennedy-Nixon Debate – Oct 21, 1960” http://www.ourcampaigns.com/EventDetail.html?EventID=13
1992–Clinton Anti-Bush Ad–Melanie Modula
The main issue around the 1992 campaign was undoubtedly the suffering economy toward the end of the 1990s. America was in a recession. As the 1992 campaign process went on, the economy began to fall even faster along with President George H.W.Bush’s approval rating.
My first example of campaign rhetoric is a common one for the 1992 election. This theme and campaign ad was one of the most popular of the 1992 campaign. It features a clip from the 1988 Republican Convention when Bush was running for office the first time. When asked about raising taxes, Bush points to the crowd and says, “Read my lips. No new taxes.” Some critics say the “read my lips” statement George Bush gave on taxes could have been the reason he won the 1988 election and lost the 1992 election.
Early in his term, Bush had a record high approving rating of 89%. His foreign policy made him popular early on with events like the fall of the Berlin Wall, collapse of the Soviet Union and military operations overseas in the Persian Gulf and Panama. However, the economic recession overshadowed his foreign policy experience and became the main issue in 1992. The deficit left over from the Reagan years was only growing.
After making the no-taxes promise, Bush went back on his word and raised numerous taxes. Bush’s words during the 1988 convention came back to haunt him and appeared in newspaper headlines, news talk shows and even parodied on Saturday Night Live.
The economy toward the end of the Bush presidency was suffering immensely along with his approval rating. The last thing the American people wanted to hear was a false promise. The Clinton campaign intelligently picked out this lie as the basis of their ad.
The ad begins with light, gentle music and the words; “The George Bush Promise” It could first appear as if it could be a positive television ad for the Bush Campaign. The mood quickly changes after the clip of George Bush promising the American people that he will not create new taxes. Facts are immediately given following explaining specifically how Bush broke his word. The large taxation on gas is specified. “Can we afford four more years?” is asked. The ad suggests that another Bush term would be detrimental to this nation’s economy.
By highlighting Clinton’s accomplishments after making Bush look like a lying, untrustworthy politician, Clinton is viewed in a positive light. He is seen shaking the hands of everyday people with a friendly smile on his face. The music is happier and hopeful sounding. This ad along with many others ran by the Clinton campaign portray him as a “different kind of democrat.” Not only do they want you to think he is different than his republican opponent, but different than anyone we have seen in recent years. The turn-around in Arkansas’s economy is supposed to differentiate him as someone who can tackle the nation’s financial downfall.
Toward the end of the ad, there is a play on words that negatively attacks President Bush. After stating some positives in Clinton’s record, the background voice says, “You don’t have to read his lips, read his record.” In comparison to Bush, Clinton’s financial record was seen as a positive. Like stated in the television ad, as Governor of Arkansas, the state had the second lowest tax burden in the country.
The slogan attached to this television ad is “Clinton- Gore, For People, For a Change.” Both slogans demonstrate how willing Americans were to accept change in a candidate. Bill Clinton won the 1992 election with 43% of the vote and 370 electoral votes to George Bush’s 37.5% and 168 electoral votes. It was the second largest electoral shift between two parties since the 1976 election. The American people voted as the TV slogan suggested; for a change.
In my opinion, the TV ad is a persuasive and effective example of campaign rhetoric. An unbiased viewer would leave with feelings of negativity toward Bush after watching this and feelings of hope toward Bill Clinton. An ad like this one shows that the Clinton campaign successfully did their job.
1972–Nixon/McGovern Posters–Stephanie D’Anna
Rhetoric is defined as the art of speaking or writing effectively as the study of writing or speaking as a means of communication or persuasion. Examples of Presidential Campaign Rhetoric are campaign ads, speeches, debates, and political cartoons and posters. One of the most effective forms of rhetoric in my opinion are political cartoons and posters. For my second form of presidential rhetoric in the 1972 Presidential election between George McGovern and Richard Nixon, I am going to focus on political posters. I feel that political posters have a big impact on whether or not people vote for a certain candidate. The political posters are displayed everywhere you look during elections. Think about how many Barack Obama bumper stickers or posters there were during this past election. When you see a poster over and over it makes you remember it and therefore is a successful form of rhetoric and propaganda.
One of the two posters I am going to address is the anti-Nixon political poster that was made and distributed by the McGovern campaign. The poster shows a quote from Richard Nixon, “Those who have had a chance for four years and could not produce peace should not be given another chance”. It also has a cartoon picture of Nixon holding his index finger up, complete with a growing nose like Pinocchio.
To give a little background on the meaning of the quote on the poster, Richard Nixon said this quote during his first term as President of the United States. The quote is from Nixon’s speech on October 9, 1968, which was delivered during the heat of the campaign against Vice President Hubert Humphrey. Nixon was trying to gain votes in the 1968 election in which he ran against Humphrey and won. Humphrey was running for a second term as President and Nixon wanted to persuade the American people to believe that if a President cannot succeed peace in four years, then he does not deserve another chance. Ironically, four years later, during the 1972 Presidential election, Nixon’s very own words were used against him to show him in a negative light.
When searching for a similar poster from Richard Nixon’s campaign against George McGovern, there were none to be found. It seems as though Richard Nixon chose to focus his campaign rhetoric around his previous success as President during his 1968 term. George McGovern seems to focus on the negative aspects of Nixon and bringing him down in hopes of persuading the American citizens to vote against Nixon.
The second political poster that I am going to address is one the Richard Nixon put out during the 1972 election. The poster is called the “Coolness” poster and it looks completely different from McGovern’s. The poster depicts Richard Nixon during his first term in the White House. He is looking out one of the windows in the White House while wearing a suit, with his hands in his pockets and leaning against the wall, casually. The quote on the poster says, “the nation needs coolness more than clarion calls; intelligence more than charisma; a sense of history more than a sense of histrionics”. The relaxed and calm mood of the President as he looks out the White House window suggests the idea that Nixon was a man who could handle the stress of being President in a calm and collected manner.
In comparison to McGovern’s poster, Nixon chose to focus on himself rather than on his competitor. Richard Nixon chose to show an image captured in his days in the White House, which could suggest to voters that he is a credible and capable man that deserves another term in the White House. McGovern chose a different approach. He chose to capitalize on Nixon’s mistakes to make himself look like the better candidate in the election. He took Nixon’s words from a speech he gave years before in a different context and situation, and changed the words to go against Nixon in the present election. George McGovern seems to attempt to bring Richard Nixon down by focusing on his negative aspects rather than on his own positive traits. He did the same thing with his campaign ads during the election in 1972. Whether or not these posters really factored into the outcome of the election, they still somewhat showed the character of each candidate in my opinion. Nixon came across as a positive, optimistic person who had success in the past whereas McGovern seemed desperate to show the public all the reasons they should not trust and vote for Nixon.
http://www.affordablepoliticalitems.com/shop/index.php?act=viewProd&productId=457
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/rhetoric
http://www.loriferber.com/nixon-coolness-campaign-poster.html
1860–Republican Cartoon–Sarah Moran
The Election of 1860 has gone down in history as the election that ultimately caused the Civil War. At the outset of this election the country was divided and the results of the election just pinned the two sides against each other even more. For my first piece of rhetoric, I thought it was important to highlight the divisive nature of the election and the state of the country at this point in history.
My piece of rhetoric ran in “The Wide Awake Pictorial,” a Republican publication in the North. To understand the rhetoric you must understand the background and the history at play during this election.
At the beginning of the election, the formerly dominant Democratic Party split into Northern and Southern factions. John C. Breckenridge, a Democrat from Kentucky headed the South with running mate Joseph Lane. Stephen A. Douglas, a Democrat from Illinois headed the North with running mate Herschel V. Johnson (“United States Presidential Election of 1860”).
While the Democratic Party was in turmoil, the Republicans were strategically planning their attack. At the convention, the leading Republican candidate was Senator Henry Seward of New York. With the weakened Democratic Party, the Republicans knew they could pull out the victory. Seward had an avid anti-slavery agenda and the Republicans did not think they would win with a candidate so extreme on the hot topic of the election. With this in mind, they chose a more moderate candidate in Abraham Lincoln from Illinois. Lincoln’s running mate was Hannibal Hamlin (“United States Presidential Election of 1860”). The Republicans had to be strategic when it came to choosing their candidate in this divisive election and they chose the right one in Lincoln.
Although the election was mainly a contest between the Democrats and the Republicans there was a third party candidate in 1860, John Bell, who ran as a Constitutional Union candidate with Edward Everett on his ticket (“United States Presidential Election of 1860”).
Slavery was the hot topic of the election and served as the major difference in the party platforms. The Republicans favored “free soil” in Western territories, discontinuing the expansion of slavery. The issue of slavery proved so strong that it ultimately divided and weakened the Democratic Party. As common with the party at the time, the Democrats in general were in agreement with the expansion of slavery into new territories. However, Southern Democrats wanted a Federal Slave Code for all new territories and the Northern Democrats wanted the new territories to decide (“United States Presidential Election of 1860”).
Now back to the piece of rhetoric at hand. In this pro-Republican cartoon, the state of the country is depicted by the rough and stormy sea. The nation was already on the brink of the Civil War with this election serving as the tipping point. There are three boats pictured in the cartoon, each with a different party label. The Democrats are featured in complete chaos, losing their oars and looking for help symbolizing the divided Democrats who had previously been so dominant. The Know-Nothing Party capsized in the storm symbolizing that they were essentially extinct at this point in history. Men are depicted in the water climbing into the Republican boat symbolizing the trend in which the Know-Nothings jumped ship to the Republicans’ boat because of their avid non-slavery stance (“The Boat that Rides in Safety”). The forefront of the cartoon features the Republicans, with Lincoln commanding the ship and taking the waves in stride.
The placement of this cartoon is also important in fully understanding its rhetorical power. The cartoon was featured in “The Wide Awake Pictorial” a Republican publication in the North. The cartoon was also interestingly featured on November 1, 1860, right before Election Day. When taking those two factors into account, the purpose of the cartoon was to rally the party faithful by reminding them about the weakened state of the Democratic Party, encouraging them to get out and vote for Lincoln. It is also important to know who the Wide Awakes were. The Wide Awakes were a group of Republicans who garnered support for Republican candidates during this time period by noisily marching, singing and dancing in parades. These men wore glazed helmets and capes during their demonstrations and served as police at polling locations to discourage voting fraud (“The Boat that Rides in Safety”). During this election, the Wide Awakes proved to be an influential factor in the North with Lincoln taking the majority of the North.
This cartoon creatively explains the political state of the country during this time period. The nation was divided by party and essentially by the sole issue of slavery. The election was so divisive that Lincoln did not even run on the ticket in most Southern states (“United States Presidential Election of 1860”). After the votes had been counted, Lincoln took the presidency for the Republicans without carrying a single Southern state however. The Republicans victory was made possible with the two Democratic candidates splitting Democratic votes and essentially defeating each other. Many Southern states stayed true to their word following the election and South Carolina seceded less than a month after Lincoln took office. The election of 1860 will always be seen as a pivotal point in American history.
Works Cited
“The Boat That Rides in Safety.” Harp Week. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. <http://elections.harpweek.com/1860/cartoon-1860-Medium.asp?UniqueID=18>.
“United States Presidential Election of 1860.” Encyclopedia Virginia. 28 May 2009. Web. 20 Apr. 2011. <http://encyclopediavirginia.org/United_States_Presidential_Election_of_1860>.
1972–Nixon & McGovern Ads–Stephanie D’Anna
The candidates running for President in the 1972 election were George McGovern and Richard Nixon. McGovern was a Senator from South Dakota who was a member of the United States Army Air Corps and served in World War II, he was director of the Food for Peace Program, and a strong supporter of liberal causes and took a liberal position on social issues like abortion, homosexuality, and the women’s movement. He was strongly opposed to America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. On the other hand, Richard Nixon had served as a Navy lieutenant commander and was Vice President under Eisenhower in 1952. He first lost in the Presidential election in 1960 to John F. Kennedy however was nominated to run again and was elected President in 1968. In his first term as President, Nixon accomplished revenue sharing, the end of the draft, new anticrime laws, a broad environmental program, and he appointed Justices of conservative philosophy to the Supreme Court. Nixon was on a quest for world stability and wanted to reduce tensions with China and the U.S.S.R. He was nominated again at the end of his first term and was elected for a second term in this election of 1972.
For my first example of campaign rhetoric from the 1972 election between George McGovern and Richard Nixon, I am going to address the campaign ads for both candidates. Both candidates aired two very different ads. Firs of all, George McGovern focused on the negative aspects to Richard Nixon in his campaign ad. The commercial aired before the Watergate Scandal had come about. The Watergate Scandal stems from a break-in at the offices of the Democratic National Committee during this campaign. The break-in was traced back to officials of the Committee to Re-Elect the President. Nixon denied any involvement. To describe McGovern’s campaign ad, he pretty much pieced together a lot of newspaper articles that had shown Nixon in a negative light. Some of the headlines are “Nixon Ex-Aides, 5 Others Indicted in Bugging Case,” “FBI Finds Nixon Aides Sabotaged Democrats,” and “President’s Credibility Under Attack.” In addition to showing these articles and headlines, there is a man saying what Nixon is about. “This is about the government, this is about credibility, this is about bugging, this is about spying, this is about lying, etc” and then he says “and this is how you stop it, with your vote” with McGovern’s name across the screen in big bold letters. Keeping in mind that the Watergate Scandal was not really public yet, I think it is a pretty bold move on McGovern’s side to release a campaign commercial focusing on it. I personally think this commercial was annoying just because of how many times he says “This is about…” and I think it would have been beneficial to focus on what McGovern was planning on doing for our country once he was elected, not the drama going on with Nixon.
Nixon, on the other hand, chose a different route when making his campaign ad. He focused on his positive achievements during his first term as President rather than putting McGovern down. His commercial features the song “Nixon Now” which is an upbeat, happy song. The ad is filled with pictures that do not even have anything to do with Nixon. There are people running through the rain, there’s a butterfly, people playing in water, none of this has anything to do with the campaign but he uses it to make people think that things are happier and better with him as President of the United States. Nixon’s ad is about twice as long as McGovern’s and has the complete opposite mood. There are a lot of images of Nixon shaking hands with citizens of the United States of America and posters expressing people’s love for President Nixon. As I mentioned before, Nixon had a lot of success as President, including revenue sharing, the end of the draft, new anticrime laws, a broad environmental program, and he appointed Justices of conservative philosophy to the Supreme Court, so I feel that focusing on his positive aspects rather than McGovern’s negative aspects was a good choice. Allowing the voters to see his successes was a way to prove to them that he is a credible candidate for reelection.
The election resulted in the reelection of Richard Nixon in a landslide. In fact the only state that McGovern won was Massachusetts. This was one of the biggest deficits in election history. The campaign ads shown for this campaign are important forms of rhetoric that persuade the American public to vote or not vote for a certain candidate. Nixon’s ad was not necessarily better but when factoring in the margin of victory, the ad could have been a deciding factor for some voters.
Sources:
http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=m000452
http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/richardnixon
1876–Harper’s Weekly Cartoon–Corey Bruce
This political cartoon illustrates how the Republicans, supporting Rutherford B. Hayes, viewed the dominant forces of the Democratic Party. The setting of the cartoon takes place on the road to St. Louis, Missouri, where the Democratic National Convention was being held, as portrayed by the sign in the upper left corner. The five characters marching each represent one of the stereotypical dominant figures of the Democratic Party.
On each character in the cartoon, is a label with the word “Reform.” This is a reference to Samuel Tilden, the expected Democratic Nominee who later ended up running against Hayes in the Presidential Election. Tilden was often referred to as a reform governor from New York and therefore chose “reform” as the main theme to his campaign.
The large man leading the march was referred to as a “shoulder-hitter.” This person was a physically powerful man who typically used acts of violence to force his will upon the political system. He is dressed in the striped garment of an inmate accompanied by chains and shackles, which represents his violent nature. The tipped “sporting man” hat and the cigar were typical accessories of important and powerful men in society. In his left hand, he is shown dragging a crying “Reform Rag Baby” by the hand. The Rag Baby was typically used to represent inflation or “soft-money.” One important issue circling the 1876 election came from the push of the nation’s farmers, many who were deep in debt. They felt that by increasing the nations money supply, it would generate inflation and help them reduce their debt. They therefore demanded that the government implement a soft-money policy by increasing the money supply. This however, stirred controversy elsewhere due to feelings of uncertainty and insecurity from an irredeemable paper currency, with its fluctuations in value. The Democratic Party was divided over the issue with hard-money, gold standard supporters in the Northeast and soft-money inflationist supporters in the West and South. It is not so surprising that Tilden was a hard-money supporter unlike other potential Democratic Nominees, which provides more evidence that this cartoon is in direct reference to his potential nomination as the Democratic Candidate in this election.
Behind the “shoulder-hitter” and “rag baby” is a Roman Catholic priest carrying a document inscribed with the phrase “death to public schools.” The Catholic Priest represents the predominantly German and Irish Catholic immigrants that made up a crucial voting community for he Democratic Party. Anti-Catholic groups often accused Catholics of being loyal first to the Vatican and not the United States projecting an unpatriotic image on this primarily Democratic society. The word “Pope” as well as the Vatican symbol also appears on the document being held by the Priest. The phrase “death to public schools” refers to the primarily Protestant nature of public schools at the time. Typically, state funds had been distributed to a variety of different school systems. Catholic schools therefore received their fair share. However, Public-School supporters accused the Catholic Church of attempting to destroy the emerging public-school system.
Peaking up from behind the Priest is a member of the Ku-Klux-Klan. He is wearing the hat and mask of an Italian banditti, which symbolizes anarchistic brutality and on the hat rests a skull and crossbones, which signifies death and is a common symbol used by the Ku-Klux-Klan. This refers to two other important issues salient to this election. The use of “death” represents the Klan’s resistance to both Reconstruction as well as Black Civil Rights.
The figure in the back is supposed to look like a Tammany Chief disguised as a cigar storefront Indian on a dolly. Tammany Hall was the principal group of the Democratic Party in New York City and acted as a great influence at the state and national levels. During the 1860s and 70s, Tammany Hall was lead by the corrupt William “Boss” Tweed who finally fell in the early 1870s to the honest John Kelly. John Kelly is the man pictured as the Tammany Chief holding a hatchet and a bottle of alcohol. Because Kelly did not truly agree with Tilden’s nomination, he is being pushed by another man dressed as an inmate whose identity is unknown.
1996–Clinton Reelection Ad–Amina Haleem
The TV ad for Bill Clinton’s re-election campaign in 1996 contained the slogan, “Building a Bridge to the 21st Century.” This was also the theme of his acceptance speech for the Democratic nomination in which he outlined his goals for the presidency that would lead into the new millennium. The intention of the campaign ad is meant to be deeply touching and inspirational- it shows various pictures of Clinton with average citizens, outlining his accomplishments in his first term superimposed with classical music and voice clips of Clinton speaking. Clinton also made the parallel argument that Republican nominee Bob Dole was too old, that he was stuck in the past, and that his anti-progressive policies would be unable to sufficiently push America into the 21st Century. In an official debate between himself and Dole, President Clinton said, “I can only tell you that I don’t Senator Dole is too old to be President, but it’s the age of his ideas that I question”. Clinton was also affectionately dubbed “the comeback kid” by news media outlets after his 1992 New Hampshire primary[1].
Clinton’s association of Dole with Newt Gingrich, the House Speaker, and use of old black and white footage of both of their past conservative policies, demonstrated the disconnect between the leadership of the Republican Party and the American people, even though the Republicans gained the majority of seats in Congress in 1994. Republicans started a “Contract with America” in order to eliminate the New Deal culture. The budget became a divisive issue between the political Parties, causing Dole to accuse Clinton of over spending. However, Clinton, in his presidential election ad, took credit for the flourishing economy and American contentment with jobs. The success of the Democrats and Clinton’s support of American moral values reflected Clinton’s capability as President while questioning Dole’s “stuck in the past” conservative mentality, which would not be the way to vote in the election that would carry Americans into the next generation.
Bill Clinton was able to use his incumbency and the successes from the first term of his presidency to catapult him to the forefront of the 1996 presidential race. The Democratic Party was in a good place during President Clinton’s campaign despite the 1994 congressional election which caused both houses in congress to be controlled by the 
Republican Party. However Clinton was subject to criticism for this change in legislative power due to the failure of his proposed health care system and the controversies surrounding Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell and NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement). But Clinton’s successes included addressing the budget deficit, Medicare, the D.A.R.E. program targeted towards educational institutions. Clinton targeted the needs of America’s youth in his campaign and his accomplishments regarding child vaccinations and education reform to garner family votes. Most Americans felt content with the prosperity of the country which is why voting for familiarity worked in Clinton’s favor.
During the ’96 election, the Democratic National committee was accused of accepting foreign donations and funds from Chinese religious groups, which is illegal for any non-American citizen to donate to American politicians[2]. This scandal was dubbed “Chinagate” due to the Chinese monetary influence on American politics and also in reference to the Watergate scandal under President Nixon. However, this campaign scandal was kept under cover and did not receive any media attention until a year later in 1997[3]. Dole attempted to capitalize on Clinton’s minor scandals during his first Presidential term, such as the Whitewater controversy involving the Clintons’ invested money into Whitewater real estate development, to create a questionable candidate, but his advertisements were inconsistent and failed to divert Americans’ attention from the successful products of Clinton’s first term. While most of the mid-west voted for Dole, he was only able to capture 159 electoral votes to Clinton’s 379.
Because Dole’s TV ads mostly centered on character-based issues, Elizabeth Dole, Bob Dole’s wife, was a main advocate featured in a number of Dole’s advertisements. She complimented her husband on being a WWII war hero and his commitment to family values and morals. This is in contrast to Clinton’s ads, especially this one, which were more policy based and did not feature his wife, then-senator Hillary Clinton. His focus on more middle-class issues geared his campaign to more moderate Americans. He was able to win many suburban votes.
1952–Nixon “Checkers” Speech–Sarah Martin
For my first two posts I focused on one of the technological advances that made the 1952 important- television advertisements. Although a turning point for modern campaigning, there was more to this election than cartoon characters and crooning ladies. For my final blog post I went with the well-known “Checkers” speech given on Septmber 23, 1952. I wanted to analyze the reasoning behind Vice-Presidential candidate Richard Nixon’s willingness to appear on air and what made this speech so successful. From Dwight Eisenhower’s willingness to have thrown him under the bus if this had not worked, to his complete and total honesty, to his ability to connect with the common man through this speech, Nixon turned questionable circumstances into a vote of confidence in his legitimacy.
Although it seems Nixon may have gone above and beyond any expectation of how he should have dealt with this, he probably felt the pressure from Eisenhower for this to eliminate any doubt of his innocence. The basic premise was this: there were possible undocumented gifts in the accounting of a campaign fund for Nixon. From this speech, Nixon was hoping that viewers would pressure the Republican National Committee (RNC) into keeping him on the ticket. Eisenhower, obviously, kept Nixon on the ticket and, allegedly the next time they saw each other, Eisenhower is quoted as telling Nixon, “Dick, you’re my boy.”
But how was Nixon able to turn allegations into support in a short, 30-minute speech? He was honest. He summed it up well in his first few lines, “Now, the usual political thing to do when charges are made against you is to either ignore them or to deny them without giving details. I believe we have had enough of that in the United States, particularly with the present administration in Washington D.C.” From there, he outlined literally the entirety of his financial status. The audience of about 60 million heard any and every detail of his finances from his two mortgages, to his wife’s, Pat, salary. The most notable detail, and the namesake of the speech, is his acknowledgement of the gift of “Checkers,” a dog given to his daughter, “It was a little cocker spaniel dog in a crate that he’d sent all the way from Texas. Black and white spotted. And our little girl-Tricia, the 6-year old-named it Checkers. And you know, the kids, like all kids, love the dog and I just want to say this right now, that regardless of what they say about it, we’re gonna keep it.” By going through every line item, big or small, living or inanimate, wet-nosed or made of cloth, Nixon was able to dismiss any doubt about the legality of his campaign fund.
This speech was not only successful because of its acquittal of Nixon, but also because Nixon was able to transition from defendant back to politician through connecting with the common man and attacking Adlai Stevenson’s abilities to do just that. The Eisenhower campaign was notorious for its ability to relate to the everyman. This speech is no different. Throughout his own defense, Nixon talks about his modest means, and then, during his attack on Stevenson, compares Nixon’s knowledge of the middle class with Stevenson’s image as being too connected with the Washington elite, “Take the problem of corruption. You’ve read about the mess in Washington. Mr. Stevenson can’t clean it up because he was picked by the man, Truman, under whose Administration the mess was made.”
Nixon went from the possibility of being dropped from the ticket, to addressing an excited crowd of 3,000 the following day. He carefully shifted any speculation about his finances, to speculation of not only Stevenson’s own finances, but his ability to lead the country, and view certain issues with enough importance. He did this while also making his audience feel as though, if Eisenhower were elected, the average citizen would finally have a voice in Washington, through Nixon himself. Although he became a proven crook years later, Nixon was able to keep his innocence and his vice-presidential candidacy alive through this speech.
Postscript: Checkers lived a long and healthy life, dying at age 12 in 1964. May you rest in peace, Checkers.
Links:
http://watergate.info/nixon/checkers-speech.shtml
http://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2008/01/17/the-dog-carries-the-day-for-nixon
Presidential Campaign Rhetoric 