Air Wars

by West, Darrell M.

• ISBN13: 9781568023472
• ISBN10: 1568023472
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 1997-05-01
• Publisher: Cq Pr

Summary

Why did Bob Dole get blamed for attack ads in 1996? How did Bill Clinton successfully portray Senator Dole and Speaker Newt Gingrich as the Siamese twins of the 1996 elections? In this new, updated edition, Darrell West helps readers understand how candidates from Eisenhower and Johnson to Bush and Clinton have used television advertising to influence voters and win elections.

Table of Contents

Tables and Figures	xi	(2)
Preface	xiii	(2)
Preface to the First Edition	xv	(5)
Television Advertising in Election Campaigns: A History in Pictures	xx
1. Rethinking Ads	1	(16)
The History of Ads	2	(2)
How Ads Are Put Together	4	(5)
The Impact of Ads	9	(2)
The Structure of Electoral Competition	11	(1)
Advertising and Strategic Politicians	12	(2)
Advertising and the News Media	14	(1)
Changes in Public Opinion	15	(2)
2. Buying Air Time	17	(20)
The Case of John Connally	17	(1)
The Strategies of Ad Buying	18	(2)
How Ad Buys Go Wrong	20	(1)
The 1992 General Election	20	(2)
National Ad Buys	22	(3)
Local Ads Buys	25	(1)
The Case of Winston-Salem	26	(2)
The 1996 Primaries	28	(3)
The 1996 General Election	31	(6)
3. Ad Messages	37	(28)
The Content of Ads	38	(3)
Prominent Ads	41	(2)
The Paucity of Policy Appeals	43	(2)
Shifts over Time	45	(5)
The Impact of Campaign Stage	50	(3)
Internet Ads	53	(4)
The Rise of Negative Advertising	57	(5)
The Objects of Negativity	62	(3)
4. Media Coverage of Ads	65	(17)
The Increasing Coverage of Ads	68	(4)
Horse Race Coverage of Ads	72	(2)
Shifts over Time in Ad Coverage	74	(2)
"Daisy" and the "Revolving Door"	76	(3)
Buchanan's "Freedom Abused" Ad	79	(3)
5. Ad Watches and Voluntary Codes	82	(24)
Codes of Conduct	83	(5)
Public Information Services	88	(3)
Civic Journalism	91	(2)
Debates	93	(1)
Free Television Time	93	(2)
Ad Watches	95	(3)
The 1996 Presidential Campaign	98	(4)
Ad Oversight at Other Levels	102	(2)
The Impact of Ad Watches	104	(2)
6. Learning about the Candidates	106	(18)
Advertising and Electoral Context	107	(1)
Citizens' Knowledge and Evaluations of Candidates	108	(6)
The Importance of Prior Beliefs	114	(5)
Electability and the Vote	119	(5)
7. Setting the Agenda	124	(19)
The Media's Role in Agenda Setting	125	(2)
Policy and Campaign Components of the Public Agenda	127	(2)
Ads and Agenda Setting	129	(2)
The Influence of Individual Ads	131	(4)
The Special Case of Women and the Revolving Door Ad	135	(1)
The Strategic Dimensions of Agenda Control	136	(3)
Redefinition of the Agenda in 1992	139	(2)
The 1996 Agenda	141	(2)
8. Changing the Standards	143	(15)
Informational Shortcuts	144	(2)
Standards of Evaluation	146	(3)
Nixon and the Politics of Inevitability	149	(2)
Defusing Potential Problems: Bush in 1988	151	(1)
The Gantt-Helms Senate Race in 1990	152	(2)
Clinton and the Economy in 1992	154	(2)
Clinton in 1996	156	(2)
9. Playing the Blame Game	158	(15)
Blame Dukakis	158	(1)
Blame Bush	159	(5)
Blame Forbes	164	(2)
Blame Dole	166	(2)
Blame Gingrich	168	(5)
10. Advertising and Democratic Elections	173	(21)
Democratic Expectations	173	(3)
The Risk of Manipulation	176	(2)
Different Arenas, Different Threats	178	(2)
Slicing and Dicing the Electorate	180	(1)
What Can Be Done	181	(4)
Legal Remedies	185	(3)
Issue Advocacy Ads	188	(6)
Appendix	194	(11)
Notes	205	(30)
Index	235