Addie Zebrowski Synthesis Essay

3/14/12

The use of the governing system that is democracy in the United States is meant to include as many people in the presidential election process as possible. Therefore, since the 1960s presidential debates and campaigns have been televised for the nation to see, in the hopes that more citizens will be interested and partake in the voting process. However, the broadcasting of the campaigning helped create unintended images for presidential candidates which may have altered the way that people vote. Although television has caused the access to presidential elections to increase, promoting the democratic principles our nation stands for, it has also motivated voters to pursue the candidates image rather than the issues they intend to address as president. In a nation far too large for each voter to have direct contact with the presidential candidates, television is a helpful resource. Without personal communication between the contenders and the voters, how is it possible for voters to make informed decisions in the booth? The televised debates and campaigns help to lessen this issue by providing most of America with the best alternative, encouraging their participation in the election. According to source A, Televisionprovides a new, direct, and sensitive link between Washington and the people. By watching the candidates interactions with fellow Americans, viewers feel a more intimate connection with them then simply hearing their Q and As on the radio. Source D illustrates the sharp surge in American homes/people watching the debates on the television between 1960 and 1980. The availability of the campaign process increased interest in the election, generally uniting our nation under politics in a way that hadnt been achieved since the nineteenth amendment was passed, allowing women to vote. The impact of television on presidential elections certainly allowed for more citizens to be, or rather feel, directly involved in the election. However, where the main focus of the viewers was intended to be the causes the candidates stood for, the attention was somewhat turned to their image and appearance. Obviously, these are factors not as important when it comes to the leader of our country. Presidential contenders were more willing to supply inappropriate personal details to news reporters who probed them with questions that would not typically be asked in a formal debate. For instance, in source B, candidate Bill Clinton exposed his underwear preference to the nation on an MTV interview. It was not only inappropriate questions and responses aired on television that affected viewers votes, but also the simple appearance of the candidates. Source C supplies an example of this during a debate between Kennedy and Nixon. Citizens who listened to the debate over the radio called it a tie but the overwhelming majority of those watching it on television claimed Kennedy had clearly won. This was most likely attributed to the fact that Kennedy had a crisp image on the television where Nixon appeared fuzzed (Source C). Evidently, television had the ability to swing voters choices, not necessarily correctly, which is dangerous to a nation so heavily dependent on individuals votes. By publicizing the campaign process on television, the United States definitely promoted the democratic ideals it stands for in terms of encouraging as many people as possible to partake in elections. By making the campaigns more available for viewing, the government wanted to

aid viewers in making informed decisions. Conversely, the public eye became more concerned with the candidates image and personal details of their lives, which sometimes swayed their decision in the voting booth where they chose the candidate they otherwise would not have chosen based simply on their stand on the issues. Thus, the role of television on presidential elections since the 1960s has both positively affected our nation in the way that more people can partake in the election process and negatively in the fact that people have somewhat based their vote on the image of the candidates, a minor detail in the process of electing our nations leader.