Campaign Talk - Hardcover

Hart, Roderick P.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 069100126X ISBN 13: 9780691001265

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2000

Synopsis

Roderick Hart may be among the few Americans who believe that what politicians say in a campaign actually matters. He also believes that campaigns work. Even as television coverage, political ads, and opinion polls turn elections into field days for marketing professionals, Hart argues convincingly that campaigns do play their role in sustaining democracy, mainly because they bring about a dialogue among candidates, the press, and the people. Here he takes a close look at the exchange of ideas through language used in campaign speeches, political advertising, public debates, print and broadcast news, and a wide variety of letters to the editor. In each case, the participants choose their words differently, and this, according to Hart, can be a frustrating challenge to anyone trying to make sense of the issues. Yet he finds that the process is good for Americans: campaigns inform us about issues, sensitize us to the concerns of others, and either encourage us to vote or at least heighten our sense of the political world.


Hart comes to his conclusions by using DICTION, a computer program that has enabled him to unearth substantive data, such as the many subtle shifts found in political language, over the past fifty years. This approach yields a rich variety of insights, including empirically based explanations of impressions created by political candidates. For example, in 1996 Bill Clinton successfully connected with voters by using many human-interest words--"you," "us," "people," "family." Bob Dole, however, alienated the public and even undermined his own claims of optimism by using an abundance of denial words--"can't," "shouldn't," "couldn't." Hart also tracks issue buzzwords such as "Medicare" to show how candidates and voters define and readjust their positions throughout the campaign dialogue.


In the midst of today's increased media hype surrounding elections, Americans and the candidates they elect do seem to be listening to each other--as much as they did in years gone by. Hart's wide-ranging, objective investigation upends many of our stereotypes about political life and presents a new, more bracing, understanding of contemporary electoral behavior.

About this title

About the Author

Roderick P. Hart holds the Shivers Chair in Communication and is Professor of Government at the University of Texas, Austin, where he also serves as director of the Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Participation. He is the author of numerous works, including The Sound of Leadership, Modern Rhetorical Criticism, and Seducing America: How Television Charms the Modern Voter. He has been named a Research Fellow of the International Communication Association and a Distinguished Scholar by the National Communication Association.

From the Inside Flap

"Roderick Hart may be the forerunner of a new trend that appraises American political processes and democracy more favorably than the literature of the past twenty years. Full of insight and revelations, this book is a fascinating combination of hard data and a sublime writing voice. It is a pleasure to read."--David L. Paletz, Duke University

"The claim that campaigns have changed very little--or if they have changed, the change lies not in the politicians or the press but in the people--tells us a lot about American politics. The claim that the computer program DICTION can predict winners is a very significant alternative to the general belief that economic ups and downs are the best predictor of who wins presidential elections. Citizens thinking about their vote will find this book entertaining and thoughtful."--Richard Anderson, University of California, Los Angeles

Reviews

Some observers today consider electoral politics a cesspool of money and negativity, but political scientist Hart maintains that there is "ample reason for reconsidering, perhaps even celebrating, political campaigns." This upbeat assessment is founded on a careful look at language. By breaking campaigns down into three "voices"--press, people and politicians--and analyzing each element through a specialized computer program, patterns in word choices are revealed that say a lot about what candidates offer and what people desire. Hart discovers, for example, that in the acceptance speeches delivered by Bob Dole and Bill Clinton at their respective party conventions, Dole referred to people only nine times and repeatedly used the language of the Washington insider, whereas Clinton referred to people 21 times and used the words neighborhoods, fellow, children, home and parents. The seeds of the Dole campaign's fate are apparent to Hart: why did he "stress soldier, violent, and forces during a placid time, or... man when his party faced a yawning gender gap?" Similar analyses of media reports and letters to the editor fill in data for what Hart considers the voices of the press and the people. Hart recognizes that the conversations represented by political campaigns are "often superficial and occasionally degrading," but he remains optimistic, insisting that campaigns produce engagement--at least sometimes--and that generally they have "served the nation well." Readers may not be ready to embrace electoral politics as a national treasure, but Hart's suggestion that at least something positive can be gleaned from the campaign trail is reassuring. (Mar.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Hart teaches at the University of Texas, Austin, and co-directs the Campaign Mapping Project with the University of Pennsylvania's Kathleen Hall Jamieson. In Campaign Talk, he uses DICTION, a computer program, to demonstrate that political campaigns are not as vile as most of us think they are. Examining the 1948 through 1996 presidential races, Hart suggests "a campaign is a conversation among three dominant voices--the press, the people, and the nation's leaders" and that the "conversation has generally served the nation well." Interestingly, Hart uses letters to the editor to take the public's pulse; his computer analysis explores the tensions between politicians and the press, and the public's responses to both, sketching how the words used by each of the three contributors to the campaign conversation have changed over time. Hart, also the author of Seducing America: How Television Charms the Modern Voter (1994), argues cogently that campaigns, with all their problems, perform essential functions in keeping American democracy alive. Mary Carroll

For those cynical and pessimistic about American political campaigns, this book may be an appropriate antidote. Using DICTION, a sophisticated computer program on the language used in elections from 1948 to 1996, Hart (Univ. of Texas, Austin; How Television Charms the Modern Voter) argues that political campaigns actually work because they create a dialog among the candidates, the press, and the people. The process, however imperfect, invigorates the nation as much today as it did in the 19th century. As a result, contrary to popular assumptions of the pundits and the public, Hart does not find a need for dramatic change in political campaigns. The sophisticated research methodology does not detract from the readable text. Recommended for academic libraries.
-William D. Pederson, Louisiana State Univ., Shreveport
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 069100126X
• ISBN 13: 9780691001265
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 328