Presidential Debates

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Presidential Debates

1.

Televised Presidential Debates: Advocacy in Contemporary America
by Susan A. Hellweg, Michael Pfau, Steven R. Brydon. 168 pgs.

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This vital study employs a "television perspective" in examining the sponsorship, formats, nature, and impacts of presidential debates, stressing the 1960, 1976, 1980, 1984, and 1988 debates. The authors integrate contemporary theory and research about the television medium and influence with extensive research on presidential debates. Specific topics include how presidential debates have evolved as a function of the participation of the broadcast industry, how debates are structured to fit the demands of the television medium, how candidates' verbal messages must be tailored to the medium, how candidates' visual messages are defined through the medium, and the persuasive effects of mediated debates.

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Title Page

Copyright Acknowledgments

Contents

About the Series

Notes

Series Foreword

References

Note

Preface

Chapter One: History of Television Involvement in Presidential Debates

Note

Chapter Two: The Structure of Presidential Debate Formats

Chapter Three: The Verbal Dimension of Presidential Debates

Chapter Four: The Visual Dimension of Presidential Debates

Chapter Five: The Impacts of Presidential Debates

Conclusions

Appendix

References

Author Index

About the Authors
2.

Televised Presidential Debates and Public Policy
by Sidney Kraus. 323 pgs.

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Title Page

LEA'S COMMUNICATION SERIES Jennings Bryant/Dolf Zillmann, General Editors

Contents

Preface

Preface (First Edition)

1: Introduction

2: Overview: Television and the Presidential Election

3: Debate Formats: Candidates in Charge

4: Debate Coverage: Who's Winning

5: Debate Effects: Voters Win

6: Debate Policy: Every Four Years by Mandate

References and Bibliography

Name Index

Subject Index
3.

The Great Debates: Kennedy vs. Nixon, 1960
by Sidney Kraus. 439 pgs.

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Title Page

The Great Debates

Contents

Illustrations

Charts

Tables

Editor's Note

Preface

Part I Background and Perspective

1: Introduction Harold D. Lasswell

2: Broadcasting in Presidential Campaigns Samuel L. Becker & Elmer W. Lower

3: An Nbc View Robert W. Sarnoff

4: A Cbs View Frank Stanton

5: Production Diary of the Debates Herbert A. Seltz & Richard D. Yoakam

6: Notes from Backstage Douglass Cater

7: Were They "Great"? Charles A. Siepmann

8: The Counterfeit Debates J. Jeffery Auer

9: Personalities Vs. Issues Samuel Lubell

10: The Future of National Debates Gilbert Seldes

Part II Effects of the Debates

11: The Debates in the Light of Research: A Survey of Surveys Elihu Katz & Jacob J. Feldman

12: Pre-Debate Campaign Interest and Media Use Reuben Mehling, Sidney Kraus & Richard D. Yoakam

13: Viewing, Conversation, and Voting Intentions Paul J. Deutschmann

14: Some Effects of the Debates Richard F. Carter

15: Candidate Images Percy H. Tannenbaum, Bradley S. Greenberg, & Fred R. Silverman

16: Issues and Images Sidney Kraus & Raymond G. Smith

17: Reactions of Viewers Kurt Lang & Gladys Engel Lang

18: Effects and Implications Saul Ben-Zeev & Irving S. White

Part III Texts of the Debates

19: The Problem of Textual Accuracy Theodore Clevenger, Jr., Donald W. Parson, & Jerome B. Polisky

First Debate, September 26, 1960

Second Debate, October 7, 1960

Third Debate, October 13,1960

Fourth Debate, October 21,1960

Index
4.

Winners of the First 1960 Televised Presidential Debate between Kennedy and Nixon, in Journal of Communication
by Sidney Kraus. 19 pgs.

Journal Article
5.

The Great Debates: Carter vs. Ford, 1976
by Sidney Kraus. 553 pgs.

Book

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Title Page

For the Debaters

Contents

Preface

Part I: Background and Perspective

1. Introduction Presidential Debates: Political Option or Public Decree?

Notes

2: Broadcasting in Presidential Campaigns, 1960-1976

Notes

3: Legal and Political Aspects: Was Section 315 Circumvented?

Notes

4: The Public Agenda Foundation: an Experiment in Issues Analysis

Notes

5: The Presidential Forums

6 the Sponsor: the League of Women Voters Education Fund

7 Candidate Briefings

8 Production Diary of the Debates

Notes

9: Making the Least of It? Television Coverage of the Audio Gap

Notes

10: The Good but Not Great Nondebates: Some Random Personal Notes

11 Grilling the Pols: Q & a at the Debates

Notes

12: Presidential Debates: a Plan for the Future

Part II: Effects of the Debates

13 Uses and Effects of the 1976 Debates: an Overview of Empirical Studies

Notes

References

14. the Polls

Conclusions

15: Informing the Electorate: a National Study

Notes

References

16. Immediate and Mediated Responses: First Debate

Notes

References

17. Impact on Partisan, Image, and Issue Voting

Notes

References

18: Influence on Vote Decisions

Notes

References

19: Reactions of Young and Older Voters: Expanding the Context of Effects

References

Note

20. Adolescents' Responses to Issues and Images

References

Note

21. Information Flow and the Shaping of Meanings

References

22 Shifts in Candidate Imagese

References

Note

23. Media Influences and Their Anticipation

Notes

24 Influence on Public Agendas

Notes

References

25: Home State Voter Response and Secondary Media Coverage

26: Impact of Ethnic Issues on Ethnic Voters

References

Part III: Texts of the Debates

27: The Significance of Written Texts

Notes

Contributors

Index
6.

Candidates in Conflict: Persuasive Attack and Defense in the 1992 Presidential Debates
by William L. Benoit, William T. Wells. 262 pgs.

Book

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Candidates in Conflict provides a new perspective for understanding presidential debates by analyzing the three televised debates in 1992 among candidates Bill Clinton, George Bush, and Ross Perot. Viewed by millions and now an expected part of presidential campaigns, the debates captured the attention of the nation. The authors show that presidential candidates, by using persuasive attack and defense strategies, are able either to undermine (in the case of their opponents) or to preserve (for themselves) the vital issues of personal credibility and policy matters. The book includes complete transcripts of the debates.

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Title Page

Contents

Tables

Preface

Part I: Analysis of the 1992 Presidential Debates

1: Traditional Approaches To Presidential Debates

2: Investigating Persuasive Attack and Defense

3: Persuasive Attack Bush the Primary Target, Perot Relatively Unscathed

4: Persuasive Defense Bush on the Defensive

5: Evaluation How Do the Candidates Stack Up?

Part II: Transcripts of the 1992 Presidential Debates: Bush, Clinton, and Perot

Debate One: October 11, 1992

7: Debate Two October 15, 1992.

8: Debate Three October 19, 1992

Appendix 1: Procedures Employed in the Study

Notes

Appendix 2: Sample Coded Transcript: Excerpts from Debate 1

References

Index

About the Authors
7.

Rhetorical Studies of National Political Debates-- 1996
by Robert V. Friedenberg. 104 pgs.

Book

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Seventeen of the most widely seen and heard speakers in history all have one thing in common: they were all seen and heard while engaged in national political debates as they sought the two highest offices Americans can bestow upon their countrymen. This book focuses on the most recent four of these individuals--Clinton, Dole, Gore, and Kemp--and the rhetorical centerpieces of their respective campaigns, the 1996 political campaign debates. This text explores the factors motivating the candidates to debate, the goals of each candidate in debating, the rhetorical strategies, and the effects of particular debates. The volume ends with insights into the patterns and trends of national political debating. This is an invaluable text for students and researchers of American political campaigns, the presidency, and rhetoric.

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Title Page

Contents

Series Foreword

NOTES

Introducdon

NOTES

Notes

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

Chapter 2: The 1996 Gore-Kemp Vice Presidential Debates

NOTES

NOTES

Chapter 3: Patterns and Trends in National Political Debates: 1960-1996

CANDIDATE MOTIVATION TO DEBATE

Select Bibliography on Political Campaign Debating

Index

About the Contributors
8.

The Electronic Election: Perspectives on the 1996 Campaign Communication (Chap. 10 "Constructing the 1996 Debates: Determining the Settings, Formats, and Participants," Chap. 11 "Metaphors in the 1996 Presidential Debates: An Analysis of Themes," Chap. 12 "Citizen Response to the 1996 Presidential Debates: Focusing on the Focus Groups," Chap. 13 "Winning by Staying Ahead: 1996 Debate Performance Verdicts," and Chap. 14 "The Influence of Medium and Media Commentary on Presidential Debate Effects")
by Lynda Lee Kaid, Dianne G. Bystrom. 422 pgs.

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Title Page

Lea's Communication Series

Contents

Acknowledgments

Approaches to Studying the 1996 Campaign Communication: Multiple Locations and Multiple Methodologies

Part I The Battle to Control Campaign Messages: Media Coverage and Use In the Campaign

Chapter 1 No News or Negative News: How the Networks Nixed The '96 Campaign

Chapter 2: The Melodramatic Imperative: Television's Model For Presidential Election Coverage

Chapter 3 Remember the Alamo: Late-Night Local Newscasts In San Antonio, Texas

Chapter 4 Presidential Campaigning on The Information Superhighway: An Exploration of Content and Form

Chapter 5 Surveying the Spin: Interpretation Of the 1996 Presidential Polls

Chapter 6: First Ladies and the Fourth Estate: Media Coverage of Hillary Clinton And Elizabeth Dole in The 1996 Presidential Campaign

Chapter 7: The Voice of and for Women In the 1996 Presidential Campaign: Style and Substance Of Convention Speeches

Chapter 8 A Content Analysis of Cnn "Inside Politics" Adwatch Coverage Of High-Profile, Nonpresidential Races

Chapter 9 David Versus Goliath: The '96 Senatorial Race Between Victor Morales and Phil Gramm

Chapter 10 Constructing the 1996 Debates: Determining the Settings, Formats, and Participants

Appendix: 1996 Site Selection Guidelines

Chapter 11: Metaphors in The 1996 Presidential Debates: An Analysis of Themes

Chapter 12 Citizen Response to The 1996 Presidential Debates: Focusing on the Focus Groups

Acknowledgment

Chapter 13 Winning by Staying Ahead: 1996 Debate Performance Verdicts

Chapter 14: The Influence of Medium And Media Commentary On Presidential Debate Effects

Part Ii Messages from Candidates And Voters: Political Advertising in The Campaign

Chapter 15 Presidential Candidate Presentation: Videostyle in the 1996 Presidential Spots

Acknowledgments

Chapter 16 Verbal Style in Presidential Advertising: Computer Analysis Of the 1996 Campaign Spots

Chapter 17 Tracking Voter Reactions to The Television Advertising

Chapter 18: The Effects of Technological Distortions on Voter Reactions To Televised Political Advertising

Chapter 19 Emotional Responses of African American Voters to Ad Messages

Acknowledgments

Chapter 20 The Construction of Political Meaning By Native Americans in The 1996 Election: the Case of The Cherokees and Keetoowahs

Acknowledgments

Chapter 21: Gendered Communication Styles And Strategies in Campaign 1996: The Video styles of Women And Men Candidates

Chapter 22 Political Advertising During The 1996 North Carolina Senate Race: The Helms and Gantt Rematch

Acknowledgments

Part Iii Overall Perspective On the 1996 Campaign

Chapter 23: Measuring Political Malaise in The 1996 Presidential Election

Chapter 24: The Engaged Electorate: New Media Use As Political Participation

Chapter 25 The American Presidential Election In International Perspective: Europeanization of The U.S. Electoral Advertising Through Free-Time Segments

Acknowledgment

Chapter 26 The Electronic Election In Perspective

References

About the Authors

Author Index

Subject Index
9.

In Pursuit of the White House 2000: How We Choose Our Presidential Nominees (Chap. Seven "The Role of Televised Debates in the Presidential Nominating Process")
by William G. Mayer. 390 pgs.

Book

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As Gore & Bradley battle it out & George W. Bush amasses yet more funds, In Pursuit of the White House 2000 is published in time for the run up to elections in 2000. The book's distinctive, primary focus on choosing presidential nominees, provides detailed information about the vital components of the process, such as, the New Hampshire primary, televised candidate debates, inter-party unity, the role of women, the vice-presidency & political consultants, & the new rules for 2000. Mayer's accessible & nontechnical approach, plus his use of the most current & cutting-edge research, makes In Pursuit of the White House 2000 a must-read for all observers of the race to become president.

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Title Page

To Our Children

Contents

Preface

Chapter One the Modern Politics of Presidential Selection: How Changing the Rules Realty Did Change the Game

Appendix: A Note on Measurement Issues and Data Sources

Appendix: A Note on Measurement Issues and Data Sources

Appendix: A Note on Measurement Issues and Data Sources

Chapter Two New Features of the 2000 Presidential Nominating Process: Republican Reforms, Front-Loading's Second Wind, and Early Voting

Conclusion

Appendix: A Note on Measurement Issues and Data Sources

Appendix: A Note on Measurement Issues and Data Sources

Chapter Three the Changing Face of the New Hampshire Primary

Notes

Chapter Four the New New Presidential Elite

Notes

Chapter Five the Gender Gap in Presidential Nominations

Conclusion

Notes

Chapter Six What Voters Know About the Candidates and How They Learn It: the 1996 New Hampshire Republican Primary as a Case Study

Appendix A: Content Analysis

Chapter Seven the Role of Televised Debates in the Presidential Nominating Process

Conclusion

Appendix A: Content Analysis

Appendix A: Content Analysis

Chapter Eight from the Primaries to the General Election: Does a Divisive Nomination Race Affect a Candidate's Fortunes in the Fall?

Notes

Chapter Nine a Brief History of Vice Presidential Selection

Tables and Figures

Index

About the Contributors
10.

Audience Perceptions of Politeness and Advocacy Skills in the 2000 and 2004 Presidential Debates, in Argumentation and Advocacy
by William O. Dailey, Edward A. Hinck, Shelly S. Hinck. 15 pgs.

Journal Article
11.

News Verdicts, the Debates, and Presidential Campaigns
by James B. Lemert, William R. Elliott, James M. Bernstein, William L. Rosenberg, Karl J. Nestvold. 296 pgs.

Book

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The most definitive report ever on verdict effects, this book gives striking new evidence that media assessments of presidential debates sway voters. The authors conducted 2,350 surveys and extensive analysis of news reports to scrutinize the post-debate news of 1988. They also examined the effects of the "attack ads" used by Bush and Dukakis. They found that the news media consistently downplay debate content and instead emphasize their own views on candidate performance--media verdicts influence voters as much as the debates themselves.

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Title Page

Contents

Illustrations

Preface

1: Introduction

Notes

References

2: Study Design And Ationale

References

Note

3: Network Television News Coverage of The Debates: 1976 to 1988

Notes

References

4: Candidate Verdicts In Post-Debate Analysis Programs

References

5: Journalists and The Idea of Presidential Debates

Notes

References

6: The First Bush-Dukakis Debate: Face-To-Face Contact

Notes

References

7: The Quayle-Bentsen Debate: a Verdict Effect?

Notes

References

9: Debates in the Eyes Of The Audience

References

10: The Audience Responds To "Attack" Ads

References

11: Debates in the Context Of the Rest Of The Campaign

Notes

References

12: Conclusions

References

Appendix: Post-First Presidential Debate Questionnaire

Bibliography

Index

About the Authors
12.

The Joint Press Conference: The History, Impact, and Prospects of American Presidential Debates
by David J. Lanoue, Peter R. Schrott, Bernard K. Johnpoll. 180 pgs.

Book

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The reinterpretations of social science findings presented in this first comprehensive analysis of the issues of presidential debate effects on voting behavior strongly suggest that early reports of the electoral triviality of the debates were premature. Lanoue and Schrott study the largely ignored area of the content of presidential debates, emphasize the importance of reinforcement as an electorally significant phenomenon, and propose a model of debate effects that takes into consideration both direct and indirect paths between debate watching and attitude change.

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Title Page

Recent Titles in Contributions to the Study of Mass Media and Communications

Contents

Tables and Figures

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

1: Introduction

NOTES

2: Presidential Debates: Developing the Conventional Wisdom

NOTES

3: Debate Content: Do Voters Hear What the Candidates Say?

NOTES

4: The Impact of Presidential Debates on Viewers

NOTES

5: Putting it All Together: Debates, Politicians, and Voters

NOTES

Bibliography

Index

About the Authors
13.

Media Messages in American Presidential Elections (Chap. 5 "Televised Presidential Debates: The Ultimate Pseudoevents")
by Diana Owen, Bernard K. Johnpoll. 202 pgs.

Book

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Focusing on the audience, Owen investigates the way people process media messages during campaigns. She examines the role of ads, news stories, poll results, and debates in presidential campaigns. Based on surveys fielded during the 1984 and 1988 Presidential campaigns, Owen compares these four message categories to determine their relative importance to voters. She also investigates how people make use of messages when establishing their perceptions of candidates and issues. This book is designed for researchers and students in communications and mass media, voting behavior, and public opinion.

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Title Page

Recent Titles in Contributions to the Study of Mass Media and Communications

Contents

Figures

Tables

Acknowledgments

Introduction

NOTE

1: A Model of Audience Mass Media Use and Outcomes

NOTES

2: Voter Orientations Toward Televised Candidate Advertisements

NOTES

3

4

5: Televised Presidential Debates: The Ultimate Pseudoevents

SUMMARY

6: The Uses and Gratifications of Presidential Campaign Messages

7: Conclusion

References

Index

About the Author
14.

The Use of Evidence in Presidential Debates: A Study of Evidence Levels and Types from 1960 to 1988, in Argumentation and Advocacy
by David Levasseur, Kevin W. Dean. 14 pgs.

Journal Article
15.

Political Campaign Communication: Principles and Practices (Chap. 8 "Debates in Political Campaigns")
by Judith S. Trent, Robert V. Friedenberg. 386 pgs.

Book

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Title Page

Contents

Series Foreword

Notes

Preface

Part I: Principles of Political Campaign Communication

Chapter 1: Communication and Political Campaigns: a Prologue

Chapter 2: Communicative Functions of Political Campaigns

Chapter 3: Communicative Styles and Strategies of Political Campaigns

Chapter 4: Communicative Mass Channels of Political Campaigning

Chapter 5: Communicative Types and Functions of Televised Political Advertising

Part II: Practices of Political Campaign Communication

Chapter 6: Public Speaking in Political Campaigns

Chapter 7: Recurring Forms of Political Campaign Communication

Chapter 8: Debates in Political Campaigns

Chapter 9: Interpersonal Communication in Political Campaigns

Chapter 10: Advertising in Political Campaigns

Chapter 11: Political Campaign Communication: an Epilogue

Selected Bibliography

Index

Vita
16.

Political Communication: Politics, Press, and Public in America (Chap. 21 "Debates: Formats and Strategies" and Chap. 22 "Debates: Impact and Controversies")
by Richard M. Perloff. 492 pgs.

Book

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Title Page

Contents

Preface

I: Mass Media and Government Institutions

1: Introduction to Political Communication

2: Early History of the Press and Presidency

3: Modern History of the Press and Presidency

4: Presidents and the News in the Television Age

5: Covering the Presidency

6: Presidential Rhetoric

7: Presidential Rhetoric: Genres and Impact

8: Congress and the Media

9: The Media and Local Politics

II: Political Communication Theories and Effects

10: Political Communication Effects

11: Agenda-Setting

12: Agenda-Building

13: The Health Care Reform Campaign

14: Health Care Reform: News and Public Opinion

III: Communication and the Presidential Election

15: Presidential Campaigns: History and Overview

16: The Media and the Nominating Process

17: The Press and the Presidential Campaign

18: News Media Impact on Voters

19: Political Advertising: Content

20: Political Advertising: Effects

21: Debates: Formats and Strategies

22: Debates: Impact and Controversies

23: Epilogue

Endnotes

References

Author Index

Subject Index

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