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Media influence in politics
Media influence in politics
Media influence in politics
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I am mad. Wait, mad might not be the correct word. Perhaps I should have said angry, but does that truly evoke the complete image of my present emotional state? I think not. Exasperated, agitated, and resentful come to mind, but again, individually, they all fall short of expressing the complex set of emotions experienced when I feel I have been cheated or stolen from. What makes this even more emotionally demoralizing is the fact that those responsible for doing the cheating and stealing do not even recognize that is what they are doing. So who am I referring to, how are they cheating, and what have they stolen? They are the uninformed voters and they are cheating the system by having the same amount of control in election outcome as those who have taken the time to become involved and knowledgeable about the issues. But what are they stealing? In short my vote. Simply put, due to lack of interest, understanding, and participation in the electoral process, uninformed voters who should be awarding their support from a foundation of insight, preparation and knowledge are instead casting votes even they do not agree with.
Ok, so what if a few people get confused and make a wrong vote, just how bad can it be? ‟According to political scientists Richard Lau and David Redlawsk in their book How Voters Decide, the authors find that, in the best case scenario of a choice of two candidates, approximately 70 percent of voters choose correctly”(Belt 643). Now take a minute to really think about the implications of that statement. In a best case scenario, 30 percent of the voter’s choice was for someone or something he or she did not even agree with but was too uninformed to know it. One might ask how this degree of voter incongrui...
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...ence 40.1 (1996): 194. Business Source Complete. Web. Tarrant County College Library. 10 Nov. 2013.
Somin, Ilya. "How Political Ignorance Threatens Democracy." USA Today Magazine 133.2714 (2004): 22. MasterFILE Premier. Web. Tarrant County College Library. 10 Nov. 2013.
Bartels, Larry M. "The irrational electorate: many of our worst fears about America's voters are true." The Wilson Quarterly 32.4 (2008): 44+. Student Resources In Context. Web. Tarrant County College Library. 10 Nov. 2013.
"More media won't solve political ignorance." Reuters. Issues & Controversies. Facts On File News Services, 8 Oct. 2013. Web. Tarrant County College Library. 10 Nov. 2013.
Redlawsk, David P., and Richard R. Lau. How Voters Decide: Information Processing During Election Campaigns. United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press, 2006. Print. Tarrant County College Library. 10 Nov. 2013.
For instance, Menand writes, “The fraction of the electorates that responds to substantive political argument is hugely outweighed by the fraction that responds to slogans, misinformation...random personal association.” Mass voters mostly pursue the wrong or irrelevant information that are irrelevant to the election; thus lead them to vote for the candidates which they do not really want. Their choices mostly lack rationalities. Many voters who are slightly informative think that they are participating in a certain issue and considering the value of the candidates; yet most of them do not have adequate information and knowledge in understanding the meaning of political terms. Voters lack judgment on their government and candidates, their minds are easily being brainwashed by a small amount of people who has informative approaches in participating governmental issue, and affect their
Despite the objective desire that your vote won't turn a decision, you may, in the same way as other of us, vote at any rate, and for different reasons. A few people are glad for the exertion they put into being educated and included. Others vote out of a feeling of obligation or because of their faith in the estimation of vote based
Hasen, Richard. "Voter Suppression's New Pretext." the New York Times 16 November 2013: A- 19. Print.
"Miller light and bud light…either way you end up with a mighty weak beer!" This is how Jim Hightower (a Texan populist speaker) described the choices that the U.S. electorate had in the 2000 elections. This insinuates that there is a clear lack of distinction between the parties. Along with numerous others, this is one of the reasons why the turnout is so low in the U.S. elections. In trying to explain the low figures at the U.S. elections, analysts have called American voters apathetic to indifferent to downright lazy. I disagree that the 50% (in recent elections) of voters that fail to turnout to vote are lazy and that they have just reason not too. I will also show that the problem lies within the system itself in that the institutional arrangements, electoral and governmental, do not create an environment that is conducive to mass participation. I will address these main issues and several others that have an effect on voter participation. In doing so I will compare America to other established democracies.
Voting is at the center of every democratic system. In america, it is the system in which a president is elected into office, and people express their opinion. Many people walk into the voting booth with the thought that every vote counts, and that their vote might be the one that matters above all else. But in reality, America’s voting system is old and flawed in many ways. Electoral College is a commonly used term on the topic of elections but few people actually know how it works.
The United States national elections have been experiencing a steady decline of eligible voters showing up to vote. This steady decline has been ongoing since experiencing a significant increase in voter turnout from 1948 through 1960. Over the years there has been significant, meticulous research done to try to pinpoint the cause of the decline in voter turnout over years. All of this research has led to the production of an enormous number of literatures written on the perceived causes. The vast amount of literature produced has led to a number of competing explanations about this decline. The quest for the answer to the question of, why this decline in voter turnout, is very important for an overwhelming majority of Americans and our democratic system because the people/voters can only truly be represented by our government if all eligible voters go out and vote. For this paper I will examine four theories that attempt to explain the decline. The four theories that I will discuss are voting barriers, campaign contributions, negative campaign advertising, and finally the cultural explanation. However, through thorough exploration and critiques of the strengths and weaknesses of these four theories, we will find that the cultural explanation theory is currently the most persuasive theory in the group. Finally, I will also explore some reasons as to why citizens do vote as well.
Hudson, William E. American Democracy in Peril: Eight Challenges to America's Future. Washington, DC: CQ, 2010. Print.
Ginsberg, Benjamin, et al. We the People: An Introduction to American Politics. 9th ed. New York, N.Y.: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2013. Print."Voter Turnout." Nonprofit Vote. Nonprofit Vote, n.d. Web. 27 Nov. 2013.
In his opinion post, ‘Lions to the Ballot Box’ Charles M Blow has highlighted the various issues related with the abstinence of American voters. The opinion pieces in New York Times generally reflect scholars’ opinions of various issues of national and international importance and often raise very important issues. Most often, these opinion pieces are directed at raising the awareness among readers regarding various issues and generate attention as well as response to these issues. Blow’s article is in fact a brilliant piece of opinion in which he explores how and why a large part of American population abstains from casting the ballot. Blow mainly claims that the American voters are like lions, who have forgotten to roar. They have the power but have forgotten to exercise it. Usually, opinion pieces contain very deep thoughts on issues and also engage the audience or the readers by calling for urgent action. Seen in this perspective, Blow’s article is truly representative of the opinion articles in which authors engage their audiences with fiery ideas encouraging them to take action. (Blow, 2014)
Hudson, William E. American Democracy in Peril: Eight Challenges to America’s Future – Fourth Edition. Washington, D.C.: CQ Press, 2004.
Franck, Mathew J. "The National Popular Vote Plan Is a Bad Idea." Federal Elections. Ed. Debra A. Miller. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2010. Current Controversies. Rpt. from "Junk Arguments Against the Electoral College." National Review Online. 2008. Opposing Viewpoints in Context. Web. 13 Dec. 2013.
I am responding to Micheal Schudson’s essay titled “America’s Ignorant Voter”. He makes several arguments against whether America having relatively ignorant voters poses a problem to our society, and whether it’s becoming worse over the years. One of the arguments he poses as to why Americans seem so clueless about political matters is due to the complexities of our nation’s political institutions.
A number of Americans fail to realize that when they vote they are not voting for the president and vice-president directly, but for electors who then cast their ballots in the Electoral College. Until the recent battle between Gov. George W. Bush and Vice-president Al Gore for the presidency, this new generation of American voters has never witnessed a controversial election. Historically, there have been problematic elections allowing voters to question this system. The Electoral College is now a process open to criticism and debate, specifically because many do not understand its origin or purpose today. On November 7, 2000, Election Day, I was excited to become an official voter. Considering myself mature, responsible, and finally of age to vote, I had mailed my registration, received my voter’s card, ready to become a participant in one of the most crucial events of the year. I was a faithful supporter of my candidate, crossing my fingers in hopes of victory. That night I watched CNN, eating my dinner and sipping a Diet Coke when the station announced Al Gore had won Florida, which held twenty-five electoral votes. Two hundred and seventy are needed to win, and presidential candidates Bush and Gore had switched leads all night.
In deciphering what constitutes the brilliance of democracy then, we find that it is not citizens’ ability to make informed decisions or an unflawed and subtly manipulated election process, but the unapparent way in which democracy persuades citizens – informed or not - and leaders – corrupt or not – toward working to build better, more prosperous societies.
...in the politically process could be a reality. Once a person's vote is stolen their voice is lost and the votes could be sold for a profit. The challenge to the validity of our future elections could destroy the confidence in our electoral process.