Deck 11: Staging Political Campaigns

Question 1

Which campaign period involves "legitimating"?

A) Pre-primary
B) Primary
C) Convention
D) General Election

Answer 1

Convention

Question 2

The voting population in primaries:

A) Is different from those in general elections
B) Contains relatively few voters
C) Is ideologically committed
D) All of the above

Answer 2

All of the above

Question 3

In 2008 Barack Obama went bowling during the ______ period of campaigning.

A) Surfacing
B) Winnowing
C) Legitimating
D) Contesting

Answer 3

Winnowing

Question 4

Candidates deliver their convention acceptance speeches during the ______ period of campaigning.

A) Surfacing
B) Winnowing
C) Legitimating
D) Contesting

Question 5

John McCain likely changed the trajectory of the 2008 campaign when, during the ______ period, he said that the "fundamentals of the economy are strong".

A) Surfacing
B) Winnowing
C) Legitimating
D) Contesting

Question 6

Which slogan backfired?

A) "New Frontier"
B) "Peace with Honor"
C) "In your heart, you know he's right"
D) "A new beginning"

Question 7

Which sort of media event is the most possible to control?

A) Press conferences
B) One-on-one news interviews
C) Daytime talk shows
D) All of the above are about equal

Question 8

Inoculation ads are

A) Effective negative ads
B) Pro-defense ads
C) Ads to ward off attacks
D) All of the above

Question 9

Push polls:

A) Are fake polls to share negative information
B) Are polls to measure the push-power of a campaign ad
C) Are variations on focus groups
D) Are used primarily by Gallup pollsters for accuracy

Question 10

Which is a part of "RPS"?

A) Rhetoric
B) Requirements
C) Persuasion
D) Society

Question 11

Barack Obama used traditional formats in his Ohio primary attack ads against Hilary Clinton.

Question 12

The pre-primary period is also known as the surfacing period.

Question 13

Candidates build their campaign structure during the legitimacy phase.

Question 14

The profile of a "primary voter" is a dedicated party loyalist.

Question 15

"Winnowing" refers to candidates dropping out of the race during the primary season.

Question 16

In the 21st century, American national party conventions play a powerful role in selecting candidates for office.

Question 17

Only about 25% of all voters end up voting "straight ticket."

Question 18

John McCain "suspended" his 2008 campaign during the legitimating phase of the campaign.

Question 19

The "Bradley Effect" refers to John Kennedy's successful campaign to become the first Catholic US President.

Question 20

"You can't govern if you don't win" could be considered a Machiavellian motto.

Question 21

It is always wise for candidates to treat debates like press conferences.

Question 22

Governor Michael Dukakis took a likely fatal campaign blow after he was photographed riding in a tank.

Question 23

Bill Clinton used "myth" to repair his campaign slippage due to issues about values.

Question 24

George W. Bush used fair and ethical push polls to call John McCain's candidacy into question.

Question 25

The Swift Boat Veterans for Truth employed rhetorical reversal against Senator John Kerry.

Question 26

Describe an instance where George W. Bush or Barack Obama used reframing to positive effect in their campaign. What, exactly, did the candidate say and do? What was the original frame and how was it transformed? How and why did the reframing work to change the race?

Question 27

Your text presents five Machiavellian rules for debates for campaigns. Which two are most important and why? Describe, define and provide a rationale for your rankings.

Question 28

What are the four stages of campaigns? Describe and define each. Which stage presents the greatest challenge and why?

Question 29

Discuss the impact of Barack Obama's attractiveness and appearance on the 2008 campaign. In particular, chronicle and critique Anne Applebaum's assessment of the situation. What does she say? Is she right? Why or why not?

Question 30

Compare and contrast the Willie Horton ad with the Reverend Wright controversy. What happened in each case? What impact did they have on the candidates who were under attack? Which candidate (Dukakis or Obama) handled the attack better and why?