Campaign Talk: Why Elections Are Good For Us; Author: Hart, Roderick P.; Paperback

Author: Hart, Roderick P.
Paperback; 20 Line Illustrations, 11 Tables
326 pages
Published: April 2002
University Presses of California, Columbia and Princeton
ISBN: 0691092826

Roderick Hart may be among the few Americans who believe that what politicians say in a campaign actually matters. 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, by using a computer program called Diction, he takes a close look at the exchange of ideas through the language used during campaigns. 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 uIn this text, Roderick Hart argues that campaigns do play a role in sustaining democracy because they bring about a dialogue among candidates, the people and the press. He takes a look at the exchange of ideas through language used in campaign speeches, political advertising and public debates.