May 2012
32 posts
Obama's Image
By Britton Alexander
Last Tuesday, President Barack Obama visited Chapel Hill. In front of a crowd of 8,000 people, he spoke of higher education and student loans. From many individuals’ points of view, the speech was just about policy and his campaign to extend legislation that lowered student-loan interest rates. With Chancellor Holden Thorp and student Dominique Garland introducing the...
April 2012
30 posts
Media Game - Where do political stories come from?
Iyengar’s writing “The Media Game” was of special interest to me, given mass communication theories I have learned at UNC. I have always heard of the media as the “gatekeeper” and its role in the agenda setting theory. The media acts as a gatekeeper by controlling, to a certain extent, which stories/groups get their message out. Similarly, the agenda setting theory...
Marketing the 'Brand Obama'
When it comes to marketing a political candidate like a business, President Obama paved the way for future political candidates running for president. Political marketing theory focuses on showing candidates the benefits to using traditional brand marketing techniques in their political campaigns. The theory works really well to help candidates establish a set identity with their constituents...
President Obama Visits UNC Chapel Hill To...
UNC Chapel Hill was extremely busy last week preparing for the President’s visit on Tuesday April 23. The events included a speech by the president and a special guest appearance on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. I was given a great opportunity to work as a press volunteer for the event, which pretty much meant that I helped keep the press contained in their designated area until the conclusion...
Celebrity Endorsements
In an article for the Daily Beast, famous author Stephen King jumped on the Buffet Rule bandwagon today, announcing his thoughts on why the wealthy should pay more in taxes.
It’s been about two weeks since the Buffet Rule was tabled, but the Democrats have vowed to bring it up again later, so King’s article is a nice reminder that the bill is not dead and neither is the greater push for decreased...
GOP Veepstakes
Bailey Chu
In a segment of “Meet the Press,” last Sunday, David Gregory asked the roundtable who Romney will pick as his vice presidential running mate, and the roundtable gave answers that generally reflect the long-term notions about how candidates choose their VPs. This is basically their analysis of each potential candidate.
Marco Rubio—Too green and not emotionally ready, though, he could...
Obama, young voters and polls
By Sonia Alvarez
There are currently around 309 millions of citizens in the US. Around 207 million of them can vote and more than 50 million are under 30 year old. The last group are Mr. Obama’s main target during his 2012 presidential campaign.
Probably one of the most popular presidents in the history of the United States, Barack Obama convinced a considerable percentage (66%) of young...
What Obama is Doing to Woo Latino Voters
By Kasey El-Chayeb
Barack Obama’s advertising efforts stood out during his 2008 campaign for the presidency. In addition to setting record ad sales, the “Campaign for Change” spent approximately $20 million on Latino outreach efforts (Abrajano, p.147). His campaign incorporated multiple efforts to court Latino voters, including advertising on the leading Spanish language network, Univision....
The Vice Presidential Fight Club
With Mitt Romney’s new position as the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, much of the discussion on his campaign has begun to focus on potential vice presidential candidates. From New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie to South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, the possibilities are extensive. One perceived frontrunner is Republican Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who remains on many short...
Back Stage Passes
By: Jordan Michalik
One of the most sought after tickets for a concert are the backstage passes. Who wouldn’t want to go behind the scenes of a major concert and potentially get to meet the rock stars themselves? The Republican National Convention is giving every American the chance to do just that this year as of April 13, 2012, by naming Google & YouTube the official social platform and...
Do VP Candidates Actually Matter?
With the increased speculation over Mitt Romney’s choice for vice-presidential candidate, it’s easy to think the media firestorm means the selection will have a significant impact on the election this fall. For example, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio could help Romney increase his appeal to Hispanic voters (though there’s been much debate over Rubio’s actual pull). As an alternative, Ohio Sen. Rob...
Characteristics to look for in a running...
Lauren Stange
Since it has become clear that Mitt Romney will be the Republican presidential candidate in the upcoming 2012 presidential election, then next big question is who Romney will pick to be his running mate. As in every presidential election, the press tries to speculate who candidates will pick. Studies have been conducted that try to pinpoint factors that predict which...
The POTUS at UNC!
By Bailey Chu
On what was probably the best day of my entire life, Jimmy Fallon hosted President Obama for a live recording of his show, “Late Night”, here at UNC. Earlier that day, the president gave a policy speech urging Congress not to let interest rate cuts on Stafford student loans expire. Later, he continued with this message, delivering it at two other universities in Colorado and Iowa...
Entertainment Talk Shows and Voter Opinion
Lauren Stange
President Obama’s appearance on the Late Night with Jimmy Fallon show prompted a few news outlets, such as Politico, to mention notable times throughout recent history that presidential candidates appeared on late night entertainment talk shows. The most memorable moments were not because of a political comment or controversy that occurred on the show, but were instead...
Facebook Advertising and a Fractured Political...
I recently had an internship assignment to research the possibility of Facebook advertising for one of our clients. What I uncovered was a highly targeted advertising structure designed to show messages to users that are most likely to engage with them. This approach of showing people what they want minimizes cognitive dissonance and is common throughout online advertising. The main advantage...
Tea Party impact in the Republican Primary
Our reading about the Tea Party offers an interesting view on how the Tea Party movement made its mark in and around the 2010 election. It states that activism is the greatest way the movement has influence, and backs up this claim with examples of Tea Partiers having having tangible effects. For example, Republicans in districts with high levels of Tea Party activism did better relative to other...
He was and is different
Obama may not be a perfect president but it is clear that he is loved by a lot of people both in the United States of America and abroad.
His 2008 campaign has been studied since then as an example of how to use social media to engage with people and get them to trust a “brand”. In this case, the brand was Barack Obama, the first black president in the history of the United States, someone...
Marco Rubio, Republicans, and Latinos
By Kasey El-Chayeb
Republicans who have expressed concern over their party’s standing with Latino voters may have found a new shining star in Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who is a Latino and a first generation American. Rubio served in the Florida House of Representatives from 2000 to 2008 and was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010. Recently, Rubio was named one of TIME’s 100 Most...
The Hilary Rosen and the “War on Women”
On April 11, CNN pundit (and Democrat) Hilary Rosen sparked controversy when she told Anderson Cooper that Ann Romney, who is a stay-at-home mom, has “never worked a day in her life,” adding, “She’s never really dealt with the kinds of economic issues that a majority of the women in this country are facing…” And though Rosen is not affiliated with either campaign, her comment has...
Biden among those wooing left for Obama campaign
As the republican primary season winds down, the Obama and Romney campaigns are formulating strategies for speaking to and swaying the electorate. Recent actions and speaking engagements of those associated with the Obama campaign suggest Vice President Joe Biden and others closely associated with the campaign will play an integral role in the run up to the general election.
It’s not news young...
