Presidential Debates Influence

“Debate or debating is a formal method of interactive and representational argument. Debate is a broader form of argument than logical argument, which only examine the consistency from axiom, and factual argument, which only examine what is or isn't the case or rhetoric which is technique of persuasion” (Wikipedia.com).
Since the 1976 general election, debates between presidential candidates have been a part of U.S. presidential campaigns (Wikipedia.com). Candidates debate several times during campaigns and viewers tune in on a regular basis to gain understanding of politicians views. According to Hollihan, “watching presidential debates can influence the perceived importance of decision factors (policy, leadership) as well as the importance of specific issues. Watching a debate can alter impressions of which candidate is most desirable on the issues and how the candidates rate on character traits. Furthermore, watching a debate can increase voters’ confidence in their vote choice” (230). These televised debates clearly have an effect on the audience’s views but should they be so influential? Are we, the viewers, making accurate assumptions based on the way candidates carry themselves and how they look on Television? Televised debates are highly influential in voter patterns in America but policies, qualifications and views on political issues should be more of the focus for Presidential candidates rather than their appearance on TV.
Election campaigns are key moments in democratic democracies because they allow citizens to hear different political viewpoints and make the right choice in voting for a candidate that will best represent their needs. Two important predictors of how people will vote are their positions on issues and candidate images. The image-only school predicts that audiences will receive little gain in issue knowledge after a debate but they will be impacted greatly by the candidates’ images. Even though television conveys both verbal and visual messages, it essentially is a visual message medium requiring less involvement by audiences to process the message than that of processing messages in print media (Graber, 1987). (Read more at http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/54720/televised_presidential_debates_and_pg2_pg2.html?cat=37 )
We saw several things in class that reinforce the idea that both verbal and visual messages are conveyed through presidential debates. We discussed George Bush and how he was caught looking at his watch a few times and John McCain criticized for walking around the town hall when in reality he could not reach the chair. It is sad that the fact that George Bush looked at his watch potentially affected his campaign for Presidency. I understand that it makes him look like he has better things to be doing and is not totally concerned with the debate but if his politics are more beneficial for the future of our country, he looking at his watch should not have such a large impact on the campaign. John McCain walked around the town halls a lot and looked like he was just floating around the room. Granted, it was funny (especially the clip where they show him just walking around in front of Obama while he is speaking). These little things shape the image of the candidates for the viewers during these debates. Is that right? Should we allow the media to create our reality and our perspective of candidates with something so important as the President of the United States?
We also talked about different formats for presidential debates. There is the panel of questioners where experienced questioners cover a range of topics. Single moderator format is where a moderator covers a range of topics and referees the discussion. The town hall forum is where citizens get to write and ask questions while a moderator facilitates the format. The roundtable discussion allows for more interaction between candidate with free reign to talk about what they want to and elaborate as much as they feel need. As we saw in class, this can go wrong pretty quickly. Bush and McCain went on a tangent about dirty campaign advertisements in South Carolina for about 15 minutes. The last debate format we talked about was the LIVE hybrid CNN/YouTube debates in the 2008 primary.
The LIVE hybrid debate format could be extremely beneficial in the future of political debate forums. Once all the kinks are out this form of debate can be revolutionary for American politics. People from all over the Country and world even can participate in this type of debate format and more voices can be heard, acknowledged and possibly answered. Anderson Cooper did a great job at attempting to make this work, especially with all the funny inserts here and there of the candidates. It made it a little less structured and made the candidates look like real people instead of political robots. If they took the time to really develop a way to make this format work, I think the future of politics has potential to be more of an interest for more Americans. I know that I watched this debate the whole way through when during other debates this past election, I would change the channel after it got boring or redundant. If people of different cultural background, class and region had the opportunity to participate in the debate format (like in the Hybrid format) they also have the opportunity to be more knowledgeable on the subject and have a deeper interest and concern.
I talk to some people about politics and so often I hear that they do not have an interest because they feel like they do not play a role in the political sphere. It is somewhat true to an extent. If we are not actively participating in something it is hard to feel like you really affect the outcome. Considering that debates truly influence the outcome and views of the candidates, the Hybrid format can help out the candidates and the people viewing as well.
Debates that are televised help the viewers relate to the candidates and decide who they agree most with. They are extremely influential for the candidate’s image and campaign for presidency. The way they look and carry themselves on television highly impacts the outcome of the campaign. We should be savvy media consumers and recognize that things that influence our views of these candidates should have to do with their qualifications as a President, their politics and the ability to better the future of our country. We need to not focus or overwhelm ourselves with how well their makeup is done or anything that has to do with looking good on television. We are a beauty obsessed country and there is a need to focus on the important things when it comes to politics and the prospect of our country.