Presidential Debates

In the United States, television has been influential in presidential elections since the 1960’s. Television has a way of “turning away from policy sphere,” it judges candidates based on their appearances, not their message. Television has shifted the key point of presidential debates: from pursuing issue to pursuing image. Therefore, television is misleading, having a negative impact on presidential elections.

I do believe that television has had a positive impact on presidential elections. In modern times there is a need for television for these types of events. The authors mentioned agreed with the fact that television has had a positive impact on presidential elections. One source, Source D, is a chart of the ratings for presidential debates. I believe that television has had a positive impact on presidential elections because the world has changed in recent years, the people have changed, there is a trust in the people who are on television, and there is a more honest aspect when someone sees it themselves.

Television promotes candidates’ image over their policies. Instead of the candidates discussing what they are going to do for the country, they simply argue why they are better than each other. The candidates being televised gives the audience a sense of knowing them, which causes them to lose the audience's interest in political ideals and to be “judged by standards formerly used to assess rock singers and movie stars”(Source B). Instead of the candidates

Television promotes the candidates’ image over their policies. Instead of the candidates discussing what they are going to do for the country, they simply argue why they are better than each other. The candidates being televised gives the audience a sense of knowing them, which causes them to “no longer feel the need for party guidance”(Source B). In other words, the audience no longer feels the need of the politician's policies due to basing their judgments on the superficial characteristics. In a recent political debate, candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton argued that their images weren’t very presidential. It started off with Trump saying Clinton didn’t have the looks and the stigma of a president and she quickly fired back that Trump didn’t have the temperament. Instead of discussing how they were going to run the country they just bickered about appearance. The

Presidential candidates have power over how they’re shown in TV, whereas before TV they didn’t have much choice but to show up and campaign to just be the best leader they can persuade others that they’ll be. Source A explains the immediate contact the media can give, it can penetrate people’s mind and get viewers like never before, but just because that’s available doesn’t mean it’s the best option on how to portray our presidential elections. If anything, maybe television made the viewers feel closer a few decades ago, but now it’s nearly a barrier we can’t get past, so instead the television‘s impact on showing presidential elections has given the elections a negative impact. No one wants to watch short answered arguments where quality of imagine does better than the impact of your real words and actions. All the TV has done is go for someone’s image, quick answers, and the unfocused aspect of what truly matters, if your president is who will make your world a better place or

The race for the White House is a long and tedious process that is mobbed by campaigns events and stump speeches, but more importantly candidates are givens the opportunity to contrast their ideas with other candidates in televised debates. On January 17, 2016, I tuned into the Democratic Presidential Debate that was hosted by NBC News in Charleston, SC and moderated by Lester Holt. This debate included all three Presidential contenders: Hillary Clinton, Bernie Sanders, and Martin O’Malley. All candidates made reference to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in their opening statements because of the King holiday being the following day. Each candidate tried their best to make an appeal to continuing the work of Dr. King by ensuring justice

What topics are labeled important enough to be talked about during presidential debates? Topics such as terrorism and national security; the economy; jobs and employment; and the Affordable Care Act and Healthcare all managed to be the center of attention during all debates. What topics were almost entirely ignored? Topics such as gun policy; social issues like LGBT rights and abortion; and the environment and climate change were put to the side to instead talk about Hillary Clinton’s email scandal or the sexual assault charges brought up against Donald Trump. While terrorism and national security; the economy; jobs and employment; and the Affordable Care Act and Healthcare are all very important topics, but one topic that was ignored and should have been at the forefront of the debate was climate change.

Television is a form of communication that can be used to transfer information to the general public, and its full value and effects can be seen at all times, especially during election seasons. To some extent, this medium has helped people make informed decisions on which candidate is suitable to be president. However, this positive influence could distract people from focusing on policy and turn the election into a popularity contest.

With the 2016 election in full throttle, Kennedy and Nixon’s presidential debates of 1960 are still very much a part of American democracy. Televised presidential debates have become a backbone in an American election. Although these debates are now considered a norm in American politics, this has not always the case. Even after the first time a presidential debate was held between presidential candidates from across the aisle, it took another 16 years for another debate to occur. It is highly doubtful that either Nixon or Kennedy, much less anyone else of that time period, would have been able to foresee the effects of their debate. The presidential debates between Kennedy and Nixon have shape American politics for what seemed like the better but as more and more research is published, this claim is starting to fall apart. While presidential debates offer the public a chance to compare and contrast the Republican and Democratic presidential candidate, they have an impact on viewers that is not always positive. Rather, televised presidential debates impact voters across the aisle and throughout levels of political awareness. An in-depth look at the history of televised presidential debates and their impact on viewers could answer the question of whether televised presidential debates should remain a central part of the modern American democracy.

Television should be used for useful and informative programming, which is the complete opposite of an interview with Bill Clinton in 1992, in which Clinton discusses, among other topics, his “underwear with the American people”, therefore clearly providing an example of the ineffective and off-topic discussions that occur on television (Source B). Conversations such as this interview, although slightly humorous, provide absolutely no information about a candidate’s policy positions or planned actions if elected. The members of a society, whether they decide to vote or not, should be fully informed on these topics. Television is not providing an ample source for information due to the irrelevance of the discussions and the lack of substantial information

Donald Trumps and Hillary Clintons first impression in all of the debates were unfriendly because in the beginning of each debate both Hillary and Donald never shook hands with each other. The appearance of Donald trump was not candid either. Donald Trump showed to all debates in his usual business attire, black and white suit with a red tie. That appearance gave a ‘it isn't personal, it’s just business’ impression to the audience. Hillary, however, dressed formally like she was normal united states office personnel. All in all, both Trump and Hillary put on a great and entertaining debate for the 2016 presidential

When television was launched, it became almost instantly the main way of entertainment for Americans. People spent more and more time watching useless shows, they became increasingly less aware of important matters, such as politics. Political debates, as they were done before, didn’t reach as many people.

Cain Stevenson --”Hello, and welcome to the 78th presidential debate held on channel 13, Fox News. Today we have a very special debate, all five presidential candidates are with us today in the sold out Gillette stadium. And boy can you hear the the screams of the 70000 fans cheering on their candidates. This stadium is filled to the brim with die hard fans ready to chug down a beer and sucker punch a man 4 times their size for their candidate. Massive crowds have formed outside hoping that they might get a chance to see the candidates,in person arriving. Let me tell you the last seventy five debates have been a brutal showdown, and over 17 candidates have left the ring blooded and heart broken. I am your moderator, Cain Stevenson and let

This article sets out to examine the influence of psychology used by presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump during the TV presidential debates. Persaud and Bruggen state that public perception influences votes, and that perception can be altered by strategies built on an understanding of psychology. It references a recent study in “Electoral Studies” by Peter Schrott and David Lanoue called, ‘The power and limitations of televised presidential debates: Assessing the real impact of candidate performance on public opinion and vote choice.’ This study went into depth on twenty-six historical examples of behaviors by candidates in TV presidential debates influencing public perception, and subsequent wins or losses.

In order to determine the best candidate to be our national leader, it is imperative that citizens watch the broadcasted presidential debates before casting their ballots. These debates give each representative of the two most influential political parties, the Democrats and Republicans, time to demonstrate their contrasting viewpoints, and otherwise allow the voter to understand each candidate’s personality. During our psychology class this semester, we were privileged to write essays on the three presidential debates between Democratic nominee, Hillary Clinton, and Republican nominee, Donald Trump. In order to succeed in this task, it was imperative that we incorporate psychology terms in conjunction with the candidates; only now can we reveal our informed opinions about the results of this 2016 Presidential Election.