Comedy & Politics – Tuesday, October 20th (Blog #9 A)

How are the presidential candidates being presented on comedy programs? What impact do you think satirical shows and late night hosts are having on this year’s election? And how does it compare to previous campaigns? Since there are no textbook readings for this topic, you should reference two readings from Blackboard, two media examples from this year’s campaign, and two media examples from previous campaigns to support your answer.      

Polls – Tuesday, November 17th (Blog #9 B)

What impact do polls have on political campaigns? How would you assess the role that polls (and poll aggregating organizations like FiveThirtyEight.com or RealClearPolitics) played in the 2020 presidential election? In your opinion, is there too much emphasis on polls by the media, politicians, and/or the public OR is polling a valuable way to gauge political opinion? You must refer to Campaigns Ch. 5, one of the readings from Blackboard, and an outside source to support your response.

Election Recap – Tuesday, November 10th (Blog #8)

Our next class meeting will be a debrief on the 2020 campaign, so I want you to offer your take on the following topics. First, what forms of campaign communication do you think were most effective for each candidate? And which strategies did not work/were not effective? Second, how would you assess the media coverage of the election results, both from Election Night and the following days? Finally, how would you assess voters' reactions, based on either your own friends/family and/or what people are posting on social media? Refer to at least two previous class readings and one outside source to support your response.

Advertising – Tuesday, October 13th (Blog #7)

What types of ads are we seeing this year? Are they more positive or negative in tone, and how do they compare to ads in previous campaigns? Based on the categories outlined by Denton readings and Campaigns Ch. 3, offer examples of at least three different types of ads from the 2020 campaign and compare them to three similar historical ads that can be found on the website “The Living Room Candidate”: http://www.livingroomcandidate.org/

Online Campaign Communication – Tuesday, October 6th (Blog #6)

How are the campaigns and their supporters using websites and social media to target voters and how does it differ from previous campaigns? Do you think their messaging strategies have been effective thus far and what, if any, changes would you recommend? Finally, how important is online campaign communication in the 2020 campaign? Along with referring to the class readings, use examples from at least one social media account (Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, etc.) and the website of the candidate you’re assigned to for the Election Eve Project to support your response.

Debate Analysis – Thursday, October 1st (Blog #5)

Assess each candidate’s performance in the first presidential debate. What debate strategies (noted in Denton et al Ch. 9) did they employ and how were they similar to/different from the strategies we discussed in class last week? How would you assess their performances? And, if you were a debate coach, what advice would you give each candidate going into their next meeting? Since there are no new class readings this week, use Denton et al Ch. 9 as your textbook reading and two articles that you find on your own as your sources (hence, no Blackboard reading). Your blog posts are due by 11:59 pm on Thursday, October 1.

Debates – Tuesday, September 22nd (Blog #4)

Imagine you are a debate coach hired by either the Trump or Biden campaign (use your candidate for the Election Eve Projects). What debate strategies (from Denton et al Ch. 9) would you recommend your candidate follow? Which previous presidential candidates should they look to as examples of best debate practices that they should emulate? Which previous candidates made mistakes which they should learn from and avoid? Finally, what does your candidate need to do for their debate performance to help, and not hurt, their campaign?