Jones 1 Broc Jones 1/9/14 CE English 1010 Mrs.

Richards The Candidates Image After the television development in the 1940s the presidential debates began to air to the public on an entirely new platform, changing the culture forever and how we judge them. The new development changed the publics view on the presidential campaign forever. As the televisions life moved on, the ability for the public to dive deeper into the presidential candidates personal lives, through public appearances on broadcasting stations like MTV and other new wave stations filled with drama and paparazzi. This would turn the presidential race from debates and politics, to trying to win the favoritism of the public, turning the candidates from politicians into celebrities; hence are often judged by standards formerly used to assess rock singers and movie stars,(Hart) They began to be judged not on policy but on publicity and relationship with the public. After the beginning of the debates on public television the culture began to completely change. Presidential candidate's lives began to be shaped by the cameras following them. Now that there was a new way to expose the candidates personal lives, the view on them began to evolve. In one of President Clinton's interviews he exposed his preference on underwear, briefs over boxers. He wasn't just looking for something pointless to say but he was answering a question asked by "a member of the MTV generation," this was just one incident where the

Jones 2 boundaries between politician and celebrity was being crossed. "Clinton exposed several rules connected to the new phenomenology of politics: (1) because of televisions celebrity system, Presidents are losing their distinctiveness as social actors and hence are often judged by standards formerly used to assess rock singers and movie stars;"(Hart) as the presidents started to allow the public into their personal life they would stopped being looked as the great debaters and leaders but as the movie stars of tomorrow. They began to be judged on their appearance and life choices not the policy they would argue for. Presidents would begin to rely less on the parties and ideals they stood for, though still keeping the major beliefs and baring the name Republican or Democrat, and rely more on the appearance, activities outside of politics and personal life choices being made. The people were less concerned with policy because they felt they knew the president on a more "intimate" note. "(2) because of televisions sense of intimacy, the American people feel they know their Presidents as persons and hence no longer feel the need for party guidance;"(Hart) the people's interest was falling in policy, showing through the television ratings on the debates from Tracking the Presidential Election Years (1960-1992), the graph shows the major decline in television debate ratings after the technology was developed, this supports the fact that since the television was invented that there was a loss in interest in the debates between presidents. The public began to turn away from the actual ideals of the party and even politics in general. The television created a whole new view on politics- "(3) because of the mediums archly cynical worldview, those who watch politics on television are increasingly turning away from the policy sphere, years of hyper-familiarity having finally bred contempt for politics itself."(Hart) The people began to feel a sense of informality towards the politics, not respecting them as social speech figures, more as acquaintances. The closer relationship the audience felt with the

Jones 3 candidates the more they began to dislike the politics themselves. As the politicians got closer to the audience through this new medium, television, the audience began to turn on them. Getting to see the politicians in a whole new way allowed people to see more of the candidates personal life, making them able to pass their own judgment on the candidates personality rather than on the policy that they argued for. Televisions initial release did not affect the rating poles very quickly, but in the end there was an overwhelming change from the beginning of the pole to the end, decreasing almost 30 points, dropping from roughly 60 to 30. Television had a huge visible impact on the people of America's sight on politicians, and politics in general. The effect of the television on the public made the politicians of today into celebrities, instead of critical debaters of the past.

Jones 4 Sources Cited Source B

Hart, Roderick, and Mary Triece. "U.S. Presidency and Television." Museum of Broadcasting Communications. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2009. <http://www.museum.tv/debateweb/html/equalizer/essay_usprestv.htm>.

Source D

Adapted from Nielsen Tunes into Politics: Tracking the Presidential Election Years (1960-1992). New York: Nielsen Media Research, 1994.