Welcome ladies to our AP U.S. Government blog. I want this to be a way to continue our class discussions outside of school. Although your participation is required, this is YOUR blog! I will pick a majority of the topics for discussion, but please let me know about political topics you would like to talk about. Enjoy and have fun!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Political Endorsements (Please respond by Friday, November 18)
As far as most of us know, political scientists have not found any direct evidence that elected officials' endorsements make much difference with the electorate. However, this is a concept we must learn about in this class. Take a look at the video I have included in this post from current Virginia governor Bob McDonnell (R). He released this campaign ad in support of George Allen (R) for senator of Virginia in the 2012 election. Allen will be running against Tim Kaine (D), former Governor of Virginia and director of the Democratic National Committee. This race will be one of the biggest in the country next year as Virginia will be heavily targeted in the presidential competition. After viewing this ad, do you see any correlation between endorsements and voters heavily using those ads when deciding on whom they will vote for? How effective do you believe this ad was? Could this ad help or hurt George Allen in his election campaign?
15 comments:
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There are likely to be correlations between endorsements and voters but I do not have enough background on this topic to decide. I do believe the ad was effective with its usage of postivity, opinions from a Governor, and discussing Allen's beliefs and values as what he would do if made Senator of Virginia. I think this ad would help George Allen in his election campaign because there is nothing negative that comes from the ad unless you are a democrat and do not agree with his views. What he wants to do for Virginia seems promising especially when using an outside source to give their take on him, like McDonnell did.
This add shows that what the future of Virginia could be if they elect George Allen as there senator. This add allows voters to learn more about the candidate. I think that there is likely to be a correlation between endorsements and the voters because I think people consider the ad when voting. Ads allow people to keep a picture in their mind about a certain candidate people because more people remember the visual ads rather then listening to a candidate give a speech or participate in a debate. This ad is effective becaue it provides hope for a positive future in Virginia which many people are looking for. However, I also believe that some people will look at this ad and thingk that his goals are to big and the current situation in the country will never change. Overall I believe this ad will help George Allen becaue it focuses on a positive future and how to change the current conditions in the economy. McDonnell also mentions that everyone need to come together in order make this change possible.
I definitely do see a correlation between endorsements and the voters watching this ad because if someone is a supporter of McDonnell (I think that's his name) and they see that he is supporting Allen, then they will most likely also be in support of Allen.I think this ad was very effective because of the quilities is possessed. It easily relates to all families with children because of Allen and McDonnell both having children and wanting a good future for them and all children. It was very relateable and home-y. It gave a good amount of information on what Allen would bring with him to his position in office. I think that this ad would benefit Allen's campaign because there is no negative aspect to it. There are only positive elements in this ad and the way it is portrayed will reach out to a variety of voters.
I believe there is a correlation between voters and endorsements. I do not think that anyone would use endorsements if they did not think it actually had an effect on voters. Also, these ads really allow a voter to learn about the politician, yet obviously they cannt learn all the information because the ad is biased. I think this ad could either hurt or help Allen. A supporter of the man who was speaking in the ad will probably begin to suppoert Allen also, just because the speaker talks so highly of him. On the other hand, if people do not like the man who talks in this ad, then they will probably dislike Allen also. I believe this ad was partly successful through the use of uplifting language that gives the viewr hope and the shots of regular American people throughout it. It also is filled with good information regarding what Allen wants to help change about the country. Unfortunately, I believe this ad may be unsuccessful because it seemed a bit lengthy. After the first minute I had already lost interest in what the man was saying.
When watching this campaign video I definitely think that this video has the power to influence persons’ votes. Sadly, for many people they don’t know much about politics. They don’t know enough about the candidates and the issues so they tend to vote for whomever without doing much research. For many people, if they saw this video, they would definitely vote for George Allen. This video shows what George Allen will do, what a nice person he is, and how he will make Virginia a better place. This optimism is all that some people need. However, for other people interested in politics they won’t let this one video make up their decision as a whole. They would do more research on the candidates but for some people this video could be their deciding factor. I believe that this video is a very effective ad. The music and the pictures that they used were very uplifting and attractive. Another effective factor that this video used was the use of a well known face. They used governor Bob McDonnell as the spokes person. This helps George Allen because many people recognize and trust governor Bob McDonnell. Overall I believe that this ad will greatly help George Allen because it is very optimistic and will appeal to many, especially those who don’t have any idea as to who to vote for.
I think that there is definitely a correlation between endorsements and voters, especially since, like Grace said, many people don't keep up on politics. That being said, someone who hasn't done research on Allen would most likely vote for him after watching this video. This ad is effective because it is very positive and informs people of Allen's great ideas for a brighter future. It is also effective because a current politiian is endorsing it, which makes the ad more reliable. I don't think that campaign ads are the prime resource for voters to make decisions, however, having a reliable ad surely helps the candidate's chances. Although I don't know much about McDonnell, from the looks of it, he knows what he is talking about and seems to be a good governor. That being said, I think that this ad could definitely help George Allen's campaign.
I think there is a very strong correlation between endorsements and voters using ads to decide whom to vote for. I think that some people may not be quite familiar with certain politicians, especially if it is near the beginning of their political campaign, but people may be able to associate more with other famous people. If one has strong feelings or alliances toward a certain famous person most often they will agree with what the famous person says or endorses. I think people will see this ad and see the prosperity and American feeling that can come with the election of this senator. I also think that is was a good idea to feature a well known governor of the same state. I really enjoyed this ad and the way it was set up. The ad was really set well in many aspects from the music to the video footage they featured. It made me feel good, just like the Reagan’s campaign video. I think that is will be excepted well by the public and in the end will help Allen in the race. He seems to be offering a lot of good ideas and thoughts of what he wants complete if elected senator. Virginia needs someone like him to help their economy.
After viewing this, I definitely see that there is a correlation between endorsements and how it affects voters in choosing who to vote for. For example, if McDonnell is a well-liked person in Virginia and has a strong amount of loyal supporters, the ad would definitely help Allen because it insinuates that they support the same things, which would sway voters into voting for Allen since he has the support of the person that they trust and genuinely like. Its the same thing with celebrities when they endorse products from companies. If you make that relation, more people are likely to buy that product. In this case, McDonnell is very effective in getting voters to "buy" into Allen. Moreover, the ad in itself was very calm and relaxed, which definitely made it effective. The music also gave the ad a positive vibe as well as McDonnell's voice when he lists all of the things that Allen supports and believes in. His tone is positive and uplifting, which would also help voters. Overall, in my opinion, I think this ad will do nothing but help Allen because it is so convincing and persuasive just because the facts aren't being thrown at you unlike some campaign ads.
There is most definitely a correlation between endorsements and voting. If people do not knowing anything about these two men running against each other, they would most likely vote for Allen after viewing this ad. This ad is great; it has a positive vibe, a good choice of uplifting background music, a strong message, and informs the people of Allen and his ideas/what he can do! I agree with Julianna when she talks about the idea of using an experienced face aka the governor for his ad. As long as people like McDonnell then this will be a total success for him. However, if people generally are not a fan, then this might have been a mistake for Allen. If McDonnell supports and trusts Allen, and no one trusts or supports McDonnell, then those feelings will most likely transfer over to Allen. I like how Allen was portrayed and I, not knowing either of the candidates, want to do more research to learn about him. From watching this ad I am intrigued and want to follow this more closely.
I do think that there may be a correlation between endorsements for elected officials and voters. Any positive advertisement or endorsement like this can be good for a candidate who is not the current holder of the position just because it gets their name out there. For this reason, I think that ads like these can be more helpful for the person not currently in office then for the incumbent. Endorsements from political officials can either hurt or help a candidate, it really depends. If the official that is doing the endorsing is well-know and generally well-liked then the ad could definitely help the candidate because people will begin to associate him with other officials that they already know and support. But, if the official that is doing the endorsing has a lot of people who don’t like him or who disagree with him, then it might be a negative thing that could hurt the candidate. I think that this particular ad was really nice and would be helpful for the candidate’s campaign. It was very positive and had a lot of good information about the candidate. The music that was playing in the background set a good mood for the ad and a lot of pictures and video clips they showed were really cool and added positively to the commercial.
I think that it depends the party that you are affiliated with as to whether or not it will affect the way that you vote. The correlation between endorsements and voters can basically stem from whether or not you are from a party that want to vote for the candidate or if you want to vote for him. For example if you are a life long democrat or republican, then even if you know nothing about the policies of the person on TV, you know a) they are of your party and b) they make their plans sound appealing. This may be enough information for someone affiliated with a party, but it may not be enough to sway an independent voter. They might not care about the ad, and look to other sources for their information. I think that this ad was effective because it first and foremost gave name recognition, and it linked the new name with a recognizable name. Also, it outline basic policies etc, overall creating a good productive image of the new candidate. However, if the current governor is unliked by his people, the new candidate may not want his name linked to that person because people would think that his policies would be more of the same. And this could also work the other way around.
I think that endorsements can play a significant role in deciding who one will vote for. For example, when Kasich was running for governor, Chris Christie put out an endorsement ad for Kasich. This ad, along with others, played an important role in Kasich's win. I feel that McDonnell's endorsement ad for Allen will have the same result. The ad was extremely positive, with uplifting music and pictures. I thought that the commercial was very effective, especially if viewers supported Governor McDonnell. If viewers supported McDonnell, they would likely vote for Allen because McDonnell supports him in this ad. On the other hand, if viewers of this commercial did not support or like McDonnell, they might automatically dislike Allen because McDonnell supports Allen.
I do think that there is definitely a correlation between votes and endorsements because voters are influenced by familiarity. Less politically-educated voters who recognize Governor Bob McDonnell as an authority figure in politics may be more inclined to vote for George Allen because McDonnell is a politician who could be considered “knowledgeable” on political subjects to some people simply because he is a politician. Other voters such as Republicans who support McDonnell will probably be convinced to vote for Allen because they may feel that McDonnell is a credible source. Politically-inclined Democrats and voters who dislike McDonnell will not take his advice to vote for Allen for Virginia senator. I think that endorsements in general really depend on who is endorsing the candidate and that person’s political popularity. This ad seemed pretty effective to me because it included uplifting music, a gifted speaker who tried to make the advertisement seem personal and relatable, and it did not directly bash the opposing candidate. One aspect of this advertisement that was not effective was the fact that McDonnell included many ways that Allen will potentially try to improve our government, but he did not specifically say how these actions would be carried out. I am not really sure how popular McDonnell is within the state of Virginia, but if he is well-respected than I think that this campaign advertisement could help Allen’s campaign.
I believe that this ad will sway several voters opinions on Allen. This ad shows that supporters of McDonnell should believe in what Allen is trying to do, so obviously it will gain votes for him. This explanation is an example of the correlation between voters and endorsements. Though we cannot flat out prove that this is true, I believe that we are all in agreement that it is. if you like Allen, you will vote for McDonnell because Allen tells you to. It is as simple as that. Overall I found this ad to be slightly boring but effective. It told me what McDonnell believed in, and for sure showed me how Virginia, and the rest of the nation, could improve with him in office. I enjoyed this ad to say it simply and felt it was effective for swaying votes towards McDonnell.
I think that there is a correlation between endorsements and how people vote. If a person was confident in one of their leaders and that leader endorsed someone, then they would be more likely to vote for that person. Endorsements from big names in politics, such as Sarah Palin and Chris Christie, could be very effective in a campaign because it would influence many people to vote for the person that they were endorsing. I think that this ad was very effective because it seemed personal. McDonnell said that he actually knew Allen so people would be more likely to trust his judgement of him. I think that in the long run this ad will definitely help Allen because it states his beliefs along with giving people an idea if he is actually a good enough person to be elected.
After hearing some of the main points President Obama described in his State of the Union speech, do you believe he is taking America in the right direction?
15 comments:
There are likely to be correlations between endorsements and voters but I do not have enough background on this topic to decide. I do believe the ad was effective with its usage of postivity, opinions from a Governor, and discussing Allen's beliefs and values as what he would do if made Senator of Virginia. I think this ad would help George Allen in his election campaign because there is nothing negative that comes from the ad unless you are a democrat and do not agree with his views. What he wants to do for Virginia seems promising especially when using an outside source to give their take on him, like McDonnell did.
This add shows that what the future of Virginia could be if they elect George Allen as there senator. This add allows voters to learn more about the candidate. I think that there is likely to be a correlation between endorsements and the voters because I think people consider the ad when voting. Ads allow people to keep a picture in their mind about a certain candidate people because more people remember the visual ads rather then listening to a candidate give a speech or participate in a debate. This ad is effective becaue it provides hope for a positive future in Virginia which many people are looking for. However, I also believe that some people will look at this ad and thingk that his goals are to big and the current situation in the country will never change. Overall I believe this ad will help George Allen becaue it focuses on a positive future and how to change the current conditions in the economy. McDonnell also mentions that everyone need to come together in order make this change possible.
I definitely do see a correlation between endorsements and the voters watching this ad because if someone is a supporter of McDonnell (I think that's his name) and they see that he is supporting Allen, then they will most likely also be in support of Allen.I think this ad was very effective because of the quilities is possessed. It easily relates to all families with children because of Allen and McDonnell both having children and wanting a good future for them and all children. It was very relateable and home-y. It gave a good amount of information on what Allen would bring with him to his position in office. I think that this ad would benefit Allen's campaign because there is no negative aspect to it. There are only positive elements in this ad and the way it is portrayed will reach out to a variety of voters.
I believe there is a correlation between voters and endorsements. I do not think that anyone would use endorsements if they did not think it actually had an effect on voters. Also, these ads really allow a voter to learn about the politician, yet obviously they cannt learn all the information because the ad is biased. I think this ad could either hurt or help Allen. A supporter of the man who was speaking in the ad will probably begin to suppoert Allen also, just because the speaker talks so highly of him. On the other hand, if people do not like the man who talks in this ad, then they will probably dislike Allen also. I believe this ad was partly successful through the use of uplifting language that gives the viewr hope and the shots of regular American people throughout it. It also is filled with good information regarding what Allen wants to help change about the country. Unfortunately, I believe this ad may be unsuccessful because it seemed a bit lengthy. After the first minute I had already lost interest in what the man was saying.
When watching this campaign video I definitely think that this video has the power to influence persons’ votes. Sadly, for many people they don’t know much about politics. They don’t know enough about the candidates and the issues so they tend to vote for whomever without doing much research. For many people, if they saw this video, they would definitely vote for George Allen. This video shows what George Allen will do, what a nice person he is, and how he will make Virginia a better place. This optimism is all that some people need. However, for other people interested in politics they won’t let this one video make up their decision as a whole. They would do more research on the candidates but for some people this video could be their deciding factor. I believe that this video is a very effective ad. The music and the pictures that they used were very uplifting and attractive. Another effective factor that this video used was the use of a well known face. They used governor Bob McDonnell as the spokes person. This helps George Allen because many people recognize and trust governor Bob McDonnell. Overall I believe that this ad will greatly help George Allen because it is very optimistic and will appeal to many, especially those who don’t have any idea as to who to vote for.
I think that there is definitely a correlation between endorsements and voters, especially since, like Grace said, many people don't keep up on politics. That being said, someone who hasn't done research on Allen would most likely vote for him after watching this video. This ad is effective because it is very positive and informs people of Allen's great ideas for a brighter future. It is also effective because a current politiian is endorsing it, which makes the ad more reliable. I don't think that campaign ads are the prime resource for voters to make decisions, however, having a reliable ad surely helps the candidate's chances. Although I don't know much about McDonnell, from the looks of it, he knows what he is talking about and seems to be a good governor. That being said, I think that this ad could definitely help George Allen's campaign.
I think there is a very strong correlation between endorsements and voters using ads to decide whom to vote for. I think that some people may not be quite familiar with certain politicians, especially if it is near the beginning of their political campaign, but people may be able to associate more with other famous people. If one has strong feelings or alliances toward a certain famous person most often they will agree with what the famous person says or endorses. I think people will see this ad and see the prosperity and American feeling that can come with the election of this senator. I also think that is was a good idea to feature a well known governor of the same state. I really enjoyed this ad and the way it was set up. The ad was really set well in many aspects from the music to the video footage they featured. It made me feel good, just like the Reagan’s campaign video. I think that is will be excepted well by the public and in the end will help Allen in the race. He seems to be offering a lot of good ideas and thoughts of what he wants complete if elected senator. Virginia needs someone like him to help their economy.
After viewing this, I definitely see that there is a correlation between endorsements and how it affects voters in choosing who to vote for. For example, if McDonnell is a well-liked person in Virginia and has a strong amount of loyal supporters, the ad would definitely help Allen because it insinuates that they support the same things, which would sway voters into voting for Allen since he has the support of the person that they trust and genuinely like. Its the same thing with celebrities when they endorse products from companies. If you make that relation, more people are likely to buy that product. In this case, McDonnell is very effective in getting voters to "buy" into Allen. Moreover, the ad in itself was very calm and relaxed, which definitely made it effective. The music also gave the ad a positive vibe as well as McDonnell's voice when he lists all of the things that Allen supports and believes in. His tone is positive and uplifting, which would also help voters. Overall, in my opinion, I think this ad will do nothing but help Allen because it is so convincing and persuasive just because the facts aren't being thrown at you unlike some campaign ads.
There is most definitely a correlation between endorsements and voting. If people do not knowing anything about these two men running against each other, they would most likely vote for Allen after viewing this ad. This ad is great; it has a positive vibe, a good choice of uplifting background music, a strong message, and informs the people of Allen and his ideas/what he can do! I agree with Julianna when she talks about the idea of using an experienced face aka the governor for his ad. As long as people like McDonnell then this will be a total success for him. However, if people generally are not a fan, then this might have been a mistake for Allen. If McDonnell supports and trusts Allen, and no one trusts or supports McDonnell, then those feelings will most likely transfer over to Allen. I like how Allen was portrayed and I, not knowing either of the candidates, want to do more research to learn about him. From watching this ad I am intrigued and want to follow this more closely.
I do think that there may be a correlation between endorsements for elected officials and voters. Any positive advertisement or endorsement like this can be good for a candidate who is not the current holder of the position just because it gets their name out there. For this reason, I think that ads like these can be more helpful for the person not currently in office then for the incumbent. Endorsements from political officials can either hurt or help a candidate, it really depends. If the official that is doing the endorsing is well-know and generally well-liked then the ad could definitely help the candidate because people will begin to associate him with other officials that they already know and support. But, if the official that is doing the endorsing has a lot of people who don’t like him or who disagree with him, then it might be a negative thing that could hurt the candidate. I think that this particular ad was really nice and would be helpful for the candidate’s campaign. It was very positive and had a lot of good information about the candidate. The music that was playing in the background set a good mood for the ad and a lot of pictures and video clips they showed were really cool and added positively to the commercial.
I think that it depends the party that you are affiliated with as to whether or not it will affect the way that you vote. The correlation between endorsements and voters can basically stem from whether or not you are from a party that want to vote for the candidate or if you want to vote for him. For example if you are a life long democrat or republican, then even if you know nothing about the policies of the person on TV, you know a) they are of your party and b) they make their plans sound appealing. This may be enough information for someone affiliated with a party, but it may not be enough to sway an independent voter. They might not care about the ad, and look to other sources for their information. I think that this ad was effective because it first and foremost gave name recognition, and it linked the new name with a recognizable name. Also, it outline basic policies etc, overall creating a good productive image of the new candidate. However, if the current governor is unliked by his people, the new candidate may not want his name linked to that person because people would think that his policies would be more of the same. And this could also work the other way around.
I think that endorsements can play a significant role in deciding who one will vote for. For example, when Kasich was running for governor, Chris Christie put out an endorsement ad for Kasich. This ad, along with others, played an important role in Kasich's win. I feel that McDonnell's endorsement ad for Allen will have the same result. The ad was extremely positive, with uplifting music and pictures. I thought that the commercial was very effective, especially if viewers supported Governor McDonnell. If viewers supported McDonnell, they would likely vote for Allen because McDonnell supports him in this ad. On the other hand, if viewers of this commercial did not support or like McDonnell, they might automatically dislike Allen because McDonnell supports Allen.
I do think that there is definitely a correlation between votes and endorsements because voters are influenced by familiarity. Less politically-educated voters who recognize Governor Bob McDonnell as an authority figure in politics may be more inclined to vote for George Allen because McDonnell is a politician who could be considered “knowledgeable” on political subjects to some people simply because he is a politician. Other voters such as Republicans who support McDonnell will probably be convinced to vote for Allen because they may feel that McDonnell is a credible source. Politically-inclined Democrats and voters who dislike McDonnell will not take his advice to vote for Allen for Virginia senator. I think that endorsements in general really depend on who is endorsing the candidate and that person’s political popularity. This ad seemed pretty effective to me because it included uplifting music, a gifted speaker who tried to make the advertisement seem personal and relatable, and it did not directly bash the opposing candidate. One aspect of this advertisement that was not effective was the fact that McDonnell included many ways that Allen will potentially try to improve our government, but he did not specifically say how these actions would be carried out. I am not really sure how popular McDonnell is within the state of Virginia, but if he is well-respected than I think that this campaign advertisement could help Allen’s campaign.
I believe that this ad will sway several voters opinions on Allen. This ad shows that supporters of McDonnell should believe in what Allen is trying to do, so obviously it will gain votes for him. This explanation is an example of the correlation between voters and endorsements. Though we cannot flat out prove that this is true, I believe that we are all in agreement that it is. if you like Allen, you will vote for McDonnell because Allen tells you to. It is as simple as that.
Overall I found this ad to be slightly boring but effective. It told me what McDonnell believed in, and for sure showed me how Virginia, and the rest of the nation, could improve with him in office. I enjoyed this ad to say it simply and felt it was effective for swaying votes towards McDonnell.
I think that there is a correlation between endorsements and how people vote. If a person was confident in one of their leaders and that leader endorsed someone, then they would be more likely to vote for that person. Endorsements from big names in politics, such as Sarah Palin and Chris Christie, could be very effective in a campaign because it would influence many people to vote for the person that they were endorsing. I think that this ad was very effective because it seemed personal. McDonnell said that he actually knew Allen so people would be more likely to trust his judgement of him. I think that in the long run this ad will definitely help Allen because it states his beliefs along with giving people an idea if he is actually a good enough person to be elected.
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