The Living Room Candidate
Senior Current Issues - Election 2008
Since 1952 Television and Presidential Campaigns have worked hand in hand. Now the internet provides a
new outlet for commercials Some are positive and tout the strengths of “their guy”, others focus on tearing
down the opposition. While technology has improved over time, these presentations and their common
themes of mood, music, and symbolism have been arguably effective for their era, regardless of the year. For
this study you will look at five past presidential campaigns. You will evaluate campaign commercials as to their
strengths and weaknesses. You’ll look for the symbols that tell each story, You’ll determine what makes a
good campaign commercial and when the effort fails. I want you to also evaluate when a line gets crossed regarding ethical concerns. Finally, you are to take these historical campaigns and bring them up to 2008.
How would Barack Obama and John McCain benefit from knowing the keys of these past commercial
attempts? How can you see today’s candidates fitting in to these past public relations efforts?
The Assignment:
Go to livingroomcandidate.org. There you will find an introduction to Presidential TV commercials since
1952. Read it please. You’ll notice on the left hand side of the page a posting of Election Years from 1952 to
2004. For this assignment we will be looking at eight of those elections. You will have a series of assignments
for each of five chosen years. You’ll also have the freedom to do your own searching.
So, let’s get started. Take a look at the list of election years. Click on a year, you will notice the names of the
Democrat and the Republican nominees. You’ll also find an overview of the Election., a summary of each
candidate, and a result link complete with final electoral college vote breakdown. As for the actual
commercials, they are accessible in a dozen to twenty thumbnail links, located in a block on the right side of
the screen. Each has a name, length, and a transcript. The transcript can be brought up alongside the
commercial so that it does not interfere with the replay. I have chosen eight elections years for you to
concentrate on - four commercials per election. For this assignment you will be required to choose five of
the listed presidential elections. See the accompanying list of commercials and elections for your peruse.
The first thing to do, once you’ve selected a year is to look at the overview. Read the Overview, the two
Candidate summaries, and the Results map. You’ll be provided basic questions for each of these. Your
answers to these questions, when finished will be stapled to your commercial evaluations. Next go to the
campaign commercials asked for in the accompanying handout. Remember you may choose five of the noted
eight elections years. Once you choose a year, you must watch each of the four commericals that have been
assigned. Do so a couple of times and with the aid of the available transcript. Finally take the single page
evaluation form, summarize and evaluate each one. After you have completed the four required commercials
- choose one of your own (from the same election year) and evaluate that one just like the other four. In the
end you will be evaluating five commericals for five elections. That’s twenty five in total - this should give you a
pretty good look at the living room candidate and the growing significance of commercials in United States
presidential campaigns.
Since this project is assigned for pairs of students- you may go about these evaluations in a couple of ways.
One - you may sit down together and take on each of the chosen years. That way you can talk about the
commercials as you evaluate them. You will learn more that way. Or you can break things up individually.
the final summary portion of this assignment will force you to compare candidates and years, postive and
negative commericals - so you’ll need to know exactly what was said in those that you did not view. My
suggestion; pair up for each election year evaluation and do them together - your conversations could be fun.
There is one final requirement to the assignment - and that is to select your “BEST OF’s” and your “WORST
Of’s” - top three and bottom three - of all twenty five, based on what you and only you see as good and bad.
LIVING ROOM CANDIDATE - EVALUATION LIST
You must choose five elections - all four commercials and one your choice for each
Election Year
Democrat
Republican
1952
Stevenson
Eisenhower
1960
Kennedy
Nixon
1964
Johnson
Goldwater
1972
McGovern
Nixon
1984
Mondale
Reagan
1988
Dukakis
Bush
1992
Clinton
Bush
2004
Kerry
Bush
1 - I Love the Gov
5 - Platform Double Talk
3 - Harry Belafonte
7 - Mrs JFK (Kennedy)
2 - Peace Little Girl
6 - Poverty
2 - This Time
8 - Voting Booth
1 - Ticket
5 - Orbiting
7 - Furlough from the Truth
8 - Oval Office
1 - Journey
6 - Maine
1 - Heart
8 - Juvenile
1 - Ike for President
2 - The Man from Abilene
2 - Best Qualified
6 - Taxes
1 - Ike at Gettysburg
2 - Boy on Bicycle
2 - Passport
5 - McGovern Turnaround
1 - Prouder Stronger Better
4 - Reagonomics
6 - Tank Ride
7 - Willie Horton
1 - Arkansas 2
9 - Crisis B
1 - Safer Stronger
5 - First Choice
ELECTION YEAR OVERVIEW & CANDIDATE POSITIONS
Election Year:
Democrat Candidate:
Republican Candidate:
The first thing to do on this assignment - is to look at the Election year overview. This will give you a capsulated view of the issues
that dominated that year’s particular presidential election. Next, go to the candidates - Here you get again a brief summary of the
campaign commercial themes run by the two candidates. The summaries should give you enough of a head start that the
commercials themselves will make more sense while watching. Finally look a the electoral results of the particular election. All of
this will give you a keen insight to these past presidential campaigns and elections.
OVERVIEW:
Bullet the main points examined in the Election year overview:
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
DEMOCRAT:
Name;
Bullet the issues that are noted in the DEMOCRATIC nominee commericals overview.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
REPUBLICAN:
Name;
Bullet the issues that are noted in the REPUBLICAN nominee commericals overview.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
RESULTS:
Take a look - what patterns, trends, regional divisions, electoral vote differential and popular vote breakdowns do you see?
2008 ELECTION:
Do you see anything in the Overviews or the results that remind you of 2008 - or look like they might be similar to 2008? Explaiin.
Election Year:
Commerical Evaluation Form
Presidential Candidate
Title of Commercial:
Make sure to copy the final grade you gave to this commercial in the box to the right.
Letter Grade:
Summary (Brief overview of what is happening)
The Commercial: Positive:
(check one)
Negative:
Both:
Identify music / symbols / themes present to get the message across:
What is the strength (s) of this commercial:
What is the weakness (s) of this commercial:
Does it provide you a better impression of the candidate. Yes or No - Explain.
Considering the campaigns of Senator Obama and McCain
Is there anything going on in this commercial that you could see (style, theme, issue topic) that reminds you of Senator Obama or
McCain? Could you see either creating a commerical similar to this one. Explain:
Any Final Thoughts:
Any final thoughts, comments, plus or minus - anything you have to say about this commercial.
And the final grade
Drumroll please - what is the final letter grade you would assess the creator of this commerical? Provide some constructive teacher
type comments...and finally rewrite the letter grade on the front.
Letter Grade:
THE BEST
Identify the top three presidential campaign commericals of all time.
GOLDYear:
Candidate:
Why
SI?LVERYear:
Candidate:
Why
BRONZE Year:
Candidate:
Why
Make sure when evaluating these commercials to take into account the technology available at the time of creation. Translated that
means - because it might be hoaky by today’s standards doesn’t mean it was so then. Feel free to take into account whether or not
the commercial crosses some line ethical line which for you is out of bounds. Criteria is up to you.
THE WORST
Identify the worst three presidential campaign commericals of all time.
ABSOLUTE PITSYear:
Candidate:
Why
WORSE THAN BAD Year:
Candidate:
Why
BAD Year:
Candidate:
Why
Make sure when evaluating these commercials to take into account the technology available at the time of creation. Translated that
means - because it might be hoaky by today’s standards doesn’t mean it was so then. Feel free to take into account whether or not
the commercial crosses some line ethical line which for you is out of bounds. Criteria is up to you.