The Campaign

• Framing is the construction of the candidates narrative or life story to appeal to the general majority.
• Begins during primary season but will be built upon and consolidated throughtout the campaign.
• Election strategies are organised around the framing of the candidate.

• Democratic strategists built his representation around his service in the Vietnam war.
• Devotion to his comrades and bravery.
• Aim was to assure the electorate that he would act forcefully against terrorist threats.
• backfired :/ a group called the Swift Boat Veterans For Truth began to question his account of his time in Vietnam.
• Focus of the campaign shifted to whether he could be trusted.

• First black president
• Wrote books: 'Dreams From My Father' & 'The Audacity of Hope'.
• Dreams and hope = american dream/MLK
• Father = family values
• Military pics on cover = brave

• Wrote a book 'Faith of my Father.
• Military pics on cover.
• His daughter wrote a book  'My Dad, John McCain'.
• Family values/pious.

• Some states are more important than others.
• Swing states are WAY more important than safe states.
• i.e. Florida is more important than Texas or California.
• Candidates should base their campaign strategy around persuading the swing states, i.e. Kennedy in 1960

• Safe states are those which consistently vote for the same party. 
• Texas has voted Rep. since 1980 - little point in Democrat campaigning there - waste of money and resources.
• New York has voted Dem. since 1988.

• Swing states are those which have no set party and can be persuaded.
• Nevada, New Hampshire, North Carolina and Ohio are just a few swing states.
• In 1960, Kennedy focused on the swing states and won.
• In 2016, Reps. won Ohio and Dems. won Nevada.

• ADOPTING THE MIDDLE GROUND

    - an area of compromise 

• DISTANCE FROM THE PARTY

    - don't be too far left or right (extremist)

• ADOPTING THE IDEOLOGICAL POSITIONS

    - remain humble about religion

• ENERGISING THE BASE

    - be exciting - get rowdy

• VP balances the ticket
• Assures that the candidate can win the broadest electoral support.
• Biden: white, old, v. experienced
• Pence: experience, less extremist
• Gore: experiences, cute personal life (clinton tainted in scandal)
• Cheney: experience and gravitas contrasted with Bush - became most powerful VP ever.
• They complete the president/fill in their political gaps/strengthen their weakness'