Wednesday, March 9, 2016

Three Themes in the Race

Even though the race has lost a few candidates, one of the approaches that all of the candidates still use is the use of social media. All of the remaining candidates have doubled down on their social media accounts; particularly Twitter and Facebook. As seen in the 2008 and 2012 elections, using social media worked greatly to attract new and younger voters to the polls. As we get closer to the conventions, we can expect the remaining candidates to increase their attacks on their opponents.
                We’ve also been able to see some agenda setting in this latter part of the race. The media and the Republican party have taken to more drastic measures to declare Trump as an un-electable candidate. What originally started off as a few off-handed comments from rival candidates has now given way to GOP leaders denouncing Trump with speeches and television appearances.
                And of course, an election campaign is not complete without rhetoric. Trump seems to be the front runner in this regard. He has taken steps to discredit the other candidates and the media by calling them phonies. Part of his appeal to voters seems to be based on his ability to deflect criticisms by usually insulting his critics. He also tries to prove his legitimacy by continuing to remind voters that he funds his own campaign and is not tied down by big business like his competitors. He’s taken to calling out Marco Rubio as being inexperienced and lacking the personality to be president. He has called out Ted Cruz by attempting to prove that he is not a valid candidate due to the circumstances regarding him being a natural born citizen.


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