Political Communication in the USA - Assignment Example

Political Communication in the USA In the last five years, the economy of the US as well as the financial conditions has radically evolved, the change has had numerous effects on various economic players but the apparent winner has been the government. The article titled, “The Government Won on Financial Reform” argues that the recent economic recession was an opportunity for the government to take even more control over the financial sector than it already had. This was because by bailing out failing financial institutions, it emerged as a saviour and helped perpetuate the myth that the crisis was caused exclusively by the private sector. The bailouts allowed the state to set more conditions for the corporate sector and as a result America has an extremely state regulated financial sector which endangers the freedom for innovation and creativity (“The Government Won” 2013). This calls for further reforms in the government regulation because in the current situation, the state’s power is making politicians more influential in the capital market, even in the private sector which is eroding the capitalist freedom that has enabled significant growth over the centuries. The status quo that exaggerates the power of the state should be regulated such that banks are less answerable to the government and by extension politicians. Instead, they should set rules that regulate risk taking and standards for deposits so that companies can have leeway for innovation with the knowledge that in case they mess up, they can expect no protection from the tax payers. Q2 The article which was written just before the 2010 elections is titled the “the first social media election”. It discusses the impact of social media in the UK elections in a backdrop of a system which only five years ago the platform was irrelevant and inapplicable (Arthur, 2010). People watching the lection debates from home were said to be doing it on two screen, the TV and the Facebook or tweeter one. The article implies that there is a real possibility of social media influencing the outcome of elections since citizens may react to the nature of the feedback they access on their respective parties from social media. The labour and Tory parties are trying hard to capitalise on “social media “capital which according to many was what got Barack Obama elected in 2008 in the US. The UK parties are right to worry about the impact of social media in their election campaigns for one, Facebook twitter and Yu tube were widely used by to source for voter opinions and gauge their attitudes. In addition, unlike in the past when young people often ignored the electro process the social media has brought about voter education and encouraged them to be more active. A as result, there were more youthful participants in the election which is contrary to ex post factor polls that were dominated by older voters. Q3 The culture of secrecy in the US is the subject of an article by the Washington Post titled, “A hidden world, growing beyond control.” It claims that after 9/11, the US government became obsessed with security concerns and results thousands of agencies and staff were deployed to ensure the security of the nation (Priest and Arkin, 2010). However due to the levels of security, there are too many secrets and even though information is collected, it has become almost impossible to manage it. As a result there are many cases of agencies duplicating each other’s work and lack of effectiveness because those who are in charge cannot acquire or access the data required in time due to the immense bureaucracy in place. This is a very relevant security concern given that today the US is one of the most targeted nations on the world by terrorists mostly from the Middle East region where they have in the past engaged in wars. While conceding that security is a key issue, it I important that the culture of secrecy is eliminated since at the end of the day it may be causing more harm than good. Information is only as good as its time utility, therefore given the multiple levels of clearance that only allow a few people to have full access to the data collected, much of it remains useless to the security agencies that need it to carry out operation. Finally, the secrecy of security data has made the US venerable to online spying and exposure by groups such as Wikileaks and anonymous. Q4 An article on the global policy journal titled “Media as a driving force in international politics” purports that the news and its presentation can have a significant effect on politics more so internationally. It argues that over the last 20 years, the coverage of news on global war by CNN has played an active part in decisions regarding to the intervention of politicians in different countries especially in respect to humanitarian assistance (Robinson, 2013). One of the main reasons the UK and US public have in the last few years decried their governments participation in the Iraq war was the increased coverage it received in BBC and CNN. The media is undoubtedly one of the most powerful non-political forces when it comes to bringing about political impact, at the end of the day politicians make policy based on what they deem to be the public opinion. The media on the other hand is one of the organs that are responsible for shaping public opinion and it is therefore axiomatic that the news the media choses to report will undoubtedly have an effect on policy in the long run. Today, the US is moving the last of its troops from parts of the Middle East and this is to a large extent a result of a public outcry precipitated by coverage of the media of the negative aspects of the occupation. Q5 An article on the Economics titled, “Public information campaigns” discusses the role of public information campaigns by the government. It concedes that to some extent, these campaigns are redundant since many of the things that are addressed are rather obvious and very few people need reminders to do them (R.B., 2011). It discusses the history of public information traced back from war posters to driving and car maintenance directions and child care information which are common in today’s PI palate. However the article concludes by agreeing that despite their apparent redundancy they do play an important role since although many people are aware of what to do, they often neglect to do it which makes the reminder necessary albeit to a small extent. Public information, contrary to the imputation in the second part of the question is a vital element of responsible government, and not a means of social marketing as some may claim. A responsible state will recognise that in as much as people may have information, on issue such as how to drive safely or such mundane looking issues, they sometimes tend to neglect this. Thus, as result, a constant reminder serves to reduce the propensity for ignoring the proper way of doing things and in the long run it can save lives. Q6 The Chicago tribune article discusses the difference between the UK and US campaigning techniques, according to the writer, in the US they are too long and prorated as well as extremely expensive in comparison (Skoning, 2010). It cites the retrospective campaigns between Obama and Mac Cain vs Brown and Cameroon and concludes that there is a huge gap in spending while both achieved the same ends. In the UK there is a Ban on advertising on TV or Radio and the caps on campaign, spending makes the electro process considerably cheaper. The questions ask if the British should adopt the American system and I believe the answer should be a negative one. On the contrary, it is the US that should adopt the British method since it is not only cheaper but takes a shorter time; overall, it reduces avenues for wastage of public resources by the incumbents. The only aspect the UK should borrow from the US is the use of social media in campaigns which enabled Obama to reach an unprecedented number of voters. My home county would also be best suited as any economic mind state would for the UK system as it makes for cheaper and “cleaner” elections. Q7 An article on the Business standard titled, “Opinion divided on banning poll surveys” discuss the controversy surrounding the issue of opinion polls before elections as several parties have sought to have them banned. The Electro Commission of India (EC) has tried to get the government to Ban these polls since 1997 without avail (Makkar and Jha, 2014). The main reasons given for the Ban are the fact that it was found that research agencies have in the past manipulated their results to favour one side. In addition they have been criticised for influencing the opinions of young voters or undecided ones and therefore tipping the balance to in favour of the winning side. In my opinion, these polls should be banned not only in India but also even in other countries, in the US and UK for instance, they are heavily relied on and in most cases they turn out to be right. They may not give accurate results because there is the issue of whether they are correct by virtue of accuracy or because they force the public to vote in one way. It must be conceded that when someone see the results of a poll they will imagine that one side will most likely win and opt to support it so as to be part of the winning team. Nonetheless, these can be doctored so they favour one side and these results in unfair elections as voters are manipulated the data in the polls as opposed to voting based on the merit of the leadership. Q8 An article on the BBC online titled “the rise of single-issue campaign groups” discusses how in recent times, advocacy and rights groups have gained prominence especially due to the straightforwardness of their issues and easy public access (Wheeler, 2008). It claims that these groups can often reach many people on a low budget since their agenda is uncomplicated and unlike politicians their sources of funding are rarely questioned. Many of these depend of social media as well as the mainstream press which helps them reach a wide audience in a short time and as a result of their impact politicians often try to piggyback on their popularity by supporting or otherwise making attempts to be associated with their agendas. The question asks if these groups require the media to win their demands and the answer is certainly “yes”. While there are those that have enough money to carry out public campaigns most operate on a limited budget and as a result they need to take advantage of the media to reach their audience with minimum logistic cost. In addition, it is unequivocal that the media provides the easiest way for people to access information and therefore, without it, these groups would be unlikely to get in touch with their target audience and therefore lose their contacts and ultimately be rendered ineffective. Q9 An article on the Independent titled, “The McPoison papers: Confessions of rogue Labour spin doctor Damian McBride laid bare in memoir” discusses the book that has recently been released by MacBride a former spin-doctor under Gordon Browns government. His key duties included among other things to discredit the PM’s opponents by leaking negative stories and rumour about them (Cusick, 2013). The article implies that Gordon and most of his advisors were afraid of what the book would say about them since the writer has carried out an incisive expose of the dirty politics and smear campaigns he carried out for Brown. Spin-doctors are not healthy for democracy at all; in fact, they tend to negate the very idea of it since they influence the opinions of people negatively against one side making their choices to be based on lies rather than objective reasoning. The spin doctors are in reality just a way through which politician and governments take advantage of a society plagued with too much information but not enough facts to pursue selfish and unethical political ends. References Makkar, S. Jha, S. 2014. “Opinion Divided On Banning Poll Surveys”. Business standard. [online] Available from http://www.business-standard.com/article/politics/opinion-divided-on-banning-poll-surveys-114022600992_1.html Wheeler, B. 2008. “The rise of single issue campaigns”. BBC NEWS. [online] Available from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/politics/7188823.stm Cusick, J. 2013. “The Mcpoison Papers: Confessions Of Rogue Labour Spin Doctor Damian Mcbride Laid Bare In Memoir”. [online] The Independent. Available from http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/the-mcpoison-papers-confessions-of-rogue-labour-spin-doctor-damian-mcbride-laid-bare-in-memoir-8827726.html Skoning , G, D. 2010. “ We Could Learn A Lot From The U.K. Election”. Chicago Tribune. [online] Available from http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2010-05-14/opinion/ct-oped-0514-british-20100514_1_campaign-spending-candidates-election-day Robinson, P. 2013. “Media as a Driving Force in International Politics: The CNN Effect and Related Debates”. Global Policy Journal. [online] Available from http://www.globalpolicyjournal.com/blog/08/10/2013/media-driving-force-international-politics-cnn-effect-and-related-debates “The Government Won on Financial Reform”. 2013. The Wall Street Journal. [online] Available from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324665604579079271887262900 Priest D. and Arkin, W, M. 2010. “A Hidden World, Growing Beyond Control”. The Washington Post. [online] Available from http://projects.washingtonpost.com/top-secret-america/articles/a-hidden-world-growing-beyond-control/ Arthur, C. 2010: “The First Social Media Election”. The Guardian. [online] Available from http://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/apr/30/social-media-election-2010 R.B. 2011. “Public Information Campaigns”. The Economist. [online] Available from http://www.economist.com/blogs/blighty/2011/08/public-information-campaigns Read More