IMC Hawks Blog

Tag: Election

  • Running a Positive Campaign Can Be Done

    North Carolina voters faced a tough decision Tuesday when they went to cast their vote for the next governor of the state.  The two candidates for the 2012 election were republican, Pat McCrory, and democrat, Walter Dalton.  North Carolina has not had a republican governor for twenty years.  Voters who turned out to the polls on Election Day showed they were ready to end the GOP drought for North Carolina.  The state turned over the governorship and the power of the house to Republicans.

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    Back in 2008 Pat McCrory ran against governor Beverly Perdue but lost just shy of four percent.  McCrory and the rest of his supporters thought after the loss of the gubernatorial race his career in politics was over.  However, Pat McCrory decided to run again and this time he promised to run an only positive campaign.

    McCrory carried out this promise by making it a key factor in speeches, fundraising, and catching the attention of voters, republicans, democrats, and independents.  In his acceptance speech on Tuesday night which he gave at the Westin in Downtown Charlotte, he made it clear why he believed his campaign was so successful.  McCrory won over the Lt. Governor Dalton by  ten percent.  In his speech McCrory stated, “I think the two unique things we did, first of all, we ran a positive campaign.”

    During his campaign McCrory never ran one negative TV or radio ad against his opponent, Walter Dalton.  In every ad his campaign created he talked about what he wanted to do as governor of North Carolina, his polices, his issues, and his plan for the future of the state.

    With North Carolina being the tenth largest state in the United States McCrory did a fine job of running a positive statewide campaign.  It is rare you see only positive campaigns being run not only in North Carolina politics but in national politics as well.

    Wednesday morning at a press conference Pat McCrory celebrated his victory with the following statement: “You can win with a positive message.”  Maybe it is time that not only the state political parties but also national political parties take note of McCroy’s victory.  Positive campaigns help candidates and their message to be conveyed to all political parties.  McCrory won big on Tuesday, his positive campaign may just be the “Carolina Comeback” and the come back national politics needs.

    – Zachary Abramo, Meaghan Beam, Jessica Butner, Jackson Lane

  • Four More Years… of Media Frenzy?

    All night long Americans were glued to their televisions or their computers anticipating the results of the 2012 Presidential Election. Around 11:20PM on Tuesday, November 6th America got their answer: four more years for President Barack Obama. Some celebrated and some cried. This election deepened the political divide between Americans unlike any other election. What made this election different from any other? The answer is the mainstream media bias.

    Even though Obama’s campaign team stood their ground in the battleground states, the real winner should be media outlets. Whether it was the presidential debates or the campaign trail, media coverage was everywhere. Does this increased access to information via the media mean we are better informed than we used to be? The mainstream media is our main source of information; we rely on them to know what is going on outside of our bubble.

    The question is… what happens when the media takes on a biased role? A major criticism of the media is that it isn’t just giving us information but also conditioning us about how to think about the issues. CNN and Fox News are criticized as two of the most biased sources in the market, and they are also two of the largest. This means the same story can be presented on both outlets but the facts included can persuade the reader to feel a certain way about the issue. This article from CNN states that Romney supporters were asking for Fox News instead of CNN when it became clear that Obama was taking the lead. This is good news in that it means people are aware of the biased, however, turning to a known biased source to get the story you want compromises the credibility of the information you receive.

    Media bias is everywhere. It is nearly impossible to get just the facts on the current issues. As informed consumers, this leads us to question how the bias impacts the general public. What happens when the public accepts the bias opinion as factual information? For one thing, the party divide deepens. A conservative tuning into Fox News sees his/her beliefs reaffirmed day after day, and the same happens when a liberal tunes into CNN. After a while, this can create a red and blue polarization. In some cases the divide has increased so much so that the two parties cannot begin to reason with the opposite side. Does this mean it is the media’s fault we have become so divided in our political views?

    Now that the election is over, it is time that we refocus our attention on the issues at hand in our country and work together for the greater good of America despite personal political affiliation. Is this still possible with such biased media? Regardless of who won, how do we now come together to do what is best for America? President Obama: the media will either provide a platform to cultivate support for your ideas, or tear every move you make to shreds. As citizens of this great nation, we are all rooting for you… the President of the United States of America.

    – Alexandra Huss, Caroline Merrill, Alyssa Morrello, Lauren Van Trigt, Dann Williams

  • Ron Paul, Who?

    Over the past eight years, the media coverage regarding Ron Paul has been very lackluster to say the least. Although most of the coverage he has received has been positive, the overall amount is significantly lower than the other candidates running. The messages he supports are often considered the most accurate and truthful by any candidate and many believe him to be the most qualified for the political office. However, the media seems to have its own agenda, and seem to have a different idea on who should be the frontrunner.

    Although there are four candidates, CNN seems to believe that only three are relevant. Missing from this photo is Ron Paul, sitting just left of candidate Santorum.

    Both CNN and Fox News are partially to blame for this so-called “media blackout”, and have not been giving fair coverage to Congressman Paul. When it comes to debates or discussion, Ron Paul seems to mysteriously disappear from the subject and is often overlooked. In a recent interview with Fox News, he states that he has observed that the amount of coverage on himself post-debate has a ratio of about 90:1 in favor of his opponents. This shows a tendency that the media does not believe that Ron Paul has the ability to win the candidacy and therefore neglects to give him adequate coverage.

    Although the media coverage on Ron Paul is largely absent from television and news broadcasting channels, he receives overwhelming support on major social media networks. Seeing as the majority of his supporters are those of a younger generation, Twitter plays a large part of his support and communication between his fans. During a recent poll, the Washington Post found that from July of 2011 to January of 2012 that the amount of mentions on Twitter significantly increased from about 30,000 to almost 260,000. Compared to Newt Gingrich who had 294,000 mentions, Ron Paul still comes in second. Luckily, thanks to his many loyal supporters there is still a good chance for him to succeed despite the media’s lack of belief.

    Leslie Tyler, Leanna Marshall, Bryce Koonts, Julius Roberts

  • Alaska’s sweetheart or America’s nightmare?

    Seeing as today is Presidents Day, where the nation comes together to honor our past great leaders, we see it fitting to look at the latest political figure and “reality superstar”, Sarah Palin.

    This self-titled “maverick”, at first branded herself as a strong political influence with ties to family values, motherhood, main street U.S.A, and conservatism. After her failed run as Vice President during the 2008 Presidential election, she has since morphed into a celebrity.

    With her daughter partaking in Dancing With the Stars, and herself being the star of TLC’S Sarah Palin’s Alaska, she has been capitalizing on her celebrity status with a book tour, speech engagements, and recently, Fox News contributor. Do politics even play a role in her brand anymore?

    While her views haven’t changed about how the government should be run (if she even can even articulate her views without having to beat around the bush), she has basically destroyed her political brand. In several interviews, she has lost her credibility by not being able to answer simple political questions.

    Here is an example of her failing to brand herself as a knowledgeable politician.

    Below is a video of her dropping the ball in Politics 101.

    According to The Huffington Post, her reality show received $1.2 million in tax credits, a third of what it took to film the series. While other series filmed in Alaska do take advantage of the tax credit, Palin’s show profited the most, angering many citizens. With her stance on outrageous government spending, it is odd that she would partake in something that takes advantage of government funding This further harms her political credibility because she is profiting off the government that she previously lead.

    So what’s your take on her brand? Will this affect her future in politics, with a possible 2012 Presidential run? Is she still a positive political figure or simply a public nuisance?

    -Allison Day, Jessica Berinson, Megan Canny, Melissa Gagliardi, Scott Burgess