Presidents in The Visual Media

     

        After Donald Trump hosted "Saturday Night Live" this month, other Republican rivals were demanding equal air time. Since the presidential election of 1960, the presidential candidates have used all kinds of media to help them advance in their campaigns. Even though many citizens saw the great impact of having the debates held through visual media, they have ignored the faults in watching our candidates compete. John F. Kennedy was favored on television, unlike Richard Nixon no matter what the debate topic was. Visual media can be a favorable and useful tool to inform the public, however it can cause a great deed of bias during the presidential elections.

        For instance, Donald Trump is famously known for his "clown" face and ability to make a sales pitch. With opportunities to visually show the public his face, the public is becoming more supportive for he's a great entertainer. Like John F. Kennedy, the television has become manipulative and advantageous way to win over people. This was great for Kennedy, but not for Nixon. Nixon hated makeup and the idea of making his campaign a "show". He was dedicated to his campaigns, and didn't rely on his appearance to win the people- just his actions. However, no matter how he represented himself, without the "T-V Star" look, he was "trumped."

        Nixon even comments in his memoir, "It is a devastating commentary on the nature of television as a political medium that what hurt me the most in the first debate was not the substance of the encounter between Kennedy and me, but the disadvantageous contrast in our physical appearances."

Today visual media is a crucial part to how the public gets their knowledge. It can be a helpful method of informing the public on events such as a presidential election, but shouldn't depend on it. 

        I can't imagine getting rid of visual media during presidential elections, but the public should be mindful of its effects on our decisions. Trump has the right to host an SNL show if he chooses to, but as citizens who are expected to vote for our president in hopes of effective and knowledgeable decisions, we should keep in mind that the visual media is bias and not exactly a good path for our future presidential elections.

Bernie Sanders -- The New Hoover

    My fellow colleague, Abigail Clark, wrote an article titled: Bernie Sanders for President? She is a proud liberal who wants Bernie Sanders as President. Her article strongly focuses on Sanders' honest appeal, and that if he is the President that will make the United States great again. I agree with her argument that Sanders is genuine and has great qualities that the American people are looking for. However, there are things that I disagree on, making Bernie Sanders no more than a rock stuck in a wheel.

    Firstly, her depiction of Sanders genuine honesty is undermined by his ideas that are not popular, such as raising taxes, being a socialists, and hating capitalism. Sanders is an "ideological purist", states Allen Clifton from Forward Progressives. Sanders is a man who dreams of solving big problems with simple solutions, but in ways that aren't effective. Sanders may be a man of his word, but he is not alone in this fight. Congress, much like the one during Hoover's presidency, will grid lock Sanders' proposals. A simple solution will become a major conflict, and Sanders should know that.

    Clark uses an interview, "Real Time with Bill Maher: Interview with Senator Bernie Sanders, to support that Sanders "isn't just all talk". However, we don't need a interview to show that Sanders is not that productive. We can look at Senator Sanders' current record and compare it to Senator Warren's, and reveal that during the 16+ years he's served in Congress, Warren has accomplished far more in her two years as senator. Bernie Sanders "isn't just all talk" image is not so credible as Clark describes him to be. 

    Bernie Sanders is considered favorable among the younger generations. Even though he is 74 years old, his self-described socialism is costing him votes. Many younger individuals favor Sanders socialism, however when it comes to the majority of older voters, expectations differ from reality. If the young supporters for Sanders actually voted, then maybe they could actually effect Sanders polls. But they don't often vote, and the voters who liked Sanders before he stated he was a socialists, are threatening to vote for another Democrat, or even worse, a Republican. 

    Abigail Clark wants Bernie Sanders to be the next President because of his genuine honesty. However, much like President Hoover, he is liked by a group of people who won't vote, and is hated by a Congress who won't agree. Bernie Sanders may be a good person, but not a successful President to make America great again.