Barack Obama--Ricky Mariscal

In the 2008, democratic candidate Barack Obama defeated republican John McCain in a landslide victory, winning 53% of the vote and 365 of the 538 potential delegates. Through his youthful image and promise for change, he convinced voters that he could bring the country back to prosperity amidst economic turmoil and chaos abroad. Despite his relative lack of experience, Obama’s campaign successfully convinced voters that he was the right man for the job.

In 64 BC, Quintus Cicero established many of the modern principles behind campaigning in a note to his brother, who was at the time running for political office in Rome. In his letter, he established the need for a candidate to establish a favorable image through good deeds “natural charm” that voters would look favorably upon. In balancing a fierce political persona with a relatable and friendly image, Obama took this advice to heart. Part of establishing this persona was showing himself to be a family man - In the words of Deborah Atwater, “Senator Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters, Malia and Sasha, [represent] an American ideal.” He used his family to represent the families of all Americans, making him relatable to people who share similar lives and similar values to him.

In addition, while viewing the support from the more powerful members of society, Cicero saw the everyday people and particularly young citizens as the most important to carry an election. These principles were particularly evident in Obama’s campaign; his youthful and charismatic image showed voters that he was a man of the people, and his youth made young voters particularly drawn to him. Just as Cicero tells his brother to “stick to vague generalities” rather than uninspired statistics to help build this favorable image, Obama stuck to the campaign slogans of “hope” and “change” that empowered his image.

For example:                                                      

This campaign poster, created by Shepard Fairy, epitomizes the youthful and inspirational image that Obama built in his campaign. In a political rally shortly before the election, he characterized the choice Americans were making, saying that “in six days, we can choose hope over fear, unity over division, the promise of change over the power of the status quo.” Through Cicero’s stress on a candidate’s image, he inspired voters and made them drawn to him as a presidential candidate.

Obama’s image lead to a revolution in campaign financing. According to Jeanne Cummings, his inspirational and relatable image created a revolution in campaign financing. “The primary engine behind the Democratic gains is the upstart campaign of Obama,” she writes; “his new face and soaring rhetoric draws huge crowds on the campaign trail that can turn thousands of $5 donations into real money.” Even though the majority of his financing was through small donations, his ability to inspire a broad base of voters made his campaign a huge success, both in financing and in support.
Perhaps Obama’s greatest success in his campaign was his ability to rally all types of americans, establishing himself as a man for all people rather than representative of a select few. In his acceptance speech, he showed why he was a president of people from all different backgrounds, and why his campaign was so successful: “It's the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Hispanic, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled. Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been just a collection of individuals or a collection of red states and blue states. We are, and always will be, the United States of America.” Because he appealed to people of so many different backgrounds, he came into office with a 70% approval rating, one of the highest in American history.

Bibliography

Atwater, Deborah. “Senator Barack Obama; The Rhetoric of Hope and the American Dream.” Journal of Black Studies 38, no. 2 (November 2007): 121-29.

Baker, Peter, and Jeff Zeleny. “Obama Repeats a Campaign Staple: Time for Change.” New York Times, October 29, 2008.

Burnside, Randolph, and Kami Whitehurst. “From the Statehouse to the White House?: Barack Obama’s Bid to Become the Next President.” Journal of Black Studies 38, no. 1 (September 2009): 75-89. Accessed October 10, 2012. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40034403.

Cummings, Jeanne. “Small Donors Rewrite Fundraising Handbook.” Politico, September 26, 2012. Accessed October 10, 2012. http://dyn.politico.com/printstory.cfm?uuid=3ECB3515-3048-5C12-004D622CB6F4E214.

Federal Election Commission. “2008 Official Presidential General Election Results.” Federal Election Commission. Last modified January 22, 2009. Accessed October 10, 2012. http://www.fec.gov/pubrec/fe2008/2008presgeresults.pdf.

Obama, Barack. “Barack Obama’s Acceptance Speech in Chicago, Ill.” Speech,  Grant park, Chicago, November 4, 2008.

                                                                                         

Bennett Capozzi: FDR 1936 Election

The presidential election of 1936 was a landslide. Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who was running for reelection, carried every state except for Maine and Vermont, winning 60.8% of the popular vote and a whopping 523 electoral votes to his opponent, Alfred Landon's, eight. With such an enormous mandate, it would be easy to assume that Roosevelt ran a flawless campaign while Landon was incompetent, but the truth is different than, and to some degree, the opposite of this assumption. While Roosevelt often made mistakes that would make Cicero cringe, and his Republican opponent ran a well-planned and organized race, Roosevelt won the election by an overwhelming majority because he was a successful incumbent who had saved the country from the brink of collapse.

An electoral map of the results of the 1936 election. As evidenced by the overwhelming majority of blue states,  Roosevelt won this election in a clear landslide.

If Cicero had been alive to see Roosevelt's 1936 campaign, he would have been horrified by F.D.R.'s complete disregard for his rules. Roosevelt's first offense occurred early in the campaign, when he decided to take a leisurely sailing vacation followed by a period during which he made few public appearances and almost no political remarks. Cicero believes that a candidate should be campaigning nonstop from when he announces his candidacy to election night, and even specifies that "there is no time for vacations during a campaign." Even Roosevelt's fundamentals contrast with Cicero's belief. Roosevelt is the champion of the common man – from his first hundred days in office he worked to fix the banking system and redistribute wealth amongst Americans in order to get people back to work and out of soup kitchens. This earns him a reputation as a Communist, which Cicero believes is the death of campaign. Roosevelt even openly strikes out against traditionalists on the eve of the election, dictating:

"For twelve years this Nation was afflicted with hear-nothing, see-nothing, do-nothing Government. The Nation looked to Government but the Government looked away. Nine mocking years with the golden calf and three long years of the scourge! Nine crazy years at the ticker and three long years in the breadlines! Nine mad years of mirage and three long years of despair! Powerful influences strive today to restore that kind of government with its doctrine that that Government is best which is most indifferent"

He uses the stock market crash of 1929 as an example of the failures of small, traditional government and preaches in favor of heavy government intervention and extensive collectivism. He had also further isolated the traditionalist banking community with the Wagner Act and the Social Security Act. For example, the J.P. Morgans forbade the mention of F.D.R.'s name in their home. Cicero rather advises a candidate to "diligently cultivate relationships with... men of privilege. Both you and your friends should work to convince them that you have always been a traditionalist. Never let them think you are a populist."Not only was Roosevelt considered a populist, but he was crowned king of the Communists. While his wife, Eleanor, fought female equality and civil rights, he used massive government intervention to help the poor and the needy. Roosevelt was a populist who didn't appear to take campaigning very seriously, yet he still won by an enormous margin.

On the other hand, Roosevelt's opponent, Alfred Landon, closely followed Cicero's campaigning doctrine, yet he still suffered an embarrassing defeat, receiving only 36.5% of the popular vote. His most valuable assets, in Cicero's eyes, were his powerful business connections, especially those in the press. The Hearst papers, a highly influential newspaper conglomerate owned by William Randolph Hearst shamelessly endorsed Landon, running headlines that read things like: "Moscow Orders Reds in US to Back Roosevelt," and other scathing remarks. This combination of powerful connections and rampant mudslinging is Cicero's dream, because he believes that having powerful friends with influential opinions and a lot of money will help a campaign, while insults can effectively decimate the opponent. In terms of mudslinging, Landon even had help from members of the far left like Francis Townsend and Huey Long who believed that Roosevelt wasn't doing enough to get America back on track, and vocally advocated radical socialist proposals.

Even though Cicero would have picked Alfred Landon to be president, America chose Roosevelt because his strong record in his first term allowed him to make himself appear a larger than life hero in his bid for reelection. In other words, this is known as the incumbent effect. Roosevelt explained this phenomenon best when he claimed, "there's one issue in this campaign, it's myself, and people must be either for me or against me." Roosevelt assumed a hero's persona that made him and his policies the central issues of the campaign. This strategy was successful because in his first term he brought the country away from the brink of economic collapse and to some degree stabilized the job market and the banking system. In a fireside chat on September 6th, 1936, Roosevelt proclaims his superhuman resilience with regards to the dustbowl eaplaining that in the devastation,

"I would not have you think for a single minute that there is permanent disaster in these drought regions, or that the picture I saw meant depopulating these areas. No cracked earth, no blistering sun, no burning wind, no grasshoppers are a permanent match for the indomitable American farmers and stockmen and their wives and children who have carried on through desperate days, and inspire us with their self-reliance, their tenacity and their courage. It was their fathers' task to make homes; it is their task to keep those homes; it is our task to help them win their fight."

Roosevelt not only made himself look like a hero, he was one. Even though he ignored most of Cicero's suggestions for a successful campaign, Roosevelt was victorious because his amazing record gave him an enormous advantage.

A Roosevelt campaign button that reminds voters of Roosevelt's successful first term by encouraging them to "carry on," thereby insinuating that Roosevelt's decisions were beneficial and should be continued.

Bibliography

"1936 Presidential Election." The American Presidency Project. 

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/showelection.php?year=1936 (accessed October 10, 2012).

"1936: Roosevelt Defeats Landon." Presidential Bibliographies. 

http://www.kennesaw.edu/pols/3380/pres/1936.html (accessed October 8, 2012).

Boller, Paul F., Jr. Presidential Campaigns. New York City, NY: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Cicero, Quintus Tullius. "Campaign Tips From Cicero." foreign affairs 91, no. 3 (2012): 19-28.

"Franklin D. Roosevelt: Fireside Chat.." The American Presidency Project. 

http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=15122 (accessed October 10, 2012).

"Speech at Madison Square Garden (October 31, 1936)—Miller Center." Miller Center. 

http://millercenter.org/scripps/archive/speeches/detail/3307 (accessed October 10, 2012).

Ronald Reagan, 1980 - Will Hartnett

Will Hartnett

Ronald Reagan, 1980

Ronald Reagan was the 40^th President of the United States, however his rise to the top of politics was both long and uncommon. Reagan began his career as a movie and television actor, born in 1911, it wasn’t until 1964 when Reagan had his first major political breakthrough, delivering an amazing speech in support of presidential candidate Brian Goldwater.  Soon after he ran for governor of California in 1966 and won. He was not chosen as the Republican Presidential candidate in 1968 or 1976, however in 1980 he was chosen as the Republican candidate with George Bush as his Vice President. He was facing the incumbent Jimmy Carter.
            In 64 BC, Quintus Tullius Cicero wrote a letter to his brother, Marcus Tullius Cicero, who was running for Consul. In this letter Quintus outlined how Marcus should go about campaigning in order to win.  Many of the strategies Marcus used in the elections of Ancient Rome can be seen in the Reagan campaign. Quintus outlined the importance of appearing hopeful for the future, adapting ones policies based on the audience, and keeping up ones appearance. All of these can be clearly seen in the Reagan campaign.
            Reagan was able to use the idea of hope for the future in order to secure votes in the election. In his closing statement of the Presidential Debate, Reagan asked the audience a series of questions including “Are you better off than you were four years ago?” and “Is it easier for you to go and buy things in the stores than it was four years ago?” and ended by saying “If you don't think that this course that we've been on for the last four years is what you would like to see us follow for the next four, then I could suggest another choice that you have.” Reagan presents himself as a figure of hope for the future, while convincing voters that Carter represents outdated and unsuccessful policies that led the country to a poor state. Reagan’s ability to portray himself as a symbol of hope is something, which Quintus outlined in his letter Marcus. This convinced voters that if they wanted change, Reagan was the right man for the job, and at a time of minor crisis, with inflation rates very high and President Carter’s approval rating at an all-time low, change was what much of the country was looking for.
            In every election candidates struggle with how to capture the votes of moderates, or people who do not lean strongly to either the right or left wing. While campaigning to become the Republican nominee Reagan came off as very conservative, his view on both fiscal and social issues leaned far right as well as his views on foreign policy. This strategy helped Reagan earn the nomination, however after his nomination, many of Reagans campaign advisors worried he wouldn’t be able to capture moderate votes because of his far right policies. In order to combatant this Reagan chose George Bush as his running mate. Bush was known to have more moderate policies, even calling Reagans views on the economy “voodoo economics”. Quintus Cicero outlined the importance of adjusting ones views based on the audience being spoken too. For Reagan, while campaigning to be the republican candidate, his audience consisted only of conservatives. However once winning the nomination he had to shift his policies to appear more moderate thus pleasing more his new audience, the entire nation.
            During his campaign many questioned Reagans age and the affect it could have on his mindset. He was 69 at the time of his inauguration, thus making him the oldest president ever. In order to combatant the negative effect the appearance of old age would have on him Reagan tried to appear youthful and vibrant. This strategy was most apparent at the Presidential Debate. Reagan was able to deflect Carter's smear attacks while remaining composed. Reagans past as an actor helped him appear youthful and confident, one of his advisors called him “the greatest television candidate in history”.  Cicero’s advice was to put on a show full of color and spectacle that appealed to crowds. Reagan’s performance at the debate was both inspiring and energized, and helped to wipe out concerns about age affecting his performance as president .
In conclusion, Reagan’s ability to appear as a symbol of hope for the future, change his policies based on his audience, and appear youthful and spirited led to a successful campaign that ended in a victory. Reagan won 50.7% of the popular vote, carried 44 states, and earned 489 electoral votes resulting in a landslide victory. 

Reagan During Presidential Debate

Results of Election

Reagan

Carter

                                                                                                                                                                      

Bibliography 

American History, s.v. “Ronald Reagan,” accessed October 10, 2012. http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.

American History, s.v. “campaign debates,” accessed October 10, 2012. http://americanhistory.abc-clio.com/.

 The American Presidency Project. Accessed October 10, 2012. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/showelection.php?year=1980.

“Best Reagan Clips from 1980 Carter debate.” YouTube. Video file. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9qDRZ6pSRE&feature=related.

Boller, Paul, Jr. Presidential Campaign. New York, NY: Oxford University, 1984.

Reagan, Ronald. “The Carter-Reagan Presidential Debate.” Speech, October 28, 1980.

Stallings, Melissa. “election of 1980.” In American Government. ABC-CLIO, 2000-. Accessed October 10, 2012. http://americangovernment.abc-clio.com/.

Lincoln 1860 Election - William Baumann Green Block

Abraham Lincoln’s 1860 Campaign 

"Woodchopper of the West"

Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, serving from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln was considered the underdog when he ran for President because he was a newcomer to politics and lacked experience. However, his message was plain and simple: preserve the Union at all costs, even if it meant going to war. He defeated the southern Democratic nominee John C. Breckinridge, the Democratic nominee Stephen A. Douglas, and the Constitutional Union nominee John Bell in the 1860 election because of his effective campaign strategies.

Marcus Cicero, a Roman philosopher, wrote a letter over 2000 years ago to his brother who was running for office. In Cicero’s letter, he told his brother in order to win the election; he must secure the support of his friends and win over the general public. In order to do so, he gave his brother many recommendations ranging from adapting to each person he met by changing his expression and speech when necessary to sticking to vague generalities when describing his agenda. Cicero’s campaign techniques are still being practiced in politics today. Abraham Lincoln’s campaign subconsciously followed Cicero’s advice, resulting in his nomination by an electoral landslide. Stephen A. Douglas, John C. Breckinridge, and John Bell, on the other hand, ran terrible, boring campaigns that lacked the passion and freshness the Lincoln campaign possessed. John C. Breckinridge only gave a handful of speeches. John Bell gave vague speeches that did not offer solutions to the growing resentment between the North and the South. Stephen A. Douglas’ speeches focused more on uniting the fractured Democratic Party than trying to win over Northern votes.

           Abraham Lincoln was fifty-one, a newcomer to national politics and had no political foes when he ran for office. This was Lincoln’s first step in the right direction to win the election. Cicero stated in his letter that the more enemies you make, the less chance you have of winning. Lincoln was skillful in debate. As a self made man, he appealed to common people in the West. Cicero also pointed out that appealing to the hoi polloi greatly benefits the candidate because if voters feel they can connect with the candidate and not feel the candidate is only on the side of the extremely wealthy, they would be more likely to support that candidate. Lincoln himself decided not to write or make any points on specific doctrine lest his opponents distort his remarks. Lincoln greatly benefited from this because Stephen A. Douglas was unable to successfully attack Lincoln on any of his policies.

In the 1860 election, Abraham Lincoln’s most valuable campaign technique was candidate image. Lincoln appealed to many different voters, especially the common man. One day, a news reporter went to Lincoln’s home in Illinois and reported what he saw as a “magnificent spectacle.” The reporter wrote, “There stood Honest Old Abe in his shirt sleeves, a pair of leather home-made suspenders holding up a pair of home-made pantaloons, the seat of which was neatly patched. ” This reporter portrayed Lincoln as a true American. Lincoln was also a rail-splitter, and this helped to promote his image as a tough American who could take on the challenge of preserving the Union.

One of the many reasons Stephen A. Douglas lost to Abraham Lincoln was because of the desperation Douglas showed during his campaign. Douglas was the first presidential candidate in American history to make a nationwide tour in person, an act not traditionally done at the time.  Lincoln, who stayed with campaign tradition, stayed at home in Springfield and received delegates who came to pay their respect. Many newspapers began to notice Douglas’ desperation. The Illinois Gazette even said, “There is Douglas strolling around the country begging for votes like a town constable.” At one point during Douglas’ campaign, he said he was going to New York to visit his mother. However, instead of going straight to New York, Douglas campaigned for weeks heading north to New York, making countless speeches along the way, begging for votes. This act was met with harsh criticism, mainly because campaigning around the country was considered disrespectful at the time. Douglas created many enemies during his political career leading up to the 1860 election, having a detrimental effect on his campaign. Douglas also failed to unite his party, which ended up in two Democrats running for office. This also helped Lincoln achieve victory.

Although modern technology has greatly impacted the way campaigns reach out to voters, Cicero’s key successful campaign elements are constantly being used in American presidential campaigns. Most importantly, Cicero mentioned a candidate must focus on the major issues impacting the people at the time. He must convince the people that he knows exactly how to get out of whatever mess the country is in a way that will benefit the nation as a whole. When the country is doing well economically, the leader has to convince the people that he can continue the forward movement of prosperity. If the time in that nation’s history is one of great suffering, the candidate must convince the people that he can pull them out from suffering and into prosperity. Lastly, a successful candidate has to appeal to a broad range of people because many people tend to elect the man who they can trust as someone who will bring of prosperity and safety.

In the end, Lincoln’s simple message of preserving the Union backed up by his extremely effective candidate image resulted in his victory. In his acceptance speech, Lincoln said, "A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently half slave and half free." Lincoln won by more than 450,000 votes over the second place candidate, Stephen A. Douglas.

Bibliography

Boller, Paul F., Jr. Presidential Campaigns. New York City, NY: Oxford University Press, 2004.

Woolley, John, and Gerhard Peters. "Election of 1860." In American Presidency 
Project. Last modified 1999. Accessed October 9, 2012.
 http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/showelection.php?year=1860

American Government, s.v. "1860 Republican Party campaign banner," Image, Library of Congress, accessed October 10, 2012. http://americangovernment.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/870147?terms=Lincoln

American Government, s.v. "Abraham Lincoln," accessed October 10, 2012. http://americangovernment.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/196573?terms=Lincoln

American Government, s.v. "Abraham Lincoln," Image, Library of Congress, accessed October 10, 2012. http://americangovernment.abcclio.com/Search/Display/198409?terms=Lincoln

Campaign Research Assignment: Eisenhower 1952 by Elsa Pikulik, Green Block

General Dwight Eisenhower Election 1952

Gaining Popularity, Gaining Votes

In Quintus Tullius Cicero’s letter to his brother, Marcus Tullius Cicero, who was running for consul in 64 B.C. he illustrated many aspects of a campaign that are still present in modern campaigns. Cicero explains that running for office involves making sure friends support you as well as gaining support from the general public. General Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower’s 1952 campaign was definitely successful in gaining and using all types of support, as his enormous popularity was what eventually caused him to win the election by a huge margin.

Even before his nomination, General Eisenhower was hugely popular as commander of the Allied forces in Europe in World War II, president of Columbia University after the war, and the commander of NATO forces in Europe. Ike was so popular that both the Democrats and Republicans wanted him as their candidate, but he ultimately decided to be a Republican and sought the Republican nomination after resigning as commander of NATO.

Although General Eisenhower was Republican, he was moderate, appealing to Americans with many different political opinions. In his famous “Ike for President” commercial, elephants are shown supporting him and donkeys are portrayed as old and out of style. This exemplifies Ike’s middle of the road views; even though he was a Republican he still gained Democratic support with his moderate views. In the caricature of the Republican presidents of the past in this commercial, it shows Ike is a welcome change because he was unlike his predecessors.

Instead of gaining support through his speeches, which were somewhat disappointing to audiences, Ike gained support though political commercials, a main feature of his campaign. The political television commercials at this time marked a change in campaigning. The newness of television meant that it was in this election there was the first attempt to “sell” a candidate in the same way household products were sold. Ike’s campaign spots were played after popular TV shows to reach more viewers and gain more support for the candidate.

In opposition to some of Cicero’s advice, which was to pay special attention to wealthy citizens and businessmen, Ike clearly treated every vote equally and strived for support from Americans across the board. In his “Ike for President” commercial, many cartoon people are shown supporting Ike. The many different types of people pictured, from firemen, to mechanics, to businessmen, to women and many more shows his popularity across the board. This aligns with what he announced in his speech accepting the Republican Nomination. Eisenhower said, “Americans in every walk of life can have confidence that our single minded purpose is to serve their interest.” Ike is emphasized that he fought for the people as a whole, and supported citizens in all positions.

In many of General Eisenhower’s commercials, he was featured answering the questions of American’s and calming their fears of the future. This increased his popularity because the public could see how he would handle problems as president as well see that he was also an American who thought about these problems like they did. In one of his commercials, Ike assured voters that his wife was also worried about the high cost of living. This is a method of campaigning, focusing on candidate image, which showed that he was a family man who was supportive of his wife. It also is more likely to assure the public that he will deal with these concerns since they are similar to his wife’s. In fact, Congresswoman Clare Boothe Luce commented that Eisenhower would be sure to gain the woman’s vote because he, “exemplified what the fair sex looks for—a combination of father, husband, and son.”Ike was supported by all groups of people, but especially appealed to women because they were seen as more likely to look for a family man as a president.

Even though he was popular throughout his campaign, what ultimately won the election for Ike was on October 24, 1952 he made a speech in Detroit, Michigan in which he promised to personally travel to Korea to end the war if he was elected president. This made him substantially more popular to the American people. Polls that had been giving him only a slight lead over his opponent Stevenson now promised certain victory.

The election itself was a landslide win for Eisenhower. He won by 55.4 percent of the popular vote and carried 39 states with 442 electoral votes.

Eisenhower Campaign Video

Bibliography 

Boller, Paul F., Jr. Presidential Campaigns. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004.

“Campaign Spot: Ike for President (1952).” History.com. Video file, 01:03. Accessed October 9, 2012. http://www.history.com/videos/campaign-spot-ike-for-president-1952#campaign-spot-ike-for-president-1952.

Eisenhower, Dwight D. “Address Accepting the Presidential Nomination.” Speech presented at Republican National Convention, Chicago, IL, July 11, 1952. The American Presidency Project. http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=75626&st=&st1=.

———. “’I Shall Go to Korea’ Speech.” Speech presented in Detroit, MI, October 24, 1952. Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum. Accessed October 10, 2012. http://www.eisenhower.archives.gov/research/online_documents/korean_war/I_Shall_Go_To_Korea_1952_10_24.pdf.

Hollitz, John E. “Eisenhower and the Admen: The Television ‘Spot’ Campaign of 1952.” Wisconsin Magazine of History, 25-39. Accessed October 9, 2012. http://www.jstor.org/stable/4635688.

Campaign Research Assignment: FDR 1932. Alex Siber Green

Campaign Research Assignment: FDR 1932  
Alex Siber
10/5/12

Franklin Delano Roosevelt's 1932 Campaign 

Smiles, Speeches, and Strength 

Franklin Delano Roosevelt was the 32nd President of the United States for three rather successful terms, the first of which beginning after his victory against former President Hoover in the 1932 election. Following the start of the Great Depression that many American’s blamed on Hoover, Roosevelt was considered the favorite as he offered a much needed change that the people were desperate for. 

About 2000 years earlier, the Roman philosopher and political theorist Marcus Cicero outlined numerous tips and rules to follow to win a race for public office, many of which still true and applicable today and can be seen in Roosevelt’s campaign. A primary measure that must be taken according to Cicero was securing the support of one’s allies, and winning over the general public. In his campaign, Roosevelt was able to garner the support of his fellow Democrats by avoiding a deadlock, convincing rival and presidential hopeful John Garner to cede his delegates, which enabled Roosevelt to win his party’s nomination. Furthermore, the Democratic party fully supported their candidate, organizing numerous fundraisers, parades, rallies, and conventions. Hoover, in comparison, did not garner as much encouragement or promotion: his party did not even have his pictures hung at the Republican convention. 

As for the general public, Roosevelt made an honorable, exhausting effort to travel to as many places as he could, covering a total of 13,000 miles solely by train. He also gave many speeches to enlighten the public about his “New Deal,” which aimed to assist a struggling America through federal support programs. In these speeches, he called for federal responsibility and social change, often including one-liners or anecdotes laced with optimism that sat well with his crowds, such as those in Chicago. In addition, the term “New Deal” instantly rose in popularity and was used as a campaign slogan, inspiring hope in many Americans. Hoover, however, campaigned much later than Roosevelt, and the speeches he went on to deliver were described as dreary and bland. Hoover was also booed by crowds when calling Roosevelt’s policies “foreign” or “socialist.” Though framed in a critique of Roosevelt, Walter Lippmann’s statement calling the presidential hopeful “a pleasant man” once more added a sense of optimism and appeal that contrasted well with Hoover’s unpopularity. 

Roosevelt’s success as Governor of New York from 1928 to 1932 also served as a political basis for comparison with Hoover’s plagued term in the Oval Office, and provided the former governor with support from one of the most influential states in the country, as he was able to implement several programs that assisted the poor by raising funding for the state by 30 million dollars. 

While the time period certainly affects the way campaigns are run due to changes in technology and politics, several key elements define successful American presidential campaigns. Foremost, a candidate must focus on the major issues confronting the nation at that time, and must convince the people that he or she is capable of handling those issues in a way that benefits the country. In a time of prosperity, a president must convince thes people that the aforementioned prosperity will continue. If it is a time of struggle, such as it was in 1932, the winning candidate must convince the people that he or she can bring prosperity back. Second, a successful candidate must appeal to a broad base of people, as voters tend to choose a person who is relatable, kind, and promising of change. Finally, a successful candidate must be willing to play the game of politics, which includes the media stories, the tiresome days of travel, speeches, and debates, the pressure to deliver for an entire nation, and the need to convince thousands of individuals, one by one, that he or she can make good on their promises. 

In Roosevelt’s 1932 campaign, celebrity endorsement was a major technique used, as prominent Democratic officials openly supported as well as influential Republicans such as Robert LaFollete Jr. of Wisconsin and George Norris of Nebraska. Especially considering the total lack of support behind Hoover, these endorsements were extremely significant in convincing voters across the spectrum to vote for the “New Deal” and “Happy Days are Here Again” campaign of Roosevelt. In addition, Roosevelt’s campaign sought to create a “pleasant man, family man” image that, when coupled with his incessant and bright smile and optimism, made Roosevelt extraordinarily appealing and inspiring for many Americans. 

Ultimately, Roosevelt’s seemingly honest tactics, centralized around a passionate desire to speak to as many people as he could and in as many places as possible, made him triumphant: He won the popular vote by more than 7 million votes, and took 42 states.