The Art of Political Persuasion

The presidential election of 2004 is being rumored to be one of the most important elections of a lifetime. On the verge of war with the Middle East, the economy failing, and highly debated social issues surfacing, the next president of the United States inherits a great deal of responsibility. He must be firm, confident, and representative of Americans' ideals. But how do we come to find these traits in our political leaders? Usually, we attribute character traits to candidates by what they tell us to believe. This is the art of political persuasion.

This paper will examine the art of political persuasion through political campaigns. It will focus on both historical and current examples of persuasion in these campaigns. Areas to be explored through historical examples include image, advertisement, debates, and the issues. At the end of each section the persuasion technique will be analyzed according to the principles of social psychology. Then, the same areas will be explored through current examples in the 2004 primaries and the upcoming 2004 presidential election.

Image has played a major role in elections of the past. Three elements that make up image include physical appearance, character traits, and association. "Look the part...voters still seems to prefer physically attractive, healthy, and athletic-looking white males" (Simons 252). This quotation is taken from a "how-to" manual on political campaign strategy. The manual goes on to instruct a candidate to "Dress the part," and "Work on your photographic poses" (Simons 252-253). One study cites that not only were less attractive candidates evaluated lower than more desirable candidates, but people were less likely to vote for the less aesthetically appealing candidate (Biocca 314).