Abstract
The fourth of the five issues of the American Behavioral Scientist devoted to study of the 2012 U.S. presidential campaign focuses on the global context of the election. As candidates for the 2016 campaign for the White House emerge, they do so within a context of crises on the global level. As of this writing, President Obama is being tested with his administration’s strategic foreign policy pivot toward the Far East by the provocative actions of Russia in the Ukraine. Bolstered by the media spectacle and soft power success of the Sochi Olympics, which seemed more directed to an internal population seeking affirmation that Russia was once again a major world player, Putin’s aggressive actions remind us once again of the strategic importance of smart power—a combination of military force and traditional and public diplomacy—in addressing such threats within the global village.
In this issue, “An Era of Crisis: Global Perspectives of the 2012 U.S. Presidential Campaign,” our first essay by Dr. Josep Maria Carbonell of Barcelona focuses on how the economic crisis in Europe, and the precarious state of the European Union, was addressed by Governor Romney in his campaign strategy to frame President Obama’s economic policies as leading the U.S. on the same path as that experienced by the southern countries of Europe. The Dean of Blanquerna and former political operative concludes that such campaign dialogue on the state of Europe lacked any real analysis of the crisis, and that Obama’s re-election was viewed positively by Europeans, who identified more with the U.S. President’s European and global perspectives.
Casero-Ripollés and López-Rabadán’s essay on the role of media—and the narratives presented to targeted publics—provides readers with insights on Spanish media agenda setting, as well as the political cynicism evident in their country. From the evidence gathered in interviews with key players, the researchers conclude there was a “high level of mediaization of politics,” but dimunitive impact of such mediated reality on constituents.
Lisbon political communication scholars, Nuno da Silva Jorge, Luís Pimenta, and Sara Farinha, detail their experiential learning of American electoral politics with an enlightening and descriptive account of their grassroots field work for the Obama campaign in Philadelphia, a dominant media market in the swing state of Pennsylvania. The essay focuses on the challenges faced by the Portuguese in attempting to wage such a U.S. campaign strategy in their home country. Political and cultural differences are analyzed and described in detail, with fact-rich examples that reflect the writers’ first had election experience in the U.S., as well as their practical knowledge of challenges of such strategies in Portuguese politics.
Pujadas and Xifra of Pompeu Fabra University in Spain examine the 2012 Catalan political campaign ads as a backdrop for exploring the saliency of the tension between Spain and advocates of Catalan independence. Identifying the 2012 campaign as the first in which the independence movement dominated the mediated message of such campaign ads, the authors utilized a theoretical hybrid approach to identify key themes of these ads in an election that presented formidable challenges to traditional campaigns spin-doctors and political strategists.
Russian Fulbright scholar, Olga Lazitski, also a practicing journalist from Russia, addresses disturbing trends in presidential campaign journalism in her native country as well as the United States. Lazitski utilizes the works of Chomsky, McQuail, and Herman in her study of media influence in an era of unprecedented information, lamenting that current practices in both countries, focuses more on over-simplification, rather a journalistic approach that invites and encourages erudite deliberation on key issues.
The final essay explores how the grass roots tactics and strategies that characterized the 2008/2012 campaigns of Barack Obama were studied, analyzed, and rebooted by European politicos—especially those involved in social movements. Political communication and public relations scholars Ordeix and Ginesta explore the Catalunya independence movement, noting stylistic and strategic similarities between the U.S. presidential campaigns and Catalan independence advocates in the use of social media, agenda setting, and framing of narratives, A major theme of this essay, as well as the others in this issue, is how culture and local communities impact campaign tactics. What is clear from the case studiies and analyses found in this issue is that a single strategy does not fit differing situations and political exigencies. Succinctly put, the words of former Massachusetts Representative and Speaker of the U.S. House Tip O’Neil ring true in Barcelona as well as Boston: “All politics are local.”
As I conclude this fourth issue on the 2012 presidential campaign, I pause to honor a dear friend who supported the ABS series with special conferences in Boston, Brussels, London, and Paris. Helen C. Rose, a trustee for 50 years at Emerson College, epitomized the essence of civic engagement throughout her 97 years of generosity and support for students and faculty at Emerson College. Helen’s passion for helping those in need of voice began when she organized a movement to teach sign language for the deaf. Massachusetts and Emerson were sites for the first courses taught on this important subject. When Emerson was facing financial ruin, Helen Rose organized a grassroots effort that helped save her college. And, in one of her last Emerson and Boston projects, it was Helen Carlotta Rose who founded a grassroots group to restore the Emerson Majestic Theatre, now a treasured jewel in Boston’s theatre district and a centerpiece of Emerson’s downtown presence. Her numerous endowed Rose Awards enable students and faculty to design creative projects—to research, debate, advocate dialogue on all facets of political communication and performance studies. With her Rose endowed graduate scholarship, her generosity forever will prepare students for careers and teaching in the ever-expanding area of political communication. As one of the most generous and supportive friends I am blessed to have known, she will continue to inspire with such gifts and support. To Helen—thank you, thank you, thank you!