Images, Issues, and Attacks: Television Advertising by Incumbents and Challengers in Presidential Elections [Hardcover]

Images, Issues, and Attacks explores important differences between incumbents and challengers in the uses of televised advertising in modern presidential elections. Elections since 1956 can be divided into three categories: elections with strong incumbents, the incumbent wins; elections with weak incumbents, the incumbent loses; and elections with surrogate incumbents, the vice president runs. Incumbent and challenger advertising emphasizes personal imagery, links the imagery to specific issues, and attacks rivals for opposing those images and issues. The first part of the book describes how incumbents and challengers used these themes in the elections from 1980 to 2000. The second part applies those findings to the 2004 election and shows how George W. Bush presented himself as a strong incumbent and how he and his challengers varied their mix of images, issues, and attacks over different periods of the election campaign.E. D. Dover is professor of political science, public policy, and administration at Western Oregon University.

. . . this is an accessible and comprehensive presentationof important patterns in presidential campaign advertising across the past quarter century. Political Science Quarterly

This book presents the clearest understanding currently in print regarding not only the distinguishing characteristics between the television ads of presidential incumbents and their challengers but also defines and analyzes the major differences between the advertising of three 'kinds' of incumbents: the strong, the weak, and the surrogates. Judith S. Trent, University of Cincinnati

Chapter 1 Introduction and General Overview
Chapter 2 Elections with Strong Incumbents: 1984 to 1996
Chapter 3 Elections with Weak Incumbents: 1980 and 1992
Chapter 4 Elections with Surrogate Incumbents: 1988 to 2000
Chapter 5 The 2004 Election: Nomination Campaigns
Chapter 6 The 2004 Election: The Bush Campaign
Chapter 7 The 2004 Election:lCÂ