Even though the front runners aren't the ones with the best ideas and intentions (Hillary / Giulliani), they somehow have the largest financial support to buy huge media influence and run the biggest smear campaigns against their competitors.
Are most people that lame and gullible to not see through this and just go with the flow?
Maybe it's a little more complicated than what I'm seeing.
Can anyone enlighten me without a partisan bias,
just as this question is a bipartisan one?
2007-10-22 14:11:55 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Politics & Government ➔ Politics
Most Libs vote for the candidate who gives them the most candy.
Most Cons vote for the candidate who gives them the most freedom to do business without excessive taxation.
2007-10-30 09:11:25 · answer #1 · answered by ? 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
1.Most people are busy working, going to school, raisng their children etc. and don't have the time or make the time to really research the candidates until shortly before the election if at all. What they knowis what they see on the news (sometimes just soundbites polls or biased editorials) and by that time the candidates with the least money or lagging campaigns have generally dropped out already.
2. They want to back a winner. Republicans for instance are dead set on defeating mrs.Clinton and may vote for the candidate who has the best chance to o that as opposed to the one they most agree with. Democrats are equally serious about beating the Republicans.
3. Name recognition is important. People already know who Clinton/Giulliani are but candidates like Huckabee and Joe Biden are less well known.
4. The majority of people who vote or are politically active are "single issue voters". This means that they put one issue above all others when choosing whom to support. An example might be abortion, or the war , or taxes depending on the voter. Once they find the candidate who has the best chance to win ad most strongly supports their view they stick with him or her unless or until theyare given a very strong reason to change.
5. Most people get their information from the mass media. Media outlets are businesses who make their money by getting high ratings and thereby attracting advertisers. They therefore cater to the lowest common denominator ie. they often just scratch the surface of the issues rather than getting to the reall meat of the matter because real intellectual discusion bores some viewers. They would rather have exciting clips and sound bites about exciting and well known candidates and be able to claim that they accurately predicted the winner than to truly inform the public. Unfortunately a lot of the public are sheep and fall for this madness because they are unaware that the true agenda of the people who own the media is the same as that of all business owners, TO MAKE MONEY.
I know that was a long response but I hope it was the type of unbiased answer you are looking for.
2007-10-22 21:38:15 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Look around at the people you work with or socialize with, are they intelligently discussing politics and the candidates? Today three air heads had a 20 minute discussion on Britney Spears while I read the paper. Most people are clueless and apathetic, so Hillary will play well to them with her government give aways, but Rudy is well known and admired for his performance during 9-11, we will see who wins the sound bite election.
2007-10-22 21:22:23 · answer #3 · answered by wiliemom 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because, just as is the case with our popstars, the assumption is that those with the greatest sales have the greatest talent.
It's not even as simple as having the largest financial support. Those with the support of the party machine will get the coverage (like Kerry in Iowa '04), while those with hundreds of thousands of small contributors can be safely discounted/ignored (like Howard Dean at the same point in time.)
Can Britney Spears even sing? I promise you she's no Billie Holiday.....
2007-10-22 21:30:42 · answer #4 · answered by oimwoomwio 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Because 90% of the population is full of idiots who work, come home, and watch tv.
When they drag themselves into the voting booth, all they can remember is some familiarity from tv. If they heard the name of someone a million times, they'll probably pick that person.
This is very unbiased.
EDIT: I said the same thing as Jiggabu Joe below, only with fewer words.
2007-10-22 21:31:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
I don't. Especially in this election. I haven't even watched any of them. I read all their stances and voting records other than Thompson and Huckabee. I wouldn't vote for Huckabee because I lived through 8 years of him being our Governor. Thompson used to be a lobbyist, that is enough for me.
2007-10-22 21:18:16 · answer #6 · answered by grumpyoldman 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it is true that the media supports whoever their clients (the corporations) tell them too. The elite have used social psychologists and others to manipulate public opinion. When another person knows you better than you know yourself they can control you....
americans better do some soul searching....
rupert murdoch owns 60 percent of the worlds media and basically controls it.... BTW he owns fox and supports hillary...
2007-10-22 21:17:39 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I haven't, I'm for Mike Huckabee, but I completely agree. They are too blind sighted and think that the media conveys completely truthful messages. I could go on and on but I don't think I should since I'll never stop!!!
2007-10-22 21:23:30 · answer #8 · answered by Candy 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No its really not more complicated, or so it appears. Sometimes I think we are a bunch of mind-numb idiots in this country.
2007-10-22 21:17:56 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Those in head percentage wise always do get the most attention...
2007-10-22 21:15:05 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋