Professor to give lecture on campaign ads
The lecture will cover Barack Obama’s and John McCain’s campaign advertisements and themes of the campaigns.
By Jesse Trimble (Contact)
Friday, October 10th, 2008
Political parties on campus and around the country are gearing up for the end of the presidential campaign saga. Voter registration workers have sought to register as many students as possible and political commentators have popped up everywhere to deliver their analysis.
One analysis will take place Sunday when Robert Rowland, professor of communications studies, delivers “The Audacity of Hope Or a Maverick You Can Trust.” The lecture will take place from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Museum of Anthropology, east of the Kansas Union. It will focus primarily on the ads of Barack Obama’s and John McCain’s campaigns.
Photo by Allison Richardson
Robert Rowland, professor and chair of communication studies, will be speaking for CLAS Acts on Sunday from 2-4 p.m. at the Museum of Anthropology. The event, which is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will focus on the role of rhetoric in the 2008 presidential campaign.
Rowland said that he will also discuss the themes used in both candidates’ campaigns.
“The Obama message is that of the American Dream,” Rowland said. “And how it is a different American Dream than what we’re used to hearing — it’s one that can be obtained by everyone.”
Rowland said that Obama’s campaign theme could be traced back to his 2004 Democratic National Convention keynote address.
Rowland said the McCain campaign focuses on the concept of being a maverick.
“There are two ways that people interpret being a maverick,” Rowland said. “One is the concept of a maverick enforcing rules, regulations and policies, while the other is really about being a hero, which is the point McCain centered his campaign on.”
Rowland said the strategy worked for McCain because he was a prisoner of war.
Alex Rock, Lawrence senior and coordinator of the student advisory board for the Dole Institute of Politics, said although McCain had chosen to portray himself as a maverick, his campaign would need to step it up in the coming weeks.
“I have a feeling the bashing of the Obama campaign is close,” Rock said. “The Republican Party will have to bash Obama, because he has taken the lead right now and the McCain campaign must think of ways to slow it down.”
But Rock doesn’t believe Obama will slow down.
Burdett Loomis, professor of political science, said Rowland’s lecture was a great way to pull back and use current events to illustrate general points.
“What’s nice about Professor Rowland’s lecture is that it has a broader theoretical perspective,” Loomis said. “Sometimes we get so caught up in the moment that we can’t find the patterns of various lines or symbols that tend to be used over time and in various ways.”
Loomis said what was new about the campaign was its use of technology.
“There’s the blogosphere and rhetoric on blogospheres,” Loomis said. “Although there are new things and different mediums every four years, there are still the general themes.”
Andrew Toth, Colby sophomore and president of KU Young Democrats, said YouTube in particular had a substantial affect on the campaigns.
“YouTube has specifically had negative effects on McCain’s ad campaign, simply because of the interviews with Sarah Palin,” Toth said. He said the “Saturday Night Live” skits featuring Tina Fey were indirectly hurting the campaign, too.
Regardless of his stance, Toth said McCain was unique to this election because he was known in Washington for basing decisions on morals more often than party stance.
“He’s been willing to reach across the aisle,” Toth said. “And no one, Republican or Democrat, in the past has aligned directly with his voting record and that’s something to consider.”
Toth said McCain adding Palin to his campaign was a strategic pick and that, like Obama, she brought a fresh face to the table.
Rowland said Palin was the most important member of the McCain ticket, primarily because she brought energy to the campaign.
Jesse Vaughn, Mound City senior and president of College Republicans, said he was more excited about the McCain campaign when Palin joined the ticket.
“I was re-energized and so were other Republican group members,” Vaughn said. “Everyone began to ask how they could help out with the campaign.”
Ultimately, Vaughn said, it’s the person at the top of the ticket that people are voting for and not just the vice presidential candidate.
Rowland said that the primary role of the vice presidential candidate was to attack the other party, but that Palin might have gone about it wrong, which has raised questions about her competence.
“She’s accused Obama of consorting with terrorists,” Rowland said. “I don’t recall that from past elections.”
On the flip side, Rowland said Obama had generated more attention from students and that he was a “gifted” candidate.
Rock said the reason he thought Obama was appealing to students was because he reminded them of one of their college professors.
“He doesn’t rattle; he’s very well spoken and that’s what we, as students, are accustomed to,” Rock said. “That’s comfortable for a lot of students.”
Vaughn said the Obama campaign had been effective, mainly because of associations with the Bush administration.
“However, I don’t think it’s effective for the Obama campaign to use the word ‘change’ because it has become an empty word,” Vaughn said. “And he hasn’t even said what that change is going to be.”
The lecture is sponsored by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and co-sponsored by The Commons. The event is free to the public, tickets are available at the Lawrence Public Library, 707 Vermont St., or in room 200 in Strong Hall.
— Edited by Brieun Scott
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