Political Communication in American Campaigns

Joseph S. Tuman (J.D., University of California, Berkeley; B.A., political science, University of California, Berkeley) is Professor of Political and Legal Communications at San Francisco State University, where he regularly teaches upper-division courses in rhetoric and terrorism, political and legal communication, argumentation & advocacy, and technology and human communication. A past recipient of the Jacobus tenBroek Society Award for Teaching Excellence, Professor Tuman has also taught at the University of California, St. Mary’s College, the New School for Social esearch, and Paris II, the top law school in France. He is the author of Political Communication in American Campaigns(SAGE, ©2008) and the co-author of numerous books, including Freedom of Speech in the Marketplace of Ideas and of The Bedford/St. Martin′s Guide to Public Speaking; he has also been the journal editor of Contemporary Argumentation & Debate: The Journal of the Cross Examination Debate Association. His work has been featured in news publications such as the New York Times, Los Angeles Times and the San Francisco Chronicle, and he has served as a network analyst for news programs on ABC, NBC, CNN and CNN International, FOX and the BBC. He currently appears as a regular political commentator for CBS in the western United States.

"What makes this book unique is the basic structure: Descriptive or historical chapters, followed by discussions of strategies and tactics of political communication in numerous contexts."

• Introduction: Bobby Kennedy and Me1. Introduction to Political CommunicationDemocracy, Voter Participation and Voter ApathyElections as ContestsElection as a Process of CommunicationPolitical Communication as Process2. The Players in the ProcessPolitical PartiesPolitical ConsultantsPolitical SurrogatesThe Media: Reporters and PunditsThe Players and the Process in Perspective3. Campaign Oratory and the Communication ProcessGetting the Message RightTypologies of Political Campaign SpeechesConvention SpeechesThe Inaugural AddressConclusion4. Methods for Deconstructing Political OratoryPolitical Oratory and Public Speaking as Audience-Centered RhetoricPolitical Oratory and Rhetorical AppealsPolitical Oratory and Rhetorical FiguresPolitical Oratory and Rhetorical FallaciesConclusions5. Political Campaign Speech ExamplesRichard Nixon’s “Checkers”Barbara Jordan’s “Who Then Will Speak for the Common Good?”John McCain’s Keynote Address to the 2004 GOP National ConventionRemarks by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to the NYS Family Planning ProvidersConclusions6. Introduction to Political DebatesUnderstanding DebateDebate and DemocracyPolitical Campaign DebatesConclusion7. Negotiations, Tactics and Strategies for Political DebatesNegotiating the Details of the Debate Before the DebatePre-Debate Pitch and SpinStrategies in Debate PerformanceTactics in Debate PerformancePost-Debate SpinConclusion8. Political Communication and Mass MediaDefining Mass MediaMass Media and Political CommunicationSaturday Night Live, The Daily Show with John Stewart, Rush Limbaugh and HowardConclusion9. How Campaigns Influence and/or Control Mass MediaStrategies for Influencing Free MediaStrategies for Paid MediaBlended Media Strategies and Future Trends with BlogsConclusion