Politics and Society
Media, money, and the First Amendment are three key influences in a successful political run. Media coverage is important to familiarize the public with the candidate and to show where he stands on certain issues. Money is needed to buy television and radio time. The First Amendment guarantees everyone the freedom of speech, but how can this be reasonably defined. One possible solution would be restrictions on the amount of money that individuals can donate to support their candidates.Modern media has influenced and possibly altered the history of politics. As stated by Washington Post reporter Dan Morgan, "The most valuable commodity in American politics today is advertising time on TV." The problem with this statement is that only the people with money have access to this option. Republican campaign chairman, Mark Hanna, was quoted saying, "There are two things that are important in politics. The first is money and I can't remember what the second is." In support of this quote, millions of dollars are spent on political campaigns in one week.One example of this problem is demonstrated by Ralph Nader, the candidate for the Green Party, who is not as well-known as George W. Bush or Al Gore
" The media concentrates on making the most interesting stories, but instead, they should concentrate on informing the public about issues that are being discussed in debates and conventions because the majority of the general public does not know enough about politics to understand what is being discussed in debates and conventions. No matter what restrictions are set on the contributions to the parties, there is never going to be a "level playing field. In, 1996, the total amount donated by corporations equaled close to $250 million. This ad suggested that Goldwater would get "trigger-happy" during the nuclear age and cause a nuclear holocaust. His popularity has lagged because he does not have the funds to buy as much television time as the other, more funded, candidates. If no limits on contributions were set, all the wealthier people would get represented by the government while the lower class people, who cannot donate as much money, would not get nearly as many benefits from the government. Even though restrictions limit the amount of freedom one has, it is necessary to keep candidates honest in the funding of the campaigns. If a person is able to identify the face of a politician and what he has said in campaigns, then that candidate has a better chance of winning. In conclusion, media and money determine how well a candidate does in an election. If the corporations could be strictly restricted from contributing money to political organizations, then the money would flow through the economy into projects that affect all people positively. The first part of his famous line stated, "Extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. " It is important to keep restrictions because the third parties do not receive an amount of funds anywhere close to what the other parties receive. In 1996, approximately a tenth of a percent of the population donated more than $1000, but the contributions added up to about $168 million. " The result: a new youthful president.
Common topics in this essay:
Bill Clinton,
Tillman Act,
Daisy Ad,
Ross Perot,
Ronald Reagan,
Society Media,
Al Gore,
Communications Act,
Bob Dole,
Goldwater Republican,
freedom speech,
discussed debates conventions,
daisy ad,
millions dollars,
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television radio,
limit amount,
third party,
amount money,
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Acceptance Essays
