UNRAVELING THE RHETORIC: THE CHALLENGES OF ANTI-CHINA CAMPAIGNS
Abstract
Money has historically played a pivotal role in U.S. presidential elections, but its influence is not always determinative of electoral outcomes. This study delves into the intriguing phenomenon where candidates, despite substantial financial advantages, failed to secure victory. By focusing on the utilization of campaign advertising, particularly the strategic deployment of anti-China rhetoric, we investigate how excessive spending on such advertisements can potentially backfire for candidates. In the realm of American presidential politics, anti-China rhetoric has become a recurrent theme, with candidates leveraging it to accuse opponents of policies favoring China at the expense of American interests. However, empirical investigations into the effectiveness of these rhetoric-driven strategies in garnering voter support remain scarce. This article addresses this research gap by employing a scientific methodology to assess the impact of anti-China rhetoric in campaign ads. We specifically examine whether the substantial financial investments made by presidential candidates in airing anti-China advertisements yield the desired electoral benefits or inadvertently harm their prospects. Our analysis draws upon data from Mitt Romney's 2012 "Failing American Workers" campaign commercial, sourced from the Wesleyan Media Project (WMP). Utilizing Time Series-Cross-Sectional (TSCS) models, we estimate the influence of the anti-China rhetoric within this ad on Romney's voter support. Our findings reveal a nuanced relationship between anti-China rhetoric in campaign advertising and candidate performance.
Keywords:
U.S. presidential elections, Campaign advertising, Anti-China rhetoric, Voter support Campaign spending.Downloads
Published
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.10954872Issue
Section
How to Cite
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Bennett Taylor Olivia , Jordan Mason Cooper
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
References
Anderson, D. (1980). China Policy and Presidential Politics, 1952. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 10 (1), 79-90.
Ansolabehere, S., &Iyengar, S.(1995). Going Negative: How Attack Ads Shrink and Polarize the Electorate. New York, NY: Free Press.
Bostdorff, D. (2002). The Evolution of a Diplomatic Surprise: Richard M. Nixon's Rhetoric on China, 1952-1971. Rhetoric & Public Affairs, 5(1), 31-56.
Chang, T. (1984). How Three Elite Papers Covered Reagan China Policy. Journalism Quarterly, 61(2), 429-32.
Freedman, P., Franz, M.,&Goldstein, K.(2004). Campaign Advertising and Democratic Citizenship. American Journal of Political Science, 48(4), 723-41.
Gerber, A.,& Green, D. (2000). The Effects of Canvassing, Telephone Calls, and Direct Mail on Voter Turnout: A Field Experiment.American Political Science Review,94(3), 653-63.
Gerber, A., Gimpel, J., Green, D.,& Shaw, D. (2011). How Large and Long-lasting Are the Persuasive Effects of Televised Campaign Ads? Results from a Randomized Field Experiment.American Political Science Review,105(1), 135-50.
Hirshberg, M. (1993). Perpetuating Patriotic Perceptions: The Cognitive Function of the Cold War. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Hillygus, S. (2005). Campaign Effects and the Dynamics of Turnout Intention in Election 2000.The Journal of Politics, 67(1), 50-68.
Holbrook, T., &McClurg, S.(2005). The Mobilization of Core Supporters: Campaigns, Turnout, and Electoral Composition in United States Presidential Elections.American Journal of Political Science, 49(4), 689–703.
Kaid, L. (1997). Effects of the Television Spots on Images of Dole and Clinton. American Behavioral Scientist, 40(8), 1085–94.
Krasno, J., & Green, D. (2008). Do Televised Presidential Ads Increase Voter Turnout? Evidence from a Natural Experiment.The Journal of Politics, 70(1), 245-61.
Peniston, R. (2016). Why Anti-Chinese Rhetoric Is Bad Politics. Washington Journal of Modern China, 12(Spring), 59-79.
Ramirez, C. (2012). The Effect of „China Bashing‟ on Sino-American Relations.Journal of Chinese Political Science, 17, 291-311.
Rosenblum, N. (2010). On the Side of Angels: An Appreciation of Parties and Partisanship. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Rosinger, L. (1948). China Policy and the 1948 Elections. Far Eastern Survey, 17(20), 233-238.
Sides, J.,& Vavreck, L. (2013). The Gamble: Choice and Chance in the 2012 Presidential Election,Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Thesis (online)--Fang, X. (2016). Anti-China Rhetoric, Presidential Elections and U.S. Foreign Policy Towards China (Doctoral dissertation,
Georgetown University, Washington, DC). Retrieved from https://pqdtopen.proquest.com/pubnum/10128065.html
Wielhouwer, P.,& Lockerbie, B. (1994). Party Contacting and Political Participation, 1952-90.American Journal of Political Science, 38, 211-229.
Wolfinger, R.,&Rosenstone, S.(1980). Who votes? New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
Yang, M. (2016). At War with the Chinese Economic Yellow Peril: Mitt Romney‟s 2012 Presidential Campaign Rhetoric. Journal of Intercultural Communication Research, 45(1), 45-69.
