The Selling of the President 1968

In the current election, for instance, the traditional mailings have slowed to a trickle while television ads--and especially negative television ads--are being used with greater frequency. Millions of dollars are spent by candidates to reach the voter through television, and no one makes any pretense that they are doing other than using the techniques of Madison Avenue to shape their message and to do it in an appealing way. When Joe McGinniss wrote his book, though, the electoral process was only starting to be shaped by television. McGinniss saw the trend developing and wrote about how advertising methods were applied to the campaign of Richard M. Nixon.

McGinniss makes clear in his second chapter that he views the use of TV advertising as a different technique for an old process. He says that politics has always been a con game in a sense:

The American voter, insisting upon his belief in a higher order, clings to his religion, which promises another, better life;

. . .
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Approximate Word count = 1070
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page)

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