Fear tactics often dominate US elections advertising – contributing editor, Politico Magazine

Nov 02, 2020 News

By Kemol King
Contributing Editor of Politico Magazine, Joanna Weiss believes that fear is often the emotion which candidates and, their supporters pander to, when they advertise.
During an October 7 briefing with foreign journalists on the US Foreign Press Centers: Elections 2020 Virtual Reporting tour, the journalist spoke about the role of TV ads and social media in US elections.

From left: Republican Presidential nominee and incumbent, President Donald Trump and Democratic Presidential nominee, former Vice President Joe Biden (AP photo)

Weiss plugs an iconic Hillary Clinton advert used during the 2008 Democratic Party Presidential Primaries to demonstrate how fear is used to pander to voters.
In the advert, Clinton attempts to convince voters that her experience makes her a more suitable candidate than Obama.
A voiceover plays while a clip shows a child sleeping soundly in bed, saying “It’s 3:00 AM and your children are safe, but there’s a phone in the White House and it’s ringing. Something’s happening in the world. Your vote will decide who answers that call, whether it’s someone who already knows the world leaders, knows the military, someone tested and ready to lead in a dangerous world. It’s 3:00 AM and your children are safe and asleep, who do you want answering the phone.”
Though Hillary lost the primaries to Barrack Obama, who went on to serve two terms as President, Weiss said that ad has really left a mark.
“This ad really has become a part of American culture.” Weiss told journalists in October, “You will still hear people talking in the context of a presidential race or an important race about who’s going to take the 3:00 AM phone call.”
She notes that the advertisements use calming music, beautiful children, and an undercurrent of worry and fear that if someone less experienced answers the phone (their opponent), a lot could go wrong.
Weiss posited that the COVID-19 pandemic is the most potent issue for candidates to weaponise in their advertising for this year’s presidential race.
The US is one of the COVID hotspots of the world with 9.2M recorded cases as of yesterday, and over 230,000 deaths. President Donald Trump has been staunchly criticised for treating lightly with the pandemic, and not encouraging supporters to follow safety guidelines. According to political scientist Dr. Mark Rozell, Trump’s treatment of the COVID pandemic has had so much of an influence on his supporters that they are more likely to vote in-person and refuse to wear a mask, than the persons likely to vote for Democratic nominee, Vice President Joe Biden.
One advertisement being used by the Biden campaign (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=49YmR8GFnnU) attempts to portray Trump as treating with the pandemic in a cavalier manner, pitting that portrayal against Biden as a more concerned candidate.
It opens with a reporter asking Trump during a press briefing, “What do you say to Americans that are watching you right now, that are scared?”
“I say that you’re a terrible reporter. That’s what I say.” Trump responds.
The screen then shows Biden being asked “What do you say to the American people who are confronting this new reality?”
Biden responds “This is bigger than any one of us. This is – calls for a national rallying to everybody to move together.”
The advert pans back to Trump, who calls the reporter’s question a “nasty” one and accuses him of utilizing sensationalism in his journalism when the American people are looking for hope.
This is juxtaposed against Biden who said that he has laid out in detail what he would do were he President today, then invites the listener to visit his campaign website to read about his plan.
The advertisement uses different background music for the two candidates, likely meant to evoke a feeling of calm and respect for Biden, against a stressful worry when it comes to Trump.
Weiss said it’s not likely that advertisements would sway a voter’s choice, only that they serve to galvanise the candidate’s own support base and that, in this regard, advertising has become quite sophisticated over the years.