(Paper was written on May 7th, 2012)
Gary Johnson is the 2012 Libertarian
Presidential candidate as of May 3, 2012. Mr. Johnson started off on
the Republican ticket, as he was a Republican when he ran and won for
governor of New Mexico. However, he switched to the Libertarian
ticket because of how the media and the Republican party mistreated
him as a candidate. He was neglected by the media for undiagnosed
reasons, and was ignored by the Republican leaders until he jumped to
the Libertarian ticket which betters fits his views, but not
perfectly, as you will later read about. In this paper I plan to use
the Agenda Setting Theory to show why the media focused on the more
party line candidates. I also plan to use elements of Coordinated
Management of Meaning Theory along with elements of Muted Group
Theory to show how a societal strange loop is caused by politicians
and the media, and how they allow the American people to fall into an
unofficial, yet officially supported, two-party system that Americans
have begun to struggle against. When only a small portion of those
actually running for presidency (in this case) or any political
office are shown, the people are limited by those shown choices. Only
those people that the media find appealing have a chance to win,
because of the coverage and the possibility of the need for
orientation of viewers. However, I will also use Uses&Gratifications
and Media Ecology Theory to show how modern Americans have the chance
to pull away from that repetitive pattern based on the current
symbolic environment.
First, Mr. Johnson
had difficulty being included in the debate process. He did have some
media coverage on this issue on Judge Napolitano's show on Fox
Business, one of two Libertarian leaning shows on this portion of the
Fox enterprise. But, part of what made things so difficult for Mr.
Johnson was not being included in the polls that determine who will
be included in upcoming debates. As a result of this, there are very
few articles prior to Former Governor Johnson switching parties at
the beginning of 2012. There was only one article on Gary Johnson on
journalism.org, and he was only mentioned in passing. He was required
to have a two percent support when his name was excluded for people
to show his support (Johnson).
When he was finally included, CNBC changed the requirement that a
candidate must attain a three percent support rate in order to
participate in the Republican debates*.
This disallowed Americans the ability to learn about this candidate
at the same time the other candidates were taking hold, as he was
only included in two of the debates. And after Mr. Johnson was able
to gain the needed support by the designated date, he was told he
needed more followers to join the debate because the new support rate
was set at four percent. When Gary Johnson's supporters complained
to the campaign law section of the FCC or CNBC about the unfair
treatment that by the network's own standards and law is
unjustifiable, they received letters similar to this one:
“The equal time
law is not absolute. In the 1950’s Congress enacted several
exceptions to the law, including candidate appearances on newscasts,
interview or call-in programs, and candidate debates. Thus, one
candidate’s appearance in one of those kinds of programs does not
create an equal time right for his opponents. Despite what CNBC’s
website indicates, the bottom line is that they can have whichever
candidates they want on their candidate debates, and they do not
need to specify criteria. Gary Johnson is therefore not entitled to
be included in an on-air candidate debate.
What makes the
situation more outrageous is that CNBC allowed other small candidates
to participate, such as Herman Cain and Michelle Bachman, when
neither of which have any executive branch experience (Johnson and
CNBC). Gary Johnson is a former two term governor who was able to not
only bring his state out of debt, but leave it with a surplus budget
(Johnson). He also, like Herman Cain, is a successful small business
owner. During his college days, he started a one man handy man
business that has flourished, and currently employs more than 1,000
people and is worth several million dollars, making Mr. Johnson a
self-made millionaire (Johnson).
Now, McCombs and
Shaw say in Agenda-Setting hypothesis that “mass media have the
ability to transfer the salience of issues on their news and public
agenda...(and)'We judge as
important what the media judge
as important,” (Griffin 378). The Media agenda is based on
the patterns of news coverage and is measured by the prominence and
length of the story. (Griffin 379). The hypothesis is based around
how media effects voter perception,and whether or not a cause-effect
relationship exists. If there are any articles about Gary Johnson
outside of personal blogs and small newspapers who's editor choose to
include Johnson in their coverage, they are often small and simple.
This caused Gary Johnson and his supporters to become an Interest
Aggression of sorts to the Media. This means that they were forced to
take a stand to be heard by the media, and Johnson did this by
switching parties1.
By doing this, the media was forced to stand up and look at the
presidential hopeful for at least a small portion of time
The CNN article on
his Libertarian presidential run is 13 paragraphs long, while an
article on the 2008 Democratic Convention is almost twice as long at
23 paragraphs long. Also, there are featured stories on the political
ticker for CNN's website. This potential presidential nominee had an
article written about him winning the nomination on May 5, 2012, two
days prior to when I am checking, and as a presidential nominee you
would think he would take a slot in the top stories. However, he
failed in CNN's eyes to overcome the CNN Gut Check from May 4, which
is the lead article in a conversation that is about the politics of
the two-major parties. He also failed to outdo Former President
Clinton's “big phone call”, and Perry's inappropriate “'God
help us if' Romney doesn't win”(CNN).
State of the News
Media helps to collect data on What the media covers, and How Much
Time the media gives the topics throughout the year.
Naturally, we will
see that the economy is the top story for 2011 since several Debt
Ceiling Crisis occurred. Several Middle Eastern Governments have been
overthrown in 2011, or are close to being overthrown in 2012; and it
comes as no surprise that, as we draw closer to the elections, not
only do the candidates talk more about the occupation of the Middle
East, but the news media picks up on this as well. The presidential
election is third runner up on the list with about four to five
percent of news coverage from these three of top news agencies. This
topic is of huge concern for the American people, because there is
already a high salience with the American viewing audience over the
presidency. The president directly affects their lives, and this
causes more coverage of the topic, which creates more connection.
It's a cyclical process.
Most of the voting
population is middle to senior citizen age, and often prefer more
traditional means of news media like the news stations. And many sit
down and listen to what they are told by media conglomerates about
the news, almost to the point of blind acceptance. This causes them
to miss out on an entire world of new information. These voters are
also impressionable in-so-far as they don't look further than the
candidate's media self, and have a high need for orientation due to
the continual polarization of two-party politics. The media's agenda
excludes muted, or marginalized groups, such as the Libertarian
Party, which makes it more difficult for the group's messages to be
heard by the American people. And because only about forty-six
percent of Americans vote, any marginalized group suffers
disproportionally. This creates a strange loop by disallowing new,
outsider ideas from being introduced, and keeping the same unwanted
pattern of the two-party system that Americans are growing more tired
of, as shown by the Occupy movement and their protesting of the
government's misuse of power and funds to help Corporate America.
This strange loop
is obviously not between any one person or thing, unlike how
Coordinated management of Meaning uses the term. It is between
Americans, their government, and the media (members of big Corporate
America). Unfortunately, it is my opinion that it will be difficult
to “mediate” this strange loop. The politicians have the power
and the media has the money, and the American people are caught in
the middle of a puppetry production from yet another two-part system.
Unless the people take initiative (i.e. Occupy Wallstreet or by
emailing elected officials), and start being vocal about more than a
two-party system, the loop can not be broken. However, there is
always the potential to break away from the media's agenda.
The Uses and
Gratification Theory by Elihu Katz states that we make daily choices
about the kinds of media we consume and the context in which we
consume it. Based on the use of the media, we determine the result of
consumption, or the gratification. An example of this is a husband
and wife sitting down to watch television. For the husband, the
hockey game is a welcome addition to his daily entertainment, and he
is ready to root for his team. For his wife, it is a welcomed
distraction from the disturbing news of an oil spill.
The husband was
watching the hockey game for community and enjoyment, while the wife
watched to escape. The personal media choices consumers make
determine how they will be influenced by that media meaning that
media does not affect people the same way. This means that if
someone watches the news for enjoyment, they might be susceptible to
the media's message more than someone who watches it simply to pass
the time.
The uses of news
media could be under the typologies, or categories, of: information,
passing time, enjoyment, relaxation, escape, or (the pseudo-typology)
parasocial relationships. Obviously
the first job of news is to inform, but some Americans use the news
to pass the time by having it playing in the background, or it helps
them to relax and/or “get away”, or they simply enjoy it.
A parasocial relationship is the sense of friendship or emotional
attachment some viewers develop with a media personality. This is
often a purely imagined relationship, but can influence the way
viewers act and spend money even. After “The Fonz” from the
series Happy Days
applied for a library card, library card applications increased by
500 percent in the United States. Some viewers watch one network over
another because they feel more of a connection to one of the
newscasters than a newscaster from another network. An example of
this in my own life is my choice to watch Fox over ABC or NBC for my
local evening news. I feel more of a (unbased) connection to Ken Cook
as the weatherman. But because of this possible effect, the viewer
might believe what one particular anchor says more than any random
anchor. This also means that the power the media holds over Americans could potentially be used to sway the voters to one party or another.
The use effects how well the viewer receives the message of the
media, which can help Americans break free from the media's agenda.
We
are also able to break away from the Media's agenda due to our
Symbolic environment. We live in an extension of the electronic age
called the digital age, which allows us to move away from the
main-stream media agenda and create our own personal media agendas. I
was able to break away from main agenda and find information on
alternative candidates prior to the debates when there was barely
coverage on who would be running for sure. My use of the media
technology via the internet was purely for information purposes. I
looked at the use of power by the candidates, their political track
records, and what they propose to do after their candidacy as a
potential president. I found that I agreed with Gary Johnson a
considerable amount more than any other person in the running.
My
goal was that of a curious American looking to the future, and I was
unsurprised by the attempt to suppress the marginalized Libertarian
leaning former Republican's views. I was dismayed by it simply
because I believe that all view points need to be heard and respected
in politics, and it seemed that the only goal being supported by the
Republican party was to get more Christian Fundamentalists to vote. I
felt this way because several Republican candidates told Americans
that “God” told them to run for office, while totally conflicting
with one another. God couldn't tell all of them they would win.
Had
the Republican party allowed more liberal Republicans beyond Ron Paul
into the debate, they might have had a chance at the presidency this
time around, because Americans tend to be more socially liberal and
believe in fiscal conservativism. But the party refused to speak up
for the marginalized portion of their establishment.
I
did, however, read an op-ed that helped me to better understand why
the party was so quick to dismiss Mr. Johnson. It talks about how Ron
Paul is more “consistent”, or as I have come to understand it, he
is simply more Christian as well as he does not think about the cost
prior to spending, but what he considers morally right. Paul says
he's against the drug war, but is against the personal freedom to
choose to have an abortion prior to a fetus' ability to be viable
outside a womb. And the writer, Tom Mullen, considers Mr. Paul a
libertarian, based on how Ron Paul forms his decisions with the
non-aggression principle stated by the Libertarian party.
This
same article frames Former Governor Johnson as wishy-washy with his
foreign policy, because he proposes a cost-benefit analysis approach
rather than a “moral” approach or a perfect non-aggression stance
to government, because religious values differ and because of that
difference, morals differ as well. He believes that: "the War on Drugs
should end based on the costs versus the benefits, and that the
continuation of this metaphorical while literal war on drugs
perpetuates violence (He uses the term “harm reduction strategy”
to include not just Marijuana legalization, as he is most famous for
supporting, but all substances) (Webster); personal freedom and
responsibility should reign over government oversight and controls ;
and, we should stop spending beyond the means of our government's
budget (Johnson).
The
reason why this comes off as anti-libertarian is because it could
potentially mean that Johnson's policies might involve military
spending as a part of the cost-befit analysis, because he is open to
potential situations requiring assistance, but only when asked by a
government or potentially the theoretical nation's people for
humanitarian reasons. In an interview with The Daily Caller, he
stated that he believes that withdrawing the troops from Afghanistan
might be the wrong idea, and implied it is because the slowly
increasing amount of non-state actor aggression tactics and not any
military threats (Weinstein). The use of military force for
humanitarian reasons is to leave the option open so that another
Holocaust will not occur.
Gary
Johnson is now able to get more media attention as a third party
candidate, but he is still marginalized. The only recent articles
from major networks are about his recent nomination as the party's
presidential candidate, with no mention of his Vice Presidential
candidate, Judge Jim Gray. Also, his appearances on network
television are often with the same libertarian leaning Fox Business
hosts John Stossel and Judge Napolitano2,
or with the satirical newscaster Steven Colbert.
The
media has the agenda of money and power, and the Libertarian party is
not in power, simply put. And most politicians are there to see
themselves reelected, therefore keeping their power. Conglomerations
are giant power sources that wish to keep themselves in business, and
this has begun to interfere with the ideals of news media. Anchors
are to report news in a fair and unbiased manner, but the problem is
that they take that to mean the stories they want to show the
American people and not what the American people want and need to
know. Political interests divide the rich, the middle class, and the
poor in America; and the people are not able to create a real
political picture if only a portion of the puzzle is given to them.
Information can not be spontaneously absorbed from one's
surroundings. This causes the strange loop of politics in America
that will continue on until a third party is finally able to gain
enough “underground” (i.e non-mainstream) political ground that
the mainstream is forced to publicize the information.
Bibliography
- "Meet Gary." Http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/front. Gary Johnson, 2012. Web. 7 May 2012. <http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/about>.
- Weinstein, Jamie. "Gary Johnson'€™s Strange Foreign Policy." The Daily Caller. The Daily Caller, 9 Apr. 2012. Web. 07 May 2012. <http://dailycaller.com/2012/04/09/thedcs-jamie-weinstein-gary-johnson- strange-foreign-policy/>.
- Mullen, Thomas. "Gary Johnson Is Not a Libertarian." Washington Times Communities. The Washington Times, 12 Apr. 2012. Web. 07 May 2012. <http://communities.washingtontimes.com/neighborhood/reawakening- liberty/2012/apr/12/gary-johnson-not-libertarian/>.
- MotherHeroic. "Re: Gary's Exclusion from the Nov.9th Debates." Web log comment. Gary Johnson Grassroots. 7 Nov. 2011. Web. 7 May 2012. <http://garyjohnsongrassroots.com/viewtopic.php? f=10&t=863&sid=2991f287eac84f7684423695b0762425&view=print>.
- Mitchell, Amy, and Tom Rosenstiel. "Overview | State of the Media." Overview | State of the Media. Rew Research Center, May 2012. Web. 07 May 2012. <http://stateofthemedia.org/2012/overview-4/>.
- Webster, Stephen C. "Former NM Gov. Gary Johnson: Legalize Marijuana to Reduce Violence." Former NM Gov. Gary Johnson: Legalize Marijuana to Reduce Violence | The Raw Story. The Raw Story, 20 Apr. 2012. Web. 07 May 2012. <http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/04/20/former-nm-gov-gary-johnson-legalize-marijuana-to-reduce-violence/>.
- Griffin, Emory A. A First Look at Communication Theory. 8th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2012. Print.
- CNBC. "Your Money, Your Vote: Republican Debates 2011." CNBC. CNBC, 9 Nov. 2012. Web. 07 May 2012. <http://www.cnbc.com/id/45232734/print/1/displaymode/1098/>.
- Wallace, Gregory. "Gary Johnson Wins Libertarian Party Presidential Nomination." CNN Political Ticker. CNN, 5 May 2012. Web. 07 May 2012. <http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/05/gary-johnson-wins- libertarian-party-presidential-nomination/>.
- Gary Johnson Big Announcement. Youtube. Google, 30 Dec. 2011. Web. 7 May 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=PlBQZolFBC4&feature=related> and <http://www.youtube.com/watch? v=7o3UknQ7Ico&feature=relmfu>
*I
was unable to find the network's official requirements on their
site. However, I do not disbelieve what Mr. Johnson claims, because
I was receiving his campaign emails at the time, and I remember him
clearly being excited about getting the first stated amount of
needed supporters.
2Napolitano's
show, Freedom Watch, on Fox Business will be canceled. However, he
will still be providing legal insight for the media conglomerate.
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