find someone who does not know anything about the recent presidential election. Everyone knows about the Florida ballot disputes only because the media has placed so much emphasis on them. There is so much media coverage in politics today that in order to be elected one must be appealing to the public. Years ago the only way people could find out about candidates and the issues they stood for was by reading a newspaper or listening to the radio. Today, anyone can turn on the television or go to a web site on the Internet and see the candidates themselves talking about their issues. With almost all American homes having at least one television, a candidate must possess a good personality, plans and ideas. Now, more than ever Americans place excessive importance on appearance. This means that a candidate has to appear successfully, competent and inspire confidence. When was the last time a president was elected based on appearances? It was probably in the 1800’s with the election of Abe Lincoln. History shows what a great president he was. It sounds very superficial, but unfortunately this is true of our society. Candidates have to appeal to the public as much as possible, and appear comfortable on camera. However a candidate’s appearance is not the only thing that plays a major role in getting them elected. In 1984, the nation’s economy was booming, most people were happy with their leader, and Ronald Reagan was up for reelection. Reagan had previously helped the nation cope with a recession, and had been in office when American hostages were released. With things going so well one wonders why anyone would oppose this popular conservative leader. However, former Vice President Walter Mondale disenchanted with the way things were going, ran for and received the Democratic nomination. Immediately, the press had found their new man. He was going to be the one to cut defense spending, to increase the reach of the governmen...
