Presentation by Jennifer A. Yoder Friday, 28 March 2014 Moscow State University

1. “Political Institutions, Media Cultures, and National Election Campaigns in Germany and the United States” Presentation by Jennifer A. Yoder Friday, 28 March 2014 Moscow State University

2. Greetings from Colby College in Waterville, Maine USA

3. Familiar themes from media studies • interaction between politics and the media • communication relationships between political actors and journalists • norms of actors in political communications: journalists and consumers of media • structures and rules of political communication • market-based systems (minimal regulation of the media) • public ownership (significant regulation of broadcast media • Mediatization of politics – importance of visual media • Expansion of new types of media and content possibilities

4. Themes from comparative politics Why compare the USA and Germany? Democratic experience, history Constitutional/legal norms Political institutional landscape US pluralism, libertarianism; winner-take-all majoritarian elections; presidentialism German consensus-oriented democratic system; party-centered, parliamentarism • Impact of particular political institutions • on political culture • on political communications culture

5. Structural conditions of the political and media systems matter • Shape media roles, behavior of producers and consumers of media • Political communication systems in Germany and USA represent “party-political” and “media-oriented” types

6. Structure of presentation • origins and development of the media systems • key political institutional features of each case • Implications for political communications cultures • election campaigns in recent years

7. United States • Media Context • First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: “Congress shall make no law … abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” • Traditional Big Three broadcast companies • Public Broadcasting Corporation since 1967 • Media a political institution

8. United States • Political Institutional Context • Presidential system • Weak party system • Campaign finance system

9. United States • Political Communications Culture • Role of media as link between candidate and the public • Increasing editorializing • Shift away from issue-based media coverage to • Horse-race • Strategy and tactics of campaign • Coverage of a “war” or a story with plots, performers • Emphasis on opinion polls, candidates’ standing in them

10. United States Impact on US election campaigns • No limitations on political speech • Candidate-centered • Professionalized campaigns • Commercialized – money and media drive

11. United States • Impact on US election campaigns • No provision for free access to media for political parties – voluntary program in 1996 to offer free airtime • News coverage of “events” like Presidential Debate • Paid access in form of “spots” • Museum of the Moving Image, The Living Room Candidate • Political Communications Lab, Stanford University

12. Spending Statistics • 2004 Bush campaign spent $367 million, while Kerry campaign spent $328 • 2008 Obama campaign spent $730 million, McCain campaign spent $333 million • 2012 Obama and Romney each over $1 billion • Congressional spending in 2012 • Average winner in House of Representatives $1.5 million; average loser $496,000 • Average winner in Senate $11.4 million; average loser $7.4 million • Source: Center for Responsive Politics, www.opensecrets.org

13. Spending in the 2012 Presidential Election

14. Role of Journalists • Media coverage of political advertising: the “adwatch” • Competition to be first: the 2000 presidential election debacle • 2012 and digital outreach

15. Germany • Media Context • Post-totalitarian democracy • British public service model • Accountability • federalism • proporz principle

16. Germany’s Political Institutional Context Strong position of political parties Multi-party system Campaign finance system

17. Germany Implications for German political communications system Impact on election campaigns Brief campaign period Campaign spending far less, so politicians spend little time fund-raising

18. Broadcasts • Each party creates one 90-second advertisement for broadcast • Number of times aired based on proportionality principle (share votes in last election) • Rarely do other groups create ads – Metalworkers’ Union (IG)

19. Christian Democratic Union/CDU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mk06yfbXQYg Featuring Chancellor Angela Merkel: “I have to be sure that we do the right thing. The right thing isn’t always what is demanded most loudly. The right thing is what in the end will help people. Germany is in a good position: a strong economy, more people in employment than ever before – this is not self-evident, this is something we have achieved together. This should not be put at risk with higher taxes and more social security payments.”

20. Social Democratic Party (SPD) • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_VBj__W5-Q • Featuring chancellor candidate Peer Steinbrück “That is why I want to be federal chancellor. Because Germany has been thrown off course and things must become more just in our country. So I’m asking for your vote.”

21. The Greens • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gRpJF84byXo#t=32 • Featuring a (fake) naturalist discussing the common snail (the CDU/FDP government) “As they linger in their natural resting place we can see that, due to their lack of spines, they do not orient themselves with an inner compass but just point their feelers whichever way the wind is blowing.”

22. The Left Party • https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZvhIyIK8OQ#t=38

23. Chancellor candidate “duels” on television

24. Placards still important

26. The Liberals (FDP)

27. The Greens

28. The Left Party

29. New parties

30. Far Right Parties

31. Conclusions