Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

In a system of shared powers, a chief legislator's ability to accomplish his goals is limited. One of the tools he has at his disposal is the power of rhetoric. Presidents enter office with many policy goals that, if successful, not only shape public policy, but also can aid their re-election and their desire to secure a positive legacy. Often times, one policy in particular, a pet project will be personally important to a president and will ultimately be placed on the agenda because of the attention given to it by the president. When Bill Clinton campaigned for office he …

Campaigns make strategic decisions about appealing to various electoral groups. In 2004, both presidential campaigns did choose to appeal to those younger than 30 with their policy-making rhetoric. The authors find, however, that Bush and Kerry approached this demographic differently. Bush did not single out young adults to the extent Kerry did. Instead, Bush chose to treat young voters more as a part of the general electorate than a distinct group, appealing to their self-interest. Kerry was more attentive, directly targeting young citizens by focusing on issues of higher education and especially seeking to appeal to service-oriented young adults.

Throughout American history editorial cartoons have exposed corruption, offered criticism of people in power, questioned and supported policies, and in general given the public another format assisting in the understanding of current events. The freedom to caricature politicians and visually comment on social and political issues has been a hallmark of the editorial cartoonist's profession. In the aftermath of the worldwide furor over Danish cartoonists' use of the Prophet Muhammad's image in early 2006, it is useful to ask whether certain images from the War on Terror have become taboo as a subject for American editorial cartoonists.