The Elections of 1948 and 2004 Essay -- Politics Political Presidentia

The Elections of 1948 and 2004 The elections of 1948, and 2004 had many similarities. In both elections we had the two major political parties, plus a third independent party. We had a war going on, polls trying to predict the election, and two main candidates working on getting elected. The elections did have some differences though. Money spent, mediums campaigned through, and the number of votes for the third party. Despite the differences, there was one main similarity that stood out between the two elections, the type of rhetoric used to sway votes from both sides. In the election of 1948 Thomas Dewey rarely gave any plans, and even more rarely would he ever try to tell us why he would make a better president than incumbent Harry Truman. Instead he would complain about the new deal plans, and let his looks try and get him elected. Harry Truman was on the attack. The polls showed him far behind, so he figured he had ground to cover. He was quoted by the AP in the New York Times as saying â€Å"†¦if my opponent had the courage to discuss the issues.† (â€Å"President’s Speech in Pittsburg†). This recent election went similar. Although we did not have one candidate kick back and let his looks drive his campaign, we did have a candidate try and rely on his image to get him elected. It was viciously attacked, as well as defended. In the end, this did not seem enough to win, yet again. To get a better understanding of the outcome of this election, you must dig deeper, and examine each candidate one by one. Look at what the various candidates did to swing the vote one way or the other. Only after analyzing each candidate’s campaign can you see that the presidential election relies heavily on image, with logical reason... ...y, this does not say much for our country, and the direction we are headed in. Works Cited â€Å"The Election of 1948: Dewey defeats Truman?† C-SPAN. 17 November 2004 http://www.c-span.org/classroom/govt/1948.asp â€Å"1948: The Great Truman Surprise† Kennesaw State University Department of Political Science & International Affairs. 17 November 2004 http://www.kennesaw.edu/pols/3380/pres/1948.html â€Å"Thomas E. Dewey† Shiawassee County Michigan History. 17 November 2004. http://www.shiawasseehistory.com/tomdewey.html â€Å"Collecting Thomas E. Dewey† Shiawassee County Michigan History. 17 November 2004.http://www.shiawasseehistory.com/collect.html â€Å"Dewey Campaign† Shiawassee County Michigan History. 17 November 2004. http://www.shiawasseehistory.com/dewey.html â€Å"The Kerry-Edwards Economic Plan† 22 November 2004.http://www.johnkerry.com/pdf/economic_plan.pdf>