D3

A. 1956 - Cartoon Man
         1) Made by Eisenhower and the Republicans
         2) The ad was preying on the indecision voters feel as a result of the bombardment of issues that occurs close to elections. The ad focused on stripping away all of these issues and focusing on the man himself, making Eisenhower more appealing to undecided voters.
     1984 - Arms Race
         1) Made by Mondale and the Democrats
         2) This ad relies on fear. The ad details the possible ramifications of taking the arms race into space, and these effects appear deadly and irreversible. The as focuses on Reagan and anti-disarmament and warns America that Mondale is the only man who can stop Reagan from destroying peace and an American quality of life.
      2000 - Dangerous World
          1) Made by Bush Jr. and the Republicans
          2) This ad also relies on fear, it describes a world that is dangerous to America and must re responded to with strength and power. The Republicans are hoping to make Americans feel like they must rely on the government, and Bush, for protection. Bush promises a strong military and an iron defense to help keep America safe.

B. 1) The Eisenhower ad from 1956 focused on a very mainstream America, the idea of America and of Americans was not so much that of a melting pot and diversity as it is now but more one of the white middle class, trying to raise a family and earn a living. One of Bush's ads, called Muchas Gracias, was focused on Hispanic voters and was entirely in Spanish. Presidential candidates seem to focus on minority voters and different demographics in more recent ads whereas older ads show a more stereotypical America. In addition, the older ads are much longer. Ads from the 2000's are 30 seconds long in comparison to the Eisenhower ad from the 1950's that was over 4 minutes long. This suggests a change in American society, one where Americans have shorter attention spans and more options. In the 50's there were not hundreds of channels to flip through during ads whereas nowadays, during commercials, there are countless other options for viewing.
     2) The first ad was most effective for me. The later two focused on fear and negativity while the first was positive and clear. Also, the beginning few seconds that showed the cartoon man being slammed with issues and vocabulary, were very appropriate and similar to how I often feel leading up to elections. Living in Virginia, my house is called by both parties and polling agencies every night and ads for candidates are impossible to ignore. It seems that what was appealing to voters in 1956 is still appealing today.