Buzzwords are a popular tool for Missouri candidates to use in political advertising. You’ve heard some of these – “I won’t back down”, ending corruption in Jefferson City, securing the border, election integrity, “draining the swamp,” protecting second amendment rights, an anti-transgender agenda, conservative, liberal, woke, “cancel culture,” “the establishment”, and RINO. The list goes on and on.
Candidates hope that these buzzwords will score them votes at the polls. Are the words effective?
Ben Warner, a professor of political communication at the University of Missouri, said partisanship is identity-based.
“We’re learning what the Republican politicians in the state of Missouri believe the swingy Republican primary voters want to hear, which is obviously a lot of loyalty to former President Trump and a very aggressive stance on the border and immigration, any foreign entities,” Warner told Missourinet.
He said he’s heard more political ads about China this election cycle than he anticipated.
According to Warner, the ads show what Republican candidates believe the swing voters want to hear.
“Maybe I don’t know what the treasurer does for the state,” Warner said. “Maybe I don’t know what that has to do with the border, but the commercial is telling me, ‘Ah, this is my kind of person, so whatever they’re going to do in the office, it’s something that is pretty close to what I would want them to do. The keywords are really signaling me and you, we’re like each other.’”
Warner said the buzzwords are also meant to show what the candidate and voter have in common.
“I would bet most of the time, people don’t think a lot about, okay, ‘What’s the job of the Secretary of State? What’s the job of the Attorney General? What does the Lieutenant Governor do?’ I think they mostly think, ‘I want somebody in there that I trust. And, you know, whatever comes to their desk, they’ll figure it out in a way that I would want them to,’” he said.
Warner said having weapons in political commercials is in Missouri’s election advertising culture nowadays.
Missouri polls are open until 7 p.m. today. If you are in line by 7 p.m., you are still able to vote.
Beginning at 7:30 p.m. on August 6th, Missourinet will have reports about election night results at the top and bottom of the hour on Missourinet.com.
Copyright © 2024 · Missourinet