Seeing red, white and blue

Regardless of your day-to-day interest in politics, when election time rolls around, there is no escaping the bombardment of ads, phone calls and rallies. The power of image is exploited through propaganda-filled campaign ads, containing false information and claims pasted over unattractive shots of opponents' faces. On the other hand, images are used to the candidates' advantage, as with Obama's "optimism" campaign - a tactic often forgotten in the world of American politics.

2008 Obama yard sign/poster

While the partisan competition is where the nastiest of spectacle occurs, additionally, there seems to be a passive aggressive means of competition between parties to see who can provide the most lavish fund-raising dinners, who will have the most iconic hair style or the biggest flag at their party convention. The election night celebrations and inauguration are entire spectacles in themselves.

2004 GOP Convention

There is no question that in this day and age, what people see and here is how a large majority of us form our opinions and make decisions. The dying newsprint industry eludes not only to the growth of the internet, but to the decrease in reading as a means to gain information. This further increases the necessity for visual stimulation as a way to grab the attention of our multi-tasking 21st century brains.