Presidential elections are seen as a way for citizens to have a say in their government. The 2016 election is more turbulent than once anticipated. With three republicans and two democrats left in the running, spectacles are expected to rage on. Republicans include: Donald Trump, Ted Cruz, and John Kasich. Democrats include: Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. As the primaries continue, the party frontrunners, Trump and Clinton, are focusing on their respective party nominations. The Cable News Network, or CNN, is the main contributor to the presidential election by their extensive news coverage system. CNN holds town halls, debates, Super Tuesday/Saturday results, and live updates about the presidential race. Focusing my paper in the scope of only CNN coverage allows the best available happy-medium between Fox and MSNBC. During the 2012 presidential election, CNN did sway left (democratic), but it still provided the best balance of the main three coverage networks with Fox and MSNBC beign the other two (Pew Research Center). Since CNN is the primary news network for the 2016 election, using the network as a forerunner and drive will allow the paper to create a, much needed, balanced argument between both parties. Statistics show that CNN is the most honest news network with only 22 percent of the facts the commentators and analysts provide are false (Sharockman, 2014). It is necessary to know and accept that CNN is the central presidential election network.
Conducting analysis and rationale
Through conducting each perspective within CNN, I will separate the candidates by their parties, then divide them into their own examination individually. For instance, I would start with the Republican Party, then I would go to the Democratic Party. In other words, I will begin by briefly introducing the candidate, using CNN articles for perspective, CNN panel discussion (“Trump says GOP system is rigged”), and trends in social interactions (social media). Using CNN as the platform for discussion could be seen in two extremes: lacking or too much information. However, my research will be completed by using multiple CNN sources and a few outside websites that use critiques of CNN in the talk of presidential politics. The Cable News Network, proven by Politifact writer, Aaron Sharockman, is the most honest news network out of the large three of CNN, MSNBC, and Fox. The 2016 presidential election is best covered by CNN in the most official and least-biased manner; since CNN has the most coverage, it gives good reason to use it as a valued scope of the election through news.
“The most electable candidate…”
John Kasich (R), Ohio governor, refers to himself as “the most electable candidate”, yet he is last in polls, Republican and Democrat. Even though his position in the election seems a touch out of place in comparison to the other contenders, he has refused to drop out of the race, like the past potentials that included Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush. As David Wright, CNN Politics Writer and Editor, wrote in an article titled “John Kasich: ‘Of course I’m not a spoiler’”, Kasich described his standing simply, “‘We are probably going to go to a convention, nobody will have enough delegates,’ he said.” (2016). He continued by explaining that if he can remain in the race, there is a greater possibility of beating Democrat competitor, Hillary Clinton (Wright, 2016).
The CNN panel discussion, State of the Union, titled “Trump says GOP system is rigged” definitely shows that people are not taking Kasich literally (2016). In this panel, and in most, CNN left out a supporter of Governor John Kasich. This takes out the availability for new supporters of him, leaving more to sway to Ted Cruz and Donald Trump. This unfair representation is a blatant disregard for fact and for each candidate, especially for the slightly left swaying CNN. John Kasich’s social media interactions mainly rely on CNN posting various short videos of him with a small description of the event, some with a quote (Kopan, 2016). The posts seem highly unbiased and more focused on what was said than personal thoughts about the candidate, Kasich. With this being said, his campaign does have social media accounts, namely Twitter, but CNN does not openly discuss what he posts or what he talks about within the social media world. Unfortunately for Kasich, Donald Trump does receive raving attention from CNN and many other news outlets for his outlandish remarks and comments, especially a few about other candidates.
The anti-Obama
Ted Cruz (R), Texas Senator, has the most backing for him…if it were an anti-Obama contest. Currently residing in second place, behind Trump, Cruz enjoys spending his time letting his campaign do the talking. Like Kasich, Cruz has fervently removed himself from discussion of dropping out of the race, leaving three names of the ballot for republicans. With that being stated, he and Kasich have recently decided to make a pack and attempt to stop Trump’s bid for the Whitehouse. As Phil Mattingly, Theodore Schleifer and Sunlen Serfaty claimed in an article titled, “How Cruz and Kasich joined forces”, of how the “switch from the heated attacks…to a kind détente” (2016):
Aides in both campaigns struggled to lay out exactly what their new normal looked like as they get their heads around the fact they're, for all intents and purposes, in cahoots with a competitor…But the arrangement, while perhaps politically and tactically necessary (helps both save money and resources, for one thing), feeds quite nicely into the narrative that Trump, the GOP front-runner and target of the alliance, has built around the Republican party's delegate system (CNN).
The decision to openly join forces between two different potential nominees might be the first of its kind. The excerpt states that neither of the camps have an idea of this will affect the race ahead, but both hope it will take down Trump’s goal of “collusion” (Mattingly et al., 2016). Cruz has stated his focus is on the race, not the new agreement, and says that his primary goal is still the nomination (Mattingly et al., 2016).
Using the same CNN State of the Union panel discussion as before, Cruz’s supporter is Amanda Carpenter, “who used to work for Ted Cruz”. Doing a quick search of Carpenter, her Linkedin profile says she was a former Communications Director of Cruz. In the panel, they allotted her the same speaking time as the other three contributors (State of the Union). However, when she stumbled on what sounded like a small endorsement of Donald Trump, the mediator targeted her for a reaction (State of the Union). The smallest miscommunication of a supporter talking about another runner can ruin the on-screen time they have to discuss Cruz’s opinion. An article from International Business Times covered CNN’s town hall and filtered in live tweets about it. For Cruz, he does have a Twitter account, but for this Wisconsin town hall, fellow Twitter users mentioned his home state miscue, his comment about his greatest personal failure, and his trashing of Trump’s Enquirer story of Heidi Cruz (Glum, 2016). None of the most tweeted about segments had to do with actual politics or personal party platform. Donald Trump is the one candidate who can blow up social media whenever necessary.
“Make America great again”
Donald Trump (R), real estate tycoon and reality star, is driven by one thing in this race and he has made is abundantly clear: winning. Taking the top spot on the republican ballot, Donald Trump has no strong political background besides donating to both parties in the past. The America he has pushed to “make great again” has refused to the Trump name great again. According to a recent poll (the CBS/New York Times poll), Trump has a 57% unfavorable rating among voters (Wright, 2016). In the same poll, only 28% of people viewed the Republican party favorably (Wright, 2016). Mel Robbins, a CNN commentator, author, and speaker at Trump speeches, describes, “The GOP establishment has been wrong at every turn, and Trump has been right. In business, there's an explanation for this: disruption. That's what Trump has done -- he's disrupted politics as usual and changed the rules entirely,” (CNN). This type of pro-Trump debate is completely contrasted with pro-conservative and pro-democrat writers. Robbins might be biased, but he also may be right.
Using the same panel about Trump’s call on the GOP system, his supporter was Andre Bauer (State of the Union). Bauer was formerly the Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina (State of the Union). Bauer discussed the unwillingness for voters to go to primaries and how most people would probably just want the “hierarchy decide and move on” (State of the Union). Watching the complete video, it seemed as if Bauer spoke the least. This may not be as odd as it seems because the panel discussion covered Trump’s antics.
Trump may not be viewed favorably, but Trump is a household name. This might be due to his use of social media. At the Wisconsin town hall, Trump’s most tweeted ideas were the “one-million-dollar small loan”, the Muslim ban, and his lack of support for the GOP if he is not the nominee (Glum, 2016). This type of hysteria is what Trump plays off of, including his threatening tweet directed to his GOP opponent, Ted Cruz: “Lyin' Ted Cruz just used a picture of Melania from a G.Q. shoot in his ad. Be careful, Lyin' Ted, or I will spill the beans on your wife!” (Schleifer and Manchester, 2016). As Schleifer and Manchester continued, they discussed that Trump referred to a super PAC ad that has no connection to Melania (2016). This tweet made national news, creating more publicity for Trump leading into more primaries. Primaries are the only thing that some candidates can rely on for making the nomination.
“The democratic socialist”
Bernie Sanders (D), senator of Vermont and Congress member since 1990, is a self-proclaimed “democratic socialist”. Having taken the backseat for this race, he plans on gaining an edge with his no nonsense demeanor. According to Sanders, himself, during debates, polls have shown that a Sanders-Trump nomination would result with Bernie coming ahead of Trump by a larger margin than if it were a Clinton-Trump race. This statement can be proven by the aforementioned CBS/New York Times poll (Wright, 2016). In this article, Wright concludes with the matchup scenarios, Hillary topping Trump by 10 points, but Bernie ousting Trump with a strong 15 points (Wright, 2016). A story by Chris Moody, CNN Politics Senior Digital Correspondent, described Bernie’s perfect place: Denmark (2016). Describing Denmark, Moody added, “But it is a market with many differences from the United States. All Danish citizens have access to child care, state-guaranteed medical and parental leave from work, free college tuition in which students receive a paycheck from the government during enrollment, free health care and a generous pension, all of which Sanders supports” (2016). This type of report draws in attention globally and makes CNN favorable among leftists and pro-Sanders crowds. Referring to panel discussion about Donald Trump, however, allows more to be talked about.
In the panel discussion about Trump’s GOP system comment, Senator Sanders was supported by Nina Turner (State of the Union). A quick search tells that Turner is a former Ohio Senate representative. During the panel, Turner talked a mediocre amount. When she did give her input, she agreed with the “rigged system” remark (State of the Union). This makes sense as Sanders is a party outsider as well. If the system is rigged, it must be altered. Sanders’ social media campaign has taken off to better heights than, perhaps, all other competitors. With trends such as #feelthebern, #babiesforbernie, #votebernie, the Twittersphere and world of Instagram have been taken by charge (Diaz, 2015). A new style has emerged from Bernie’s run, “Babies for Bernie” (Diaz, 2015). This is when parents dress their children up as Sanders and post the picture with #babiesforbernie (Diaz, 2016). “Babies for Bernie” is only one of many large creations supporters have put together to get the Senator’s message out. One potential nominee has had her name out since the 1990s.
The next Clinton
Hillary Clinton (D), former first lady, New York Senator, and Secretary of State, is the wife of the President Bill Clinton and served as Secretary of State under President Barack Obama’s first term. Currently having the most votes and delegates of any candidate, she is focused on eliminating Sanders with her sight on the finish line: Washington D.C. Jay Parini, attempted to explain why people hate Hillary Clinton so much:
Of course, Republicans have known for a long time that Hillary Clinton is an unusually strong candidate, and this terrifies them…The main reason that Republicans, in particular, hate Clinton is that she will probably beat Trump or Cruz or anyone thrown up by the GOP in the general election. The abuse of Hillary Clinton must stop. She's not perfect. But she's smart, experienced and compassionate, and she will step into the Oval Office better prepared to take on an exacting job in difficult times than almost anyone in recent memory. (CNN).
Jay Parini, a poet, novelist, and professor in Vermont, voted for Bernie Sanders in the Vermont primary. However, he stated that he would “happily vote for her in November” (Parini, 2016). Knowing this, it gives the reader a chance to understand his possible sway if Sanders was not the nominee in November. These type of distinctly opposing views that CNN portrays, allows it to be the leading competitor in election years.
Hillary’s supporter in the “Trump Says GOP system is rigged” State of the Union panel was Bakari Sellers (2016). Sellers is a CNN Political Commentator and was formerly a South Carolina representative. As a whole, he talked often in comparison to the other panelists. Sellers commented, “If they take this race away from Donald Trump, their going to watch the Republican Party disintegrate” (State of the Union). With this being said, he does work for CNN, so it does produce a small bias within the coverage. Also, having a Clinton supporter talking the most about Trump gives the viewers a chance to compare the two. Clinton is also battling Trump and Sanders in another way: social media. “‘I definitely think we are a production company,’ Katie Dowd, the digital director for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, said” (Codianni, 2015). More camps are starting to realize the potential for a social media campaign as well, such as Hillary’s use of Instagram while in Iowa, “More like Chillary Clinton amirite?” (Codianni, 2015). This simple video post has looped over 28 million times (Codianni, 2015). Hillary is appealing to younger viewers to challenge her party opposition, Bernie Sanders. CNN has acknowledged every aspect of each candidate and with that, they also gain more attention from younger crowds to watch debates, town halls, and results.
The outcome
The Cable News Network (CNN) may sway in favor of democrats, but statistics and careful observation prove that they are still the most trustworthy and least biased. With five candidates refusing to drop out of the presidential race in April, November is shaping up to be quite an interesting future. From CNN coverage, stories, and panel discussions to the use of social media, CNN attempts to create a fair environment for each candidate. If one is left out, they usually react with another viewpoint. CNN can be reliable to continue its holding of town halls, debates, and the best coverage results.
References
Codianni, A. (2015, August 25). Inside Hillary Clinton's digital operation. CNN. Retrieved April 26, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2015/08/25/politics/hillary-clinton-2016-digital/
Diaz, D. (2015, October 17). #BabiesForBernie catches on social media. CNN. Retrieved April 26, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2015/10/17/politics/babies-for-bernie-sanders-facebook-instagram/
Glum, J. (2016, March 29). CNN GOP town hall live updates: Trump, Cruz and Kasich take voter questions in Wisconsin. International Business Times. Retrieved April 26, 2016, from http://www.ibtimes.com/cnn-gop-town-hall-live-updates-trump-cruz-kasich-take-voter-questions-wisconsin-2345082
Kopan, T. (2016, April 12). Kasich on nomination race: 'It's a bizarre process'. CNN. Retrieved April 26, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/11/politics/john-kasich-family-town-hall/
Mattingly, P., Schleifer, T., & Serfaty, S. (2015, April 25). How Cruz and Kasich joined forces. CNN. Retrieved April 26, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2016/04/25/politics/ted-cruz-john-kasich-joined-forces/index.html
Moody, C. (2016, February 17). Bernie Sanders' American Dream is in Denmark. CNN. Retrieved March 23, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/17/politics/bernie-sanders-2016-denmark-democratic-socialism/index.html
Parini, J. (2016, March 21). Why the hate for Hillary Clinton? CNN. Retrieved March 23, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/20/opinions/why-the-hate-for-hillary-clinton-opinion-parini/?iid=ob_lockedrail_bottomlist
Robbins, M. (2016, February 27). It's over; Donald Trump is the Republican nominee (Opinion). CNN. Retrieved March 23, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2016/02/24/opinions/trump-will-be-republican-nominee-robbins/?iid=ob_videoleaf_organicfooter
Schleifer, T. (2016, March 23). Donald Trump makes wild threat to 'spill the beans' on Ted Cruz's wife. CNN. Retrieved March 23, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/22/politics/ted-cruz-melania-trump-twitter-donald-trump-heidi/index.html
Sharockman, A. (2014, September 16). Fact-checking Fox, MSNBC and CNN: PunditFact's network scorecards. PunditFact. Retrieved March 23, 2016, from http://www.politifact.com/punditfact/article/2014/sep/16/fact-checking-fox-msnbc-and-cnn-punditfacts-networ/
State of the Union. (2016, April). Panel 1: Trump says GOP system is "rigged" - CNN Video. CNN. Retrieved April 26, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2016/04/17/panel-1-trump-says-gop-system-is-rigged.cnn
Wright, D. (2016, March 21). John Kasich: 'Of course I'm not a spoiler' CNN. Retrieved March 23, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/21/politics/john-kasich-spoiler-convention/?iid=ob_article_footer_expansion
Wright, D. (2016, March 22). Poll: Trump, Clinton score historic unfavorable ratings. CNN. Retrieved March 23, 2016, from http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/22/politics/2016-election-poll-donald-trump-hillary-clinton/index.html
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