Democracy Disrupted: Communication in the Volatile 2020 Presidential Election

Description

Democracy Disrupted documents the most significant features of the 2020 U.S. presidential election through research conducted by leading scholars in political communication. Chapters consider the coinciding of three historical events in 2020: a 100-year pandemic co-occurring with the presidential campaign, the reinvigorated call for social and racial justice in response to the killing of George Floyd and other Black men and women, and the authoritarian lurch that emerged in reaction to Donald Trump's norm-challenging rhetoric. The Democratic Party's campaign stood out because of the historically diverse field of presidential candidates and the election of the first female vice president. Chapter authors adopt diverse scientific methodologies and field-leading theories of political communication to understand the way these events forced candidates, campaigns, and voters to adapt to these extraordinary circumstances. Experiments, surveys, case studies, and textual analysis illuminate essential features of this once-in-a-generation campaign. This timely volume is edited by four scholars who have been central to describing and contextualizing each recent presidential contest. Cover Title Page Copyright Contents Introduction. Exploring the Disruptive 2020 Campaign: Contextualizing the Role of the Push for Progress, the Pandemic, and the Insurrection at the Capitol Part One. Disrupting the Status Quo Chapter 1. Looking In/Looking Out: Pete Buttigieg’s Not-So-Queer Run for the Presidency Chapter 2. Mediating Race and Gender in Campaign 2020: The Cooking with Kamala Videos Chapter 3. Rhetoric of Optimism and Promise of Transformation: Concession Speeches by U.S. Presidential Women Candidates in 2020 Chapter 4. Partisan Motivations for News Use: Implications for Threat Perceptions during the 2020 U.S. Election Chapter 5. Navigating Difficult Conversations in the Family in the 2020 Election Environment Part Two. Disrupting the Campaign Chapter 6. Political Party Tweets during the 2020 Presidential Campaign Chapter 7. Donald Trump and the COVID-19 Information Environment in Campaign 2020 Chapter 8. Forced Online: The Promise and Challenge of Relational Organizing Technology in a 2020 State-Level Campaign Chapter 9. “The SPN Family Votes!”: Celebrity Endorsements in Online Fan Communities Chapter 10. Hope and Fear in a Pandemic: Videostyle in 2020 Presidential Advertising Part Three. Disrupting Democratic Norms Chapter 11. Donald Trump, Emotional Activation, and Authoritarianism Chapter 12. Reclaiming the Center: Constitutive Rhetoric and the “Moderate Ethos” in Crossover Endorsements for Joe Biden Chapter 13. Trump’s Disruptive Debate: Analyzing the Candidate Branding Costs Chapter 14. Social Dominance, Sexism, and the Lasting Effects on Political Communication from the 2020 Election Chapter 15. Partisan Media and Polarization in the 2020 Campaign About the Editors and Contributors Index