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"Peace Little Girl (Daisy)"
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The famous 1964 "Daisy Girl" ad used the power of suggestion to raise fears about Republican candidate Barry Goldwater.
"The idea that you can merchandise candidates for high office like breakfast cereal is the ultimate indignity to the democratic process."
—Democratic candidate Adlai Stevenson, 1956
"Television is no gimmick, and nobody will ever be elected to major office again without presenting themselves well on it."
—Television producer and Nixon campaign consultant Roger Ailes, 1968
In a media-saturated environment where news, opinions, and entertainment surround us all day on our TV, computer, and cell phone screens, the only medium where presidential candidates still have complete control over their images is the paid commercial. Commercials use the tools of fiction filmmaking, including script, visuals, editing, and performance, to distill a candidate's major campaign themes to a few powerful images. Ads elicit emotional reactions, inspiring support for a candidate or raising doubts about the opponent. While commercials reflect the styles and techniques of the times in which they were made, the fundamental strategies and messages have tended to remain the same over the years.
The Living Room Candidate contains more than 450 commercials, from every presidential election since 1952, when Madison Avenue advertising executive Rosser Reeves convinced Dwight Eisenhower that short ads during such popular TV programs as I Love Lucy would reach more voters than any other form of advertising. This innovation had a permanent effect on the way presidential campaigns are run.
The 2020 edition of The Living Room Candidate has been made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor.