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Match the words (1-10) with the definitions (a-j).

1.

to gather

a.

a person or thing which has the same purpose as another one in a

 

information

 

different place or organization

2.

to disseminate

b.

a person who you know but do not know very well

 

views

 

 

3.

to motivate

c.

to make certain you know what is happening

 

employees

 

 

4.

sophisticated

d.

to watch something carefully for a period of time

 

method

 

 

5.

to keep track

e.

a complicated and intricate way of doing something

6.

debate

f.

to start to employ someone

7.

to monitor

g.

a serious discussion of a subject in which many people take part

8.

to hire

h.

to give staff reasons to do something

9.

acquaintance

i.

to spread ideas

10.

counterpart

j.

to collect facts and news

3. Reading

Reading 14.1.

Read the text “Fund-Raising by Candidates” and answer these questions.

1.What is fund-raising?

2.How can public relations be used in political fund-raising ?

Fund-Raising by Candidates

American-style campaigning is the most expensive in the world. The Center for Responsive Politics estimates that total spending on the 1996 primaries and presidential election was $800 million, more than 2.5 times the 1992 expenditure of $311 million.

In the 1998 mid-term congressional elections, the two parties spent a record $283 million

– the Republicans spent $177.5 million, the Democrats $105.5 million…

At least 94 House candidates in 76 districts broke the $1 million spending barrier, according to the Federal Elections Commission. In some cases, candidates considerably exceeded the amount.

On a higher level, presidential aspirants were also raising millions before the first primary was held. Experts believe that a serious candidate for the presidency would need a minimum of $22

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million before the selection of delegates. George W. Bush*, for example, had raised more than $70 million before the first state primary was even held.

Incumbent lawmakers utilize professionals to organize fund-raising activities. A popular activity in Washington, D.C., is the luncheon, reception, or dinner on behalf of a legislator’s reelection campaign. The Wall Street Journal, for example, reported that on a single day in one October, 14 such events were held, raising $650,000.

Attending such events are individual donors and lobbyist. Although a chicken dinner is not exactly worth $5000 per plate, the contact with legislators is. No business is actually discussed, but the occasion gives lobbyists an opportunity to say, “Don’t forget us in the markup” – the drafting of a bill.

Some consultants specialize in direct mail and telemarketing. They are helped by firms that specialize in computer databases and mailing lists. Aristole Publishers, for example, claims to have records on 128 million people. A political candidate can get a tailored list of prospects using any number of demographic variables,, including party affiliation, voting record, contribution record, age, geographic location, and opinions on various issues.

Other firms in the Washington, D.C., area handle mass mailings on behalf of the candidates. Kiplinger Computer and Mailing Services is capable of running envelopes at 10,000 per hour and printing personalized letters at 120 pages per minute.

(Wilcox, Dennis L., et al. Essentials of Public Relations. New York: Longman., 2001. P. 270)

Notes

The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States of America. It is often referred to as the Grand Old Party or the GOP. It is the younger of the two major US Political Parties , and the second oldest active political party in the United States. The current U.S. President, George W. Bush, is the 18-th Republican to hold that office.

Founded in 1854 by anti-slavery expansion activists and modernizers, the Republican Party rose to prominence with the election of Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president.

(“Wall Street Journal.” Wikipedia. 12 Nov. 2007. 12 Nov. 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republican_Party.>)

The Democratic Party is one of the two major political parties in the Unites States, the other being the Republican Party. It is the oldest political party in the United States and arguably the oldest party in the world. The Democratic Party traces its origins to the Democratic-Republican Party, founded by Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, and other influential opponents of the Federalists in 1792.

(“Wall

Street

Journal.”

Wikipedia.

12

Nov.

2007.

12

Nov.

2007

 

 

 

 

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<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_Party.>)

George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is the forty-third and current President of the United States of America, originally inaugurated on January 20, 2001. Bush was first elected in the 2000 presidential election, and reelected for a second term in the 2004 presidential election. He previously served as the forty-sixth Governor of Texas from 1995 to 2000 and is the oldest son of former United States President George Herbert Walker Bush.

(“Wall Street Journal.” Wikipedia. 12 Nov. 2007. 12 Nov 2007 <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_W._Bush.>)

Reading 14.2.

Read the text “Public Relations and Campaigning” and answer these questions.

1.What are the tools of today’s political campaign?

2.According to the authors, what is the most effective tool for reaching the American voter? What are its drawbacks?

Public Relations and Campaigning

The tools of today’s political campaign are many and varied. Constant focus groups and polls continually test messages and determine the “hot” buttons of the voter. Extensive use of modern communications technology such as satellite media tours and video news releases, bulk faxing of background material, and the use of the Internet have greatly expanded message delivery.

Helping the candidates use these tools is another force of consultants and technicians who work to advance the election of their clients – writers of position papers, speech writers, graphic artists, computer experts, photographers, and media strategists. Advance people spend many hours trying to organize events and to organize events and generate crowds in an age when most people would rather stay home and watch television.

Indeed, even in this age of the Internet and interactive media, television remains the major tool for reaching the American voter. But prime-time television is increasingly expensive and is cited as one of the major reasons that campaigns cost so much. California GOP consultant Sal Russo told PR Week: “A good buy in California in the closing weeks of a campaign used to be $1 million a week. Now, it’s $2.5 million.”

An attractive alternative is the establishment of websites where citizens can get information. Public relations professionals are enthusiastic about the potential. Phil Noble of Politics Online told PR Week: “We are seeing the birth of digital politics.” One survey shows that 40 percent of regular voters are not online, but other experts claim that only 25 percent of the electorate is currently on the Internet – and a candidate can’t win an election with those numbers.

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