Commentary ‐ Image‐manufacturing in the USA: recent US Presidential Elections and beyond

Now that we have entered the new millennium in politics, it is clear that the machinery of the “old politics” that was centered on a party‐orientation is being replaced by computers of the “new politics” that is centered on an image manufacturing‐orientation. Along with this movement comes a highly integrated marketing strategy that is driven by a candidate’s inner circle of advisors who now control the money and message of both the party and candidate organization. This makes for a very easy transition from election to governing, as the top advisors during the campaign become top advisors to the leader and the key architects of the party administration. All of the advanced marketing techniques and tools that have been used in politics over the past several years are becoming more sharply focused on one central theme, and that is to manufacture a winning image for the leader and his/her party. The 2000 US Presidential Election will be used as a case in point to examine how this process works and what impact it will have on politics in the future.