Last Man Standing - Media, Framing, and the 2012 Republican Primaries

When Barack Obama was re-elected president in November 2012, his Republican challenger, Mitt Romney, took the blame for being alternately too moderate or too conservative; his vast wealth made him unappealing to voters; and his robotic persona meant he just could not connect. How, then, did he win the nomination? This book examines mainstream media coverage of the 2012 Republican primary season to identify and examine the frames used to make sense of the candidates and the race.

List of contents

Last Man Standing

Table of Contents

Dedication

Acknowledgments

Chapter 1: Setting the Stage
·Understanding the Context
oMedia Framing
oPrimaries
oCitizens United v. Federal Election Commission
·Understanding Framing in the 2012 Republican Primaries

Chapter 2: An Unsettled Field (May-June 2011)
·Meet the Candidates
oTop-Tier Candidates
§Jon Huntsman
§Tim Pawlenty
§Mitt Romney
oTea Party Conservatives
§Michele Bachmann
§Herman Cain
§Newt Gingrich
§Rick Santorum
oThe Libertarian Fringe
§Gary Johnson
§Ron Paul
·The Race Begins
oThe First Debate: South Carolina
oGingrich Implodes: Parts I and II
oThe Evangelical Vote
oGingrich Implodes... Again
oThe Second Debate: New Hampshire
oBachmann's Buzz
oCampaigns in Trouble
oRick Perry: A New Alternative to Romney?

Chapter 3: The Race Intensifies (July-August 2011)
·The Rise of Michele Bachmann
·Pawlenty's "Failure to Launch"
·Huntsman's "Difficulty Gaining Traction"
·Romney's Focused Campaign
·Perry: A Conservative's Dream
·All Eyes on Iowa
oThe Ames Straw Poll
·Perry "Jolts" the Field
·Paul's Predicament
·Limiting the Pool

Chapter 4: The Rollercoaster Continues (September-October 2011)
·The Candidates Debate: Simi Valley, CA and Tampa, FL
·Perry versus Romney
·Perry Under a Microscope
·Romney: The "Eat-Your-Vegetables" Candidate
·Focus on Florida
oRaising Cain: The Florida Straw Poll
·The Rise (and Fall) of "Anti-Romney" Candidates
oPerry Falls Short
oBachmann's Lost Her Buzz
oPaul Beginning to Surge
oCain: The Latest Flavor-of-the-Month
·October Debates: Hanover, NH and Las Vegas, NV
·Moving Right
·Romney: Establishment's Choice, but What About Voters?
·The Influence of Debates
·Getting Ready for the Final Stretch

Chapter 5: The Final Stretch (November-December 2011)
·Cain: A Candidate Mired in Controversy
·Vying for Support
·Cain's Foreign Policy Debacle
·Romney: Disciplined Campaigner
·The Rebirth of Gingrich
·The End of Cain
·Campaigning in December: The Final Sprint Begins
oRomney: Changing Strategy?
oCan Gingrich Maintain His Position in the Top Tier?
oFive Days, Three Debates
·Realities of Winter Campaigns
·Rallying Behind a Conservative Candidate

Chapter 6: Voting Begins (January-February 2012)
·The Iowa Caucuses Begin
·Moving on to New Hampshire
·South Carolina: The First Southern Primary
·Creating Racial Tensions
·Florida: Romney Fights Back
·Santorum's Resurgence
·Romney's Uncertain Terrain
·Santorum: The Conservative Alternative?
·Gingrich: His Own Worst Enemy?
·Paul: Looking for Leverage
·Arizona and Michigan: Romney's Resurgence?

Chapter 7: Last Man Standing (March-April 2012)
·A Delegate Strategy
·Build-Up to Super Tuesday
·No Clear Winner on Super Tuesday
·Romney: No Excitement, No Inspiration
·Santorum's Wild Ride
·Gingrich and Paul: Still Running, Too
·Mid-March Madness
·April: The Race Winds Down
·Romney: The Last Man Standing

Chapter 8: Conclusion
·Framing Candidates and Issues
·Impact of the Tea Party
·What Happened in 2012?
·Pragmatism versus Ideology

Appendix: Methods
·Data Collection
oNewspaper Articles
§Table A.1: Newspaper Articles Included in Study
oCable News Transcripts
§Table A.2: Cable News Transcripts Included in Study
oDrawing the Sample
·Textual Analysis
·A Final Note on Methods

Bibliography

About the author

Danielle Sarver Coombs (Ph.D., Louisiana State University) is a professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Kent State University (Ohio, USA). She is the co-author of Female Fans of the NFL (Routledge, 2016) and author of Last Man Standing: Media, Framing, and the 2012 Republican Primary (Rowman & Littlefield, 2014). Coombs co-edited three anthologies for Praeger: Debates for the Digital Age (2015); We Are What We Sell (2014), and American History through American Sports (2012). Danielle has published research on sport fans and fandom in a number of prestigious journals, including the Howard Journal of Communications, Liminalities, the Journal of Sport & Social Issues, Sport in Society, International Journal of Sport Communication, and Public Relations Research. She served as the interim associate dean for the College of Communication and Information at Kent State University from 2016-2018. Before transitioning to academia, Danielle worked in consumer insights research for brands across a wide range of sectors, including fashion, media, public organizations, and consumer packaged goods.

Product details

• Authors: Danielle Sarver Coombs
• Publisher: Rowman and Littlefield
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 14.11.2013
• EAN: 9781442220355
• ISBN: 978-1-4422-2035-5
• No. of pages: 194
• Series: Communication, Media, and Politics; Communication, Media, and Poli; Communication, Media, and Politics
• Subject: Social sciences, law, business > Media, communication > General, dictionaries