Spin doctors

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The questions about the effect of the political marketing, his benefits, or maybe his adverse consequences are today a debate powered in political press and literature.

It seems that the candidate of the election be forced to use his methods : since his first application in 1952 by Eisehower, the political marketing seemed to encourage the candidate, as a result that in 1956, Stevenson, who represented for the democratic party and who has reffused to do appeal to the marketing communications methods in 1952, was resigned to do appeal to communication professional.

In europe, first Great Britain in 1959, then Belgium in 1965 following the american model. In France, it is at the opportunity of the first universal suffrage for the presidential elections that the political marketing was used for the first time. « a stranger named Lecanuet », as sayed the Nouvel Observateur of 1st december 1965, credited by 3 pourcent of voting intentions, get 16 pourcent of suffrages.

The caricature below has an ironic connotation, so a negative connotation. It points the fact that a politician will be not able to do oneself her own figure close to the citizens without having recourse to a spin doctor.

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B) Different way to use this function in different countries

The usage of spin doctors is practicing in all the countries and used by all politician, for all reasons.

Two famous spin doctors had acquired a good reputation result by leak cases of press. It's Karl Rove, G. W. Bush's spin doctor, named « babygenius » and Alastair Campbell for Tony Blair. They played a crucial rôle in the marketing of the Irak war, with the style and the programm of his client.

In the third reich, Joseph Goebbels was the precursor and initiator of a propaganda in favour of totalitaianism. His action is characterized by the justification and promotion of an ideology in the service of a « thousand years Reich ».

In United States, the Spin doctors are identify. Books, website as sourcewatch.org or prwatch.org keep the chronic of their activities. They appear in movies or TV movies. The presidential campaign in 2008, spotlighted news spin doctors like David Axelrod, Barack Obama's spin doctor. In this country, we can count 4,6 spin for one journalist.

In Mexico, Rafael Gullén Vicente, name « sub-commandant Marcos » used to this methods for become famous.

In France, we can take the exemple of François Mitterand with Jacques Séguéla. Or Nicolas Sarkozy who profited of lot of spin doctors when he was president.

In Russia, the elections of Boris Eltsine in 1996 and Vladimir Poutine in 2000 are marked by the methods of spin doctors, according to Tania Rakhmanova in his book « in the heart of russian power ».

Conclusion

Resort to spin doctors is a practice increasingly used by politicians with the increasing development of social networks, medias.

However, this practice is increasingly criticized by the citizens, who wonders what would become politicians without spin doctors ?

Moreover, researchers wondering if the democracy is in danger ?

I'd really recommend that seeing the film « wag the dog », if you want to learn more of spin doctor job.

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