alieNATION

presents research conducted by a national election team and leading scholars in political communication that explores a range of important topics and variables affecting voter attitudes and behavior in the 2012 U.S. presidential election.

Dianne G. Bystrom (PhD, University of Oklahoma) is Director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State University. Mary C. Banwart (PhD, University of Oklahoma) is Associate Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas. Mitchell S. McKinney (PhD, University of Kansas) is Professor and Chair of Communication at the University of Missouri.

« addresses the single most important issue in American political discourse, the fracturing of the electorate into divisive sub-populations who find it increasingly difficult to communicate and understand one another. It is an essential read for scholars, practitioners, and concerned citizens alike.» (R. Lance Holbert, Professor and Chair, Department of Strategic Communication, Temple University) «This comprehensive analysis touches every part of the 2012 presidential campaign – the debates; the battle for framing news stories; sound bites; social media strategies; the issues; and the targeting of the young, the Latino, and the religious voters. While the authors of carefully dissect the 2012 presidential election, their analysis offers much for scholars and students to ponder as the 2016 presidential contest unfolds.» (Cindy Simon Rosenthal, Director and Curator, Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma) «The United States was once considered a melting pot. As the writers in this book illustrate, it’s now more of a stir fry. Presidential candidates in 2012 sliced, diced, and chopped the electorate in efforts to win the presidency. This book is a readable examination of how that was done, what may lie ahead for 2016, and what it means for the future of the country. A useful and timely work for academics, practitioners, students, and political junkies.» (David Yepsen, Director, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, Southern Illinois University)

« addresses the single most important issue in American political discourse, the fracturing of the electorate into divisive sub-populations who find it increasingly difficult to communicate and understand one another. It is an essential read for scholars, practitioners, and concerned citizens alike.» (R. Lance Holbert, Professor and Chair, Department of Strategic Communication, Temple University) «This comprehensive analysis touches every part of the 2012 presidential campaign – the debates; the battle for framing news stories; sound bites; social media strategies; the issues; and the targeting of the young, the Latino, and the religious voters. While the authors of carefully dissect the 2012 presidential election, their analysis offers much for scholars and students to ponder as the 2016 presidential contest unfolds.» (Cindy Simon Rosenthal, Director and Curator, Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center, University of Oklahoma) «The United States was once considered a melting pot. As the writers in this book illustrate, it’s now more of a stir fry. Presidential candidates in 2012 sliced, diced, and chopped the electorate in efforts to win the presidency. This book is a readable examination of how that was done, what may lie ahead for 2016, and what it means for the future of the country. A useful and timely work for academics, practitioners, students, and political junkies.» (David Yepsen, Director, Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, Southern Illinois University)

Mitchell S. McKinney/Dianne G. Bystrom: Introduction: An alieNATION of the U.S. Electorate – Daniela V. Dimitrova: Framing the 2012 Presidential Election on U.S. Television: Candidates, Issues, and Sources – Joshua Hawthorne/Mitchell S. McKinney: To Form a More Polarized Electorate? The Effect of Presidential Debates on Polarization, Partisanship, and Political Aggression – Kelly L. Winfrey/Mary C. Banwart/Benjamin R. Warner: Communicating with Voters 30 Seconds at a Time: Presidential Campaign Advertising 2012 – Kaye D. Sweetser: Reaching Young Voters in the Middle: Party Loyalty and Perception of Political Participation – Amy E. Jasperson: «No One Puts Baby in a Binder»: The Resonance of Social Media: Messages with College Students During the 2012 Presidential Campaign – Jay P. Childers/R. McKay Stangler: Defining Fairness in the Economic Rhetoric of the 2012 Presidential Election – Ann Gordon/Brett Robertson/Lisa Sparks: Health Care Reform: Core Value Differences Between Liberal and Conservative Candidates and Voters – Valerie M. Hennings/Dianne G. Bystrom: Gendered Framing of the 2012 Election: The «War on Women» as Rhetorical Strategy – Sharon E. Jarvis/Clariza Ruiz De Castilla: Are Latinos Citizens? Labels, Race, and Politics in News Coverage of Immigration Reform – Hayley J. Cole/Mitchell S. McKinney: Debating Marriage Equality in the 2012 Elections – Dianne G. Bystrom/Valerie M. Hennings: Articulating Interests and Advocating Issues: An Analysis of Congresswomen’s Political Speech after the 2012 Election – Kate Kenski: The Gender Gap in Presidential Vote Preference – Charlton McIlwain/Stephen Maynard Caliendo: Black, White, and Latino: Message Strategies for a Divided Electorate – Leslie A. Rill/Mitchell S. McKinney: Defying Expectations: Young Citizens’ Political Attitudes and Participation in the 2012 Election – Brian T. Kaylor: Altar Calls: Religious Segmentation in Campaign Appeals – Mike Milford: Working Together at Arm’s Length: Bipartisan Rhetoric in the 2012 Presidential Campaign – Benjamin R. Warner/Molly Greenwood: Affective Polarization from Campaign Communication: Alienating Messages in the 2012 Presidential Election – Dianne G. Bystrom/Mary C. Banwart: Conclusion: Reflections on the 2012 Election: An Agenda Moving Forward.