-As heard on National Public Radio, McNeil-Lehrer News Hour, 1990

“Popular response to a president during an international crisis is favorable, regardless of the wisdom of the policies he pursues.” (Polsby, 1964)

“Either you’re with us, or you’re with the terrorists.” George W. Bush

It has become an accepted fact in American politics that when crisis occurs, the president’s public popularity rises dramatically. Much has been written about this phenomenon, often referred to as the “rally round the flag” phenomenon, yet there seems to be a lack of material regarding how presidents have used this effect to their advantage. What has been written to support this “rally effect” theory? Could it be possible for an administration to do anything from avoiding scandal to pushing through legislation, in order to enhance the current ad

Bush also continued to utilize his high popularity in the mid term elections of 2002. Scholarly critics have pointed out that the threats to Iraq seemed to be timed perfectly with the elections, echoing the quote about his father at the beginning of the paper. While the media kept fear high, and President Bush pushed the state of alert to orange on September 10, 2002, with absolutely no real explanation, except for Donald Rumsfeild saying that the response is “not a response to any specific threat, but is a prudent precaution.”(KRT Wire, posted 10 September, 2002) Should the President strike fear into people with no more a reason given than “prudent precaution? This fear kept people focused on which party would be the most likely to protect them, which most people perceived as the Republican Party. People were apparently not as concerned with the deteriorating economy as they were with the fear of being terrorized, and the Republican Party gained control of the legislative branch.

ministration, by capitalizing on the “rally round the flag” mentality?

Bush has also maintained this rally effect through a crucial time for his administration: mid term elections. Threatening war with Iraq, continuing to link the nation with Al Qaida and the fears of the nation, and heavily focusing the public eye to the fear that is facing the country are often pointed to when an analyst explains why the Republican Party gained such strength in 2002. (Providence Journal 6 November 2002)

On April 19, 1995 Clinton, as Lewis Gould in “American Passages Vol.2 from 1863” puts it “regained a position of trust and confidence with the American people.” The Oklahoma City Bombing meets the criteria of a rally event. The tragedy was one of international interest confronting the nation. The dramatic, sharply focused event grabbed the entire country’s fear of being susceptible to such destruction. It was greatly covered, making the front page of every national newspaper (Gould, 2000). Clinton’s approval rating spiked 23%. Another increase also occurred after the first bombing of the world trade center in 1993, though not nearly as covered or maintained as its predecessor.

Some topics in this essay:
Lian Oneal, Churchill Americans, Middle East, City Bombing, York Times, Baker Oneal, Callaghan Virtanen, Washington Post, Republican Party, Public Opinion, rally event, lian oneal, rally effect, opinion leader, elite opinion leader, leader model, support president, approval rating, september 11th, oklahoma city, elite opinion, opinion leader model, “rally round flag”, criteria rally event, approval ratings ratings,