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2016: The Year of “Democrazy” and the Politics of Spectacle

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The Politics of Spectacle and Emotion in the 2016 Presidential Campaign

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in US Elections ((PSUSE))

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Abstract

This chapter maps the theoretical underpinnings of the conditions that shaped the political landscape of the 2016 presidential campaign. Among those conditions was the politics of the “no-third-term tendency” that created a difficult path to the White House for Democrats. There are several theoretical considerations addressed in this chapter: first, the politics of backlash and resentment, the politics of intergroup conflict, and the role of gender in politics. This chapter operationalizes the tenets political theme to situate the analysis of the book: the politics of spectacle and the 2016 campaign. Simply defined, spectacle creates something to look at. The thesis is advanced that the components of spectacle were largely anchored in campaign rhetoric and unconventional tactics. At times, the spectacle seemed to intentionally detract from substantive issues.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Political Science, University of Central Arkansas, Conway, AR, USA

    Heather E. Yates

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  1. Heather E. Yates
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Correspondence to Heather E. Yates .

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Yates, H.E. (2019). 2016: The Year of “Democrazy” and the Politics of Spectacle. In: The Politics of Spectacle and Emotion in the 2016 Presidential Campaign. Palgrave Studies in US Elections. Palgrave Pivot, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-15804-0_2

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