people become involved in politics, whether it is merely to vote or to join an organization,
because they believe that their position could be improved by their action or they feel some
sense of civic duty. If African Americans don’t believe they are taken seriously, however, is
there an incentive for them to become active and mobilized? Statistics show that black
participation in elections is actually increasing across the country, but it is still far below
participation rates for whites. If candidates did more to engage the African American
population, beginning with more campaign speeches to predominantly black audiences, we
might see this rate of participation increase, which can’t replace support from whites, but will
certainly help the civic life of this country.
In addition to the consequences of not talking to African Americans, there are
profound consequences of the ways in which issues are discussed to blacks and whites. The
analysis of the more specific topics discussed in presidential campaign speeches is important
because the ways in which these leaders frame issues can shape public opinion (Kinder &
Sanders, 1996). Particularly on issues of race, citizens often turn to others to gauge what
opinions are politically and socially acceptable, especially in the post-civil rights era when
overt racial sentiments are no longer prevalent or accepted. As such, “public opinion on race
– and, by implication, public opinion generally – depends in a systematic and intelligible way
on how the issues are framed” (Kinder & Sanders, 1996, 165).
In light of elites’ power to shape public opinion through frames, presidential
candidates should be very cognizant when creating communication strategies that their
messages could greatly affect public opinion on race and racial issues. Opinion on issues
such as crime and welfare, in addition to those overtly racial such as affirmative action, can
Convention