Fortuitous media-framed crimes can decide presidential elections

Evidence

This election was held in the context of the abduction, rape, and murder of Polly Klaas, a young girl who was kidnapped at knifepoint from a slumber party at her home. The randomness of the crime, which was committed in a middle-class neighborhood, frightened the public with the realization that anyone can be a victim. … In response to this tragedy, legislators drafted a “one-strike law” whereby rapists would be sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. Brown argued that it would be difficult to get convictions in rape cases under such an extreme law. She also opposed the death penalty on the moral grounds that it conflicted with her religious values but said that as governor she would enforce it. In addition to illegal immigration, Wilson made Brown’s apparent “softness on crime” the mainstay of his reelection campaign. Television ads portrayed him as a tough crime fighter, questioned Brown’s commitment to the one-strike law, and used her opposition to the death penalty as evidence that she lacked the courage to be tough on crime. … Brown objected to Wilson’s misrepresentations of her position on crime and criticized him for “exploiting the pain of rape victims to cover up his failed record” (Stall, 1994). Brown’s initially large lead rapidly eroded, and she was defeated in the election. Both this case and that of Michael Dukakis illustrate how a socially threatening, fortuitous event can help determine the outcomes of gubernatorial and presidential elections. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1864 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

During a prison furlough a convicted murderer, Willie Horton, fled from Massachusetts to Maryland, where he broke into a home, raped a woman, and beat and stabbed her fiancé. The infamous Willie Horton television ad, laced with racist overtones, was aired repeatedly as graphic evidence that Dukakis was soft on crime. During a presidential debate, the moderator asked Dukakis whether he would favor the death penalty if his wife was raped and murdered. He calmly explained his opposition to the death penalty. His didactic response to this horrid scenario not only reinforced the view that he was soft on crime but also suggested that he was cold and unresponsive to the fate of victims as well. This set of events contributed to Dukakis’s defeat in the presidential election. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1850 (#corroborates, via linked claim)

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Brazilian media-centered anti-politics fused judicial and police celebrity — Vincent Bevins, If We Burn: The Mass Protest Decade and…, 601; A single emotionally-charged crime narrative can tip a presidential election. — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 1850; A single random, frightening crime can swing statewide and presidential elections — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement: How People Do Harm…, 1864 (+6 more)

Broader Connections

• A single random, frightening crime can swing statewide and presidential elections #corroborates (0.93) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1864
• A single emotionally-charged crime narrative can tip a presidential election. #corroborates (0.92) — Albert Bandura, Moral Disengagement, 1850