DC -- Newseum -- Exhibits -- (4) Every Four Years:
Bruce Guthrie Photos Home Page: [Click here] to go to Bruce Guthrie Photos home page.
Description of Pictures: "Every Four Years"
"Every Four Years," on view during the 2012 election cycle, will explore the complex relationship between journalists and candidates on the presidential campaign trail.
Including campaigns from 1896 to today, the exhibition will explore the constantly changing landscape of presidential campaigns and election coverage.
“Every Four Years” was made possible through generous premier sponsorship from the American Association of University Women.
Contributing sponsorship support for the exhibit is provided by The Washington Examiner.
Recognize anyone? If you recognize specific folks (or other stuff) and I haven't labeled them, please identify them for the world. Click the little pencil icon underneath the file name (just above the picture). Spammers need not apply.
Slide Show: Want to see the pictures as a slide show?
[Slideshow]
Copyrights: All pictures were taken by amateur photographer Bruce Guthrie (me!) who retains copyright on them. Free for non-commercial use with attribution. See the [Creative Commons] definition of what this means. "Photos (c) Bruce Guthrie" is fine for attribution. (Commercial use folks including AI scrapers can of course contact me.) Feel free to use in publications and pages with attribution but you don't have permission to sell the photos themselves. A free copy of any printed publication using any photographs is requested. Descriptive text, if any, is from a mixture of sources, quite frequently from signs at the location or from official web sites; copyrights, if any, are retained by their original owners.
Help? The Medium (Email) links are for screen viewing and emailing. You'll want bigger sizes for printing. [Click here for additional help]
Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
NEW4YR_120216_015.JPG: Key to the City:
Stephen Colbert got this proclamation and key to Columbia, SC, when he launched his presidential bid there.
NEW4YR_120216_019.JPG: Convention IDs:
Correspondents from "The Daily Show" covered both the 2008 Democratic and Republic conventions. They wore these photo IDs produced by the show.
NEW4YR_120216_028.JPG: Doritos Jacket:
Snack food maker Doritos sponsored Stephen Colbert's coverage of his fake 2008 run for the presidency. He wore this jacket on the show in 2011.
NEW4YR_120216_033.JPG: Fake News Goes Mainstream:
Comedian Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show" has grown in influence since it debuted as a "fake news" show in 1999. Democratic presidential contender John Edwards announced his candidacy on the show in 2004, and in 2008, the Comedy Central show's "correspondents" were credentialed to cover the political conventions -- just like real reporters. Stephen Colbert's spinoff show, "The Colbert Report," launched the comedian's mock campaign for president in 2008.
NEW4YR_120216_042.JPG: Paulsen for President Album:
Topical news and politics fueled "The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour," a 1967 CBS comedy series that appealed to the era's rebellious youth. In 1968, the show's Pat Paulsen ran a mock campaign for president. This album was part of his campaign.
NEW4YR_120216_045.JPG: Comedians Get Political:
Humorists Mark Twain, Will Rogers, and Bob Hope made gentle fun of politicians, but comedian Mort Sahl made the cover of Time magazine, above, in 1960 for the edgy campaign humor that earned him the title "the godfather of political comedy." Sahl paved the way for political humor to gain a foothold on late-night television, where "Tonight Show" host Johnny Carson's monologue became a barometer of American political attitudes for more than 30 years.
NEW4YR_120216_053.JPG: Nast's Political Parody:
Muckraking editorial cartoonist Thomas Nast's pointed caricatures helped push corrupt New York politician William "Boss" Tweed out of office in 1871. The pro-Republican Nast's cartoons helped President Abraham Lincoln's re-election in 1864, and Nast's friend, Ulysses S. Grant, attributed his election in 1868 in part to "the pencil of Nast." Nast popularized the donkey and the elephant as symbols for the Democratic and Republican parties. This 1879 Harper's Weekly cartoon was the first to show the two together.
NEW4YR_120216_062.JPG: New Yorker Controversy:
This 2008 New Yorker cover satirized right-wing portrayals of Michelle and Barack Obama as radicals. The illustration was called "tasteless and offensive" by both the Obama and McCain campaigns.
NEW4YR_120216_090.JPG: Dukakis Tanks:
The tank ride set up as a "media event" for 1988 Democratic candidate Michael Dukakis was not his finest hour. "The large helmet on his large head and his droopy face made him look like Snoopy," wrote Elizabeth Drew for The New Yorker. Dukakis lost to Vice President George H.W. Bush.
NEW4YR_120216_092.JPG: Bush Pays the Price:
During a campaign visit to the National Grocers Association convention in 1992, President George H.W. Bush suffered an embarrassing blow to his image when he appeared bewildered at a grocery price scanner -- technology that average shoppers had been familiar with for years.
NEW4YR_120216_111.JPG: Covering Conventions:
Disagreement and dissent dominated political conventions for more than a century as party leaders met to broker and bicker over candidates. Radio and television broadcast the chaos into American living rooms. The development of the primary system, which made nominations at the convention a mere formality, had made today's conventions more of a commercial for candidates than a news event. News outlets still spend millions to cover conventions, but fewer viewers watch.
NEW4YR_120216_114.JPG: 1952: Coast-to-Coast Coverage:
TV news programs were still in their infancy when Walter Cronkite made his debut as "anchor" for a team of CBS reporters at the conventions. His job? Moderating reports and explaining the political process to viewers. The network promoted Cronkite's role as "anchorman" for the conventions, and the term took off.
NEW4YR_120216_117.JPG: 1972: Scripting the Convention:
The script for the Republican National Convention, mistakenly released to reporters, said President Richard M. Nixon would be renominated at 10:33pm with 1,348 votes and a seemingly spontaneous "Nixon now!" chant. The program contrasted sharply with the Democratic convention, which was so unruly that nominee George McGovern didn't speak until nearly 3am Eastern time -- well after prime-time viewing.
NEW4YR_120216_128.JPG: Radio Campaign:
In the 1930s and 1940s, candidates and reporters both recognized the impact radio could have on campaigns. For candidates, radio offered a new way to bypass the editorial control of newspapers and address citizens directly. For radio reporters, the medium's "you are there" qualities brought new storytelling rules to the campaign trail.
NEW4YR_120216_135.JPG: Mobile Radio Reporting:
WJSV radio, now WTOP in Washington, DC, broadcasts live from a parade route in 1928, using a baby carriage to hold equipment.
NEW4YR_120216_139.JPG: A Campaign of Firsts:
The 1920 campaign between Republican Warren G. Harding and Democrat James M. Cox was the first presidential contest between two newspapermen. Harding, published Ohio's Marion Star, and Cox owned Ohio's Dayton Daily News. Harding's victory was the first election to be broadcast on commercial radio. The election also marked the first time women from every state could vote. Above, Harding records a speech.
NEW4YR_120216_145.JPG: Battle Lines Are Drawn:
In the 20th century, new rules of engagement were drawn up between candidates and reporters. Increasingly, journalists focused on the candidates' activities, speeches, personalities and families. In this way, the press replaced political parties as the central means of influencing voters. The candidates knew it. The reporters knew it. The battle for control of the story and image was on.
NEW4YR_120216_147.JPG: On the Porch:
Throughout the autumn of 1896, 750,000 citizens converged on Canton, Ohio, where Republican presidential candidate William McKinley waited to receive them on his front porch. On McKinley's lawn, a handful of reporters gathered each day to record his remarks for their newspaper stories. The atmosphere was relaxed, the pace slow. McKinley never ventured farther than his front porch on his way to the White House.
NEW4YR_120216_150.JPG: McKinley at Home:
William McKinley used his front porch in Ohio as the base for his successful campaign.
NEW4YR_120216_161.JPG: There is no democracy without elections. And there can be no elections without the press.
-- Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin
Every four years, Americans elect a president. And every four years, battle lines are drawn as presidential candidates and reporters face off in the conflict zone known as the campaign trail.
The path to the presidency provides stories of privacy and personality, of image and character, of polls and spin. The struggle for control of the message has played out from William McKinley's front porch campaign to Barack Obama's Internet campaign.
This examines examines the tactics used by politicians -- and illuminated by the press -- to put democracy to the test and a candidate in the White House.
NEW4YR_120216_169.JPG: Palin Rap Costumes:
SNL cast member Amy Poehler performed a rap song spoofing Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin as a moose-hunting "mama grizzly," with Jason Sudeikis as Palin's snowmobiling husband, Todd, in a "Weekend Update" sketch viewed by millions during the 2008 campaign. The real Sarah Palin played along, swaying to the music. Palin later said that she had doubts about appearing on SNL, but did it to "neutralize" controversy about her candidacy and "have some fun."
NEW4YR_120216_178.JPG: Campaign Parody:
"Saturday Night Live" has skewered presidential candidates for more than three decades, but the late-night comedy show's equal opportunity mockery reached new heights as a cultural and political force during the 2008 campaign.
Tina Fey's portrayal of vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler's parody of presidential contender Hillary Clinton tickled America's funny bone and became pop-culture sensations. When Sarah Palin herself appeared on the NBC show, ratings soared to a 14-year high.
Late-night comedy and talk shows are important stops on the campaign trail as politicians try to show a lighter side and court new audiences, especially young people. Laughs aside, parody is serious business. SNL's hit bits went viral online and became part of the public discourse, from kitchen tables to "Meet the Press."
NEW4YR_120216_182.JPG: Obama's Mask:
Democratic candidate Barack Obama appeared on SNL in a sketch about a Halloween party hosted by Bill and Hillary Clinton. Obama removed this mask to shout the show's opening, "Live from New York, it's Saturday Night!" A later sketch about media bias in favor of Obama may have changed how the race was covered, the Associated Press reported.
NEW4YR_120216_189.JPG: McCain Pork Knives:
Days before the November 2008 election, Republican presidential nominee John McCain appeared on "Saturday Night Live" with Tina Fey playing his running mate, Sarah Palin. In the sketch, the duo hosted a show on QVC to sell items such as these McCain "pork knives" to defray campaign debt. Said McCain: "They cut the pork out!"
NEW4YR_120216_195.JPG: Two Power Suits:
Tina Fey wore this red jacket ,flag pin, black skirt and distinctive eyeglasses to channel Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's signature style, and Amy Poehler sported this blue jacket, Barack Obama button and black pants to parody Sen. Hillary Clinton's passion for pantsuits in a 2008 "Saturday Night Live" sketch. At a fake news conference, the two comedians traded barbs about sexism, understanding of world affairs and Clinton's failed presidential bid. Fey's parody of Palin "all but defined the candidate, who has resisted media coverage," declared The New York Times.
NEW4YR_120216_214.JPG: Campaign Parody:
"Saturday Night Live" has skewered presidential candidates for more than three decades, but the late-night comedy show's equal opportunity mockery reached new heights as a cultural and political force during the 2008 campaign.
Tina Fey's portrayal of vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler's parody of presidential contender Hillary Clinton tickled America's funny bone and became pop-culture sensations. When Sarah Palin herself appeared on the NBC show, ratings soared to a 14-year high.
Late-night comedy and talk shows are important stops on the campaign trail as politicians try to show a lighter side and court new audiences, especially young people. Laughs aside, parody is serious business. SNL's hit bits went viral online and became part of the public discourse, from kitchen tables to "Meet the Press."
NEW4YR_120216_243.JPG: Bush's Cowboy Hat:
The cowboy hat became a symbol of former Texas Gov. George W. Bush's presidency. This hat was presented to Bush on a 2004 campaign visit to the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. ...
NEW4YR_120216_251.JPG: McCain Quilt:
Reporters who traveled on John McCain's "Straight Talk Express" bus during his unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination in 2000 signed this quilt to mark the end of the campaign.
NEW4YR_120216_262.JPG: Bush's Guitar:
George H.W. Bush's campaign manager, Lee Atwater, right, gave him this guitar, which Bush played at a 1988 inaugural ball. The guitar says "The Prez."
NEW4YR_120216_267.JPG: Bush vs. Rather:
This button was inspired by Republican presidential candidate George H.W. Bush's combative interview with CBS anchor Dan Rather in 1988. Rather questioned the vice president's role in the Iran-contra scandal involving secret US arms sales to Iran. Supportive calls, detailed in the memo above, flooded the Bush campaign.
NEW4YR_120216_276.JPG: Daisy Ad:
One of the most controversial campaign ads ever aired on television was the 1964 "daisy ad." Created by President Lyndon B. Johnson's campaign, the ad attempted to portray Republican challenger Barry Goldwater as an extremist. It began with a young girl counting aloud as she plucked pearls from a daisy and ended with an ominous countdown to a nuclear explosion. The ad aired only once, but it signaled a shift to a more negative tone in presidential campaign ads.
NEW4YR_120216_281.JPG: Willie Horton Ad:
In 1988, an attack ad ran during George H.W. Bush's campaign portraying his opponent Michael Dukakis as soft on crime. The ad, created by a conservative organization not affiliated with the Bush campaign, told the story of a black convict, Willie Horton, who raped a white woman and stabbed her fiance after being furloughed from prison in Dukakis's home state of Massachusetts. Media critics charged that the ad stirred up racial fears.
NEW4YR_120216_285.JPG: Image Experts:
As television assumed a central role in campaigns, a new breed of media consultants emerged. They were experts in creating commercials, buying media time and shaping images. Most believed public attitudes would be shaped more by patriotic pictures and televised images than by reporters' stories. Presidential campaigns first used TV ads in the 1952 race between Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower and Democrat Adlai Stevenson. Some ads were positive, but many took aim at opponents. Negative ads would later dominate campaigns.
NEW4YR_120216_287.JPG: Private Matters:
Throughout Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency, the rules for press coverage remained simple: Private behavior of public figures remained private unless it had a direct bearing no public responsibilities. Reporters knew that Roosevelt had a close relationship with Princess Martha of Norway but made only oblique mentions. And they rarely photographed the president in a wheelchair. During John F. Kennedy's campaign, reporters and editors did not cover Kennedy's private life, including rumors of extramarital affairs. It was a far cry from today's "anything goes" journalism.
NEW4YR_120216_289.JPG: Hidden Disability:
During the 12 years of Franklin D. Roosevelt's presidency, the press honored an unwritten rule with the White House that forbade publication of photographs showing the president on crutches or in a wheelchair. But the agreement didn't stop some of FDR's critics from printing photos of him wearing leg braces or being wheeled around. This rare photo of Roosevelt in his wheelchair was taken by a close friend.
NEW4YR_120216_299.JPG: Happy Birthday, Mr. President:
John F. Kennedy was rumored to have had an affair with Marilyn Monroe, shown here at a 1962 Democratic fundraiser at which the actress famously serenaded the president with "Happy Birthday."
NEW4YR_120216_348.JPG: FDR's Microphone:
President Franklin D. Roosevelt used this radio microphone to make his famous "fireside chats" in the 1930s and 1940s.
NEW4YR_120216_366.JPG: Clinton Hoists a Few:
Hillary Clinton had a beer and a shot at a bar in Crown Point, Ind., a campaign stop aimed at working-class voters. These are the glasses she used.
NEW4YR_120216_371.JPG: Clinton's Jacket:
Hillary Clinton wore this red jacket when she announced her candidacy for the presidency via a videotaped message on her website.
NEW4YR_120216_383.JPG: Campaign Toy:
Reporters on George W. Bush's plane used this ball made of tape to take part in a campaign plane tradition: bowling a ball or orange up the aisles as the plane ascends to see who can hit the cabin door.
NEW4YR_120216_395.JPG: The 1920 Vote:
A vote tally card and a ribbon promoting women's right to vote from 1920, the first year women could vote in every state.
NEW4YR_120216_408.JPG: Limbaugh's Microphone:
Conservative talk-show host Rush Limbaugh used this gold-played Electro-Voice microphone for his syndicated radio show that focuses on politics.
NEW4YR_120216_417.JPG: Couric's Suit:
CBS News anchor Katie Couric wore this suit for her newsmaking interview with 2008 Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Couric's notes and questions from the interview, above, focused on Palin's foreign policy experience.
NEW4YR_120216_434.JPG: In New Hampshire, reporters crowd candidate Rick Santorum while a window sign warns against the "liberal media."
NEW4YR_120219_13.JPG: Russert's White Board:
As election night 2000 results came in, NBC's Tim Russert wrote "Florida, Florida, Florida" on this white board, predicting the key role the state would play in the outcome.
AAA "Gem": AAA considers this location to be a "must see" point of interest. To see pictures of other areas that AAA considers to be Gems, click here.
Bigger photos? To save server space, the full-sized versions of these images have either not been loaded to the server or have been removed from the server. (Only some pages are loaded with full-sized images and those usually get removed after three months.)
I still have them though. If you want me to email them to you, please send an email to guthrie.bruce@gmail.com
and I can email them to you, or, depending on the number of images, just repost the page again will the full-sized images.
Directly Related Pages: Other pages with content (DC -- Newseum -- Exhibits -- (4) ) directly related to this one:
[Display ALL photos on one page]:
2018_DC_Newseum_Dunnigan: DC -- Newseum -- Exhibits -- (4) Remembering Alice Allison Dunnigan (14 photos from 2018)
2010_DC_Newseum_Elvis: DC -- Newseum -- Exhibits -- (4) Elvis Presley (24 photos from 2010)
2009_DC_Newseum_Russert: DC -- Newseum -- Exhibits -- (4) Tim Russert's desk (13 photos from 2009)
2012 photos: Equipment this year: My mainstays were the Fuji S100fs, Nikon D7000, and the new Fuji X-S1. I also used an underwater Fuji XP50 and a Nikon D600. The first three cameras all broke this year and had to be repaired.
Trips this year:
three Civil War Trust conferences (Shepherdstown, WV, Richmond, VA, and Williamsburg, VA),
a week-long family reunion cruise of the Caribbean,
another week-long family reunion in the Wisconsin Dells (with lots of in-transit time in Ohio and Indiana), and
my 7th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including side trips to Zion, Bryce, the Grand Canyon, etc).
Ego strokes: I had a picture of Miss DC, Ashley Boalch, published in the Washington Post. I had a photograph of the George Segal San Francisco Holocaust memorial used as the cover of Quebec Francais (issue 165). Not being able to read French, I'm not entirely sure what the article is about but, hey! And I guess what could be considered to be a positive thing, my site is now established enough that spammers have noticed it and I had to block 17,000 file description postings for Viagra and whatever else..
Number of photos taken this year: just below 410,000.
Connection Not Secure messages? Those warnings you get from your browser about this site not having secure connections worry some people. This means this site does not have SSL installed (the link is http:, not https:). That's bad if you're entering credit card numbers, passwords, or other personal information. But this site doesn't collect any personal information so SSL is not necessary. Life's good!
Limiting Text: You can turn off all of this text by clicking this link:
[Thumbnails Only]