Personalization of Politics

The personalization of politics may be defined as an individual politician gaining stature over the relative decline of his or her political power. In the United States, this may be evidenced by the terms “Reaganite” or “Reaganomics” named after President Ronald Reagan, or “Thatcherite” named after England's former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. In essence, the personalization of politics means more emphasis is placed on individuals instead of political parties.

No one single explanation exists regarding the origins of this phenomenon, though one theory states that the ubiquity of the electronic media is the culprit, specifically in national elections. Moreover, the electronic media has been viewed as decisive in shaping the way that governments communicate with voters and their seeking to convert them; at the same time, party leaders have exploited their exposure in the electronic media in order to attract votes.

During the past few decades, interest in how individuals accumulate information about candidates—personal as well as political—is an essential tool enabling the electorate the opportunity to make value judgments regarding the suitability or lack thereof of candidates seeking public office. Interest in a candidate for his or her personal mores has grown while strict loyalty to a political party has decreased. This supports the contention that political leaders have become electorally important in their own right, by personifying the policy platforms of their respective parties. In other words, if a political party wishes to win a national election, it needs to make sure that the chosen candidate is attractive to a wide range of voters since they are candidate centered rather than party focused.

The role of television in personalizing politics would be hard to overrate. During the 1952 presidential election, Dwight Eisenhower was viewed as being warm and friendly, while his opponent, Adlai Stevenson, was seen as cool, cerebral, and detached. A more powerful example was the first televised debate between presidential hopefuls John F. Kennedy and Richard M. Nixon. Kennedy, the more handsome of the two, appeared cool and calm when answering questions, whereas Nixon appeared nervous and flighty. In terms of appearance, Kennedy won; in terms of substance, many felt Nixon was the victor (according to radio listeners, Nixon won hands-down).

Television executives make the decision about what to show the public regarding politicians. These decisions can determine whether voters are likely to have a view on the issue in the first place. For instance, television can imply that a leader is responsible for creating a problem in the first place, such as the failure of an economic policy. In addition, while the leader may not be responsible, he is seen as incompetent if the problem is not solved. Partisan loyalties to a political party, while not completely disappeared, have dimmed, and in the absence of strong social links to specific parties, such as class or religion, voters are more likely to switch their vote between elections or to abstain.