Ramon Cotarelo, a professor of political science at Madrid's Complutense University opined that public sympathy could swing to Zapatero because the assassinated man was a member of his party or, as the media also reported, "But it could go the other way.... People might say, 'iron fist. The Socialists are no good. Look, they negotiate and it does no good. You have to vote for the right.'"
The idea that public opinion is so easily swayed by last minute violence, or by emotional responses to such violence, is typical of much political thinking in the two countries. Time is not wasted on the real issues facing the nation because it is believed that these are not the things that genuinely concern voters. Rather, the appeal is to emotional appraisals of dramatic developments or, in the absence of these developments, emotional "gut" reactions to candidate's personalities, speeches, stances on minor points, etc.
Both the United States and Spain share many points of similarity in media coverage of presidential election campaigns. A typical approach consists, especially in the United States, of the reporting of all matter of invective and incendiary comments. One or other candidate is either praised inordinately or subjected to an endless round of allegations that call into question his or her judgment on the most fundamental - and frequently trivial - levels. Candidates' personal associates and endorsers are exposed as revealing deep moral faults hidden with the individual who seeks the nation's highest office. A candidate must be perpetually on guard against statements made by his supporters, for these will be taken as tokens of the candidate's own unspoken views. In both countries, bland photographs and other visual representations serve as images of party and voter solidarity. A well-placed sign, or a young face, signifies volumes to those in the know. Lastly, the media is employed to cultivate emotional responses on the part of the voter. Candidates must be stripped of any identification with meaningful positions in order that they might be recast as figures that either intrinsically attract or repel. The electorate's choice is simplified dramatically - they do not need to think at all.
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