number of ways. The media specialists who manage such campaigns tend to be.
loyal to a candidate rather than to the candidate's party; as a result, the.
campaign supports a single candidate and not the entire ticket of the party. In.
addition, the heavy reliance on television allows a candidate to reach voters.
directly. This weakens the traditional function of the party as an.
information and communication body to act as a mediator between the.
candidate and the voters.
Other developments have served to weaken the role of the party in the.
presidential campaign. The growth of computerized "direct-mail fundraising.
techniques" and "computerized e-mail" have encroached on activities.
traditionally performed by the political party (Robinson 150). Also, recent.
reforms in the areas of campaign financing and delegate selection to the.
nominating conventions have made the party less significant with respect to.
fund-raising and candidate selection (Robinson 151). The decreasing role of the.
political party in the presidential campaign and the increasing ability of the.
candidates themselves to provide their own publicity has brought about the.
beginning of a new political era in which the dominance of the major parties is.
questionable, and the potential for a non-affiliated candidate to mount a.
competitive campaign is very realistic.
In theory, it is possible for a completely independent candidate to be.
elected to the presidency, provided the candidate is highly competent,.
charismatic, eloquent, and photogenic, and the candidate is running against.
relatively weak candidates of the major parties (Mazmanian 21). However, at.
this time, political analysts stipulate that the chances of this happening are.
slim because a majority of Americans are xenophobic (to be afraid of foreign people) enough to be cautious of the unknown candidate.
An independent candidate can, however, have a dramatic impact on the.
outcome of the election without actually winning.