Systems of Collective Representation in the 11th Democratic Debate

Systems of Collective Representation in the 11th Democratic Debate

Sophia Markey

With the coronavirus infecting more and more people, the 11th democratic debate was quite different from the others. Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders stood at least six feet apart (besides when they elbow-bumped!), and there was no live crowd to interact with. In this post, I will be looking at the role of systems of collective representation in the final democratic debate.

Mast writes in describing systems of collective representation: “In social performance, the discursive goal is to wrap oneself in a metaphorical flag that connotes the narratives of democracy and liberty” (12). Additionally, symbolic codes must be present and understood. Politicians must have a grasp on language and its implied meaning and weight, in order to connect with their audiences and be perceived as “democratic.” Sanders says that “it takes courage sometimes to do the right thing.” This is following up his listings of votes he and Biden took, and how Sanders has supported human rights and other progressive issues even when they were not overwhelmingly popular. Courage is a quality that many Americans see as central to liberty. Biden evokes systems of collective representation as well, when in response to a question about why his message is not resonating with Hispanic voters, he replies that his message is resonating with people because “they know [he is] a democrat with a capital ‘D’ who, in fact, believes that our base of the Democratic Party, which are hard-working men and women, who, in fact, are high school educated, African-Americans and minorities, including Hispanics, but all minorities, suburban women, people who, in fact, have a sense of our place in the world.” Biden not only associates himself with democracy, but also insists that others know this about him as well. Audience members probably all have a different interpretation of the first part of this quote, depending on what values and motives they think constitutes being a democrat. This gives people room to identify with Biden based on their own personal beliefs in the Democratic Party as a whole. However, I think I should add that Biden’s response does not actually answer the question, which asks specifically why Sanders has “won more of the Hispanic vote than [Biden] in several key states so far.” Instead, he attempts to extend his base to reach the Democratic Party as a whole.

Mast also notes how talking points are constructed so that they will be repeated and gain attention in public discourse (12). An example of such a talking point that attracted widespread media attention was Biden committing to picking a woman running mate, saying his cabinet and administration “will look like the country.” This statement then led to curiosity; which woman would he pick? Not only did it start a discussion, but it opened up new ones. Sanders says that “[his] cabinet, [his] administration will look like America,” but he does not fully commit to having a woman running mate. In comparison to Biden’s declarative statement, this seems well-intentioned but less attention-grabbing—few people are quoting this statement after the debate. On the other hand, the public, news outlets, and the media are engrossed in Biden’s potential running mate. Just because a politician is able to construct a talking point successfully does not automatically make them superior, but it is a tactic that can have a lot of influence, especially in today’s world with technology. Both candidates are able to agree on some points in regards to the coronavirus and a handful of issues, but stand in opposition in regards to many more. Thankfully, Sanders and Biden are able to agree that regardless of which one of them wins the nominee, democrats (and all people) must unite to defeat Trump.

Works Cited

Mast, Jason L. 2012. The Performative Presidency Crisis and Resurrection during the Clinton       Years. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press.

The Pavlovic Today Staff. “Read: Democratic Debate Transcript, March 15, 2020.” The      Pavlovic Today. https://www.thepavlovictoday.com/read-democratic-debate-transcript-  march-15-2020/

Actors in the 11th Democratic Debate

In Mast’s work The Performative Presidency, he says, “Actors take on meanings in relation to other actors in the drama, and in relation to the settings, plots, and vagaries of everyday life that can be picked up by a video camera” (Mast; 2012). This is to say, that actors can be in control of their meaning, but only to a certain extent. 

Looking at the quote above, I thought about former Vice President Joe Biden and his performance in the 11th Democratic debate. As a former member of the Obama administration, a huge part of his identity as a politician revolves around the events that happened in that era of politics. He constantly references things he did in the Obama administration, and seems to want a return to that era and the policies of those era, rather than the ‘revolution’ that he believes Senator Bernie Sanders wants; “We don’t need revolution, we need to improve the system.” (Biden; 2020). Biden tends to align himself with the past in order to reinforce his authenticity as an actor, providing reassurance to the audience by basically saying he will bring the United States back to ‘better times.’ 

On the opposite side of this, we see Senator Bernie Sanders, who wants to usher in an era of change for the United States. Sanders is often criticized for his identity as a democratic socialist, as well as his ‘radical’ policies and ideologies surrounding things such as healthcare and higher education. Sanders, like Biden, also calls on the past to reinforce his authenticity by recalling his path as a politician and giving examples to show that he has been consistent in his policies and beliefs from the get go. In this debate, Sanders even calls out Biden for changing his stance on higher education to match what Bernie had been advocating for long before it became a mainstream and accepted idea, and in this questions Biden’s authenticity; “Leadership is about having the guts to take on the unpopular vote.” (Sanders; 2020). Sanders has demonstrated throughout his career that he is willing to stand up for what is right, even if he is the only one standing for it, and this is something that reinforces his authenticity as a politician because it comes across as genuine and truthful. People want a leader that they can believe in, and Sanders’ honesty and consistency really persuades the audience to put their trust in him to bring about the change he speaks so passionately about.

“‘Authenticity’ is prized, but it is an interpretive category, not an ontological state.” (Mast; 2020). There is no ‘secret recipe’ for authenticity, there are a multitude of factors that can affect the way an individual actor is perceived. In the democratic debate, Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden both demonstrated different tactics to try and convey a sense of ‘authenticity’ to their audience. While both called on the past to do this, some might say that Biden’s constant references to his time in the Obama administration show a lack of ability to have his own vision of what the American people want; not Obama’s vision. Sanders on the other hand, has a unique vision for the future of America, and his past as a politician reflects this vision and shows that he has stayed true to his views.

Works Cited

Anon. 2020. “Part 1: Entire CNN-Univision Democratic Debate - CNN Video.” CNN. Retrieved May 11, 2020 (https://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2020/03/16/part-1-entire-cnn-univision-debate-washington-dc-sot-vpx.cnn/video/playlists/full-cnn-univision-democratic-debate-march-15-2020/).

Mast, Jason L. 2012. The Performative Presidency Crisis and Resurrection during the Clinton 

Years. Cambridge, Ma: Cambridge University Press.

Blogging Burden Group Discussion: Let's talk about the last debate!

Hello there! Welcome to the second and final Blogging Berden big discussion! Click the link above to watch us talk about what we've learned! If you have any questions of your own please leave a comment! For now please enjoy our video by clicking the link above!

Audiences 11th in the Eleventh Debate

In the eleventh Democratic National Debate we are presented with the final two candidates in the democratic party: Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders. This debate took place within the first week of the CoronaVirus’ recognition as a national pandemic and would set a different tone for this debate than any that came before it.

            I will be looking at this debate from the perspective of Mast’s second element of cultural performances, audiences. Audiences are one of Mast’s more self explanatory components of cultural performances as he explains that, “Scripts and performers must communicate culturally familiar content, messages that audiences can interpret and understand. Audiences interpret performances in variable ways” (Mast 11). When it comes to political cultural performances in America, Mast explains that the audiences that exist reflect the two party system that our country operates under, and that a third audience of moderate or undecided voters sit in between these two audiences.

            In the eleventh Democratic Debate both Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden are speaking to this preexisting base of the Democratic party; however, in many ways Bernie Sanders represents Mast’s fourth audience though, which is composed of audience members that usually belong to a third party or ‘emerging’ party. Bernie Sanders represents the progressive left wing and democratic socialist movements in America and while these sections of the political spectrum technically exist under the umbrella of the Democratic party many people consider them to be an entity that are radical and exist unto themselves.

            Both Biden and Bernie attempt to appeal to this centerist/undecided audience of voters in America during the eleventh debate by using two culturally familiar scripts of existential danger. The fist threat they discuss is the coronavirus and Joe Biden compares the pandemic to a foreign attack on American soil explaining that we need to come together as a nation around a candidate that can properly lead us through this virus. The second existential threat that the candidates brought up was the presidency of Donald Trump. In both cases the candidates hope to get their audiences to agree with the message that they were putting out in spite of what people thought of the actual messengers (Bernie and Biden). Both candidates explicitly said that if the other were to win that they would throw their full support behind them and campaign on one another's behalf. It is clear that both candidates, while vying for the candidacy, want to make it clear that there are larger threats to our collective well being than either of their campaigns and that by putting out this message they could corral audience members with themes of unity and warning of the urgency of change in the upcoming 2020 election.

Citations

Mast, Jason L. 2012. The Performative Presidency Crisis and Resurrection during the Clinton

Years. Cambridge, Ma: Cambridge University Press.

The lack of Mise-en-scene and Cultural performances in the 11th democratic debate!

Today, The Pavlovic. "Read: Democratic Debate Transcript, March 15, 2020 ::." Read: Democratic Debate Transcript, March 15, 2020 :: The Pavlovic Today. https://www.thepavlovictoday.com/read-democratic-debate-transcript-march-15-2020/.

Dear Reader,

Welcome back! In this final edition of Blogging Berden I will be discussing the 11th and final democratic debate which took place at CNN studio in Washington without any audience. This was done in order to reduce unnecessary risk of transmission of the coronavirus.


How the coronavirus affected cultural performances Mise- en- scene.


John Mast in his work, The Performative Presidency, introduces two elements of performance known as cultural performance and mise-en-scene. Cultural performance can be described as being, “the material environments from which actors project their meanings. The material objects that surround the actor, from the stage and setting to props and costumes, all contribute to the meanings a performance will project” (Mast 2012). An example of this can be seen across all debates through the use of suits and pins which each candidate wears in order to look more presidential. On the other hand Mast describes mise-en-scene as being,” the ‘spatial and temporal choreography’ or dramatic components to the political performance.” (Mast 2012). What this entails is that there are certain ways in which a political performance can be portrayed in order to get a certain reaction out of the audience. A common example of this is how the candidates all come out at the beginning of the debate shaking hands. However, due to the coronavirus spreading across the U.S. there was an utter lack of them within this debate. The coronavirus got rid of the crowds along with the need to appeal to an audience which made for a much more relaxed environment compared to the previous debates.

More of a discussion than a debate! Iconic images trying to shine through during hard times.

During the debate there were no handshakes and no candidates came out running saying hi. The camera simply pans to the two candidates remaining (Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders) and the debate begins. In this debate there was no yelling and no spectacle. There were just two men talking sternly at each other about how to best deal with the coronavirus. In the past I talked about how powerful an audience can be in order to expand your base. Here, the lack of one made it very hard for both candidates to really get their message across. In all of the prior debates Biden and Sanders used the audience and the choreographed nature of the debates to their advantage. In the 11th debate with no real way to convey their message with pathos they both seemed very dry in a way which to me almost hurts their iconic image. To refer to Barry Schwartz, a Professor of Social Theory and Social Action at Swarthmore College, wrote in his piece, “Iconography and Collective Memory: Lincoln's Image in the American Mind,” regarding the importance of understanding the power of image and Iconic statues and figures, that the “collective memory that centers on the active construction and interpretation of common constructive and interpretive activity-generalizable from the present case-is undertaken by those who care more about the past than do others, wish to accurately represent it, and are offended by what they take as its distortion. Some commemorative matters, like  the present one, mobilize relatively few.” (Schwartz 1991). As I said before Schwartz conveys that there are multiple lenses even with a collective consciousness and depending on our lens we may interpret things differently. However, with no audience in a way voters on the fence will have a harder time knowing how to feel because in a way both Biden and Sanders used the audiences’ cheers within the debate in order to show that their plans are the best for democratic voters. With no real easy lens to look through many on the fence voters are at a loss.

What this all means for my analysis of Bernie’s fall.

At this stage in the race Biden was ahead of Sanders by over 100 delegates and in order to have a fighting chance Sanders really needed this debate to go in his favor. However, with the lack of any sort of mise-en-scene, Sanders had a hard time conveying his iconic message as there were no cheers to back him and the only other voice in the room (Biden’s) constantly undermined Sanders views on healthcare and how he would deal with the pandemic as a whole. Sanders needed to get rid of the image that he and his supporters had gained over the course of the last two debates and simply the irregular nature and lack of formality really worked against him.

Beyond blogging Berden what this all kind of meant to me…..

I feel like we’ve gone on such a long journey with blogging Berden. Even though it’s only been a month it’s sad to see that it’s the end of the road. But I have definitely learned a lot from this experience. I have learned that actors play a key role in forming an iconic image. I have also learned how a candidate's audience and the overall systems of collective representation can mess with or even tarnish a politicians' Iconic image. Even now as I look at the role of cultural productions and mise- en- scene, it’s clear to see that studios like CNN and ABC also play a key role in sustaining and even empowering a politicians’ iconic image by giving them a platform which many voters trust in order to promote themselves.

I have learned a lot about the performative nature of politicians. I have also learned that a politician's job is never over. They must always keep up their iconic image and they must always work to find ways to make themselves heard. In a way we are all actors working to gain the trust and love of our peers and we are constantly seeking the validation of others through awards and positions. In a way I feel like we do this in our lives to make ourselves feel like “special cases” but we are really not. We all come and go and that’s just life. We look for some sort of meaning through others by supporting candidates that we feel have our best interest at heart but it’s just scary to know that in the end people are just people and one day it’s going to be our time. I guess in a way that’s why people say that you should treat every day as a blessing. Because the best way to enjoy life is to be the best person you can be and that’s by performing and trying to find what really is your best self. The performance of life is fascinating, but when you draw back the curtain what do you see? The world is going through a time where I feel performance has truly taken a back seat. That we are at a time where acting really does nothing and we are all forced to sit at home and feel time pass.

 I am not sure where I am going with this but I am glad I am here at this moment. I want to thank you all for being here on this journey with me and again I hope life hasn’t been too rough during these trying times. This is a very sad end for Blogging Berden but I am glad I got to be here for the ride. See you next time folks…… wherever that may be! :)

Citations

Mast, Jason L. 2012. The Performative Presidency Crisis and Resurrection during the Clinton
Years. Cambridge, Ma: Cambridge University Press.

Schwartz, Barry. "Iconography and Collective Memory: Lincoln's Image in the American Mind." The Sociological Quarterly 32, no. 3 (1991): 301-19. doi:10.1111/j.1533-8525.1991.tb00161.x.

Today, The Pavlovic. "Read: Democratic Debate Transcript, March 15, 2020 ::." Read: Democratic Debate Transcript, March 15, 2020 :: The Pavlovic Today. https://www.thepavlovictoday.com/read-democratic-debate-transcript-march-15-2020/.

Understanding the Eleventh Democratic Debate Through Social Power and Iconicity

On March 15th, 2020 Former Vice President Biden and Senator Sanders met for their first one on one debate in the 2020 democratic debate cycle. In a predictable fashion the debate started with the then “threat” of the coronavirus. Bumping elbows and avoiding skin contact the two men took to their distanced podiums and began a harsh critique of President Trump’s handling of the global pandemic; each making themselves seem as though if in power they could stop the spread. What image does that put in the viewers head?

It seems like a pretty heroic idea to me, another old white man who has the answer; however, for some the condensated collection of symbols used by the candidate paints together an iconicity that appears hopefully. Both Bernie and Joe used their rhetoric in discussing the pandemic to appear as though they could have been the saviors we needed to stop the furthering dire situation. I believe these tactics are extremely influential to both swayable viewers and already devoted followers. This idea of iconicity coupled with both candidates social power is what truly gives both Biden and Sanders the influence and persuasion needed to take the nomination. Importantly, social power is unequally distributed like all forms of power and stem from social performances in which they are enabled and constrained accordingly (Mast, 13). And the access one has to the various forms of social power completely alters the size, scope, and reach of their performances; in this analysis while both men are on the same stage their audiences are as different as they can be while still staying within the democratic party (although both stretch that definition). The effectiveness is determined by their own charisma and authority, not by the fancy stage or flashing CNN graphics behind them. They paint their own image with an aesthetic surface that denotes and connotes moral depth together (Lecture Notes, 4/23/20). By the effective use of social power the candidates can transform themselves into the icon they wish to be perceived as. Both Biden and Bernie should work to develop themselves with iconicity because icons are largely fundamental in communicating and experiencing public life (Lecture Notes, 4/23/20).

As performers, Biden and Bernie are subject to contingencies and must be prepared to handle them. The debate moved past Covid-19 and transformed into one of the least entertaining debates of the season. Slandering each other as liars and ineffective rolled on until Biden announced and promised his Vice-President, if nominated, would be a woman. A calculated move in my opinion, Biden worked to alter his use of social power and iconicity to appeal to the broader audience and create the notion of equality within his campaign. The rest of the debate was well scripted and quite predictable with topics like climate change, gun control, free college, and of course the Iraqi War that is never left out of any good political debate.

In my own assertion, as this is the last post, I worry for the future. In looking at several pieces of cultural pragmatics and iconicity it feels as neither candidate provides enough of the right qualities to realign a disenchanted America and a fragmented democratic party. It is more than the presidency and even politics. The future of liberalism feels as though it is in jeopardy and now more than ever we need a candidate who understands this pressing notion and will address it, correctly. Therefore, the practices and elements we learned throughout this course must become real, and I hope more than the 20 odd so of us in this course understand the same fundamentals we do and can apply them into the necessary institutions that can make a difference.

Citations Mast, Jason L. 2012.

The Performative Presidency Crisis and Resurrection during the Clinton Years. Cambridge, Ma: Cambridge University Press. Lecture Notes, Courtesy of Professor Villegas, 4/23/20

Systems of collective representation within the 10th debate... is this where Sanders falls and Biden rises?

"Sanders, Biden Camps Clash over Arizona Debate Format." POLITICO. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/07/bernie-sanders-joe-biden-arizona-debate-123467.

Dear Reader,

Welcome back! In this edition of Blogging Berden I will be discussing the 10th democratic debate which took place on February 25, 2020 in Gaillard Center, Charleston, South Carolina.

Collective Representation within the 10th debate

In a previous post about the 8th debate, my peer Isa Blankers brought up an interesting point made by John Mast that candidates tend to metaphorically wrap themselves in a flag in order to connect to  “the narratives of democracy and liberty” (Mast 2012). Biden and Sanders are no exception to this and in their own ways even in this debate attempt to appeal to Democratic voters through tapping into their beliefs on key domestic and foreign issues. The debate on February 25th, however, presented something that was unheard of before this point: Joe Biden on the offensive. Specifically as an actor, Biden in some way or form always found a way to make each question work in his favor or work against one of his opponents.

Biden on the offensive Bringing up Gun Control

One major issue which involved both candidates was the issue of gun control within the United States. When Gayle King asked Joe Biden the question, “every day in our country, over 100 people die from gun violence. You all have plans, I know, on this stage, to address the gun crisis. But Congress has not been able to pass major gun legislation in a quarter of a century. And just think about this, in those 25 years, we've had Columbine, Newtown, Parkland, Las Vegas. We could go on and on.” (King 2020) Biden immediately responded by bringing up the fact that gun violence,  “has caused carnage on our streets, 150 million people have been killed since 2007” (Biden 2020) He then added that Bernie was directly responsible for these deaths since he voted to exempt the gun manufacturers from liability. Biden plays on the collective consciousness toward gun violence while also slamming his opponents' iconic image by making him seem directly involved in the deaths of so many lives. This was one of the many hits Bernie took that night and it was clear that these attacks from all sides were starting to get to him and his campaign.

Why Collective Memory is a powerful tool 

Barry Schwartz, a Professor of Social Theory and Social Action at Swarthmore College, wrote in his piece, “Iconography and Collective Memory: Lincoln's Image in the American Mind,” regarding the importance of understanding the power of image and Iconic statues and figures, that the “collective memory that centers on the active construction and interpretation of common constructive and interpretive activity-generalizable from the present case-is undertaken by those who care more about the past than do others, wish to accurately represent it, and are offended by what they take as its distortion. Some commemorative matters, like  the present one, mobilize relatively few.” (Schwartz 1991) Schwartz conveys that there are multiple lenses even with a collective consciousness and depending on our lens we may interpret things differently. In relation to the debate when Biden calls out Sanders holding him accountable for the 150 million deaths, he is directly attacking Sander’s Iconic image through the topic of gun control by using our shared understanding that these deaths should have been prevented. So linking Sanders to these deaths makes it seem like Sanders failed as a leader, thus making him seem like a weak candidate.

The Downfall of Sanders and why Systems of collective representation explains his loss 

Biden attacking Sanders in this debate was not the first time his image has taken a hit. Almost every candidate in some way or form has used some issues in order to take a jab at Bernie’s reputation. In my first post on this blog I talked about Sanders as if he were this impeccable actor who embodied the very idea of what he fought for. However, as I have looked further and further into these debates I can now see that this never really changed. Sanders as a political actor seemed to be flawless. However, he was constantly being made the villain on stage by his fellow democratic candidates. This really took a toll on his image as a whole. Through this debate and the last, Sanders’ iconic image was constantly put to the test when each candidate called him out. Over time this made Sanders and his base seem problematic and not presidential. Sanders’ image was tarnished in such a way that made people not want to side with him simply because it was “too risky.” From his stances on health care all the way to his smallest policies, these last two debates made Sanders seem as if he was bad for the American people. To put it plainly it’s become clear that Sanders began to lose steam, not because of his own passion but because every candidate around him made him seem as if he went against the very foundation of America and the democratic party.

My predictions for the final debate
In this final debate I believe we will see the effects of all the things I have talked about up to this point. After this debate, Sanders began to fall as more and more candidates began to endorse Biden. It's clear to see that democratic voters in their collective beliefs were truly the cause of Sanders’ downfall and I think that the next and final debate will be proof of that.

Citation

Mast, Jason L. 2012. The Performative Presidency Crisis and Resurrection during the Clinton
Years. Cambridge, Ma: Cambridge University Press.

"Read the Full Transcript of the South Carolina Democratic Debate." CBS News. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/south-carolina-democratic-debate-full-transcript-text/.

"Sanders, Biden Camps Clash over Arizona Debate Format." POLITICO. https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/07/bernie-sanders-joe-biden-arizona-debate-123467.

Schwartz, Barry. "Iconography and Collective Memory: Lincoln's Image in the American Mind." The Sociological Quarterly 32, no. 3 (1991): 301-19. doi:10.1111/j.1533-8525.1991.tb00161.x.