| Abstrakt: |
This article examines how Jimmy Carter came to be regarded as an unsuccessful president. Based on theoretical considerations on the meaning of failure in the United States the study takes television as a main source of examination. With reference to the TV-News of ABC, CBS, and NBC, I will trace how the 39th president was turned into an unfortunate political actor, especially with regard to the categories of masculinity and religion. Starting out as a potential savior in terms of good leadership after Watergate and Vietnam by the mid-seventies, TV-reports began to portray Carter as a weak leader belted by an untrustworthy staff throughout the years 1978 and 1979. Finally, the great defeat against Reagan in the 1980 election will be discussed in relation to Carters media image. Carter did not live up to the conservative pattern of moral leadership which gained increasing importance in the economy of attention shaped by contemporary US media. The notion of a failing president Carter, presented by TV evening news to many households in the United States throughout the second half of his term in office opens up a perspective wherein political actors become discernable as deeply interwoven with the communication history of their particular period and public. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
