Analyze the 2004 presidential election. What happened and why? Analyze the changing nature of the media and how it affects politics. The two questions identified below above cannot find an adequate answer alone without one influencing the other because a campaign that influences the election of the most powerful office in the world is a public event. However, after months of predictions of an election that was too close, Bush won the national vote, making him the 15th president elected to a second term and the first to win both a majority of the popular vote and the Electoral College since his father. in 1988. The GOP also expanded its majorities in the House and Senate. The presidential election followed a political campaign in which the weapons of choice were partisan criticism and offensive ads rather than details that illuminate the candidates' character. What has troubled me about these partisan attacks is that journalists and columnists are governed by the flow of events and tend to be too complimentary of rising candidates and too critical of politicians on the decline. For example; coverage of Howard Dean's presidential race. In an ideal world, the 2004 campaign should have been conducted without the vicious Swift Boat Vets ads targeting John Kerry and the exaggerated fury against Bush's National Guard service instead of demanding that candidates transmit their agenda and debate truly. Although Bush took office in 2001 after a contested election, he used the traditional presidential honeymoon to push through his sweeping tax cuts. September 11 then produced an understandable increase in presidential patriotism. This same public mood helps prevent the press from displaying sufficient skepticism about the president's reasons for invading Iraq, the conflict that will define his presidency. Nonetheless, the 2004 election results give Bush the public mandate and congressional support he needs to sustain his Iraq policy and his war on terrorism. His re-election also gives him a stronger basis to pursue a national conservative agenda. Bush bolstered his performance from the 2000 election, in which he lost the popular vote to Vice President Al Gore but won the electoral count a month later. In 2004, President Bush's supporters were loyal to his leadership qualities, his likability, his values, his terror... middle of paper ... that determine voters' decisions. This has been heavily criticized because polling errors have created false impressions about who is ahead or behind in the campaign, which can affect voters' thinking. It was clear that some media outlets were relying on exit polls to determine their performance, as early reports indicated that Kerry was doing well. The election showed that the 2008 Democrats are going to have to say that they are religiously on the same page with America. and understanding religious sensitivities.WORKS CITED1. Karen O'Conner and Larry Sabato. American government: continuity and change, alternative edition 2004. Éditions Longman, 2004.2. Nichols, Bill. “President makes peace offer.” USA Today 02 NOV 2004.3. The Associated Press. “Voters relieved.” USA Today November 8, 2004.4. The Associated Press. “The elections reinforce the religious schism in the United States. » The Washington Post November 8, 2004.5. The Associated Press. “Breaking down the national vote. » Time Magazine NOVEMBER 3 2004.