Final Project – Frank Lincoln

We often hear pundits, family, and friends lament the quality of current political candidates. “There aren’t good leaders anymore.” “They all place party over country!” “They don’t make ‘em like they used to.” “If only we had a Lincoln or an FDR. That’s what this country needs!”

Well, we are in luck. Everyone’s wishes have just been granted! You recently accepted the role of campaign manager for a throwback candidate. This candidate has the combined characteristics and traits of both Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt. His name is Frank Lincoln.

Candidate Overview

Frank Lincoln is 46 years old, a lawyer (like Lincoln) who attended Harvard (like Roosevelt), and hails from Illinois. He was a member of congress in the House of Representatives for 8 years, but spent the last 4 years practicing law in Illinois. He looks like Lincoln, and he also dealt with an illness in his youth that left him without the ability to walk or stand, similar to Roosevelt. His wife has the same background and traits as Eleanor Roosevelt, only living in modern time. We will call her Elle Lincoln.

Essentially, you get the brains, skills, and qualities of both Lincoln and Roosevelt. However, you also get the modern-day media, something neither Lincoln nor Roosevelt dealt with as individual candidates. The current media climate will subject Frank Lincoln to scrutiny that was unimaginable in the distant past.

Audience

The American voters, through the media.

Situation and Your Role

It’s 2024. Donald Trump (R) and Joe Biden (D) have been nominated by their parties as candidates for the presidency (these two were obviously the presidential candidates for their respective parties in the 2020 election – we don’t know yet who will be the top candidates in 2024, so we will stick with these two for the purposes of this assignment).

Frank Lincoln has just received your newly formed party’s nomination. This is now a three-way race, with your party receiving as much attention and respect and afforded the same level of legitimacy as the Democrats and Republicans. Your party’s leadership has tasked you with determining a media strategy and building the strongest campaign possible in order to win the general election.

You will consider Lincoln and Roosevelt’s combined character qualities and professional traits, which have manifested in your candidate. Focus on the strengths. You will also determine those qualities and traits that may be emphasized as potentially negative, determining how to position Frank in the most effective way through the media to the American voting public. Focus on the weaknesses.

Campaign – Topics to Cover

BIOGRAPHY

A biographical profile of your candidate, outlining what intangible qualities Frank possesses that makes him electable:

· Who is Frank Lincoln? Where is he from?

· Where did he go to college? What did he study?

· What did he do after college? Did he travel? Did he work?

· What has Frank done to prepare himself for the role as President of the United States?

· Did he serve in congress? Was he a Governor or Mayor?

· What other political positions has the held?

· What about his personal and family life? Is he married? Any children?

·
Use the description above and outside research on both Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

WEAKNESSES

A discussion of any weaknesses that the media will focus on (mental, physical, professional, etc.), and how you will address them.

PLATFORM

A platform statement that outlines Frank Lincoln’s views. Choose
FOUR of the following key issues to cover.
Be sure to label these:

o Abortion
o Capital punishment
o Civil rights
o Criminal justice
o Cybersecurity
o Economy
o Education
o Election/voting rights
o Energy and climate change

o Gun control/ownership o Health care
o Immigration
o Infrastructure

o Marijuana legalization o Military
o Minimum/living wage o Taxes

o Trade
An explanation of the advertising and media strategies you will employ, and why.

MEDIA STRATEGIES VOTERS

A description of what groups of voters you believe Frank will attract to the party, and why.

SOURCES

You should use a combination of research and creativity by incorporating information and stances from both Lincoln and FDR. You will also formulate your own ideas and let Lincoln and FDR’s backgrounds guide you to create your “perfect candidate.”

All sources (textbook, websites, articles, etc.) must be cited in-text. You should also include a bibliography. You can use APA, MLA, or Chicago.

Project Format

You will present your candidate and campaign in any of the following formats (or combination):

1. A 2,000-word (excluding cover page/references) written campaign.

2. A recorded presentation (e.g., PowerPoint/Prezi) with audio/video (15 minute minimum).

· You should upload your recorded presentation to YouTube when finished (make sure it is not a private video). Copy/paste the YouTube link in a document that includes your sources, and upload this document to Blackboard.

· Do NOT try to upload your presentation file to Blackboard as it will be too large and will not submit. If you’ve chosen this option, you must submit your project as a video on YouTube.

·
NOTE: You might need to break your project up into two or more separate uploads (if you don’t have a verified account, YouTube will remove your video if it’s longer than 15 minutes, and I won’t be able to view or grade your project).

3. If you have another idea that meets a similar length/time requirement, feel free to run it by me. Creativity is always welcome!

Final Questions to Consider

Think back on old assignments, readings, and themes from this semester: What mediums do people most turn to for information (newspapers, radio, television, social media, etc.)? Will your advertising and media strategies be “politically correct” enough to meet FCC standards? Is there hidden information in Frank’s past that a whistleblower will try to expose? What will gatekeepers focus on (and choose to ignore)? While in office, has Frank managed a natural or man-made crisis? How does he deal with foreign policy issues? How will conservative and liberal media try to spin his character and professional capacities?

Does your candidate, Frank Lincoln, have what it takes to become the next President of the United States? The road to the 2024 election is in your hands!