In the presidential election of 1904, President
Theodore Roosevelt refrained from campaigning
as it was considered "undignified to
campaign from the White House"(Troy 1991,
212 emphasis added). This fear of losing
one's "dignity" had gone by the wayside when
President Woodrow Wilson actively campaigned
for his 1916 reelection. Since then,
there's been no turning back. Dramatic advancements
in telecommunications have made
presidents ubiquitous--campaigning on daytime
talk shows, MTV, and internet sites have
become de rigeur. These days, the notion of
presidents campaigning for reelection is commonplace.
In fact, when presidents claim that
they are avoiding the campaign trail to take
care of government business, journalists and
observers scoff in disbelief.
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