Metaphors used in headlines of some electronic articles on US presidential election campaign 2012: A study from cognitive perspective

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ THU HẰNG METAPHORS USED IN HEADLINES OF SOME ELECTRONIC ARTICLES ON US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2012: A STUDY FROM COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE (Các phép ẩn dụ tiêu đề số báo điện tử viết chiến dịch tranh cử tổng thống Mỹ năm 2012: Nghiên cứu từ góc độ tri nhận) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Linguistics Code: 60220201 Hanoi, 2016 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ THU HẰNG METAPHORS USED IN HEADLINES OF SOME ELECTRONIC ARTICLES ON US PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN 2012: A STUDY FROM COGNITIVE PERSPECTIVE (Các phép ẩn dụ tiêu đề số báo điện tử viết chiến dịch tranh cử tổng thống Mỹ năm 2012: Nghiên cứu từ góc độ tri nhận) M.A MINOR THESIS Field: English Linguistics Code: 60220201 Supervisor: Assoc Prof Dr Lâm Quang Đông Hanoi, 2016 DECLARATION I, the undersigned, hereby certify my authority of the study project report entitled “Metaphors used in headlines of some electronic articles on US presidential election campaign 2012: A study from cognitive perspective” submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master in English Linguistics Except where the reference is indicated, no other person‟s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the text of the thesis Hanoi, 2016 Nguyen Thi Thu Hang i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would have never been able to complete my MA thesis without the enthusiastic guidance of Assoc Prof Dr Lam Quang Dong, my supervisor, who has patiently and constantly supported me through each stage of my study as well as provided me with invaluable comments I am also grateful for his precious ideas which have inspired me greatly through my growth as an academic researcher A special thank also goes to all the lecturers and the staff in Faculty of PostGraduate Studies and many others, who have created favorable conditions for me to fulfill my MA dissertation, and without whose encouragement it would never have been possible for me to have this thesis accomplished A special appreciation is also sent to my peers in Master classes, Cohort 22 for their both in-time advices and priceless suggestions which they have supplied me I am indebted to them for their time and sympathies that they have shared with me during the process of my research writing Last but not least, I am greatly indebted to my family for the sacrifice they have devoted to the fulfillment of this academic work ii ABSTRACT This MA minor thesis investigates the use of metaphors in headlines of some electronic articles on US presidential election campaign 2012 As the study applied the theoretical framework proposed by Lakoff and Johnson (1980), all three kinds of metaphors including structural, orientational, and ontological metaphors were found in 75 news headlines Among 85 metaphorical expressions discovered in 75 article headlines, 67 were labeled as structural metaphors, making up 78.8% It turned out that war terms appeared with the highest frequency among other source domains like sport competition, race, game, and business While orientational metaphors were realized through 10 metaphorical expressions (corresponding to 11.8%), ontological metaphors were depicted in only (equivalent to 9.4%) By analyzing how three kinds of metaphors employed in such political news headlines, the study is expected to partly reveal the conceptual frame of American people towards politics in general and election news in particular iii TABLE OF CONTENTS DECLARATION .i ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ii ABSTRACT iii PART A: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale Aims of the study Scope of the study Significance of the study Research methodology 5.1 Research questions 5.2 Research approach 5.3 Research methods 5.4 Data analysis 5.5 Data collection procedures Design of the study PART B: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: LITERATURE REVIEW Theoretical background 1.1 Cognitive linguistics 1.2 Metaphor 1.2.1 Traditional views on metaphor 1.2.2 Metaphor under the light of cognitive linguistics 1.2.3 Classification of metaphor Literature review 10 2.1 Metaphors in news headlines 10 2.2 Metaphors in politics 12 CHAPTER 2: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 15 2.1 Research questions 15 2.2 Research methods 15 2.3 Research procedures 15 iv 2.4 Data collection and data analysis 16 2.4.1 Data collection 16 2.4.2 Data analysis 16 CHAPTER 3: DATA ANALYSIS 19 3.1 Structural metaphors 19 3.1.1 Politics is war 19 3.1.2 Politics is sport competition 20 3.1.3 Politics is race 21 3.1.4 Politics is game 22 3.1.5 Politics is business 23 3.2 Orientational metaphors 25 3.2.1 Having control is up 25 3.2.2 More is up, less is down 25 3.2.3 Less is behind 26 3.2.4 Foreseeable future events are ahead 27 3.3 Ontological metaphors 27 3.3.1 Nonhuman entities carry human capacities 28 3.3.2 Abstracts are things 28 CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 31 4.1 Findings 31 4.2 Discussion 32 PART C: CONCLUSION 35 Recapitulation 35 Limitations and suggestions for further research 35 Implications 36 REFERENCES 38 APPENDIX I APPENDIX VI v LIST OF TABLES AND CHARTS Table 3.1: Frequency of source domains in structural metaphors Chart 4.1: Proportions of three kinds of metaphors Chart 4.2: Proportions of source domains used in structural metaphors vi PART A: INTRODUCTION Rationale It is taken for granted that politics-related language is rigid, standardized and conventional However, metaphor, which is considered a very interesting linguistic phenomenon, can also be employed effectively in the field of politics, making political news become friendlier and less superior to the public For this reason, the author is desirous of investigating how metaphors are used in the headlines of some electronic articles on US presidential election campaign 2012 It is undeniable that metaphors are not only a promising land for writers‟ creativity to take off but also a product of minds, intellect and cognitive system According to Lakoff and Johnson (1980), this rhetorical device is not only considered a characteristic of language, but it is also a matter of thought and action Likewise, it is hoped that, under the lens of cognitive linguistics, this research paper will provide readers with a clear description of metaphors used in the headlines of such political articles Among series of political events during the last years, the US election campaign in 2012 emerged as the most striking one that the whole world kept track of As a matter of fact, the political campaign was actually the close race between the President Barack Obama – a prominent representative of Democratic Party and Mitt Romney – an outstanding nominee of Republican Party Therefore, it comes as no surprise that almost all of the headlines used to analyze in this dissertation portray the fierce competition between these two candidates With the hope of elaborating on the nature of metaphors in political news, the research paper will discuss the relationship between the source domains and target domains in structural metaphors as well as uncover kinds of metaphors employed in those headlines It is also expected that the researcher can discover the most pervasive kind of metaphor, the most dominant source domain in order to show readers the logical relationship between the human conceptual system and the language of politics Last but not least, there is little research exploring metaphors in the context of politics, which urges the author to investigate how this kind of meaning transference is employed in such election news Aims of the study The research paper is aimed at: - Pointing out the kinds of metaphors exploited in those political headlines This aim can be achieved on the ground of Lakoff and Johnson‟s view in their famous book titled “Metaphors we live by” (2003) - Exploring how those metaphors are used in such political headlines, and identifying the most pervasive source domains of structural metaphors - Suggesting some implications for the process of teaching, learning and translating metaphors Scope of the study The study focuses on the headlines of electronic articles whose contents are about the US presidential election 2012 These articles are taken from such electronic newspaper agencies as Red Alert Politics, Huff Post, CNN News, USA Today, New York Times, and CBS News All of them are famous, prestigious newspaper agencies which always updated American people and global citizens on the developments of the US presidential election in 2012 Significance of the study In terms of theoretical aspect, the research paper may not only provide useful contributions to studies of linguistic units from cognitive perspective but also shed light on other studies in the field of politics In terms of practical significance, the research is expected to encourage other linguistic researchers to carry out similar studies investigating the function of metaphors in the field of politics Besides, it is hoped that this MA thesis will supply readers a deeper understanding about how metaphors are used in election news The study is also believed to reveal the pervasive usage of sport and war terms in structural metaphors found in those political headlines Lastly, some applications in teaching and translating are also found to be useful for both English teachers and translators Research methodology 5.1 - Research questions How can the metaphors in the chosen newspaper headlines be categorized based on the classification of Lakoff and Johnson? 15 Mio, J S (1997) Metaphors and politics Metaphor and Symbol, 12 (2), 113123 16 Mio, J S., Riggio, R E., Levin, S., & Reese, R (2005) Presidential leadership and charisma: The effects of metaphor The Leadership Quarterly, 16, 287-294 17 Nguyễn Hòa (2004) Understanding English Semantics Hanoi: VNU Publisher 18 Nguyễn Hữu Quỳnh (2001) The Vietnamese Grammar Hanoi: Encyclopedia Publishing House 19 Shie, J S (2012) Conceptual metaphor as a news-story promoter: The case of ENL and EIL headlines Intercultural Pragmatics, (1), 1-21 20 Studer, P (2008) Historical Corpus Stylistics: Media, Technology and Change London: Continuum International Publishing Group 21 Trần Văn Cơ (2007) Cognitive Linguistics: Notes and Thoughts Hanoi: Social Sciences Publishing House 22 Yu, N (1998) The Contemporary Theory of Metaphor: A Perspective from Chinese Amsterdam: J Benjamins Pubishing Co 39 APPENDIX The classification of headlines into three kinds of metaphors Structural metaphors Politics is war Politics is port competition Mitt Romney 28 Romney returns to campaign: No „knock-out attacking Obama punch‟ planned Romney assails Obama on Middle East 29 The final presidential debate: Four punches that knocked out Mitt Romney Obama, Romney battle over economic visions 30 Debate ends abruptly as Obama punches Romney in face Why Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are battling for the rural vote 31 Mitt Romney shows he‟s no expert on foreign policy, but seems to avoid getting knocked out by Obama 32 Why isn‟t Oregon a slam dunk for Obama? 33 Neck and neck, Romney In presidential debate, Obama fights back Obama fires back against Politics is race Politics is game 55 Obama wins a second term with a strong ground game Politics is business 64 Obama uses 2012 campaign tactics to sell healthcare law 56 The game plan that lets Romney beat Obama 65 Obama touts jobs numbers 57 Economic fairness isn‟t enough for Obama‟s game plan 66 Romney touts business background in presidential Bid 50 Polls show very tight US presidential race 58 Obama‟s gamble 67 After Republican convention, Romney touts his jobs agenda in Ohio 51 Obama, Mitt Romney dash to finish line 59 Obama, Romney try to play it safe in 2012 gamble 60 The Obama campaign‟s real 47 Obama wins 2012 presidential election, defeats Romney in tight race 48 Barrack Obama, Mitt Romney seek foreign policy edge in final debate as race tightens 49 Obama, Romney race to close election finish 52 Presidential race dead even; I Mitt Romney‟s campaign of welfare lies and Obama Romney enter home maintains turnout stretch in edge presidential race President 34 Obama 53 Obama, Obama defends didn‟t Romney race to his foreignthe finish line scoreknockout policy record, but landed more fires back at punches Mitt Romney Mc Cain 35 Romney 54 In close race, Obama battles defends drops the ball Romney on Lybia in last for second term campaign presidential debate President Obama attacks Mitt Romney‟s jobs plan 36 Polls: Obama, Romney neck and neck months ahead of election 10 Mitt Romney absolutely destroyed Obama in the first presidential debate 11 Obama, Romney go on attack in final debate 37 Obama throws penalty flag on Romney economic plan 12 GOP attacks on front-runner 38 Romney says US needs „new coach‟, promises „winning season again‟ 39 Romney on the fast track II game plan 61 Obama‟s game plan: Let‟s make this all about the Republicans 62 Obama‟s edge: the ground game that could put him over the top 63 Was the first presidential debate a gamechanger for Mitt Romney? Romney might help Obama in Nevada 13 Obama takes key battlegrounds to win reelection 14 Romney and Obama‟s social-media war: By the numbers 15 Optimism turns out to be secret weapon for Romney 16 In final debate, fierce battle over foreign policy 17 The devastating Bain Ad that could ‘kill’ Romney in Ohio 18 Obama: Romney tends to ‘shoot’ first and ‘aim’ later 19 The second presidential debate: Obama strikes back 20 Romney says it‟s time to 40 Obama hits a home run against Mitt Romney last night 41 Obama, Romney neckand-neck in Wisconsin 42 NBA passes the ball to Romney, benches Obama 43 Obama on marathon tour; Romney runs across Ohio 44 For the president, punch, punch, another punch 45 GOP attacks on front-runner Romney might help Obama in Nevada 46 Romney says it‟s time to fire Coach Obama III fire Coach Obama 21 Obama, Romney continue battle for women‟s votes 22 Romney attacks Obama‟s foreign policy 23 Scenes from the political battlefront 24 In TV terms, Obama struggles, Romney dominates first debate 25 Romney, Republicans increase attacks on Obama 26 In close race, Obama battles for second term 27 Polls show Romney behind Obama in battle ground states IV Orientational metaphors and Ontological metaphors Metaphors Ontological Headlines containing metaphors 68 China and its trade practices are coming to the debates 69 Obama‟s, Romney‟s campaign promises and how they stack up 70 Obama and Romney campaign seek breakthrough strategy 71 Barack Obama, Mitt Romney seek foreign policy edge in final debate as race tightens 72 Mitt Romney seeks to seize the debate 73 The GOP says Romney can‟t win; historysays he can 74 Obama uses 2012 campaign tactics to sellhealthcare law 75 Optimism turns out to be secret weapon for Romney Orientational 76 Obama‟s, Romney‟s campaign promises and how they stack up 77 Barack Obama seizes the upper handover Mitt Romney at second debate 78 Polls show Romney behind Obama in battle ground states 79 Mitt Romney close behind Obama after debate, poll shows 80 Poll: Romney up, Obama down among women 81 Polls: Obama, Romney neck and neck months ahead of election 82 Romney promises unemployment down to 6% in years 83 Wives support Obama, Romney ahead of debates 84 Nasty campaign tactics surface ahead of decision day 85 Obama‟s edge: the ground game that could put him over the top Total: 75 news headlines; 85 metaphorical expressions V APPENDIX Headlines’ sources USA Today‟s Staff (2012) Mitt Romney returns to attacking Obama USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2012/11/01/romney- campaign-virginia-last-days/1673693/ USA Today‟s Staff (2012) Romney assails Obama on Middle East USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/story/onpolitics/2012/10/08/romney-foreign-policyspeech-obama-libya/1619729/ William, M W (2012) Obama, Romney battle over economic visions USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2012/10/03/debate-obamaromney-election/1611397/ Oconnel, F (2012) Why Mitt Romney and Barack Obama are battling for the rural vote US News http://www.usnews.com/opinion/blogs/ford- oconnell/2012/06/15/key-to-presidential-election-lies-in-rural-america Thrush, G (2012) In presidential debate, Obama fights back Politico http://www.politico.com/story/2012/10/obama-fights-back-082508 Jones, S (2012) Obama fires back against Mitt Romney‟s campaign of welfare lies Politicus USA http://www.politicususa.com/2012/08/14/obama-swingingmitt-romneys-campaign-deceit.html Press, A (2012) President Obama defends his foreign-policy record, fires back at Mitt Romney Cleveland http://www.cleveland.com/nation/index.ssf/2012/09/obama_defends_his_foreign -poli.html Janes, M (2012) Mc Cain defends Romney campaign USA Today.http://www.usatoday.com/story/onpolitics/2012/09/19/mccain-defendsromney/1580759/ Henderson, N M & Nakamura, D (2012) President Obama attacks Mitt Romney‟s jobs plan The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2012/07/16/gJQAVFLipW_story.html VI 10 Wyler, G (2012) Mitt Romney absolutely destroyed Obama in the first presidential debate Business Insider http://www.businessinsider.com/romneyzingers-debate-obama-2012-10 11 William, M W (2012) Obama, Romney go on attack in final debate USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2012/10/22/debate-obamaromney-foreign-policy/1650331/ 12 Demirjian, K (2012) GOP attacks on front-runner Romney might help Obama in Nevada Lasvegas Sun.http://lasvegassun.com/news/2012/jan/11/attacksfront-runner-romney-may-resonate-nevada/ 13 Cohen, T (2012) Obama takes key battlegrounds to win re-election CNN News http://edition.cnn.com/2012/11/06/politics/election-2012/ 14 The Week Staff (2012) Romney and Obama‟s social-media war: By the numbers The Week http://theweek.com/articles/471182/romney-obamas- socialmedia-war-by-numbers 15 Kudlow, L (2012) Optimism turns out to be secret weapon for Romney The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/national/optimism-turns-out-to-be-secretweapon-for-romney/88064/ 16 Madison, L (2012) In final debate, fierce battle over foreign policy CBS News http://www.cbsnews.com/news/in-final-debate-fierce-battle-over-foreign-policy/ 17 Kroll, A (2012) The devastating Bain Ad that could „kill‟ Romney in Ohio Mother Johns http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2012/11/obama-super-pacelection-ohio-priorities-usa-action 18 Montanaro, D & Loffman, M (2012) Obama: Romney tends to „shoot‟ first and „aim‟ later NBC News http://firstread.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/12/13833174-obama-respondsromney-tends-to-shoot-first-and-aim-later 19 Baker, P (2012) The second presidential debate: Obama strikes back The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/17/us/politics/in-second-debateobama-strikes-back.html?_r=0 VII 20 Messina, I (2012) Romney says it‟s time to fire Coach Obama The Blade http://www.toledoblade.com/Politics/2012/09/02/Romney-says-it-s-time-to-fireCoach-Obama.html 21 Saine, C (2012) Obama, Romney continue battlefor women‟s votes VOA News http://m.voanews.com/a/obama_and_romney_continue_battle_for_womens_vot es/1538520.html 22 William, M W (2012) Romney attacks Obama‟s foreign policy USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2012/10/22/debate-obamaromney-foreign-policy/1650331/ 23 Group of authors (2012) Scenes from the political battlefront The New Media Bureau http://www.ucjournalism.org/archives/2720 24 Zularwik, D (2012) In TV terms, Obama struggles, Romney dominates first debate The Baltimore Sun http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2012-10- 04/entertainment/bal-tv-debate-obama-struggles-romney-dominates20121003_1_gop-candidate-mitt-romney-obama-struggles-tv-terms 25 Cohen, T (2012) Romney, Republicans increase attacks on Obama CNN News http://edition.cnn.com/2012/09/14/politics/campaign-wrap/ 26 Presutti, C (2012) In close race, Obama battles for second term VOA News http://www.voanews.com/content/article/1538579.html 27 ABC News Staff (2012) Polls show Romney behind Obama in battle ground states ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/mitt-romney-obama- battleground-states-polls-17327122 28 Acosta, J (2012) Romney campaign: No „knock-out punch‟ planned CNN News http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/10/03/romney-campaign-no- knock-out-punch-planned/ 29 Dickinson, T (2012) The final presidential debate: Four punches that knockedout Mitt Romney VIII Rolling Stone http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-four-punches-that-knocked-outromney-20121023 30 Borowitz, A (2012) Debate ends abruptly as Obama punches Romney in face The New Yorker http://www.newyorker.com/humor/borowitz-report/debateends-abruptly-as-obama-punches-romney-in-face 31 Lupica, M (2012) Mitt Romney shows he‟s no expert on foreign policy, but seems to avoid getting knocked out by Obama Daily News http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/lupica-romney-avoids-knockedforeign-policy-debate-article-1.1189926 32 Sullivan, S (2012) Why isn‟t Oregon a slam dunk for Obama? The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2012/11/01/why-isnt- oregon-a-slam-dunk-for-president-obama/ 33 Raton, B (2012) Neck and neck, Romney and Obama enter home stretch in presidential race Bay News http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/ne ws/articles/bn9/2012/10/23/neck_and_neck_romney.html 34 Sinderbrand, R (2012) Obama didn‟t score knockout but landed more punches CNN News http://edition.cnn.com/2012/10/23/politics/debate- analysis/index.html 35 Conley, R (2012) Romney drops the ball on Lybia in last presidential debate Red Alert Politics http://redalertpolitics.com/2012/10/22/romney-drops-the-ballon-libya-question-in-last-presidential-debate/ 36 Jerry, K (2012) Obama, Romney neck and neck months ahead of election Los Angeles Times http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/07/news/la-pn-pollobama-romney-neck-and-neck-six-months-ahead-of-election-20120507 37 Jackson, D (2012) Obama throws penalty flag on Romney economic plan USA Today http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2012/09/obama- calls-penalty-on-romney-economic-plan/1#.VlvnZnbhDIU IX 38 Hampton, A (2012) Romney says US needs „new coach‟, promises „winningseason again‟ The Hill http://thehill.com/video/campaign/247061romney-on-opening-day-us-needs-a-new-coach 39 Miller, E (2012) Romney on the fast track The Washington Times http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2012/jan/16/romney-on-the-fast-track/ 40 Garcia, M T (2012) Obama hits a home run against Mitt Romney last night National Catholic Reporter http://ncronline.org/blogs/ncr-today/obama-hithome-run-against-romney-last-night 41 Adams, K (2012) Obama, Romney neck-and-neck in Wisconsin Real Clear Politics http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2012/10/22/obama_romney_neck-andneck_in_wisconsin_115888.html 42 Foxnews Staff (2012) NBA passes the ball to Romney, benches Obama Fox Nation http://nation.foxnews.com/2012-presidential-race/2012/08/22/nba- passes-ball-romney-benches-obama 43 Feller, B & Pickler, N (2012) Obama on marathon tour; Romney runsacross Ohio Associated Press http://news.yahoo.com/obama-marathon-tour-romneyruns-across-ohio-181238031 election.html 44 Baker, P (2012) For the president, punch, punch, another punch The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/17/us/politics/in-second-debate- obama-strikes-back.html?_r=0 45 Sherman, T (2012) Obama wins 2012 presidential election, defeats Romney in tight race NJ.comhttp://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2012/11/obama_wins_2012_presid ential_e.html 46 Benac, N (2012) Barrack Obama, Mitt Romney seek foreign policy edge in final debate as race tightens National Post http://news.nationalpost.com/news/barack-obama-mitt-romney-seek-foreignpolicy-edge-in-final-debate-as-race-tightens X 47 Bowman, M (2012) Obama, Romney race to close election finish VOA News http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-romney-race-to-close-electionfinish/1539113.html 48 Malone, J (2012) Polls show very tight US presidential race VOA News http://www.voanews.com/content/polls-show-very-tight-us-presidentialrace/1534225.html 49 Benac, N & Thomas, K (2012) Obama, Mitt Romney dash to finish line Huff Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/23/presidential-election2012_n_2004875.html 50 Pew, R (2012) Presidential race dead even; Romney maintains turnout edge People Press http://www.people-press.org/2012/10/29/presidential-race-deadeven-romney-maintains-turnout-edge/?beta=true&utm_expid=530982462.Lly4CFSVQG2lphsgKopIg.1&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com.vn%2F 51 Pickler, N & Thomas, K (2012) Obama, Romney race to the finish line Huff Post http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/23/presidential-election2012_n_2006458.html 52 Walsh, K T (2012) Obama wins a second term with a strong ground game US News http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/11/07/obama-wins-a-secondterm-with-a-strong-ground-game 53 Peek, L (2012) The game plan that lets Romney beat Obama The Fiscal Times http://www.thefiscaltimes.com/Columns/2012/03/14/The-Game-Plan-that-LetsRomney-Beat-Obama 54 Robson, N (2012) Economic fairness isn‟t enough for Obama‟s game plan The Daily Beast http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/04/12/michael- tomasky-economic-fairness-isn-t-enough-for-obama-s-game-plan.html XI 55 National Journal‟s Staff (2012) Obama‟s gamble The National Journal http://www.nationaljournal.com/columns/political-connections/obama-s-biggamble-20120628 56 Graham, B (2012) Obama, Romney try to play it safe in 2012 gamble USA Today http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/politics/story/2012-05-26/obamaromney-safe-campaign/55215034/1 57 Sargent, G (2012) The Obama campaign‟s real game plan The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/post/the-obama- campaigns-real-game-plan/2012/08/02/gJQA2vC8RX_blog.html 58 Cassidy, J (2012) Obama‟s game plan: Let‟s make this all about the Republicans The New Yorker http://www.newyorker.com/news/john- cassidy/obamas-game-plan-lets-make-this-all-about-the-republicans 59 Ball, M (2012) Obama‟s edge: the ground game that could put him over the top The Atlantic http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/10/obamasedge-the-ground-game-that-could-put-him-over-the-top/264031/ 60 Welsh, T (2012) Was the first presidential debate a game-changer for Mitt Romney? US News http://www.usnews.com/opinion/articles/2012/10/04/wasthe-first-presidential-debate-a-game-changer-for-mitt-romney 61 Levey, N N & Hennessey, K (2012) Obama uses 2012 campaign tactics to sell healthcare law Los Angeles Times http://articles.latimes.com/2013/may/11/nation/la-na-obama-healthcare20130511 62 Klein, K (2012) Obama touts jobs numbers VOA News http://www.voanews.com/content/romney-slams-obama-on-unemploymentrate/1538131.html 63 Malone, J (2012) Romney touts business background in presidential Bid VOA News http://m.voanews.com/a/romney_touts_business_background_in_presidential_bi d/1538621.html XII 64 Behrman, A (2012) After Republican convention, Romney touts his jobs agenda in Ohio The Dallas Morning News http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics/national-politics/20120901-afterrepublican-convention-romney-touts-his-jobs-agenda-in-ohio.ece 65 Lafraniere, S (2012) China and its trade practices are coming to the debates The New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/16/us/politics/chinaand-its-trade-tactics-are-coming-to-the-debates.html?_r=0 66 Woodward, C (2012) Obama‟s, Romney‟s campaign promises and how they stack up The Denver Post http://www.denverpost.com/ci_21928775/obamasromneys-campaign-promises-and-how-they-stack?source=infinite-up 67 Balz, D & Rucker, P (2012) Obama and Romney campaign seek breakthrough strategy The Washington Post https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-and-romney-campaigns-seekbreakthrough-strategy/2012/09/08/0e84d5a8-f935-11e1-8b93c4f4ab1c8d13_story.html 68 Falcone, M (2012) Mitt Romney seeks to seize the debate ABC News http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2012/10/mitt-romney-seeks-to-seize-thedebate-the-note/ 69 Green, J (2012) The GOP says Romney can‟t win; history says he can Bloomberg http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles/2012-04-11/the-gop-thinksromney-cant-win 70 Kurtz, H (2012) Barack Obama seizes the upper hand over Mitt Romney at second debate The Daily Beast http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/10/16/barack-obama-seizes-theupper-hand-over-mitt-romney-at-second-debate.html 71 Selyukh, A (2012) Mitt Romney close behind Obama after debate, poll shows Daily Finance http://www.dailyfinance.com/2012/10/08/mitt-romney-close- behind-obama-after-debate-poll-shows/ XIII 72 CNN Political Unit (2012) Poll: Romney up, Obama down among women CNN News http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/14/poll-romney-up- obama-down-among-women/ 73 CNN Political Unit (2012) Romney promises unemployment down to 6% in years CNN News http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2012/05/23/romney- promises-to-bring-unemployment-down-to-6/ 74 USA Today‟s Staff (2012) Wives support Obama, Romney ahead of debates USA Today http://www.usatoday.com/story/onpolitics/2012/10/02/michelleobama-ann-romney-debates/1609061/ 75 Anderson, C (2012) Nasty campaign tactics surface ahead of decision day Huff Post.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/30/presidential-election2012_n_2044094.html XIV