Pulp Politics: How Political Advertising Tells the Stories of American Politics

The 30-second political advertising spots considered by some to be despoilers of democracy can also be seen as evocative and powerful means through which the stories of American politics are told and understood. Often it is the fabric of popular culture, not the imperatives of informed consent, that drives viewer response to campaign commericals. To understand how this works, we can look at how American popular culture—from satire to heroic biography, bone-chilling horror stories to the irreverance of "South Park"—helps weave the tapestries of political communication.

Pulp Politics helps us understand how political ads work by exploring how people think and feel, how our brains work, and how we tell and listen to stories. This book also helps us discover the embedded power of audiovisual political communication that can both enlighten and manuipulate.