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Bully Pulpit Speakers Win South Carolina Primaries


The path to victory in the South Carolina primaries for John McCain and Barack Obama included participation in the Bully Pulpit Series on presidential communication at the College of Charleston.

Sen. John McCain, the first Republican presidential candidate and the first speaker in the Department of Communication’s Bully Pulpit Series, won South Carolina’s Republican Primary on Saturday, January 19, with 33% of the popular vote.

Sen. Barack Obama, the first Democratic presidential candidate and the third speaker in the Bully Pulpit Series, was the winner in South Carolina’s Democratic Primary on Saturday, January 26, with 55% of the popular vote.

In addition to McCain and Obama, other Bully Pulpit Series speakers included former U.S. Sen. John Edwards (D) and U.S. Representative Ron Paul (R).  

The presidential candidates spoke to a variety of topics in their appearances at the College of Charleston, including issues relevant to presidential communication.  These issues included the importance of civility, bipartisan cooperation, the frequency of presidential press conferences and media briefings, and communication with foreign governments.  

“The Bully Pulpit Series: Reflections on Presidential Communication” asked the individual presidential candidates to speak with students and Charleston community members on such topics as the frequency of press conferences, the candidate’s relationship with journalists, and the power of the president to persuade.

The Department of Communication and the College of Charleston invited an equal number of presidential candidates from both major political parties to participate in the Bully Pulpit Series.  The title sponsor of this non-partisan series has been Allstate Insurance Company.

At the College of Charleston, thousands of students and community members were able to be audience members at one or more Bully Pulpit events.  In addition, as part of the Bully Pulpit Series, communication students at Augustana College in Rock Island, IL, reviewed video recordings of the four Bully Pulpit events and analyzed the speeches and comments of the presidential candidates.

More information about the Bully Pulpit Series, complete with audio and video materials, is available at www.cofc.edu/bullypulpit.

The Bully Pulpit Series at the College of Charleston is a joint effort of the College’s Department of Communication and the Department of Communication Advisory Council.  

 

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