Resumen de Manipulating public expectations: Pre‐ and postprimary statements in the ′76 campaign
The results of an analysis of the primaries of the 1976 Presidential election indicate a majority of the candidates of both parties confirmed the sacred rule of political prognostication by predicting modestly and hoping to do better—and look better—than the prediction. In a second category of preprimary statements in a two‐person race, a “40% law” emerged, with the candidate claiming to be a “winner” if the predicted 40% vote was achieved. Finally, postprimary statements followed one of four rhetorical choices on a continuum of most to least desirable depending on the primary's success.
