Transcending Time Through Television- Sarah Rodriguez

Politics, like business, is all about the fight for power. The election of 1960 between Senator John F. Kennedy and Vice President Richard Nixon was one of the closest presidential races in American history. On November 8, 1960 Americans were glued to their television sets in order to stay informed on what was going on in the election at any given moment. News broadcasters were welcomed into homes as they updated their audiences on what was going on in that exact moment. Or at least, to the viewers at home it seemed it was all happening in that moment. Oftentimes throughout the election, updates were purposefully reported in a manner that allowed the viewer to feel as though he or she was coexisting with the action as it was being reported because “as television in fact becomes less and less a ‘live’ medium in the sense of an equivalence between time of event and time of transmission, the medium it its own practices seems to insist more and more upon the ideology of the live, the immediate, the direct, the spontaneous, the real” (Feuer 14). Television is able to merge the past with the present and lead the viewer towards the future. In this way, television has the ability to historicize moments while simultaneously emphasizing the liveness of them, which allows the viewer to transcend time and understand a mode of knowing television.

Mad Men's "Nixon vs. Kennedy" episode focuses on the election of 1960 and everyone at Sterling Cooper is hoping for a Nixon victory. Throughout the day, and in fact in the very first scene of the episode, the characters are very much involved in watching the news in order to stay current on every aspect of the election. The broadcasts ensure that the viewers at home are constantly updated on any new information and because of this, the viewer can feel assured that he or she is involved in this election. This particular election was especially interesting because it was so close, and therefore being around a television in order to be updated on any changes was crucial. In her article “Information, Crisis, Catastrophe,” Mary Ann Doane states: “The content of information is ever-changing, but information, as genre, is always there, a constant and steady presence, keeping you in touch. It is, above all, that which fills time on television-using it up. Here time is flow: steady and continuous” (Doane 223). Doane points to some of the reasons why news broadcasts were, and still are, such a vital part of Election Day. Voters were constantly being reminded of what had already occurred on Election Day so far and what could possibly happen in the future. Even after the election was over and a winner had finally been declared, news reports recapped the all of the action that had taken place in order to get to the delayed results.

Though the very first second of this clip prominently displays the words "Kennedy Elected," for the most part, the rest of the clip plays as though the final election results are unknown. In fact, the announcer speaks in present tense at the beginning of the broadcast, as if everything is happening in that moment, though it is clear that it has all taken place in the past. Here, the announcer addresses his audience as coexisting in time. However, he quickly changes to the past tense as he describes what the candidates went through on Election Day. In this small way, the announcer has ensured the viewer knows about this important moment in history while simultaneously allowing them to feel as though it is happening at that very moment. In many ways, the viewer demands this sort of reporting because “We desire the live-seemingness of news events and of the broadcast video image in general” (Ellis 35-36). It is essential to us that we feel a part of what is happening in the news, and therefore it is crucial that the news makes this happen for us. Though this clip features a broadcast of something that at the time had only recently just happened, the manner in which the announcer begins in the first person includes the viewer as a witness of that moment as it was happening.

The importance of what Jane Feuer refers to as “liveness” is made clear in Mad Men, as the main focus of the day is the election and everyone is gathered around the television in order to be there when the results are announced. It is important for the characters watch the live broadcast because, “Even the simplest meaning of ‘live’- that the time of the event corresponds to the transmission and viewing times- reverberates with suggestions of ‘being there’… ‘Bringing it to you as it really is’” (Feuer 14). When they are not or cannot be around the television, such as when they are at work, the primary nucleus of discussion is the election, the candidates, how they will gather to watch the election later, and how this news will directly affect their lives.

Here, Mad Men is able to bring the history of the election and merge it with the present, and even with the future. To the characters, Nixon vs. Kennedy happened earlier, is happening now, and will also be happening later. In this way, the television within the episode has found a way to transcend time. Interestingly, the episode, along with the show itself, has also done this since Mad Men premiered in 2007 but takes place in the 1960s. This episode in particular even goes back and changes history a bit, as Harry yells at Don on his way out, "He's got a big lead. See you at the big victory party in the morning." This false depiction of actual history (Kennedy had a significant early lead) shows the ways in which television is even able to manipulate the past in its own favor, therefore modifying the present of the characters.

The rest of the episode, however, stays true to history as later recollections of what happened (or to the characters, is happening) in the election remains accurate. In the end, it is Kennedy who wins and supporters of Nixon are left disappointed. This is made obvious in Nixon’s concession speech, where his supporters are constantly interrupting him in order to show their support.

Perhaps, however, they feel so passionately about it because Nixon delivered his concession speech prematurely. Though the final results of the election remain unknown, Vice President Nixon looks at the past results, determines what the future results will be, and announces the acceptance of his defeat because of them. Here, television has allowed us to see how past, present, and future can all appear to be happening in the same instant.

Similarly, Don Draper also has to deal with his past throughout this episode. Pete Campbell has informed Don that he knows all about his past and threatens to tell their boss, Bertram Cooper, all about it if Don does not hire him as the new Head of Accounts.

In many ways, Don and Pete’s argument draws parallels to the election. Viewers of the show know that Don is a self-made man, much like Nixon. Conversely, Pete, Like K

ennedy, was born into money. The way in which Don refuses to succumb to Pete’s demands despite the consequences shows how Don is unwilling to let his past control his future. The viewer is drawn into Don and Pete’s battle because although it shares certain aspects as the candidates of the election, it is more personal and “people tend to prefer the personal to the general, the concrete to the abstract” (Borges 113). Though the characters of Mad Men have built the excitement around the election, especially since the results are delayed and

everyone there is hoping for a Nixon victory, the tension between Don and Pete is palpable. Their

personal storylines have allowed the viewer a greater access to their private worlds, and this is what ultimately keeps the viewer drawn into the drama of the episode because “people always hope for confessions” (Borges 127). . Don refuses to be stuck in his own past and insists on living in the present. Though Pete threatens to drastically alter Don’s future, ultimately Don decides to take this power from Pete by going to Cooper and calling Pete’s bluff.

Through political media, we are able to see how television is able to transcend time. It addresses us in the present as it speaks about past events and how they may affect our future. In this and many other presidential elections, viewers and voters of the time are able to feel as though they are experiencing every moment of the elections as they happen, though this is rarely true. As a result, viewers are captured by these moments because they feel as though they have actually become a part of them. It is television’s uncanny ability to make us feel as though we are a part of something so big and important that always keeps us coming back for more.

http://www.televisionwithoutpity.com/show/mad_men/nixon_vs_kennedy.php