Death. Destruction. Obliteration. The American public, on a daily basis, during the Cold War heard these threats and felt them down to their very core. The Cold War was a time when political propaganda and manipulation was at an all time high.The looming threat of Communist Cuba, who was being armed with Soviet missiles and nuclear silos instilled a fear that was completely unknown to Americans. The Soviet Union was approximately 5,500 miles away from the East Coast, Cuba was less than 100. Fear is a very effective tool of psychological manipulation, using political schemes and playing with emotions the American people were an easy target. The first step into manipulating someone, is to make them afraid, afraid of losing their loved ones, afraid of losing their life. The Daisy Ad, which was sponsored by President Johnson’s campaign played upon these fears and propelled President Johnson into victory.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt famously reassured the public during his inaugural speech that “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself”, President Johnson’s Daisy Ad assures the public that the only thing we have to fear is the destruction that nuclear weapons brings.
Politicians ingrain this fear by keeping the public in the dark on issues, the fear that something will happen, don’t know when or where.
and In…show more content… There is no better moment to mislead the public than when it is scared for its life. “To make a world in which all of God’s children can live, or to go into the dark.” During this election, the Cold War was at the height of its rising tension. The Daisy Ad built upon an inner fear within americans and showed them what would become of the future of their children and country. Manipulation is more likely to occur when one doesn't understand an issue or is unable to control the fear that is created by someone or