We've lost connectivity that was mediated by such campaign material. Thus, as television gained prominence in politics, parties began losing their influence. Candidates, once dependent on party infrastructure for message dissemination, could appeal directly to the masses via television. Television, with its power to reach people in the seclusion of their homes, can disenfranchise many from the political process. Adding to this disenfranchisement is what many consider to be disingenuous behavior by the candidates, who may derive their positions not through conviction, but through focus groups and polls, a process known as modeling.
TV is something candidates can measure.
Its effects can be quantified. And who threw the biggest bomb. Still, debates themselves have remained an integral, if flawed, fixture in the American political process. In 1992, more viewers tuned in for the first presidential debate than watched the Super Bowl that year. And although debaters continue to shorten their responses to mere sound bites, many feel debates are the most effective means we have of choosing a leader.