Candidates, Consultants and Campaigns: The Style and Substance of American Electioneering

Widely vilified yet extensively copied, the techniques employed in American elections exert a fascination throughout the world. Bombarded with skillfully crafted political advertising, the American public derives its sense of the candidates from television commercials that range from the mawkish ("In the early morning light, everything seems clean and new again. We in Louisiana share a wonderful life together.") to the aggressive personal attack ("Can the man who drove Pittsburgh to its knees put Pennsylvania back on its feet?"). Modern electioneering is being rapidly transformed by the extensive use of television as a political medium, by advances in computer technology, and by the growing influence of specialist campaign consultants who manipulate the image of the candidate in ever more subtle and sophisticated ways. This is a factual account of what goes on in a modern American political campaign: how the candidate is marketed to the public and how the marketing strategy is devised and coordinated. Presenting a systematic study of the private viewpoints and concepts of America's leading political consultants, this book takes the reader through the arduous process of running for Congress, looks at recent presidential contenders, and reveals the (sometimes turbulent) relationship between the candidates and their advisors.