|
|
|
The Making of the Presidential Candidates 2008
|
|
Presidential Primaries and the Dynamics of Public Choice
This innovative study blends sophisticated statistical analyses, campaign anecdotes, and penetrating political insight to produce a fascinating exploration of one of America's most controversial political institutions--the process by which our major parties nominate candidates for the presidency. Larry Bartels focuses on the nature and impact of "momentum" in the contemporary nominating system. He describes the complex interconnections among primary election results, expectations, and subsequent primary results that have made it possible for candidates like Jimmy Carter, George Bush, and Gary Hart to emerge from relative obscurity into political prominence in recent nominating campaigns. In the course of his analysis, he addresses questions central to any understanding--or evaluation--of the modern nominating process. How do fundamental political predispositions influence the behavior of primary voters? How quickly does the public learn about new candidates? Under what circumstances will primary success itself generate subsequent primary success? And what are the psychological processes underlying this dynamic tendency? Professor Bartels examines the likely consequences of some proposed alternatives to the current nominating process, including a regional primary system and a one-day national primary. Thus the work will be of interest to political activists, would-be reformers, and interested observers of the American political scene, as well as to students of public opinion, voting behavior, the news media, campaigns, and electoral institutions. .
Price: $31.52
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
The Great Comeback: How Abraham Lincoln Beat the Odds to Win the 1860 Republican Nomination
In the fall of 1858, Abraham Lincoln looked to be anything but destined for greatness Just shy of his fiftieth birthday, Lincoln was wallowing in the depths of despair following his loss to Stephen Douglas in the 1858 senatorial campaign and was taking stock in his life. The author takes us on a journey with Abraham Lincoln from the last weeks of 1858 until the end of May in 1860, on the road to his unlikely Republication presidential nomination. In tracing Lincoln's steps from city to city, from one public appearance to the next along the campaign trail, we see the future president shape and polish his public persona. Although he had accounted himself well in the famous Lincoln-Douglas debates, the man from Springfield, Illinois, he was nevertheless seen as the darkest of dark horses for the highest office in the land. Upon hearing Lincoln speak, one contemporary said, “I will not say he reminded me of Satan, but he certainly was the ungodliest figure I had ever seen." The reader sees how this "ungodliest" of figures shrewdly spun his platform to crowds far and wide and, in doing so, became a public celebrity on par with any throughout the land. This is a story teeming with drama and intrigue about an event that no one could fathom occurring today...yet it absolutely happened in with America seven score and eight years ago, when Lincoln, the man, took his first steps on the way toward becoming Abraham Lincoln, the legendary leader and most respected president of American history. .
Price: $17.13
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
The Presidential Nominating Process: A Place for Us? (American Political Challenges)
The sprawling nominating process is the critical first step every four years in the election of the president It is where the field of contenders is narrowed from a plethora of aspirants to the two finalists that carry the banners of the Democratic and Republican parties into the fall campaign. In a democracy such as ours, the voters should be major players in this process. Yet while 100 million or more Americans regularly participate in the election of the president, rarely does more than a third that number vote in the presidential primaries and caucuses that nominate the candidates. And only a small percentage of these voters have a truly meaningful voice - the fortunate few in Iowa, New Hampshire and a handful of other early voting states that for all practical purposes decide for the rest of the nation who the nominees will be. The thrust of this book is to discuss how we as a nation got to this point, how the nominating process currently works, how that compares to other countries, and how our process might be changed to give a more meaningful voice to a much larger number of voters. Visit our website for sample chapters!.
Price: $5.99
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
Race for the Presidency 2008: Winning the 2008 Nomination (Race for the Presidency)
|
|
The Race for the 2008 Democratic Nomination: A Book of Editorial Cartoons
The 2008 Democratic presidential primary race was one of the most intense nominating campaigns in a generation. A record 35 million people voted in the Democratic primaries and the Democratic candidates raised more than half a billion dollars, also a record. This collection of over 250 editorial cartoons by more than 75 artists provides insights on the candidates for the 2008 Democratic nomination and the process that led up to the convention in Denver. Cartoonists not only explored such questions as the race for money and the compressed primary calendar, but also had fun with incidents such as Senator Edwards's haircuts, the Reverend Wright controversy, Senator Obama's "bitter" remark, and Senator Clinton's sniper comment. A number of attractive prospects bowed out before the race began. Early contests, starting with the Iowa caucuses on January 3, 2008, winnowed the field; veteran senators Joe Biden and Chris Dodd, Gov. Bill Richardson, and Rep. Dennis Kucinich all ended their campaigns in January. Former senator John Edwards tried to hang on but ended his quest at the end of the month as well. Democratic voters then faced a historic choice between the determined Hillary Clinton, who saw her mantle of inevitability slip away, and the youthful Barack Obama, who combined an inspirational message and unprecedented campaign organization. For a time it appeared that superdelegates might decide the nomination or that the race might go all the way to the convention, but Obama prevailed. In this collection, many of America's top editorial cartoonists offer their views on this historic Democratic nominating campaign..
Price: $11.53
[Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
Battle for Justice: How the Bork Nomination Shook America
When President Reagan nominated Robert Bork to the Supreme Court, it was the spark that fueled a months-long firestorm during which liberals and conservatives battled fiercely over Reagan’s choice, each trying to gain control of the nation’s judicial future. The American public, captivated by this struggle for power, weighed in with an unprecedented outpouring of mail and telephone calls to the United States Senate arguing both pro- and con- positions.
Based on scores of interviews with key figures and a shrewd analysis of the issues, then-Boston Globe reporter Ethan Bronner chronicles this engrossing story of a titanic struggle for political power. It features key players such as Senators Joseph Biden and Edward Kennedy, with the latter leading the fight against the appointment using savvy Madison Avenue style strategies; a Justice Department desperate to hold its ground; a shocked White House staff, caught off-guard; and of course Bork himself, who insisted that “the process of confirming justices for our nations highest court has been transformed in a way that should not and indeed must not be permitted to occur again.”
Featuring a new epilogue, “Where Are They Now?” .
Price: $4.00
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
The Race for the 2008 Republican Nomination: A Book of Editorial Cartoons
After seven years of President George W. Bush's leadership, Republicans looking to retain the White House faced a difficult electoral environment signaled by setbacks in the 2006 midterm elections. This collection of over 250 editorial cartoons by more than 75 artists provides insights on the candidates for the 2008 Republican nomination and the process that led up to the convention in Minneapolis-Saint Paul. Top contenders included maverick and media favorite Sen. John McCain, folksy former governor Mike Huckabee, rich and handsome former governor Mitt Romney, America's mayor Rudy Giuliani, late entrant former senator Fred Thompson, and the libertarian leaning representative Ron Paul. A number of second-tier candidates rounded out the field. McCain, an early frontrunner, saw his campaign implode at the beginning of July 2007 and yet managed to emerge as the presumptive Republican nominee eight months later, despite grumblings from some conservatives. Cartoonists not only explored such questions as the race for money and the compressed primary calendar, but also had fun with incidents such Rev. Pat Robertson's endorsement of Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney's millions, and Fred Thompson's failure to live up to the Reagan model. In this collection, America's top editorial cartoonists offer their views on the GOP candidates, McCain's classic comeback, and the happenings on the road to Minneapolis..
Price: $12.95
[Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
Rewiring Politics: Presidential Nominating Conventions in the Media Age (Media and Public Affairs)
A century ago, national political parties' nominating conventions for U.S. presidential candidates were wide-open brawls, filled with front-stage conflicts and back-room deals. Today, they are precisely planned and carefully scripted events, whose outcomes are largely preordained. Rewiring Politics is the first in-depth exploration of the profound changes in the nominating process to focus on the role of the media. Fourteen luminaries of media and politics examine how conventions have been transformed over time by the technology of "coverage." As the contributors demonstrate, the story of the evolution of the nominating process cannot be told without the concomitant story of the revolution in mass media. The impact of the media on political conventions is a topic that has received surprisingly little scholarly attention. Yet few aspects of the American political process have been so altered in such a short period of time. The first live television broadcasts from a national convention were transmitted on June 21, 1948, during the Republican convention in Philadelphia. Since then, radio, television, cable networks, and the Internet have transfigured both the presentation and the content of the nominating process. Because the party's nominee is a foregone conclusion, candidates use conventions—and convention coverage—as a form of advertising. They are mega-media events designed to electrify the party faithful and to woo undecided voters by dazzling them. This development, the contributors show, is profoundly intertwined with the industrialization, fragmentation, and competition of mass media. Throughout the volume, they balance theory with empirics, resulting in enlightening analyses along with detailed accounts. Without a doubt, conventions still matter. Though their role has changed over the past decades, they remain events essential to the political process. Rewiring Politics helps readers assess the evolution of conventions in contemporary politics, the forces driving developments, and the implications for parties, politics, and society. AUTHOR BIO: Costas Panagopoulos is a postdoctoral fellow at the Institution for Social and Policy Studies at Yale University. He is also a visiting assistant professor of political science and the director of the graduate program in elections and campaign management at Fordham University. He previously served as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow (2004-2005) in the office of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY)..
Price: $34.00
[ Notify me when price goes down.]
|
|
|
|
|