Campaigns And Elections American Style (Transforming American Politics) [Paperback]

James A Thurber (Author), Candice J Nelson (Author), William R Hamilton (Author), EDITOR * (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0813319676 | ISBN-13: 978-0813319674 | Publication Date: March 14, 1995

For the first time, leading political scientists and experienced campaign professionals (many instrumental in the 1992 and 1994 elections) have come together to consider the nuts-and-bolts of American campaigns and elections in conjunction with academic theories and research. Sometimes the two views correspond quite closely—as when academic Paul Herrnson’s research on volunteerism reinforces grassroots campaign specialist Will Robinson’s experience with field operations at the local level. Other times, theory flies in the face of practice, as William Hamilton (campaign pollster) and Raymond Wolfinger (survey research specialist) reveal in essays on the use of campaign surveys. Sam Popkin embodies the essence of the book; he is a key academic who also played an important role in advising the Clinton campaign.The essays in this volume provide a real education in practical campaign politics. Academics and campaign professionals describe the innovation and reality of election campaigns as they have evolved over time to culminate in the 1992 phenomena of town meetings, bus tours, MTV, talk radio, infomercials, and focus groups. Especially relevant to the 1994 midterm elections, we see how campaign themes and strategy are set, how they are communicated, how advanced campaign tactics are used, why mobilizing volunteers is essential, why early campaign money is worth more, how to get the media to cover a campaign without paying for it, and how to use focus groups, survey research, and media to win elections. Offering a unique and careful mix of Democrat and Republican, academic and practitioner, male and female campaign perspectives, this volume scrutinizes national- and local-level campaigns through 1994 with the 1996 elections in mind. Students, citizens, candidates, and campaign managers will learn not only how to win elections, but why it has become imperative to do so in an ethical way.Perfect for a variety of courses in American government, Campaigns and Elections American Style is borne out of the marriage of campaign professionals and academics teaching in American University’s nationally televised Campaign Management Institute. This book is essential reading for political junkies of any stripe and serious students of campaigns and elections. All will be impressed by the clear portrait this volume paints of the professionalization and dramatic transformation of American election campaigns over the last 30 years.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Campaigns and Elections American Style combines penetrating analysis from top scholars with inside insights from some of the top campaign practitioners in the country. That combination of perspectives makes it a terrific, must-read resource for scholars and students alike."
—Norman Ornstein, American Enterprise Institute

"Campaigns are big business, and this book tells candidates, students, and citizens how they are run in the 21st century. Two of the premier experts in American politics, Jim Thurber and Candice Nelson, have brought together a top-notch group of specialists in strategy, polling, advertising, new media, fieldwork and fundraising. This up-to-date volume is perfect for college courses in parties and elections."
—Larry J. Sabato, University of Virginia; author of The Year of Obama

"James Thurber and Candice Nelson and their team of experienced consultants and respected academic collaborators help us understand the strategy and outcome of the 2008 elections. Campaigns and Elections American Style is 'state of the art' in its coverage of such topics as blogs, social networks, polling, internet fundraising, messaging, and mobilization, among others. The book demonstrates that consultants and academics can complement each other in informing a broader audience."
—David B. Magleby, Brigham Young University

"Informative, comprehensive, and, most importantly, accessible, the third edition of Campaigns and Elections American Style provides an up-to-date, realistic view on the evolution of American electoral politics. Students will like this book and benefit from it."
—Stephen J. Wayne, Georgetown University

Praise for Previous Editions:

"An innovative and highly informative contribution to the understanding of American politics. For the general reader, for the campaign professional, and for academic researchers seeking accessible and new information, this book provides superb analysis from those who work in the political trenches and those who spend their lives studying the process."
—Thomas B. Edsall, Washington Post, and author of The New Politics of Inequality, Power and Money.

"Until now, academic political theory and practical campaign experience might as well have existed on different planets. But James Thurber and Candice Nelson have managed to combine the best of both worlds into a text that will be hugely useful to campaign professionals, theorists, students, and political junkies alike."
—Dan Schnur, University of California, Berkeley

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

James A. Thurber is professor of government and director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University. Candice J. Nelson is an assistant professor of government at the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at The American University and is director of the university's Campaign Management Institute.

Product Details

• Paperback: 280 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press (March 14, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813319676
• ISBN-13: 978-0813319674
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,208,564 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Academic Look at Campaigns, April 2, 2001

By 

Wayne A. Smith (Newark, DE) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Campaigns And Elections American Style (Transforming American Politics) (Paperback)

Not a bad book. Thurber presents American campaigns from an academic perspective in describing how they operate and how they have changed over time.

This is less of a practical or "how to" book than a descriptive treatise on campaign practices. It is valuable in introducing the reader to the why's and hows of modern campaigning in America. A person who is looking for a guide to organizing their own run for local office will find this book interesting, but will want to supplement it with one of the many more practical books on the subject...I'm teaching a course in elective politics at the University of Pennsylvania's Fels Center of Government. This is one of the required reading books for the course and is also used by some other teachers in the field at colleges and universities around the country.

1 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good book to read...!, June 22, 2000

By 

Anny Hung (Taiwan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Campaigns And Elections American Style (Transforming American Politics) (Paperback)

I'm a university student in Taiwan.The book has been translated in Chinese,and I've read the book.In the beginning,my professor suggest me to read it,then I did it.The book is really helpful to people to understand how's the campaigns & elections going on!

0 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good book to read...!, June 22, 2000

By 

Anny Hung (Taiwan) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Campaigns And Elections American Style (Transforming American Politics) (Paperback)

I'm a university student in Taiwan.The book has been translated in Chinese,and I've read the book.In the beginning,my professor suggest me to read it,then I did it.The book is really helpful to people to understand how's the campaigns & elections going on!