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

James A Thurber (Editor), Candice J. Nelson (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 28, 2009 | ISBN-10: 0813344190 | ISBN-13: 978-0813344195 | Edition: 3rd

With new and revised essays throughout, this book provides 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 phenomena of the new town meetings, bus tours, talk radio, infomercials, focus groups, and the Internet. The third edition explains how campaign themes and strategies are set and 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, and male and female campaign perspectives, this volume scrutinizes national- and local-level campaigns through the 2000 and 2008 election cycles. Students, citizens, candidates, and campaign managers will learn not only how to win elections but also why it has become imperative to do so in an ethical way. Perfect for a variety of courses in American government, this book is essential reading for political junkies of any stripe and serious students of campaigns and elections.

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

About the Author

James A. Thurber is Distinguished Professor of Government and director of the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies at American University. He is a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration and the author or coauthor of numerous books and more than seventy-five articles and chapters on Congress, congressional-presidential relations, congressional budgeting, congressional reform, interest groups and lobbying, and campaigns and elections.

 

Candice J. Nelson is associate professor of government and academic director of the Campaign Management Institute at American University. She is the coauthor of The Money Chase: Congressional Campaign Finance Reform and The Myth of the Independent Voter, and coeditor of Campaign Warriors: Political Consultants in Elections and Crowded Airwaves: Campaign Advertising in Elections, as well as numerous other articles and books.

 

Product Details

• Paperback: 352 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press; 3rd edition (July 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813344190
• ISBN-13: 978-0813344195
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,672 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #32 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Government     > State & Local Government

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.

4.0 out of 5 stars Good overview about American campaigns, February 11, 2012

By 

Dr. Cardinal "Cardinal Bound!!!!" (Free of the Mountains!!!!!) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

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

This is a pretty fair treatment of what makes American campaigns unique. It highlights the need to master the media, fundraising, and the technology centered nature of campaigns that emerges from the week state of the parties. Basically, this book offers up an image of what happens when elections are conducted in a weak party system. You get the American system, and this book also offers up a sense of how that impacts the quality of representation one receives. It is a good book, but offers only improvements to what we already knew, with the added bonus that the writing is a little too technical. Anyway, a good book for a scholar, but few others.

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!