Customer Reviews

Going Dirty : The Art of Negative Campaigning

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Going Dirty is an excellent book covering the recent history of negative campaigning in the US. The book gives an insightful and balanced look into a topic most people wish wasn't there.

Most of the book is filled with case studies of where negative ads were used, and while primarily contemporary (starting in the 1950's), it also goes back a century helping show how it all evolved. The book only considers campaigns in the US but the author does a good job of looking at campaigns across the country (and political spectrum), critiquing those who might think that any set strategy could work without taking into account the people and area.

While most of the book feels like more of a history of negative campaigning near the end it goes into more analysis. (Ironically the author's analysis starts in a chapter talking about negative campaigns that failed). Though I found the book intriguing I would have liked it to have focused more specific tactics of negative campaigns, and less of a history of them. Too much of the book just reads like a history lesson rather than a real analysis. I still had some questions floating in my head about negative campaigning (how it wears on the public, it's ebbs and flows, possibilities for the future, etc) that I wish had been answered by the book, but perhaps I'll just need to read the authors follow up work.

Written by David Mark (editor-in-chief of Campaigns & Elections magazine), Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning is a no-nonsense history of negative campaigning in American politics, with especial attention paid to case studies of notable races during the modern era of television. In particular, Going Dirty notes campaign negativity has increased sharply since September 11, 2001, with commercials routinely suggesting that political opponents are irresolute in pursuing the war on terror. Going Dirty explores incidents when negative campaigning has backfired, most often due to non-credible charges or the attackers failure to correctly gauge the sentiments of the electorate, and incidents when negative campaigning has been remarkably successful, which are common enough to explain its persistence as an electoral tactic. Accessible to lay readers and political scientists alike, Going Dirty is a nonjudgmental, thorough, insider's history of an undeniably strong aspect of the American political institution, and highly recommended.

Great book. It provides a great overview of campaigning from Washington to 2006. We tend to think of politics today as being negative and dirty. The facts are that politics in the 1800's was so much more negative and dirty.

David Mark writes in an engaging style and does not go into more detail than needed. Almost everything is sourced (unique for political books) and you can get into the weeds if you wish.

Highly highly recommended.

This is a good book. Not intented for those who are looking for an easy 6 step guide for negative campaigns. It is written in more historic case-centered way. International buyers please note all the examples are based on american politics. Mark analyses different sorts of negative strategies and by the end of the book the author gives a brief forecast of what might come.

Reading this helped me to understand the various types of negative campaigning as well as the why, when and hows of the topic.

This is a compelling, well written guide to negative campaigning. it provides some strong underpinning theories to negative campaigning from an accute observer of campaign methodology. Very useful and well worth purchasing.