A unique empirical and theoretical analysis of political consultants and how they achieve electoral success for their candidates

Describes a modern American political campaign, discusses the influence of media advisers, and looks at PACs and modern campaign technology

Today, politics is big business. Most of the 6 billion spent during the 2012 campaign went to highly paid political consultants. In Building a Business of Politics, a lively history of political consulting, Adam Sheingate examines the origins of the industry and its consequences for American democracy.

These essays present original data and analysis on the world of election-campaign consultants. They aim to illuminate the work of professional political consultants and their growing influence on the electoral process and American democracy.

This book is a history of political consulting in America, examining how the consulting business developed, highlighting the major figures in the consulting industry and assessing the impact of professional consulting on elections and American democracy. A key focus is on presidential elections, beginning in 1964, and the important role played by consultants and political operatives.

People on the right are furious. People on the left are livid. And the center isn’t holding. There is only one thing on which almost everyone agrees: there is something very wrong in Washington. The country is being run by pollsters. Few politicians are able to win the voters’ trust. Blame abounds and personal responsibility is nowhere to be found. There is a cynicism in Washington that appalls those in every state, red or blue. The question is: Why? The more urgent question is: What can be done about it? Few people are more qualified to deal with both questions than Joe Klein. There are many loud and opinionated voices on the political scene, but no one sees or writes with the clarity that this respected observer brings to the table. He has spent a lifetime enmeshed in politics, studying its nuances, its quirks, and its decline. He is as angry and fed up as the rest of us, so he has decided to do something about it—in these pages, he vents, reconstructs, deconstructs, and reveals how and why our leaders are less interested in leading than they are in the “permanent campaign” that political life has become. The book opens with a stirring anecdote from the night of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Klein re-creates the scene of Robert Kennedy’s appearance in a black neighborhood in Indianapolis, where he gave a gut-wrenching, poetic speech that showed respect for the audience, imparted dignity to all who listened, and quelled a potential riot. Appearing against the wishes of his security team, it was one of the last truly courageous and spontaneous acts by an American politician—and it is no accident that Klein connects courage to spontaneity. From there, Klein begins his analysis—campaign by campaign—of how things went wrong. From the McGovern campaign polling techniques to Roger Ailes’s combative strategy for Nixon; from Reagan’s reinvention of the Republican Party to Lee Atwater’s equally brilliant reinvention of behind-the-scenes strategizing; from Jimmy Carter to George H. W. Bush to Bill Clinton to George W.—as well as inside looks at the losing sides—we see how the Democrats become diffuse and frightened, how the system becomes unbalanced, and how politics becomes less and less about ideology and more and more about how to gain and keep power. By the end of one of the most dismal political runs in history—Kerry’s 2004 campaign for president—we understand how such traits as courage, spontaneity, and leadership have disappeared from our political landscape. In a fascinating final chapter, the author refuses to give easy answers since the push for easy answers has long been part of the problem. But he does give thoughtful solutions that just may get us out of this mess—especially if any of the 2008 candidates happen to be paying attention.

Understand the theoretical—and practical—aspects of political marketing! Over the past few years political marketing strategies have been refined with the help of new findings in political science research. Campaigns and Political Marketing clearly discusses the most recent political science research studies and theories that political activists and professionals can apply to effectively campaign for an issue or candidate. This text is an invaluable compilation of research, theory, and practical application from political science experts across the country that guides readers through the complexities of everyday political marketing and campaigning. Readers get the critical knowledge needed on how to best affect public viewpoints and gain the strongest advantage over the opposition. Campaigns and Political Marketing is packed with information and insights every political activist will find useful. It coherently explains the real world of campaign politics and elections, presenting the everyday issues that political consultants face in the field, all made easily understandable even to the novice. This scholarly examination provides lessons that can be effectively applied to just about any situation. Political crises and scandals are discussed in detail, with research and historical studies that illuminate practical ways to deal with any problem. The book is extensively referenced and uses graphs and charts to clearly explain research findings. Campaigns and Political Marketing answers these tough questions: What is the role of professional campaign consultants—and their value? How have the past four presidential elections revised the state presidential vote forecasting equation? How does interest groups’ resource distribution differ from resource allocation decisions made by candidates’ organizations and the national political parties? How does congressional campaign candidate scheduling differ from legislative candidate scheduling? How effective are attack messages in generating media coverage early in a campaign? How do political professionals define campaign crises? What are the differences in public reaction when a candidate from one or the other of the two major parties is in a scandal? How is public opinion affected when tragedy strikes a political candidate? Campaigns and Political Marketing is stimulating, idea-generating reading that is perfect for educators and students in marketing, communications, and political science; practitioners in campaigns and marketing; and political activists of all types.