Political mischief : smear, sabotage, and reform in U.S. elections
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Bibliographic Information
Political mischief : smear, sabotage, and reform in U.S. elections
Praeger, 1992
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Note
Includes bibliographical references (p. [247]-258) and index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
An old pro on political mischief in the United States gives us an overview of U.S. campaign tactics and ethics from eighteenth-century pamphleteers to campaign consultants and media wizards in the 1990s. Bruce Felknor analyzes negative campaigning today within the context of the evolution of our electoral system. He offers a candid report on the media's influence on politics and shows how political reforms from the Progressive Era to Watergate have often misfired. Students of government and communications, political consultants and professional politicians, and all readers who want to vote more intelligently will find this analysis incisive and the long-forgotten, little-known, and never-told chapters of political lore written in an engaging fashion.
This in-depth history of political mischief in American elections is told in three ways. First it examines the surrounding context of the electoral system and the shifting role of political parties as campaign consultants and media experts emerged. Next it examines and analyzes the basic elements of campaign defamation and deception and the problems of espionage and sabotage. Finally it considers political reform and concludes with reflections on the prospects of future reforms.
Table of Contents
Introduction The Matrix of Political Mischief The Nominating Process: Finding Someone to Run The Election Campaign: Marketing Politics Criticizing Opponents: Negative Campaigning The Elements of Unfair Campaigning Personal Vilification: The Classic Smear The Ghoul Gambit: Putting the Other Side Beyond the Pale Appeals to Bigotry: Religion, Race, Ethnic Background The Many Uses of Distortion Political Lies and Liars Politics and Patriotism Political Chicanery: Disrupting the Machinery Espionage and Sabotage Buying and Stealing Votes Mischief and Reform: Reform as Mischief Watergate: Mandate for Reform A Result of Reform: Invincible Incumbents Media Power and the Perception of Politics Further Perspectives on Reform Bibliography Index
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