Presidential elections : strategies and structures of American politics

Author(s)

Bibliographic Information

Presidential elections : strategies and structures of American politics

Nelson W. Polsby...[et al.]

Rowman & Littlefield, c2016

14th ed

  • : pbk

Available at  / 1 libraries

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Note

Other authors: Aaron Wildavsky, Steven E. Schier, David A. Hopkins

Includes bibliographical references (p. 267-311) and index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

Brimming with data and examples from the 2008 and 2012 elections, and laced with previews of 2016, the fourteenth edition of this popular text offers a complete overview of the presidential election process from the earliest straw polls and fundraisers to final voter turnout and exit interviews. The comprehensive coverage includes campaign strategy, the sequence of electoral events, and the issues, all from the perspective of the various actors in the election process: voters, interest groups, political parties, the media, and the candidates themselves. Revised to give students the most up-to-date understanding of the electoral process, the fourteenth edition of Presidential Elections * provides complete coverage of the 2012 election and presidential selection process changes for 2016; *offers a greater focus on 21st Century elections and increasing party polarization; *explains the new 2016 campaign finance rules and their implications; *explores the increasing demographic diversity of the presidential electorate and its possible 2016 impacts; *includes insight on the evolution and impact of new "microtargeting" campaign technologies; and *presents a revised and updated analysis of possible reforms of the presidential election process.

Table of Contents

PART I: THE STRATEGIC ENVIRONMENT Chapter 1. Voters Why People Don't Vote Why People Do Vote: A Theory of Social Connectedness Party Identification as Social Identity Parties as Aggregates of Loyal Voters Ideologies, Candidates, and Issues in the Minds of Voters Changes in Party Identification: Social Habit versus Contemporary Evaluation A Central Strategic Problem: The Attentiveness of Voters 2. Groups The Presidential Vote as an Aggregation of Interest Groups Variations Among Interest Groups "Special" Interests, Campaign Spending, and Public Interest Groups Political Parties as Organizations Third Parties 3. Rules and Resources Rules: The Electoral College Thinking About Resources Resources: Money Resources: Control Over Information Incumbency as a Resource: The Presidency Incumbency as a Liability: The Vice Presidency The Balance of Resources PART II: SEQUENCES 4. The Nomination Process Before the Primaries Iowa and New Hampshire: First in the Nation What Do These Historical Vignettes Teach? State Primaries State Caucuses Superdelegates The National Party Conventions Party Delegates at the Conventions The Convention as Advertising The Vice-Presidential Nominee The Future of National Conventions 5.The Campaign The Well-Traveled Candidates Persuading Voters Getting Good Press Campaign Professionals Televised Debates Getting Out the Vote Campaign Blunders Forecasting the Outcome Counting the Vote PART III: ISSUES 6. Appraisals Reform upon Reform The Political Theory of Policy Government Reform by Means of Participatory Democracy Some Specific Reforms Party Platforms and Party Differences 7. American Parties and Democracy Elections and Public Policy Parties of Advocacy versus Parties of Intermediation Appendixes A. Vote by Groups in Presidential Elections, 1976-2012 B. Voter Turnout in Presidential Elections, by Population Characteristics, 1976-2012 C. Selections from the Democratic and Republican Party Platforms, 2012

by "Nielsen BookData"

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