Elections and referenda / suffrage Books

Book SynopsisThis book tests the effectiveness of political control and neutral rules on limiting partisan gerrymandering in state legislative redistricting. Specifically, the book examines the 2000 redistricting process in eight states_Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and Washington.Trade ReviewThis book fills a substantial hole in the redistricting literature. First, Winburn analyzes state legislative redistricting, an understudied arena. Second, not only do we find a detailed account of redistricting-across a variety of states with different rules, political contexts, and partisan objectives-but we are exposed to perhaps the most political process from beginning to end, starting with intentions and concluding with electoral consequences. It is an often stated refrain that rules matter and this work demonstrates convincingly that state-imposed constraints generally limit the excesses of those who would manipulate maps for partisan gain. -- Seth C. McKee, University of South Florida at St. PetersburgJonathan Winburn has crafted an accessible and important book about a complex and controversial topic—redistricting as it is practiced in the United States. The Realities of Redistricting convincingly uses well-crafted case studies and sophisticated analysis to illuminate the lessons of the most-recent remap. Winburn directs us to important questions about the legal and political environment that governs redistricting, and discusses the prospects and consequences for reform of a system that has become needlessly reliant on the judiciary to fix its failings. -- Ronald K. Gaddie, professor of political science, University of OklahomaTable of ContentsChapter 1 Table of Contents Chapter 2 Acknowledgements Chapter 3 1 Introduction: Redistricting and Democratic Concerns Chapter 4 2 An Incentive and Constraint Approach to Understanding Redistricting Chapter 5 3 Unified Legislative Control: Georgia and Michigan Chapter 6 4 Divided Legislative Control: Indiana and Kentucky Chapter 7 5 Partisan Commission Control: Texas and Ohio Chapter 8 6 Bipartisan Commission Control: Washington and Idaho Chapter 9 7 Conclusion: Making the Case for Redistricting Reform Chapter 10 Appendix 1: Measuring Gerrymandering Chapter 11 Appendix 2: Political Subdivisions and Split Counties Chapter 12 Appendix 3: Election Day Outcomes Chapter 13 Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis book tests the effectiveness of political control and neutral rules on limiting partisan gerrymandering in state legislative redistricting. Specifically, the book examines the 2000 redistricting process in eight states_Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio, Texas, and Washington.Trade ReviewThis book fills a substantial hole in the redistricting literature. First, Winburn analyzes state legislative redistricting, an understudied arena. Second, not only do we find a detailed account of redistricting-across a variety of states with different rules, political contexts, and partisan objectives-but we are exposed to perhaps the most political process from beginning to end, starting with intentions and concluding with electoral consequences. It is an often stated refrain that rules matter and this work demonstrates convincingly that state-imposed constraints generally limit the excesses of those who would manipulate maps for partisan gain. -- Seth C. McKee, University of South Florida at St. PetersburgJonathan Winburn has crafted an accessible and important book about a complex and controversial topic—redistricting as it is practiced in the United States. The Realities of Redistricting convincingly uses well-crafted case studies and sophisticated analysis to illuminate the lessons of the most-recent remap. Winburn directs us to important questions about the legal and political environment that governs redistricting, and discusses the prospects and consequences for reform of a system that has become needlessly reliant on the judiciary to fix its failings. -- Ronald K. Gaddie, professor of political science, University of OklahomaTable of ContentsChapter 1 Table of Contents Chapter 2 Acknowledgements Chapter 3 1 Introduction: Redistricting and Democratic Concerns Chapter 4 2 An Incentive and Constraint Approach to Understanding Redistricting Chapter 5 3 Unified Legislative Control: Georgia and Michigan Chapter 6 4 Divided Legislative Control: Indiana and Kentucky Chapter 7 5 Partisan Commission Control: Texas and Ohio Chapter 8 6 Bipartisan Commission Control: Washington and Idaho Chapter 9 7 Conclusion: Making the Case for Redistricting Reform Chapter 10 Appendix 1: Measuring Gerrymandering Chapter 11 Appendix 2: Political Subdivisions and Split Counties Chapter 12 Appendix 3: Election Day Outcomes Chapter 13 Bibliography

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewDo tv shows like The Daily Show and online phenomena like The Obama Girl dumb down political conversations, or do they invite young adults to join the discussion? Exploring several developments at the intersection of politics and entertainment, this lively book provides great fodder for debating this topic, and college students especially will find it a compelling read. -- Lynn Schofield Clark, author of From Angels to Aliens: Teenagers, the Media, and the SupernaturalAs young citizens demonstrate a renewed engagement with the political world, the need for scholarly investigations into the popular avenues through which such engagements are encouraged and facilitated couldn’t be greater. Kelso and Cogan move us beyond debates of legitimacy for such pop cultural forums, and instead provide an assemblage of thoughtful scholars who smartly interrogate the myriad mediated means through which young people encounter politics. Students will enjoy this book because it takes them, their media, and their politics seriously. -- Jeffrey P. Jones, author of Entertaining Politics: New Political Television and Civic CultureAn intriguing and insightful journey through the emerging forms of civic discourse. Well grounded in recent scholarship on political communication. . . .This volume provides an excellent starting point for informed discussion and future research. Highly recommended. * CHOICE, May 2009 *Popular culture and political culture are all too often segregated and compartmentalized, when in fact they are altogether interdependent, and at times uniquely synergistic. Kelso and Cogan bridge a longstanding chasm in the scholarly literature with this groundbreaking anthology. -- Lance A. Strate, President of the Media Ecology AssociationTable of Contents1 Contents Chapter 2 Foreword Chapter 3 Introduction. At the Intersection of Politics and Popular Culture: Over Two Hundred Years of Great Entertainment Part 4 I. Setting the Stage Chapter 5 1. Different Experiences of Young Adults and Other Adults in Mediated Campaigns Chapter 6 2. Links, Chicks, Blogs, Banners: Using the Internet for Youth Voter Mobilization Part 7 II. The Performance Chapter 8 3. Rock the Vote: An Insider's Account of the 2004 Campaign Strategy Chapter 9 4. "Comic Elections and Real News?" The Daily Show, Satire, Public Discourse, and the New Voter Chapter 10 5. Lessons in Appealing to the Young Non-Voter: Michael Moore's Slackers Uprising Tour Chapter 11 6. Screening Abu Ghraib, Reelecting the President: The Symbolic Politics of Torture in Fiction Film and Television, 2003-2005 Chapter 12 7. Cast a Vote: Yo: Targeting the Hip-Hop Generation through Popular Culture Part 13 III. Evaluating the Show Chapter 14 8. Soft News and Young Voters: Why They Tune into It and What They Get Out of It Chapter 15 9. Thin Democracy/Thick Citizenry: Interactive Media and its Lessons for Young Citizens/Consumers Chapter 16 10. Just Don't to Vote or Die, Bitch! A Giant Douche, a Turd Sandwich, Hardcore Puppet Sex, and the Reinvention of Political (Un)Involvement Chapter 17 Index Chapter 18 About the Contributors

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewDo tv shows like The Daily Show and online phenomena like The Obama Girl dumb down political conversations, or do they invite young adults to join the discussion? Exploring several developments at the intersection of politics and entertainment, this lively book provides great fodder for debating this topic, and college students especially will find it a compelling read. -- Lynn Schofield Clark, author of From Angels to Aliens: Teenagers, the Media, and the SupernaturalAs young citizens demonstrate a renewed engagement with the political world, the need for scholarly investigations into the popular avenues through which such engagements are encouraged and facilitated couldn’t be greater. Kelso and Cogan move us beyond debates of legitimacy for such pop cultural forums, and instead provide an assemblage of thoughtful scholars who smartly interrogate the myriad mediated means through which young people encounter politics. Students will enjoy this book because it takes them, their media, and their politics seriously. -- Jeffrey P. Jones, author of Entertaining Politics: New Political Television and Civic CultureAn intriguing and insightful journey through the emerging forms of civic discourse. Well grounded in recent scholarship on political communication. . . .This volume provides an excellent starting point for informed discussion and future research. Highly recommended. * CHOICE, May 2009 *Popular culture and political culture are all too often segregated and compartmentalized, when in fact they are altogether interdependent, and at times uniquely synergistic. Kelso and Cogan bridge a longstanding chasm in the scholarly literature with this groundbreaking anthology. -- Lance A. Strate, President of the Media Ecology AssociationTable of Contents1 Contents Chapter 2 Foreword Chapter 3 Introduction. At the Intersection of Politics and Popular Culture: Over Two Hundred Years of Great Entertainment Part 4 I. Setting the Stage Chapter 5 1. Different Experiences of Young Adults and Other Adults in Mediated Campaigns Chapter 6 2. Links, Chicks, Blogs, Banners: Using the Internet for Youth Voter Mobilization Part 7 II. The Performance Chapter 8 3. Rock the Vote: An Insider's Account of the 2004 Campaign Strategy Chapter 9 4. "Comic Elections and Real News?" The Daily Show, Satire, Public Discourse, and the New Voter Chapter 10 5. Lessons in Appealing to the Young Non-Voter: Michael Moore's Slackers Uprising Tour Chapter 11 6. Screening Abu Ghraib, Reelecting the President: The Symbolic Politics of Torture in Fiction Film and Television, 2003-2005 Chapter 12 7. Cast a Vote: Yo: Targeting the Hip-Hop Generation through Popular Culture Part 13 III. Evaluating the Show Chapter 14 8. Soft News and Young Voters: Why They Tune into It and What They Get Out of It Chapter 15 9. Thin Democracy/Thick Citizenry: Interactive Media and its Lessons for Young Citizens/Consumers Chapter 16 10. Just Don't to Vote or Die, Bitch! A Giant Douche, a Turd Sandwich, Hardcore Puppet Sex, and the Reinvention of Political (Un)Involvement Chapter 17 Index Chapter 18 About the Contributors

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewWhile grounded in theories of political communication, this insightful book provides a very useful "insiders" look at the practice of staging and scripting political events. For those students and scholars of political communication with little practical experience in the craft of doing politics, Stagecraft and Statecraft is a must read. -- Mitchell S. McKinney, University of MissouriA timely text....Valuable and worth reading....This book is informative and warrants investigation by professionals and students of media, political science, and public relations. Recommended. * CHOICE, January 2010 *Political events occur in a context, and Shill's book looks beyond the words spoken at such events to visual images, their creators and the motives behind the events. The book is richly informed by primary source documents, interviews with advance planners, and descriptions of the visuals that augment the words. Stagecraft and Statecraft challenges political communication scholars to think differently about how they research and teach about mediated political messages. Shill's analysis and the directions it provides for future study will better prepare students of political communication to think and watch critically. -- Diana B. Carlin, University of KansasTable of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Mass-Mediated Politics and Constructed Candidates Chapter 3 Media Events Chapter 4 Advance Chapter 5 The Rhetorical Impact of Media Events Chapter 6 Implications for Communicating by Media Event

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Book SynopsisMedia events are a central communication tactic used by political communicators in political campaigns and in governmental affairs. Each president has an advance staff that creates mediagenic events to influence the news media, generate coverage and excitement, construct favorable political images, and persuade voters. Advance men and women are visual speechwriters who focus not only on what the politician says, but also on how the candidate looks and the visual message communicated by the event. This timely and groundbreaking work examines media events and advance in political communication by exploring: (1) how media events are conceived and staged, (2) the role of advance in an overall communication strategy, (3) how media events holistically function to generate a rhetorical impact, and (4) the implications of politically communicating by media event. This book gives readers the tools and background necessary to both analyze and understand media events and to create their own. Media events and advance are a significant element of political communication that has not been systematically or comprehensively studied, and Schill''s innovative work ably fills this major gap in the literature.Trade ReviewWhile grounded in theories of political communication, this insightful book provides a very useful "insiders" look at the practice of staging and scripting political events. For those students and scholars of political communication with little practical experience in the craft of doing politics, Stagecraft and Statecraft is a must read. -- Mitchell S. McKinney, University of MissouriA timely text....Valuable and worth reading....This book is informative and warrants investigation by professionals and students of media, political science, and public relations. Recommended. * CHOICE, January 2010 *Political events occur in a context, and Shill's book looks beyond the words spoken at such events to visual images, their creators and the motives behind the events. The book is richly informed by primary source documents, interviews with advance planners, and descriptions of the visuals that augment the words. Stagecraft and Statecraft challenges political communication scholars to think differently about how they research and teach about mediated political messages. Shill's analysis and the directions it provides for future study will better prepare students of political communication to think and watch critically. -- Diana B. Carlin, University of KansasTable of ContentsChapter 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Mass-Mediated Politics and Constructed Candidates Chapter 3 Media Events Chapter 4 Advance Chapter 5 The Rhetorical Impact of Media Events Chapter 6 Implications for Communicating by Media Event

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Book SynopsisClass Voting in Western Europe outlines the theories of changes in class voting and provides an empirical analysis of class voting. Knutsen's thorough study will provide a new, straightforward understanding of social class and party choice to anyone interested in the complex relationship between modern society and politics.Trade ReviewThis book is a 'must-read' for scholars wanting to understand class voting in comparative perspective. Knutsen clearly demonstrates that class vote is on the decline in eight major European democracies since the early seventies — no matter what measures are used. The analysis is a major contribution to the social cleavage literature inspired by Lipset and Rokkan, and to comparative politics literature in general. -- Hans-Dieter Klingemann, Wissenschaftszentrum fuer Sozialforschung, Berlin, and Sciences Po, ParisTable of ContentsPart 1 Part I: Theories and explanations for the decline in class voting Chapter 2 Introduction Chapter 3 Social mobility Chapter 4 New social divisions Chapter 5 Cognitive mobilization Chapter 6 The embourgeoisement thesis Chapter 7 New Politics and middle class radicalism Chapter 8 The debate about the political orientations of the service class Chapter 9 Party strategy, class appeal and changes in class structure Chapter 10 The debate about the persistence or decline of class voting Part 11 Part II: Class schema and operationalizations of social class Chapter 12 The Erikson/Goldthorpe class schema Chapter 13 Operationalization of social class: Occupation variables and construction of class variables in the Eurobarometer data set. Part 14 Part III: Party systems, party families and the party choice variable Chapter 15 Voting intention in the Eurobarometer data Chapter 16 Party families and trends in support for the various parties Chapter 17 Socialist/non-socialist party choice Part 18 Part IV: Total class voting Chapter 19 Introduction Chapter 20 The strength of the correlation Chapter 21 Statistical measures for tapping class voting Chapter 22 Party families Chapter 23 Patterns within countries and changes over time Chapter 24 Conclusions: Main patterns regarding changes over time Part 25 Part V: Overall left-right (socialist/non-socialist) class voting Chapter 26 Overall left-right voting for the whole period Chapter 27 Trends in overall left-right class voting Part 28 Part VI: Traditional class voting: Socialist/non-socialist party choiceand the two class variables Chapter 29 Introduction: The relevance of traditional class voting in advances industrial democracies and how it is measured Chapter 30 Empirical analysis: Trends in traditional class voting Chapter 31 Class voting according to a different treatment of the routinenon-manual group Part 32 Part VII: Explanations for changes in class voting Chapter 33 Introduction Chapter 34 Hypotheses about trends and cross-national patterns of class voting Chapter 35 Explaining trends in class voting within countries over time Chapter 36 Explaining the cross-national variations in level of class voting Chapter 37 Pooled time-series cross sectional analyses Chapter 38 Part VIII: Conclusions Part 39 Part IX: Literature

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Book SynopsisCracked But Not Shattered: Hillary Rodham Clinton''s Unsuccessful Campaign for the Presidency thoroughly analyzes Hillary Clinton''s 2008 campaign for the Democratic Party''s presidential nomination with an eye to identifying what went wrongwhy, as the frontrunner, she ended up not breaking the glass ceiling. The volume''s contributors examine multiple issues in attempt to answer this question, from usual campaign communication topics such as Clinton''s rhetoric, debate performance, and advertising to the ways in which she was treated by the media. Although her communication was flawed and the media coverage of her did reflect biases, these essays demonstrate how Clinton''s campaign was in trouble from the start because of her gender, status as a former First Lady, and being half of a political couple. Cracked But Not Shattered provides keen insight into the historic 2008 democratic primaries that will particularly intrigue scholars and students of political communications.Trade ReviewCracked But Not Shattered is an essential read for scholars, campaign consultants, and political junkies interested in learning more about Hillary Rodham Clinton's historic campaign for the 2008 Democratic party presidential nomination. In this volume, Professor Sheckels assembles leading scholars in the fields of communication, political science, and gender studies whose contributions illuminate the context for Senator Clinton's campaign, her communication and rhetorical strategies, and media coverage of her landmark campaign. Descriptions and scrutiny of Clinton, her campaign, and the media offer insightful and valuable analyses for scholars, practitioners, and future women candidates alike. -- John C. Tedesco, Virginia TechCracked But Not Shattered offers a series of fascinating and compelling insights about Clinton's historic campaign in 2008. Sensitive to issues of gender and bias, the essays that Sheckels has assembled teach and tell much about Clinton's efforts, revealing why she was both unsuccessful at securing election and successful at paving the way for the female political leaders of the future. This book paves the way for what will surely be many investigations of Hillary Rodham Clinton and her powerful communicative impact on the 2008 election, American politics in general, and the nation as a whole. -- Trevor Parry-Giles, University of MarylandThe edited collection...has clear pedagogical value in its summary of issues that affected the Clinton campaign. * Rhetoric & Public Affairs *Table of ContentsPart 1 Introduction Part 2 I.Contexts Chapter 3 Chapter 1. Alternative Approaches to Delegate Selection and Their Effects on the 2008 Democratic Primary Election Results Chapter 4 Chapter 2. Public Woman, Private Wife: Hillary Clinton Could Not Have Won Chapter 5 Chapter 3. Hillary, You Can't Go Home Again: The Entrapment of the First Lady Role Chapter 6 Chapter 4. Clinton Political Team: Marriage, Gender, and the Presidential Quest Part 7 II.Communication Chapter 8 Chapter 5. It Takes a Village to Win: A Rhetorical Analysis of "Hillary for President" Chapter 9 Chapter 6. The First-and Last-Woman Standing: Hillary Rodham Clinton's Presidential Primary Debate Performance Chapter 10 Chapter 7. "It's 3 a.m.": Strategic Communication in Hillary Clinton's 2008 Presidential Primary Part 11 III.Media Chapter 12 Chapter 8. The Cleavage Commotion: How the Press Covered Senator Clinton's Campaign Chapter 13 Chapter 9. She's Not Laughing: Political Humor and Hillary Clinton's Campaign for President Chapter 14 Chapter 10. Democrat Suffers Media Bias: Hillary's Fight Against Pro-Obama Coverage Part 15 Afterword

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Book SynopsisCracked But Not Shattered: Hillary Rodham Clinton''s Unsuccessful Campaign for the Presidency thoroughly analyzes Hillary Clinton''s 2008 campaign for the Democratic Party''s presidential nomination with an eye to identifying what went wrong_why, as the frontrunner, she ended up not breaking ''the glass ceiling.'' The volume''s contributors examine multiple issues in attempt to answer this question, from usual campaign communication topics such as Clinton''s rhetoric, debate performance, and advertising to the ways in which she was treated by the media. Although her communication was flawed and the media coverage of her did reflect biases, these essays demonstrate how Clinton''s campaign was in trouble from the start because of her gender, status as a former First Lady, and being half of a political couple. Cracked But Not Shattered provides keen insight into the historic 2008 democratic primaries that will particularly intrigue scholars and students of political communications.Trade ReviewCracked But Not Shattered is an essential read for scholars, campaign consultants, and political junkies interested in learning more about Hillary Rodham Clinton's historic campaign for the 2008 Democratic party presidential nomination. In this volume, Professor Sheckels assembles leading scholars in the fields of communication, political science, and gender studies whose contributions illuminate the context for Senator Clinton's campaign, her communication and rhetorical strategies, and media coverage of her landmark campaign. Descriptions and scrutiny of Clinton, her campaign, and the media offer insightful and valuable analyses for scholars, practitioners, and future women candidates alike. -- John C. Tedesco, Virginia TechCracked But Not Shattered offers a series of fascinating and compelling insights about Clinton's historic campaign in 2008. Sensitive to issues of gender and bias, the essays that Sheckels has assembled teach and tell much about Clinton's efforts, revealing why she was both unsuccessful at securing election and successful at paving the way for the female political leaders of the future. This book paves the way for what will surely be many investigations of Hillary Rodham Clinton and her powerful communicative impact on the 2008 election, American politics in general, and the nation as a whole. -- Trevor Parry-Giles, University of MarylandThe edited collection...has clear pedagogical value in its summary of issues that affected the Clinton campaign. * Rhetoric & Public Affairs *Table of ContentsPart 1 Introduction Part 2 I.Contexts Chapter 3 Chapter 1. Alternative Approaches to Delegate Selection and Their Effects on the 2008 Democratic Primary Election Results Chapter 4 Chapter 2. Public Woman, Private Wife: Hillary Clinton Could Not Have Won Chapter 5 Chapter 3. Hillary, You Can't Go Home Again: The Entrapment of the First Lady Role Chapter 6 Chapter 4. Clinton Political Team: Marriage, Gender, and the Presidential Quest Part 7 II.Communication Chapter 8 Chapter 5. It Takes a Village to Win: A Rhetorical Analysis of "Hillary for President" Chapter 9 Chapter 6. The First-and Last-Woman Standing: Hillary Rodham Clinton's Presidential Primary Debate Performance Chapter 10 Chapter 7. "It's 3 a.m.": Strategic Communication in Hillary Clinton's 2008 Presidential Primary Part 11 III.Media Chapter 12 Chapter 8. The Cleavage Commotion: How the Press Covered Senator Clinton's Campaign Chapter 13 Chapter 9. She's Not Laughing: Political Humor and Hillary Clinton's Campaign for President Chapter 14 Chapter 10. Democrat Suffers Media Bias: Hillary's Fight Against Pro-Obama Coverage Part 15 Afterword

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Book SynopsisTo simply say the 2008 presidential election was historic seems like an understatement. The election was unique in many ways beyond the selection of the nation''s first African-American as President. The drama of the election was also heightened by the historic nomination battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The contest generated issues of race and gender throughout the campaign, as did the candidacy of Sarah Palin as the Republican Vice Presidential nominee. And John McCain brought his own unique qualities to the campaign: Vietnam War hero, long-term Congressional service record, feisty temperament, and the oldest first-time presidential candidate to run for the Presidency. Thus, issues of race, gender and age dominated the campaign both implicitly and explicitly. The candidacies of Clinton, Obama, McCain and Palin provided the context and dynamics for charges of racism, sexism and ageism. Studies of Identity in the 2008 Presidential Campaign explores issues of ideTrade ReviewDenton has created a collection of incisive and prescient essays that ardroitly explores the 'change' to identity politics that occurred during the 2008 presidential election. These contributors demonstrate that, from the public sphere to the academy, the 2008 election changed the way our prospective leaders communicate who they are and what they represent to the public-at-large. Understanding the nexus between identity, politics and communication has never been more important. -- Joseph M. Valenzano III, University of DaytonStudies of Identity in the 2008 Presidential Campaign adds important scholarly understanding to one of the most important presidential elections in American history. Robert Denton has gathered together a group of scholars that will help people understand and provoke debate on the importance of identity politics during the campaign and Americal poltical culture as well. This book is a must for those wanting to understand all of the countours of the 2008 presidential election. -- Jason A. Edwards, Bridgewater State CollegeThe trouble with conventional thinking–dare I call it PC?–is that it stifles new insights. Studies of Identity in the 2008 Presidential Campaign brings a welcome collection of fresh perspectives to a topic burdened by same-old, same-old conventionality. This volume is incisive and thought-provoking. -- Stephen D. Cooper, Marshall UniversityThis edited collection examines the role of identity in the historic presidential election of 2008. After a brief introductory essay that provides an overview of the election, an essay analyzes Sarah Palin's campaign as the Republican nominee for vice president. The Palin campaign is notable in that a woman ran against the typical image of feminism. A particularly interesting essay closely examines Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama's use of apologia in his campaign. The collection considers both the primary and general election campaigns. An essay reviews Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign for the Democratic nomination. The Evangelical voter is the focus of another essay. Most of the essays use fairly simple quantitative analyses. Denton (Virginia Tech) provides a summary essay that critiques the importance of identity politics in contemporary political campaigns. The collection closes with a short epilogue that considers the role of liberals in the US academy. While the essays come from communication scholars, they include political science research in their framework that answers the research question at hand. Students of presidential campaigns as well as those readers interested in understanding the contours of the 2008 election will find this collection useful. Summing Up: Recommended. * CHOICE *Two years after the 2008 election, Robert E. Denton Jr. provides readers with a timely edited collection that both sheds light on the ways identities shaped the presidential campaign then and how they continue to function in contemporary reverberations of the campaign. This text spans several understandings of identity through its analyses of gender, race, age, and religion. It focuses not only on the discourses of key figures such as Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and John McCain, but also on discourses constructed by the popular press. The book covers the wide terrain of election politics, both in subject and ideological orientation. It provides readers witha compelling text that offers new insights into one of the most historic presidential races in U.S. history. * Presidential Studies Quarterly *Two years after the 2008 election, Robert E. Denton Jr. provides readers with a timely edited collection that both sheds light on the ways identities shaped the presidential campaign then and how they continue to function in contemporary reverberations of the campaign. This text spans several understandings of identity through its analyses of gender, race, age, and religion.... The book provides important insights into the Clinton story even as it raises questions about centrism in modern politics that scholars in multiple fields should further examine. * Presidential Studies Quarterly *Table of ContentsChapter 1. Identity Politics in the 2008 Presidential Campaign: An Overview Chapter 2. Symbolic Womanhood and Sarah Palin: Running Against the Feminist Grain Chapter 3. "A More Perfect Union": Barack Obama's Failed Apologia and Successful Use of Identity Politics Chapter 4. Playing the Gender Card Against the Stacked Deck: A Comparison of Senator Clinton and Governor Sarah Palin's Gender-based Apologia in the 2008 Presidential Election Chapter 5. Gender and Race in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Nomination Chapter 6. Barack Obama and the Cosmopolitan Candidacy Chapter 7. Evangelical Voters in the 2008 Republican Presidential Nomination Chapter 8. Deception Narratives in the 2008 Presidential Campaign Chapter 9. The Challenges and Limitations of Identity Politics in a Democracy Chapter 10. Epilogue: The Rhetoric of the Destruction of American Identity and the Academy

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Book SynopsisTo simply say the 2008 presidential election was historic seems like an understatement. The election was unique in many ways beyond the selection of the nation''s first African-American as President. The drama of the election was also heightened by the historic nomination battle between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. The contest generated issues of race and gender throughout the campaign, as did the candidacy of Sarah Palin as the Republican Vice Presidential nominee. And John McCain brought his own unique qualities to the campaign: Vietnam War hero, long-term Congressional service record, feisty temperament, and the oldest first-time presidential candidate to run for the Presidency. Thus, issues of race, gender and age dominated the campaign both implicitly and explicitly. The candidacies of Clinton, Obama, McCain and Palin provided the context and dynamics for charges of racism, sexism and ageism. Studies of Identity in the 2008 Presidential Campaign explores issues of identity poTrade ReviewDenton has created a collection of incisive and prescient essays that ardroitly explores the 'change' to identity politics that occurred during the 2008 presidential election. These contributors demonstrate that, from the public sphere to the academy, the 2008 election changed the way our prospective leaders communicate who they are and what they represent to the public-at-large. Understanding the nexus between identity, politics and communication has never been more important. -- Joseph M. Valenzano III, University of DaytonStudies of Identity in the 2008 Presidential Campaign adds important scholarly understanding to one of the most important presidential elections in American history. Robert Denton has gathered together a group of scholars that will help people understand and provoke debate on the importance of identity politics during the campaign and Americal poltical culture as well. This book is a must for those wanting to understand all of the countours of the 2008 presidential election. -- Jason A. Edwards, Bridgewater State CollegeThe trouble with conventional thinking–dare I call it PC?–is that it stifles new insights. Studies of Identity in the 2008 Presidential Campaign brings a welcome collection of fresh perspectives to a topic burdened by same-old, same-old conventionality. This volume is incisive and thought-provoking. -- Stephen D. Cooper, Marshall UniversityThis edited collection examines the role of identity in the historic presidential election of 2008. After a brief introductory essay that provides an overview of the election, an essay analyzes Sarah Palin's campaign as the Republican nominee for vice president. The Palin campaign is notable in that a woman ran against the typical image of feminism. A particularly interesting essay closely examines Democratic nominee Senator Barack Obama's use of apologia in his campaign. The collection considers both the primary and general election campaigns. An essay reviews Senator Hillary Clinton's campaign for the Democratic nomination. The Evangelical voter is the focus of another essay. Most of the essays use fairly simple quantitative analyses. Denton (Virginia Tech) provides a summary essay that critiques the importance of identity politics in contemporary political campaigns. The collection closes with a short epilogue that considers the role of liberals in the US academy. While the essays come from communication scholars, they include political science research in their framework that answers the research question at hand. Students of presidential campaigns as well as those readers interested in understanding the contours of the 2008 election will find this collection useful. Summing Up: Recommended. * CHOICE *Two years after the 2008 election, Robert E. Denton Jr. provides readers with a timely edited collection that both sheds light on the ways identities shaped the presidential campaign then and how they continue to function in contemporary reverberations of the campaign. This text spans several understandings of identity through its analyses of gender, race, age, and religion. It focuses not only on the discourses of key figures such as Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin, and John McCain, but also on discourses constructed by the popular press. The book covers the wide terrain of election politics, both in subject and ideological orientation. It provides readers witha compelling text that offers new insights into one of the most historic presidential races in U.S. history. * Presidential Studies Quarterly *Table of ContentsChapter 1. Identity Politics in the 2008 Presidential Campaign: An Overview Chapter 2. Symbolic Womanhood and Sarah Palin: Running Against the Feminist Grain Chapter 3. "A More Perfect Union": Barack Obama's Failed Apologia and Successful Use of Identity Politics Chapter 4. Playing the Gender Card Against the Stacked Deck: A Comparison of Senator Clinton and Governor Sarah Palin's Gender-based Apologia in the 2008 Presidential Election Chapter 5. Gender and Race in the 2008 Democratic Presidential Nomination Chapter 6. Barack Obama and the Cosmopolitan Candidacy Chapter 7. Evangelical Voters in the 2008 Republican Presidential Nomination Chapter 8. Deception Narratives in the 2008 Presidential Campaign Chapter 9. The Challenges and Limitations of Identity Politics in a Democracy Chapter 10. Epilogue: The Rhetoric of the Destruction of American Identity and the Academy

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Book SynopsisCommunicator-in-Chief: How Barack Obama Used New Media Technology to Win the White House examines the fascinating and precedent-setting role new media technologies and the Internet played in the 2008 presidential campaign that allowed for the historic election of the nation''s first African American president. It was the first presidential campaign in which the Internet, the electorate, and political campaign strategies for the White House successfully converged to propel a candidate to the highest elected office in the nation. The contributors to this volume masterfully demonstrate how the Internet is to President Barack Obama what television was to President John Kennedy, thus making Obama a truly twenty-first century communicator and politician. Furthermore, Communicator-in-Chief argues that Obama''s 2008 campaign strategies established a model that all future campaigns must follow to achieve any measure of success. The Barack Obama campaign team astutely discovered how to communiTrade ReviewCommunicator-in-Chief is the first comprehensive treatment of the evolution and current status of new media in American election campaigns. Focusing on the game-changing election of 2008, the contributors in this impressive collection of essays explore the many ways in which digital technology, including email, Web 2.0 applications, blogs, social networking platforms, blogs, twitter, and viral videos, shapes the the relationship between candidates and voters. The essays are smart and engaging, and are well-suited for classroom use, especially as the volume addresses the significance of new communication forms for young voters. -- Diana Owen, Georgetown UniversityHendricks (Stephen F. Austin State Univ.) and Denton (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ.) have edited a useful and informative book, gathering an array of essays from nine knowledgeable contributors that explore the political watershed resulting in Barack Obama's election. Hendricks and Denton present a comprehensive opening chapter; other contributors discuss ways the Internet and related electronic vehicles that constitute social media contributed mightily to President Obama's win. Not sinceJohn Kennedy adroitly used television in 1960 has a White House aspirant so successfully adapted media's potential to fashion a convincing victory. The contributors lucidly explain the new methodology, which now becomes a template for future campaigns. Selective means of communication is the key; Hispanic and African American group usages were specifically targeted through varied electronic means. This tactic increased the effectiveness and importance of the local caucuses for the Obama forces, and thatproved to be the Achilles' heel of the formidable Clinton campaign. The unanswered question: will Obama's followers remain a cohesive, decisive force? An excellent primer. All would-be officeholders will ignore the lessons here at their peril. Highly reco * CHOICE, September 2010 *Communicator-in-Chief: How Barack Obama Used New Media Technology to Win the White House will be a welcome read for cyber-enthusiasts. As witnessed in the foregoing excerpt, this richly detailed volume depicts the unprecedented online efforts of the victorious 2008 Barack Obama campaign….the volume is a must-read. * Presidential Studies Quarterly *Zhou Enlai was once asked about the effects of the French Revolution and answered, famously, "It's too early to tell." Likewise, those of us living at the initial churning of the tidal wave of social media's effect on culture, society, and politics would be wise not to make any sweeping conclusions about the future too soon. Communicator-in-Chief is an excellent first start at understanding the age of Politics 2.0, where political candidates and campaigns, following President Obama's victory, will increasingly struggle to find ways to build online interactivity with supporters and voters. Covering all social media from MySpace to YouTube, the book presents a lively, interesting, and accessible survey about how the 2008 elections differed from all others and yet encapsulated some basic principles of political communication. The book will be useful both in the classroom and for the professional. -- David D. Perlmutter, author of Blogwars: The New Political BattlegroundHendricks (Stephen F. Austin State Univ.) and Denton (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ.) have edited a useful and informative book, gathering an array of essays from nine knowledgeable contributors that explore the political watershed resulting in Barack Obama's election. Hendricks and Denton present a comprehensive opening chapter; other contributors discuss ways the Internet and related electronic vehicles that constitute social media contributed mightily to President Obama's win. Not since John Kennedy adroitly used television in 1960 has a White House aspirant so successfully adapted media's potential to fashion a convincing victory. The contributors lucidly explain the new methodology, which now becomes a template for future campaigns. Selective means of communication is the key; Hispanic and African American group usages were specifically targeted through varied electronic means. This tactic increased the effectiveness and importance of the local caucuses for the Obama forces, and that proved to be the Achilles' heel of the formidable Clinton campaign. The unanswered question: will Obama's followers remain a cohesive, decisive force? An excellent primer. All would-be officeholders will ignore the lessons here at their peril. Highly recommended. All readership levels. * CHOICE, September 2010 *The strengths of this book are that each dedicated chapter succinctly explained the Obama campaign's new media strategies within the historic context of political climate and technology development, in addition to thoroughly recording the execution, obstacles, mistakes, successes, and failures of each new media campaign strategy….The book delightfully documents the level of unsolicited and spontaneous voter involvement….This book provides a valuable and enlightening insight that simultaneously challenges and educates us; it's a good read for students, practitioners, teachers, and scholars alike. * Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media *Table of ContentsChapter 1: Political Campaigns and Communicating with the Electorate in the 21st Century Chapter 2 : Gadgets, Gismos, and the Web 2.0 Election Chapter 3 : RT @BarackObama We just made history: Twitter and the 2008 Presidential Election Chapter 4 : Who Wants to Be My Friend? Obama, Youth, and Social Networks in the 2008 Campaign Chapter 5 : My Fellow Blogging Americans: Weblogs and the Race for the White House Chapter 6 : Obama and Obama Girl: YouTube, Viral Videos and the 2008 Presidential Campaign Chapter 7: Email and Electoral Fortunes: Obama's Campaign Internet Insurgency Chapter 8: Game ON: Video Games and Obama's race to the White House Chapter 9: Political Campaigns in the 21st Century: Implications of New Media Technology

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Book SynopsisCommunicator-in-Chief: How Barack Obama Used New Media Technology to Win the White House examines the fascinating and precedent-setting role new media technologies and the Internet played in the 2008 presidential campaign that allowed for the historic election of the nation''s first African American president. It was the first presidential campaign in which the Internet, the electorate, and political campaign strategies for the White House successfully converged to propel a candidate to the highest elected office in the nation. The contributors to this volume masterfully demonstrate how the Internet is to President Barack Obama what television was to President John Kennedy, thus making Obama a truly twenty-first century communicator and politician. Furthermore, Communicator-in-Chief argues that Obama''s 2008 campaign strategies established a model that all future campaigns must follow to achieve any measure of success. The Barack Obama campaign team astutely discovered how to communicaTrade ReviewCommunicator-in-Chief is the first comprehensive treatment of the evolution and current status of new media in American election campaigns. Focusing on the game-changing election of 2008, the contributors in this impressive collection of essays explore the many ways in which digital technology, including email, Web 2.0 applications, blogs, social networking platforms, blogs, twitter, and viral videos, shapes the the relationship between candidates and voters. The essays are smart and engaging, and are well-suited for classroom use, especially as the volume addresses the significance of new communication forms for young voters. -- Diana Owen, Georgetown UniversityHendricks (Stephen F. Austin State Univ.) and Denton (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ.) have edited a useful and informative book, gathering an array of essays from nine knowledgeable contributors that explore the political watershed resulting in Barack Obama's election. Hendricks and Denton present a comprehensive opening chapter; other contributors discuss ways the Internet and related electronic vehicles that constitute social media contributed mightily to President Obama's win. Not sinceJohn Kennedy adroitly used television in 1960 has a White House aspirant so successfully adapted media's potential to fashion a convincing victory. The contributors lucidly explain the new methodology, which now becomes a template for future campaigns. Selective means of communication is the key; Hispanic and African American group usages were specifically targeted through varied electronic means. This tactic increased the effectiveness and importance of the local caucuses for the Obama forces, and thatproved to be the Achilles' heel of the formidable Clinton campaign. The unanswered question: will Obama's followers remain a cohesive, decisive force? An excellent primer. All would-be officeholders will ignore the lessons here at their peril. Highly reco * CHOICE, September 2010 *Communicator-in-Chief: How Barack Obama Used New Media Technology to Win the White House will be a welcome read for cyber-enthusiasts. As witnessed in the foregoing excerpt, this richly detailed volume depicts the unprecedented online efforts of the victorious 2008 Barack Obama campaign….the volume is a must-read. * Presidential Studies Quarterly *Zhou Enlai was once asked about the effects of the French Revolution and answered, famously, "It's too early to tell." Likewise, those of us living at the initial churning of the tidal wave of social media's effect on culture, society, and politics would be wise not to make any sweeping conclusions about the future too soon. Communicator-in-Chief is an excellent first start at understanding the age of Politics 2.0, where political candidates and campaigns, following President Obama's victory, will increasingly struggle to find ways to build online interactivity with supporters and voters. Covering all social media from MySpace to YouTube, the book presents a lively, interesting, and accessible survey about how the 2008 elections differed from all others and yet encapsulated some basic principles of political communication. The book will be useful both in the classroom and for the professional. -- David D. Perlmutter, author of Blogwars: The New Political BattlegroundHendricks (Stephen F. Austin State Univ.) and Denton (Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State Univ.) have edited a useful and informative book, gathering an array of essays from nine knowledgeable contributors that explore the political watershed resulting in Barack Obama's election. Hendricks and Denton present a comprehensive opening chapter; other contributors discuss ways the Internet and related electronic vehicles that constitute social media contributed mightily to President Obama's win. Not since John Kennedy adroitly used television in 1960 has a White House aspirant so successfully adapted media's potential to fashion a convincing victory. The contributors lucidly explain the new methodology, which now becomes a template for future campaigns. Selective means of communication is the key; Hispanic and African American group usages were specifically targeted through varied electronic means. This tactic increased the effectiveness and importance of the local caucuses for the Obama forces, and that proved to be the Achilles' heel of the formidable Clinton campaign. The unanswered question: will Obama's followers remain a cohesive, decisive force? An excellent primer. All would-be officeholders will ignore the lessons here at their peril. Highly recommended. All readership levels. * CHOICE, September 2010 *The strengths of this book are that each dedicated chapter succinctly explained the Obama campaign's new media strategies within the historic context of political climate and technology development, in addition to thoroughly recording the execution, obstacles, mistakes, successes, and failures of each new media campaign strategy….The book delightfully documents the level of unsolicited and spontaneous voter involvement….This book provides a valuable and enlightening insight that simultaneously challenges and educates us; it's a good read for students, practitioners, teachers, and scholars alike. * Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media *Table of ContentsChapter 1: Political Campaigns and Communicating with the Electorate in the 21st Century Chapter 2 : Gadgets, Gismos, and the Web 2.0 Election Chapter 3 : RT @BarackObama We just made history: Twitter and the 2008 Presidential Election Chapter 4 : Who Wants to Be My Friend? Obama, Youth, and Social Networks in the 2008 Campaign Chapter 5 : My Fellow Blogging Americans: Weblogs and the Race for the White House Chapter 6 : Obama and Obama Girl: YouTube, Viral Videos and the 2008 Presidential Campaign Chapter 7: Email and Electoral Fortunes: Obama's Campaign Internet Insurgency Chapter 8: Game ON: Video Games and Obama's race to the White House Chapter 9: Political Campaigns in the 21st Century: Implications of New Media Technology

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Book SynopsisThe Roads to Congress 2008 offers readers straightfoward and detailed case studies of the campaigns, candidates, key issues, and outcomes of over one dozen of the most important and interesting races of 2008. This includes both House and Senate campaigns, contests from all regions of the country, and seats held by Democrats and Republicans, as well as open seats. Every two years the pageantry of American politics unfolds when all 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives and roughly one-third of those in the U.S. Senate are up for election. These elections provide voters with an opportunity to evaluate their members of Congress and the institution as a whole. They also offer a regular and frequent barometer for the health and practice of American democracy. The 2008 election cycle, in particular, was in many ways one of the most intriguing and pivotal elections in many years and for many reasons, which are explored in this book.Trade ReviewThe Roads to Congress is most insightful, highly organized, well-researched, and entertaining. It is a major contribution to the literature because it does what few books do in this area: the authors actually take the reader inside these congressional districts and states and convey what happens during real campaigns. The information presented in these chapters is expert, cogent, knowledgeable, and well-documented. Students will find it highly accessible, and anyone who is thinking about running for Congress must read this book. -- Anthony Eksterowicz, James Madison UniversityThe 2008 elections were about more than choosing the next president. In this, the latest in the Roads to Congress series, nearly two dozen political scientists offer their assessments of 14 House and Senate election campaigns from that year. Wisely, the authors write about campaigns that occurred in their own states or districts, allowing them to combine 'on-the-ground' knowledge with more sophisticated analyses. A number of chapters provide useful insights and enjoyable nuggets of information, and the volume begins with an excellent foreword by Ken Hechler, a true living legend who served in Congress from 1958 to 1977. Unfortunately, not all the chapters are equally strong in writing style or structure. Although the opening and concluding chapters offer some review of the major factors that affected congressional elections in 2008 (e.g., the poor economy and Obama's strong campaign), the book fails to tease out generalizations about campaign tactics and strategies from individual cases. However, any student of congressional politics should consider the book an excellent reference; it would also be a fine source for case studies in an undergraduate course on elections. Recommended. * CHOICE, November 2010 *In The Roads to Congress, Robert Watson joins with Robert Dewhirst to train their keen eyes upon the 2008 congressional races and do for them what a number of scholars have done for presidential elections. The result fills a vacuum and provides much-needed insights into the congressional electoral process—an even more diffuse and difficult subject than the race for the presidency. As this extraordinary collection demonstrates, Watson continues to be among our most prolific and thoughtful scholars. The collaboration with Dewhirst, who also contributes keen analysis and clear writing, clearly works. -- Max J. Skidmore, University of MissouriTable of ContentsChapter 1 Foreword Part 2 INTRODUCTION Chapter 3 1. The 2008 Congressional Elections Part 4 HOUSE ELECTIONS Chapter 5 2. Mississippi District 1 Race (Childers v. Davis) Chapter 6 3. Missouri District 6 Race (Barns v. Graves) Chapter 7 4. Illinois District 14 Race (Foster v. Oberweis) Chapter 8 5. New York District 13Race (McMahon v. Straniere) Chapter 9 6. Texas District 23 Race (Rodriguez v. Larson) Chapter 10 7. California District 26 Race (Warner versus Dreier) Chapter 11 8. Ohio District 16 Race (Boccieri v. Schuring) Chapter 12 9. Florida District 21 Race (Martinez v. L. Diaz-Balart) Florida District 25 Race (Garcia v. M. Diaz-Balart) Chapter 13 10. Florida District 13 Race (Jennings v. Buchanan) Part 14 SENATE ELECTIONS Chapter 15 11. Louisiana Senate Race (Landreieu v. Kennedy) Chapter 16 12. Virginia Senate Race (Warner v. Gilmore) Chapter 17 13. Alaska Senate Race (Begich v. Stevens) Chapter 18 14. Colorado Senate Race (Udall v. Schaffer) Part 19 CONCLUSION Chapter 20 15. The Legacy of Election 2008 Chapter 21 Appendixes Chapter 22 About the Contributors

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Book SynopsisThis book uses John Dewey to articulate discursive practices that would help citizens form better intellectual and moral relationships with their fragmented, shifting political environment. These practices do not impart more or better information to citizens, but instead consist in dialog exhibiting rhythms and patterns that increase their interest in inquiring how distant events and communities affect their individual lives. The basis for these practices can be found in Dewey''s claim that teachers can lead class discussions with particular aesthetic qualities that encourage students to expand the scale of the realm of events that they deem important to their lives. The ability to forge moral and intellectual links with distant political events becomes all the more necessary in our current environment-not only are individuals'' lives increasingly affected by global events, but also such events constantly shift across an increasingly liquid social landscape comprised of decentralized iTrade ReviewFor decades American students of social and political theory have looked to Europe for guidance and inspiration and have spent little or no time exploring the American tradition, except to dismiss most of it. Jason Kosnoski's trenchant analysis of John Dewey's aesthetics, epistemology and educational ideas argues that the American philosopher, John Dewey, deserves our attention, not only because he anticipates the writing of Habermas and Bauman, among others, but remains contemporary to our own times. What distinguishes this brilliant and balanced account is its clarity and persuasiveness. While making no attempt to provide a detailed refutation of Dewey's critics, Kosnoski's analysis, and careful avoidance of polemic constitutes, in effect, a commentary on the one-sidedness of Dewey criticism. One of the most original aspects of the book is its fertile use of Dewey's Art and Experience, thereby breaking down the wall between aesthetics and politics. -- Stanley Aronowitz, CUNY Graduate Center, author of From the Ashes of the Old: American Labor and America's FutureThis book does an excellent job bringing together the radical strands of Deweyan political theory and neo-Habermasian social thought, and will make a significant contribution to contemporary political theorizing on the possibilities of critique in a 'post-ethical world.' Kosnoski sketches a persuasive account of the radical nature of Dewey's thought, and emphasizes the importance of cultivating critical thinking as the primary method for reinvigorating contemporary democratic practice. This is more than an analysis of Dewey; rather, it provides an original account of democratic theory that differs from a number of existing approaches. I suspect this book will work well in graduate courses, advanced undergraduate courses, and as a source for scholarly research theorizing democratic practice. -- Ernesto Verdeja, University of Notre DameThis book advances the ambitious aim of constructing a concrete ethical life of democratic justice in the face of social liquidity. Such ambition raises the stakes....Kosnoski's innovative reading of Dewey and analysis of the lived experience of communication are highly valuable for anyone interested in democratic history. * Political Theory *Table of Contents1 ABBREVIATIONS FOR FREQUENTLY CITED TEXTS 2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 3 INTRODUCTION Chapter 4 1. MAPPING A LIQUID WORLD Chapter 5 2. NEO-HABERMASIAN SITTLICHKEIT AND SOCIAL MEDIATION Chapter 6 3. RECONSTRUCTION: SOCIAL MEDIATION IN A LIQUID SOCIETY Chapter 7 4. THE HABITS OF THINKING: LINKING ONESELF TO THE LIQUID WORLD Chapter 8 5. MAPPING THE LIQUID PUBLIC Chapter 9 6. THE CLASSROOM/ASSOCIATION AND THE TEACHER/ORGANIZER 10 CONCLUSION 11 BIBLIOGRAPHY 12 INDEX

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Book SynopsisFor decades, campaign finance reform has been an on-going topic of discussion. In particular, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) was heralded as a major breakthrough in controlling the flow of money into campaigns. Almost immediately, political players found other ways to financially manipulate the new laws. Campaign Finance Reform: The Political Shell Game provides an in-depth look at the history of political campaign finance reform with special emphasis on legislative, FEC, and federal court actions from the 1970s to present. In particular, the authors examine the ways that campaigns and independent groups have sought to make end-runs around existing campaign finance rules. Oftentimes the loopholes they find make a significant impact on an election, sparking the next round of campaign finance reform. New rules are then enacted, and new loopholes are found. Like a big political shell game, the amount of money in politics never actually decreases, but instead gets moved Trade Review'Follow the money' is an apt aphorism for this book. Politically-minded students will learn how money is raised and where the jobs are. Highly recommended. -- Bill Edwards, Columbus State UniversityTable of ContentsPart 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Chapter 1. An Overview of Campaign Finance Law Part 3 Historical Background Chapter 4 Chapter 2. Political parties and Campaign Finance Law Chapter 5 Chapter 3. NCPAC and the Development of Third-Party Expenditures Part 6 The 527s Chapter 7 Chapter 4. The History of 527 Organizations Chapter 8 Chapter 5. Swift Boat Veterans and MoveOn.org Chapter 9 Chapter 6. Analysis of 527 ads in 2004 election Chapter 10 Chapter 7. Silence Is(n't) Golden: Responding to 527 ads Part 11 Future of Campaign Finance Reform Chapter 12 Chapter 8. The Possible Future of 527s Chapter 13 Chapter 9. The Future of Campaign Finance Laws Part 14 Afterward: Corporations Are Given a Free Rein

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Book SynopsisFor decades, campaign finance reform has been an on-going topic of discussion. In particular, the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA) was heralded as a major breakthrough in controlling the flow of money into campaigns. Almost immediately, political players found other ways to financially manipulate the new laws. Campaign Finance Reform: The Political Shell Game provides an in-depth look at the history of political campaign finance reform with special emphasis on legislative, FEC, and federal court actions from the 1970s to present. In particular, the authors examine the ways that campaigns and independent groups have sought to make end-runs around existing campaign finance rules. Oftentimes the loopholes they find make a significant impact on an election, sparking the next round of campaign finance reform. New rules are then enacted, and new loopholes are found. Like a big political shell game, the amount of money in politics never actually decreases, but instead gets moved Trade Review'Follow the money' is an apt aphorism for this book. Politically-minded students will learn how money is raised and where the jobs are. Highly recommended. -- Bill Edwards, Columbus State UniversityTable of ContentsPart 1 Introduction Chapter 2 Chapter 1. An Overview of Campaign Finance Law Part 3 Historical Background Chapter 4 Chapter 2. Political parties and Campaign Finance Law Chapter 5 Chapter 3. NCPAC and the Development of Third-Party Expenditures Part 6 The 527s Chapter 7 Chapter 4. The History of 527 Organizations Chapter 8 Chapter 5. Swift Boat Veterans and MoveOn.org Chapter 9 Chapter 6. Analysis of 527 ads in 2004 election Chapter 10 Chapter 7. Silence Is(n't) Golden: Responding to 527 ads Part 11 Future of Campaign Finance Reform Chapter 12 Chapter 8. The Possible Future of 527s Chapter 13 Chapter 9. The Future of Campaign Finance Laws Part 14 Afterward: Corporations Are Given a Free Rein

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the changes in elections, politics, and democratic movements over the past decade, marking a paradigm shift in political discourse. Han reveals the impacts of networked information technologies, and discusses how previously apolitical youth have transformed into a cohesive voting bloc and formidable constituency.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Tables Chapter One—New Experimentation: Cyberspace, the Networked Public Sphere, and the Youth in the United States and Korea Chapter Two—How Korea's Wired Youth Became a Political Power: NNIT-Activated Experimentation and the 2002 Presidential Election in Korea Chapter Three—What the New Experimentation Portends for Democracy: Korea's Beef Crisis Chapter Four—NNITs and the Obama Phenomenon: Transforming Electoral Politics of Youth Chapter Five—Obama Tweeting and Tweeted: The Sotomayor Nomination and Health Care Reform Chapter Six—Making Sense of the New Experimentation References About the Author Index

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Book SynopsisOn Message explores how the twelve leading presidential candidates of Election 2008, six in each party, used the major Themes of televised political advertising-images, issues, and attacks-to create campaign narratives justifying their election. Each candidate introduced numerous ads over many months, presenting him- or herself as a qualified leader and advocate of specific public policies, or trying to raise doubts about the images and issues advanced by rivals. Any one particular ad served two purposes; it provided a message centering on one or more of the major themes, and it was a component of a continuing narrative where the candidate attempted to answer the political needs that arose from his or her strategic position of membership in either the incumbent Republican or opposition Democratic parties. In Election 2008, the Democratic candidates needed to convince voters that political change of a particular direction was needed, that they were the individual who could enact it, and that their opponents could not. Republican candidates needed to convince voters that the nation needed changes that would make the policies their party had enacted more effective, and that they were the individual who could deliver while their rivals would fail. E.D. Dover provides an over view of televised advertising, introductions of candidates, and descriptions of fund raising, polls, advertising expenditures, and election out comes. The book also follows the advertising strategies of the individual candidates, and of each party. It discusses the effectiveness of the individual narratives and analyzes patterns of televised advertising that regularly occurs across a variety of electoral settings.Trade ReviewWith the record sums being spent on presidential campaign advertisements, we really need to be 'On Message.' Fortunately, E. D. Dover's excellent new study gives us the means to follow the flurry of campaign commercials from the 2008 nomination and general election campaigns. From the earliest ads in the smallest caucus markets to the national ads of early November, On Message gives us a thorough report and a thoughtful analysis of how two crowded fields of presidential candidates introduced themselves and sold themselves to voters throughout that pivotal election year. -- Stephen J. Farnsworth, University of Mary WashingtonA highly informative and well written account of television advertising in the 2008 presidential campaign. The book is a must for all interested in presidential campaign communication. -- Judith Trent, University of CincinnatiTable of ContentsPart 1 Part 1: Introduction Chapter 2 Chapter 1: Introduction and General Overview Chapter 3 Chapter 2: Overview of the Election Campaigns Part 4 Part 2: The Nomination Campaigns Chapter 5 Chapter 3: Democrats: The Early Votes Chapter 6 Chapter 4: Democrats: Obama Versus Clinton Chapter 7 Chapter 5: The Republican Nomination Campaign Part 8 Part 3: The General Election Chapter 9 Chapter 6: The Obama Campaign Chapter 10 Chapter 7: The McCain Campaign Part 11 Part 4: Observations Chapter 12 Chapter 8: Discussion and Conclusions 13 References 14 Index 15 About the Author

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Book SynopsisWhat makes a candidate viable in the eyes of the voters? What makes someone qualified to run for office? Why do voters tend to opt for certain types of people and not others? How much are such tendencies rooted in broad characteristics-racial or ethnic group, gender, etc.-versus more idiosyncratic traits, those tied to respective candidates'' presentation of self? Whatever the broader issues, it is clear that to date, women, when compared to men, have faced greater obstacles to being seen as viable candidates for elected office. A Level Playing Field for All? examines candidates'' use of sports in election campaigns as a way to understand broader issues of candidate viability and in particular, the hurdles that women must overcome to achieve political office. This book reveals the extent to which athletic participation has become a social eligibility factor in the success of candidates for elected office. Doherty examines the role participation in athletics played for women looking to Trade ReviewWritten in accessible prose that will make it available to broader audiences, Leanne Doherty's Level Playing Field for All? Female Political Leadership and Athletics promises to initiate a conversation about the growing role of participation in athletics as a potential calling card for political candidates, particularly women. This book is especially relevant, as athletes and sports culture will likely garner greater attention, as more and more candidates hail from non-traditional careers for politicians and have varied levels of experience, if any, in formal governance. -- Nikol G. Alexander-Floyd, Rutgers University-New Brunswick, and author of Gender, Race, and Nationalism in Contemporary Black PoliticsBy analyzing the intersection of gender, sports and public policy, this well-researched book offers a unique and engaging account of factors central to understanding political leadership. Professor Doherty fills a gapping hole in the literature with this creative and timely account of women’s quest for institutional and social power. -- Ronnee Schreiber, Author of "Righting Feminism: Conservative Women and American Politics"Leanne Doherty argues forcefully that amateur and professional athletic experience are now criteria in candidates' self-assessments and self-presentations and, by extension, in voters' decision-making. Her book surveys the political economics of sport, offers analyses of campaign websites, and provides a policy analysis of the battles that now define Title IX. In so doing, she delineates the ways in which sports gives or constrains access to power for men and for women. -- MaryAnne Borrelli, Connecticut CollegeTable of ContentsChapter 1. Sports and Politics - The Perfect Combination? Chapter 2. The Athlete as Political Elite Chapter 3. The Social Eligibility Pool, Gender, and Athletic Elites Chapter 4. Athletic Experience and Electoral Success Chapter 5. Title IX and Access to Athletic Opportunity Chapter 6. The Future of Female Athlete Politicians 7 Bibliography

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewIn the tradition of Malcolm Jewell and Alan Rosenthal, Rebekah Herrick investigates the complexities of representation at the state legislative level. This is an innovative effort to untangle the effects of various institutional and electoral arrangements on legislative behavior. It is an ambitious study. -- Gary Moncrief, Boise State UniversityDr. Herrick's book is an important contribution to the discipline's understanding of how representation by state legislators, in its various forms, is influenced by state legislative institutions. We know that the rules and structures of an institution have an impact on individual behavior. Dr. Herrick's study is an excellent empirical test of how the rules and structures actually influence the representative style of legislators. -- Sam Fisher, University of South AlabamaThis book's focus is solely on US state legislatures. Herrick (Oklahoma State Univ.) begins with a nuanced discussion of how professionalism, election laws, term limits, and district features may affect symbolic representation, service to constituents, and promotion of particular policies. Political ambition may be affected by institutional design and, therefore, may have both direct and indirect impacts on representational style. Models are then tested through a survey of state legislators in 26 states. The survey questionnaire is helpfully included as an appendix. Unfortunately, basic overviews of institutional design features and summaries for each state or groupings of similar states are not included. Instead, the bulk of the book consists of variable descriptions and regression analysis discussion. The robustness of the regression findings are difficult to evaluate because each model includes over 30 independent variables with individual, district, and state-level characteristics. Potentially intriguing findings about legislators' perceptual accuracy and differences in the use of communication tools are somewhat buried within the analysis. The author concludes each results chapter with recommendations on ways to improve democratic representation, which should be viewed as starting points for further research. * CHOICE *Table of Contents1 Preface 2 Chapter 1: Institutions and Representation 3 Chapter 2: Institutional Effects on the Incumbency Advantage 4 Chapter 3: Institutional Design and Ambition 5 Chapter 4: Institutional Design and Role Orientation 6 Chapter 6: Institutional Designs Effect on Legislators Information and Perceptual Accuracy 7 Chapter 7: Institutional Design Substantive Representation 8 Chapter 8: Conclusion 9 Appendix A: State Legislators and Their Districts 10 Appendix B: Descriptive Statistics of Variables 11 References

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Book SynopsisAccusations of partisan bias in Presidential election coverage are suspect at best and self-serving at worst. They are generally supported by the methodology of instance confirmation, tainted by the hostile media effect, and based on simplistic visions of how the news media are organized. Media Bias in Presidential Election Coverage 1948-2008 by Dave D'Alessio, is a revealing analysis that shows the news media have four essential natures: as journalistic entities, businesses, political actors, and property, all of which can act to create news coverage biases, in some cases in opposing directions. By meta-analyzing the results of 99 previous examinations of media coverage of Presidential elections from 1948 to 2008, D'Alessio reveals that coverage has no aggregate partisan bias either way, even though there are small biases in specific realms that are generally insubstantial. Furthermore, while publishers used to control coverage preferences, this practice has become negligible in recenTrade ReviewD’Alessio provides important perspective on a critical issue in presidential politics. Media Bias in Presidential Election Coverage, as a whole, presents one of our most comprehensive works on the subject. * Presidential Studies Quarterly *Communications scientist Dave D'Alessio employs social scientific methods to examine media coverage across sixteen presidential elections from 1948 through 2008, evaluating potential bias based on party, ideology, type of medium, volume of coverage, tone or valance, and public or private ownership. . . .At the end of his study, D'Alessio synthesizes his findings and provides direction for future research. . . .The book contains the full data set, which will be a benefit for all subsequent examinations of media bias. * International Social Science Review *"A thoughtful and sophisticated analysis of a complex issue." -- Kathleen Hall Jamieson, University of Pennsylvania"This book is an important contribution to a significant topic: bias in news coverage of presidential campaigns. The book confirms and extends a previous study with substantially more data and with new data. This is an important resource for those interested in campaigns and in news coverage." -- William L. Benoit, University of Alabama, BirminghamTable of ContentsChapter One: On the Nature of Media Bias Chapter Two: Forces Acting on the News Chapter Three: The Challenges of Measuring Bias Chapter Four: Are "The Media" "Biased"? Chapter Five: Myths and Realities of Coverage Chapter Six: Conclusions, Caveats, and Ruminations

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA thoughtful and sophisticated analysis of a complex issue. -- Kathleen Hall Jamieson, University of PennsylvaniaThis book is an important contribution to a significant topic: bias in news coverage of presidential campaigns. The book confirms and extends a previous study with substantially more data and with new data. This is an important resource for those interested in campaigns and in news coverage. -- William L. Benoit, University of Alabama, BirminghamD’Alessio provides important perspective on a critical issue in presidential politics. Media Bias in Presidential Election Coverage, as a whole, presents one of our most comprehensive works on the subject. * Presidential Studies Quarterly *Communications scientist Dave D'Alessio employs social scientific methods to examine media coverage across sixteen presidential elections from 1948 through 2008, evaluating potential bias based on party, ideology, type of medium, volume of coverage, tone or valance, and public or private ownership. . . .At the end of his study, D'Alessio synthesizes his findings and provides direction for future research. . . .The book contains the full data set, which will be a benefit for all subsequent examinations of media bias. * International Social Science Review *Table of ContentsChapter One: On the Nature of Media Bias Chapter Two: Forces Acting on the News Chapter Three: The Challenges of Measuring Bias Chapter Four: Are "The Media" "Biased"? Chapter Five: Myths and Realities of Coverage Chapter Six: Conclusions, Caveats, and Ruminations

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Book SynopsisIn this insightful, erudite history of presidential campaign music, musicologist Benjamin Schoening and political scientist Eric Kasper explain how politicians use music in American presidential campaigns to convey a range of political messages. From Follow Washington to I Like Ike to I Got a Crush on Obama, they describe the ways that song use by and for presidential candidates has evolved, including the addition of lyrics to familiar songs, the current trend of using existing popular music to connect with voters, and the rapid change of music's relationship to presidential campaigns due to Internet sites like YouTube, JibJab, and Facebook. Readers are ultimately treated to an entertaining account of American political development through popular music and the complex, two-way relationship between music and presidential campaigns.Trade ReviewIn exploring the history of presidential campaign songs, Schoening and Kasper (both, Univ. of Wisconsin, Barron County) researched a wide range of primary and secondary sources. Following the brief introduction are eight chapters divided into three parts dealing with the "traditional era," the "mass media era," and the "popular music era." The authors begin with the earliest campaigns (1789), in which music was sparse. The 1840 campaign was the first to feature music, and campaign songs proliferated through the latter half of the 19th century and into the 20th. Campaigns increasingly used commercially produced pop songs after midcentury. In discussing all this, the authors provide information on the candidates, details on changes in technology (from songbooks to the Internet), and the words to many of the songs. Though third-party presidential efforts, such as the Henry Wallace Progressive Party campaign (1948), are unfortunately overlooked, there is an interesting discussion of the role of the Internet in the 21st century. There is a very helpful, although selective, bibliography, which includes such important sources as Songs America Voted By, comp. and ed. by Irwin Silber (1971). Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through faculty; general readers. * CHOICE *In this book, Benjamin Schoening and Eric Kasper capture the power of music in politics in ways that are informative, engaging, illuminating, and (in some cases) inspiring. Combining their interests and expertise, the authors explore identity forming national anthems from around the world, as well as the politics of censorship and dissent. The result is nothing less than a delightful success. Schoening and Kasper have produced a book that will be enjoyed by scholars, students, and anyone interested in the soundtrack of our political world. -- Joseph J. Foy, University of Wisconsin CollegesBenjamin Schoening and Eric Kasper have written an important book on the use of music in American presidential politics. Covering a lot of history and a lot of music, the book is must reading for those interested in the rapidly expanding field of political musicology, especially relating to elections and voting. -- Courtney Brown, author of Politics in Music: Music and Political Transformation from Beethoven to Hip-HopBecause music can have a large impact on emotion, and emotion has a significant influence on political decisions, this book is a necessary read for anyone who wants to more fully understand political messaging and campaign politics. -- Timothy M. DaleSchoening and Kasper offer an intriguing and thought provoking expose on the use (and misuse) of music to further political ends. -- Craig W. Hurst, University of Michigan, University of Wisconsin WaukeshaSchoening and Kasper recount a fascinating history of presidential songs, from their tentative origins in the campaigns of John Adams and Thomas Jefferson, through the major breakthrough in campaign marketing achieved by William Henry Harrison in 1840, to the rancorous campaigns of the late 19th century and the exuberant songsmithing of the vaudeville era. * Pasatiempo *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Preface Introduction: Why Music Matters Part One: The Traditional Era of Campaign Music Chapter 1: The Early Use of “Campaign” Music (1789-1840) Chapter 2: Campaign Music Post Tippecanoe (1844-1916) Part Two: The Mass Media Era Chapter 3: Women’s Suffrage&“Wireless” Technology (1920-1948) Chapter 4: Good Night, And Good Luck (1952-1968) Chapter 5: Campaign Music Transitions to the Pop Era (1972-1984) Part Three: The Popular Music Era and Beyond Chapter 6: The “Canned” CampaignSong (1988-2004) Chapter 7: Facebook, YouTube, & MySpace, Oh My! (2008 and Beyond) Chapter 8: Campaign Music of the Past, Present, and Future Bibliography Index About the Authors

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Book SynopsisSocial networking fascinates scholars, pundits, and a billion Facebook users. This book shows that whom we know has a vast impact on our political beliefs, actions, and abilities. Prior scholarship has shown that networks are crucial to explaining everything from how bills get through Congress, why people vote, how NGO's become successful in developing nations, and much more; yet an in-depth analysis of the social basis of the rationality is missing. To fill this void, The Social Basis of the Rational Citizen provides the first empirical analysis of the most important hypothesized effect of social network influence on politics: social cognition. Through new lab experiments and survey data, this book shows that decision-making in groups promotes more rational choices and better citizenship. Thus, advice and learning derived from social network contacts are shown to be the basis of decision-making for the rational citizen.Table of ContentsIntroduction Discussion and Rationality Political Discussion and Voting Correctly Influences on Vote Choice in Discussion Networks Policy Opinions and Discussion Networks Rationality, Patriotism and Social Networks What Promotes Political Discussion and Advocacy? The Electoral System and Political Discussion Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA fascinating and powerful analysis of ethical leadership as applied to elections and the African Diaspora. Rich in its portrayal of cultural and political contexts, this book is a one-of-a-kind gem that benefits and enlightens anyone who has the pleasure of reading it. Bongila contributes immensely to the understanding of ethical leadership from a global perspective. -- Jacqueline A. Stefkovich, Pennsylvania State UniversityTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1: Understanding African Diaspora Chapter 2: Describing the Dilemma Chapter 3: Diaspora Vote in Duty Ethics Chapter 4: Diaspora Vote in Utility Ethics Chapter 5: Diaspora in Virtue Ethics Chapter 6: Considering Ethical Tensions Chapter 7: Rehearsing Courses of Action Chapter 8: Re-discerning the Right to Vote Chapter 9: Working with Prudent Pragmatism Chapter 10: By Way of Conclusion References Appendix A

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Book SynopsisThe 2010 Midterm Elections were momentous in the history of U.S. campaigns. Readers of this book will follow the path of seven House and six Senate races from inception to election postmortem. The chapters are both narrative and provide analysis of an array of interesting and diverse contests from throughout the country. Each entry was written by one or more experts living in the state or region of the race. The authors provide succinct and highly readable chapters meant to illustrate the distinctive nature of the campaigns they are examining. Readers will see individual campaigns and elections up close and be able to compare and contrast one from another because of the common format employed throughout the book. Taken together, the chapters reveal that the roads to Congress, while similar in so many ways, each follow a unique route to Capitol Hill.Trade ReviewWith 435 House districts and 50 states, there are many "roads to Congress." This is the latest installment in a series that stretches back at least a decade. Essays in this volume focus on campaigns for House and Senate seats during the 2010 election cycle. Case studies focus on the districts or states, candidates, campaigns, and events that led to the electoral outcome in each case. Seven essays focus on House races and seven on Senate races, geographically dispersed across the US. The underlying assumption of the entire series is that local context matters and congressional campaigns matter, shaping how members of Congress arrive on Capitol Hill. Ironically, the 2010 electoral cycle was largely shaped by the national context: the Obama presidency, the state of the economy, and the Tea Party revolt. This volume is particularly valuable for teaching undergraduate courses that focus on campaigns and elections. The skillfully written case studies will engage students in the hurly-burly world of politics and the factors that shape elections. Practitioners may gain some insight from comparisons among different races, and political junkies will find the book to be a fascinating read. Summing Up: Highly recommended. General readers; undergraduate students and above. * CHOICE *Table of Contents1 Preface Part 2 Part I: Introduction Chapter 3 1. A third "wave" election in a row: The House turns Republican while the Senate stays Democratic Part 4 Part II: House of Representatives Elections Chapter 5 2. Florida District 8 Race (Webster v. Grayson): No Magic Kingdom for the Incumbent Chapter 6 3. Illinois District 14 Race (Hultgren v. Foster): A National Referendum against the President and Incumbents Chapter 7 4. Illinois District 11 Race (Kinzinger v. Halvorson): A Fresh Incumbent does not survive the Tsunami Chapter 8 5. Mississippi District 4 Race (Taylor v. Palazzo): A Conservative Democrat Loses to a More Conservative Republican Chapter 9 6. New York District 20 Race (Gibson v. Murphy): The Red Tide Returns to the Upper Hudson Valley Chapter 10 7. Ohio District 6 Race (Johnson v. Wilson): Ripe for Independent Spenders Chapter 11 8. Virginia District 5 Race (Hurt v. Perriello): A Congressman Falls to a Republican Tsunami Part 12 Part III: U.S. Senate Elections Chapter 13 9. Alaska Senate Race (McAdams v. Miller v. Murkowski): Alaska's Three-Way Senate Race and Lisa Murkowski's Write-in Victory Chapter 14 10. California Senate Race (Fiorina v. Boxer): The Great Democratic Exception in a Republican Year Chapter 15 11. Colorado Senate Race (Bennet v. Buck): Incumbency Success in an Anti-Incumbency Year Chapter 16 12. Connecticut Senate Race (McMahon v. Blumenthal): Blumenthal Beats McMahon in a Race that Set State Records for Spending Chapter 17 13. Florida Senate Race (Crist v. Meek v. Rubio): The Rise of Rubio and fall of Crist Chapter 18 14. Missouri Senate Race (Blunt v. Carnahan): Still a National Bellwether State Part 19 Part IV: Conclusion Chapter 20 15. The Legacy of the 2010 Congressional Elections 21 Index 22 About the Contributors

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Book SynopsisIn this volume, scholars discuss the most recent wave of redistricting Congress. Emphasizing the state-level factors and processes, the volume ultimately shows how national requirements and state requirements come together to permit states to be largely self-responsible for what they do in terms of drawing districts.Trade ReviewCongresspeople run for office from geographically bounded districts, and the drawing of those districts is of intense concern to politicians, parties, interested groups, the media, and the public. This book focuses on the process of drawing district lines in the 18 states that gained or lost seats in 2010. The selection of these states provides one side of the redistricting picture, ignoring intrastate population shifts in states with no changes in the number of seats. The 18 case studies are bookended by an initial contextual chapter and a brief summary chapter. . . . The introductory chapter provides some useful generalizations. . . . The final chapter largely makes the arguments that the Republicans will be favored in near future redistricting due to their success in districting state legislatures. Overall generalizations about redistricting are avoided. Most readers will find this a good archival summary of redistricting in their state if they are among the chosen 18. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduate, graduate, research, and professional collections. * CHOICE *A core principle of representative democracy is that the people are free to choose their leaders, but more and more, leaders are actually choosing their voters. The case studies presented here trace carefully how the redistricting process played out across the country following the 2010 census, not only testing key theories of redistricting, but also exploring the confluence of increasingly sophisticated technology and the hyper-partisan political environment. The stories are thorough without being excessive, and the mix of states creates for good generalizations. This excellent book is long overdue! -- William E. Cunion, Associate Academic Dean, University of Mount UnionThe book is a comprehensive overview of Congressional redistricting in 2011. With chapters covering 18 states, William J. Miller and Jeremy D. Walling’s collection of state experts provide an excellent account of the complexities and nuances of redistricting across the country. Each case provides details and insights that capture the political battle over Congressional redistricting. Overall, this volume brings together the interesting differences and similarities inherent in the redistricting process across the country. -- Jonathan Winburn, University of MississippiTable of ContentsChapter One: Tom and Gerry? The Cat and Mouse Game of Congressional Redistricting, William J. Miller Chapter Two: Utah: Pizza Slices, Doughnut Holes, and One-Party Dominance, Adam R. Brown Chapter Three: Incumbency, Influence, and Race: Redistricting, South Carolina Style, Christopher N. Lawrence and Scott H. Huffmon Chapter Four: Swimming Against the Tide: Partisan Gridlock and the 2011 Nevada Redistricting, David F. Damore Chapter Five: Redistricting the Peach State, Charles S. Bullock, III Chapter Six: “Fair” Districts in Florida: New Congressional Seats, New Constitutional Standards, Same Old Republican Advantage?, Aubrey Jewett Chapter Seven: Congressional Redistricting in Louisiana: Region, Race, Party, and Incumbents, Pearson Cross Chapter Eight: Redistricting in Massachusetts, Shannon Jenkins and Samantha Pettey Chapter Nine: Michigan: Republican Domination during a Population Exodus, Michael K. Romano, Todd A. Curry and John A. Clark Chapter Ten: Redistricting in Arizona: An Independent Process Challenged by Partisan Politics, Frederic I. Solop and Ajang A. Salkhi Chapter Eleven: Carving Lines in the Cascades: Redistricting Washington, Kevin Pirch Chapter Twelve: Missouri: Show Me...Again and Again!, Rick Althaus, Jeremy D. Walling, and William J. Miller Chapter Thirteen: Congressional Redistricting in New Jersey, Brigid Callahan Harrison Chapter Fourteen: Lone Star Lines: The Battle over Redistricting in Texas, Jason P. Casellas and Alvaro Corral Chapter Fifteen: Redistricting Congressional Districts in Ohio: An Example of a Partisan Process with Long-lasting Consequences, Mark Salling Chapter Sixteen: Raw Political Power, Gerrymandering, and the illusion of fairness: The Pennsylvania Redistricting Process, 2001 and 2011, Harry C. "Neil" Strine IV Chapter Seventeen: Redistricting in Iowa 2011, Timothy M. Hagle Chapter Eighteen: Drawing Congressional Districts in Illinois—Always Political, Not Always Partisan, Kent Redfield Chapter Nineteen: New York Redistricting in Action: Legislative Inaction and Judicial Enaction, Russell C. Weaver and Joshua J. Dyck Chapter Twenty: Why Redistricting Matters: Political Decisions and Policy Impacts, William J. Miller

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewDemocratization unfolds in three logical phases: ‘democratic opening’ which is marked by the collapse of an authoritarian regime; ‘democratic transition’ which is usually associated with the conduct of a credible election, and; ‘democratic consolidation’ evidenced by the entrenchment of democratic ethos of fairly permanent basis. The provocative and innovative papers in this book present Africa as a continent caught in seemingly perpetual ‘democratic transition’; it is a continent lacking in strong capacity to consolidate democratic governance. Departing remarkably from the synchronic analyses of the past, the publication adopts a diachronic approach in reviewing the factors responsible for this problem and the efforts being made to deal with the disturbing situations. In particular, the book interrogates the adversarial and non-adversarial strategies for managing the problems associated with democratic transitions in the continent. These well treated issues take us to the heart of a major factor in contemporary Africa’s underdevelopment. A key lesson from the publication is that as long as Africa fails to arrive at actionable strategies for managing its election disputes, it would continue to be a battle ground for domestic and international conflict entrepreneurs. Suggestions are made on how to improve the situation. This makes the book to be of significant academic and policy interest. Students of peace and conflict studies, political science, history, sociology and development workers would find the book to be extremely useful. -- Isaac Olawale Albert, director, Institute of African Studies, University of Ibadan, Nigeria and board chairman, Society for Peace Studies and PracticeTable of ContentsPart One: Understanding Africa’s Democratization, Elections, and Conflicts Chapter 1: Dreams and Nightmares: Democratization, Elections, and Conflicts in Africa Chux Ibekwe and Akanmu G. Adebayo Chapter 2: Security in Post-Civil War Democratic Transitions in Africa Abiodun Alao and Mike Adeyeye Chapter 3: Traumatics: The Representation of Trauma in Yvonne Vera’s Without a Name Oumar Cherif Diop Part Two: Domestic and International Issues and Actors Chapter 4: Democratization and Post-Election Conflicts in Nigeria since Independence: A Historical Reconsideration Oluwakemi Abiodun Adesina Chapter 5: Incumbency as a Factor: Appropriation of State Security Resources and Electoral Governance in Nigeria ’Lai Olurode Chapter 6: Religion and Political Activism in Egypt Samy Gerges Chapter 7: Democratization in Senegal: The Failure of the “Sopi” Revolution Haluk B. Bingol and Richard Vengroff Chapter 8: The Involution of Democracy in Lusophone West Africa Brandon D. Lundy Chapter 9: Conflict Analysis of the 2007 Post-election Violence in Kenya Mara J. Roberts Chapter 10: The French Press and Position on Post-Election Crisis in Côte d’Ivoire Edoh Agbehonou Chapter 11: United States Foreign Policy Responses to Africa’s Transition Conflicts Andrew Ewoh Part Three: Conflict Resolution Options Chapter 12: Post-Election Conflict Resolution in Africa: Lessons from African Peace Paradigms Abdul Karim Bangura Chapter 13: An African Model? Conflict Management in Ghana’s 2008 Presidential Elections Joseph Kingsley Adjei Chapter 14: Lessons from South Africa’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) for Managing Africa’s Conflicts Edward L. Mienie Chapter 15: Could Forgiveness and Amnesty Be a Panacea to Kenya’s Post-Election Conflict Era? Joseph W. Nasongo, Lydiah L. M. Wamocha, and Judith S. K. Achoka Chapter 16: Establishing Electoral Conflict Management Panels: A Case Study of South Africa Ilona Tip Chapter 17: Post-Electoral Conflict in la Côte d’Ivoire: Road Map to Peace Sarah O. Danso

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Book SynopsisIn this book the author examines how the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang or KMT) returned to govern Taiwan after ruling for more than half a century but losing power in 2000 when the opposition Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Chen Shui-bian won the presidency and was reelected in 2004.Out of power and playing the role of opposition party the KMT won legislative and executive elections in 2008. It subsequently won mayoral elections in 2010 and elections again to the legislative and executive branches of government in 2012. The KMT returned to power by resolving internal differences between older and younger factions in the party, maintaining an alliance with friendly parties and preventing philosophical differences from mattering. It was helped by the debilitating corruption of the DPP's President Chen and good campaigning.In assessing these KMT election victories the author concludes that the KMT will probably remain the ruling party for some time. Its reputation for good economic mTrade ReviewCopper frequently and prolifically writes on Taiwan's elections. This volume describes elections in 2008, 2010, and 2012. Reports in chapters 2-4 are abbreviated versions of three monographs published by the University of Maryland series in contemporary Asian studies; because chapters treat the same background information, they are repetitive. In the 2008 presidential election, Kuomintang (KMT) candidate Ma Ying-jeou defeated the Democratic Progressive Party candidate, returning Taiwan's oldest party to power. In the 2010 metropolitan elections of mayors, city council members, and county magistrates, KMT candidates won three of five important mayoral positions. In Taiwan's 2012 presidential/vice presidential and legislative elections, President Ma was reelected, and the legislature remained under KMT control. Copper attributes KMT victories to problems in the opposition movement and to successes of the Nationalist Party in shepherding economic development and political reforms, finding that the KMT is likely "to be the ruling party for some time to come." Copper's casual and colloquial writing style makes the tome accessible to all readers. Summing Up: Recommended. All readership levels. * CHOICE *John Copper has produced an excellent book on the last three major elections in Taiwan in 2008, 2010, and 2012 which were won by the Kuomintang (KMT) following eight years of the presidency of Chen Shui-bian of the Democratic Progressive Party. The book provides a very detailed and insightful analysis of the candidates, issues, and major events for these three elections. Furthermore, it also makes a valuable contribution to the study of Taiwan politics by placing them in the context of the nation’s development of democracy and elections and by using a variety of theories about elections to explain what happened in Taiwan. -- Cal Clark, Auburn UniversityTable of ContentsPreface Chapter 1: The Nationalist Party Returns to Power: How and Why? Chapter 2: Taiwan’s 2008 Presidential and Vice Presidential Election Chapter 3: Taiwan’s 2009 Metropolitan City Elections Chapter 4: Taiwan’s 2012 Presidential, Vice Presidential and Parliamentary Elections Chapter 5: Conclusions

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Book SynopsisThis monograph ties in the scholarly debate on Chinese village elections and their consequences for China's political system. It draws on comparative fieldwork conducted in six villages in two counties in Jiangxi and Jilin Provinces and one district in Shenzhen between 2002 and 2005, producing data from some 140 in-depth interviews of villagers and local officials up to the prefectural level. The major objective of this book is as much a critical assessment of the research literature of Chinese village elections published over the last fifteen years as to sharpen the reader's sight for the scope and limits of this important reform to generate regime legitimacy in the local state, an issue which has so far been neglected in the study of Chinese village elections. It hence contributes to our understanding of the nexus between political participation and cadre accountability at the grassroots, and highlights a number of factors ensuring the persistence of one-party rule in contemporary China.Trade ReviewSince the first election took place in Hezhai Village in Guangxi Province in 1980, Chinese village elections have spread throughout the nation and become one of the most researched areas in the study of Chinese politics. Gunter Schubert and Anna L. Ahlers provide a rich and comprehensive discussion of this important topic. . . .This book makes an important contribution to our understanding of village elections and rural politics in China. * The China Journal *[The authors] address a significant issue that has not been fairly and sufficiently treated – the impact of village elections on the political legitimacy of the Chinese party state. . . .[The authors present] by far one of the most comprehensive reviews of the existing academic literature on village elections. . . .This book offers an excellent review of the current status of the field, and presents some interesting findings and discussion on the impact of village elections on peasants’ sense of empowerment and the state’s political legitimacy. [The book is]. . . . a good selection for graduate students and scholars who are interested in studying rural politics in China. * Journal of Chinese Political Science *This book makes a valuable contribution to understanding the impact of direct village elections on political attitudes and behavior and regime legitimacy in authoritarian states. ... [T]his is a wonderful addition to the study of political attitudes and behavior in the authoritarian context. Overall, this book provides some powerful empirical data and has several noteworthy strengths: It is informative, provides a succinct review of pertinent literature, offers several directions for future research, and includes Chinese provinces that are typically excluded from political analysis. This book also has a greater purpose of giving voice to ordinary Chinese in the political development process. This book is therefore important reading for anyone broadly interested in political development in modern authoritarian states. * Asian Politics & Policy *Schubert and Ahlers give us the most comprehensive account of village elections yet available. Large, theoretical questions are examined alongside close-to-the ground case studies that show how grassroots democracy really operates. Written sources, surveys and interviews are skillfully marshaled to tell us a nuanced story about political participation, awareness and citizenship in China, as well as the role that limited, electoral reforms play in maintaining or undermining regime legitimacy. -- Kevin J. O'Brien, University of California, BerkeleyBased on a state-of-the-art literature review and solid case studies from three provinces, Schubert and Ahlers present a balanced discussion of the most pertinent questions relating to Chinese village elections. The book takes us beyond wishful thinking about China’s democratization into the real-life experiences of villagers and cadres. -- Stig Thogersen, Department of Culture and Society, Aarhus UniversityThis is a systematic and insightful study of village elections, whose far-reaching significance for democracy in China is hard to overestimate. The exhaustive and incisive review of the existing literature makes the book a must-read for undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in Chinese politics. In light of the recent Wukan Incident, in which thousands of villagers fought hard and ultimately won a battle to freely elect village leaders, the book comes at just the right time. Policy analysts, journalists and scholars will find in this slender volume rich, valuable and up-to-date information on how ordinary Chinese defend their rights by bravely and creatively using existing legal, social and political resources. -- Lianjiang Li, University of Hong KongTable of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction Chapter 2: Administration and Authority Structures in Rural China from a Historic Perspective Chapter 3: Direct Village Elections as a New Element of Administrative Control and Legitimation Chapter 4: Previous Studies on Village Elections and Conceptual Framework Chapter 5: Three Case Studies Chapter 6: Conclusions Chapter 7: Outlook Appendix: Survey Questions The 1987, 1998 and 2010 Versions of the Organic Law on Villagers’ Committees of the People’s Republic of China

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Book SynopsisNigeria's Critical Election is an analytical exposition of the salient constitutional and political issues by Nigerian scholars who have studied, lived through, and taught those issues over the years. It offers a refreshing understanding of Nigerian politics which by issues, undertones, and sheer speed of political events are normally complex.Trade ReviewNigeria’s Critical Election, 2011, is one of most detailed, informative and refreshingly original and coherent edited books on Nigeria in recent years. Written by the gurus of Nigerian political studies and the emergent new stars in the Nigerian political science establishment, the essays analyze different dimensions of how and why Nigeria’s 2011 general elections was a watershed and a trigger to future political events. The contributors painstakingly dissect the power-shift that occurred without Northern consent, the purveyor of decline of Northern hegemony and the ascendancy of the South; the role of the South-South in this feat; and the fair weather politics in the states (Abia, Imo, Bayelsa, Kwara, even Lagos). The nature and implications of fair weather politics receive a fine analytic comb: the kaleidoscopic alliances of former antagonists against former friends that depict Imo and Abia politicians as mere rent seekers and their politics as serious speculative ‘business’; the implosion of the PDP in Bayelsa and elsewhere; the destruction of entrenched Godfather structures and relationships epitomized by the biological father versus biological son versus biological sister in Kwara state; the demonstration of people power in the electoral defeats of once revered political heavyweights in Ogun State PDP; and the post-election violence in some Northern states, including intensified Boko Haram insurgency. Also under the microscope is the emergent electoral map of Nigeria, not really new but one in which the voter is actually the ultimate cartographer : south-south as a single party PDP zone, South-West as ACN zone with Labor’s finger in the pie; South-East a bitter two-party PDP and APGA zone, though in alliance at the Federal level. The North-West is now a single party zone, thanks to the defection in Kebbi and the construction of a New PDP in Sokoto. The North-Central Zone is also a single party zone with the routing of the ANPP in Kano State. The North-East is a two party zone in which Borno and Yobe States have held out against the PDP since the restoration of ‘democratic’ governance in May 1999. Ayoade and Akinsanya point out in their discerning conclusion that these changes have heightened the debate about the contradiction in the structure of governance in the country and the despondency that is silently creating an ominous disquiet in the land and may result in a deafening bang in 2015. They advise the political class to retreat to the path of political rectitude so that ‘this house’ of three sixty-five windows may not fall. Nigeria’s Critical Election 2011, is a compelling must-read for anyone—student, expert, practitioner, the general reader—who seeks insight into the earth-shaking transformations quietly occurring in Nigeria. -- Olatunde Ojo, University of Port HarcourtTable of ContentsChapter 1: Nigerian Electoral Geography Since 1999 Stanley I. Okafor Chapter 2: Zoning of Political Offices in Nigerian: Patriotism or Plunder? John A. Ayoade Chapter 3: Electoral Infrastructure: INEC and the Electoral Law Adeoye A. Akinsanya and Linda Kwon-Ndung Chapter 4: Voters’ Registration and Voters’ Turnout Remi Anifowose and Emmanuel Onah Chapter 5: Sour Friendship: Electoral Politics in Imo and Abia States. 2007 – 2011 Nkolika E. Obianyo Chapter 6: Politics, Friends and Foes in Bayelsa State Henry Alapiki Chapter 7: Deadly Gladiators: Case Study of Oyo Politics Tunde Oyekanmi Chapter 8: Godfather Politics: The Collapse of Saraki Dynasty in Kwara State Politics Emmanuel E. Ojo and Ebenezer E. Lawal Chapter 9: The Elections in Lagos State As A Political Monologue Abubakar Momoh Chapter 10: The Battle of the Titans: Ogun State Politics Gboyega Akinsanmi Chapter 11: The Judiciary and Democracy in Nigeria: An Independent Messenger Elijah A. Taiwo Chapter 12: Curbing Electoral Violence in Nigeria Remi Anifowose and Adelaja O. Odukoya Chapter 13: Conclusion John A. Ayoade and Adeoye A. Akinsanya

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Book SynopsisThe 2012 Republican nomination process went on longer than most pundits predicted early on. While Mitt Romney began the season as the prohibitive favorite, he was tested repeatedly by what was seemingly the Republican flavor of the week (including Michele Bachmann, Herman Cain, Rick Perry, Newt Gingrich, and Rick Santorum). The sheer number of candidates who were viewed as legitimate contenders demonstrate the fundamental concern facing Republicans moving forward: a fractured party. The pro-business, Tea Party, and evangelical Christian wings disagreed in 2010 on who would provide the best alternative to Democratic President Barack Obama and as a result created a crippling nomination period. By the time Romney was able to claim victory, he was severely wounded after countless attacks from his fellow Republicans. To this internal discontent, we can also add the changing national demographics that could lead to electoral problems for Republicans in their own right. Consider that Mitt RomTrade ReviewThe 2012 presidential election was decisive for the Republican Party. Facing a potentially beatable president, a strong Republican candidate who could have united the party and appealed to swing voters had a real chance of beating Barack Obama. Yet the Republicans failed, and the prospects for the future of the party look equally dim in 2016. Explaining why the Republican Party faces a fractious future is the subject of this terrific collection of essays. Chapter 1 sets the context of the book, describing the political factions within the party and suggesting that the battle among the Tea Party, social conservatives, and the fiscal moderates challenges the Republicans to find a candidate upon whom they agree. Chapter 2 discusses how changes in party nomination rules affected the 2012 primary, with chapter 3 detailing how Republicans were dissatisfied with their current crop of candidates and longing for someone new. The bulk of the book consists of chapter-by-chapter analysis of the various Republican candidates, with a conclusion painting a party torn apart by fringe candidates with little prospect of unity in sight. Excellent for collections on US politics. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels. * CHOICE *The outcome of the 2012 Republican presidential nomination cycle wasn't particularly shocking–the candidate with most of the money and insider support won–but the road the party traveled to get there was an unusual and unforgettable one. This book takes us through some of the rule changes that helped produce such an interesting cycle, and then provides us with detailed profiles of the oversized personalities that defined the year. Why did formidable candidates stay out of this race, while factional politicians with non-traditional résumés not only jumped in but occasionally led the pack? What did the race tell us about the state of the Republican Party and its prospects for the future? This book provides us with some answers and makes for an entertaining yet detailed read about this most curious election cycle. -- Seth Masket, professor of political science, University of DenverIn The 2012 Nomination and the Future of the Republican Party: The Internal Battle, Will Miller has assembled a detailed account of the trials and tribulations of the many major players who attempted to secure the GOP presidential nomination for the 2012 cycle. Additional coverage of the procedural twists and turns as viewed from the perspective of party, candidate, and campaign, as well as the successes and the failures experienced by a bruised and battered Mitt Romney as he negotiated this complex nomination minefield, make the book an excellent summation of the distinctive weaknesses and strengths of the Republican Party in 2012. This book is an essential reference that students of political parties, campaigns, and primary elections should read with interest. -- Kyle L. Saunders, professor of political science, Colorado State UniversityTable of ContentsChapter One: The 2012 Republican Nomination Season: A Clown Car or Feuding Conservatives?, William J. Miller Chapter Two: The Impact of Rules Changes on the 2012 Republican Presidential Primary Process, Joshua T. Putnam Chapter Three: White Knights to the Rescue! The Non-Candidates of 2012, William Cunion Chapter Four: The Curious Candidacy of Jon Huntsman, David F. Damore and Kenneth J. Retzl Chapter Five: Early to Rise, Early to Fall: The Short Lived Hope of Michele Bachmann, Jason Rich and Brandy A. Kennedy Chapter Six: The Hermanator: Anti-Elitism and the Rise of Herman Cain, Andrew L. Pieper Chapter Seven: Rick Perry: The Quickly Fading Star of Texas, Brian Arbour Chapter Eight: Newt Gingrich: It Takes More than Ideas to Win a Nomination, Joshua P. Stockley Chapter Nine: Ron Paul: Establishment Outsider or Radical Insider?, Jeremy D. Walling Chapter Ten: Of Sweater Vests and Broken Dreams: Santorum’s Almost Win, Daniel J. Coffey and Terrence M. O’Sullivan Chapter Eleven: Mitt Romney—The Republican Choice, Sean D. Foreman Chapter Twelve: The Victor’s Reward and the Future of the GOP, William J. Miller

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsPreface by Sean D. Foreman and Robert Dewhirst Part I: 2012 Congressional Election Chapter 1: Democrats increase their seats in Congress and keep control of the White House Sean D. Foreman Chapter 2: Voting Suppression of the American Electorate, 2009-2012 Robert Dewhirst and Daniel E. Smith Chapter 3: Campaign Finance: The Impact of Citizen’s United Decision William Curtis Ellis and Holly Peterson Chapter 4: Redistricting: An Overview Josh Stockley Part II: U.S. House of Representatives Elections Chapter 5: California House 31 (Miller v. Dutton):Top Two Primary Turns a Democratic Seat into a Safe Republican One Marcia L. Godwin and Richard Gelm Chapter 6: Florida House 26 (Rivera v. Garcia): Third Time is a Charm for Cuban Democrat Sean D. Foreman Chapter 7: Illinois District 10 (Dold v. Schneider): A Fight between Demographics and Dollars Jeffrey Ashley and Christophe Amegan Chapter 8: Illinois District 17 (Schilling v. Bustos): A Carefully Constructed Gerrymander Dooms an Incumbent William K. Hall and Kyle D. McEvilly Chapter 9: New York House 24 (Buerkle v. Maffei v. Rozum): Rematch goes to the Democrat Jeffrey Kraus Chapter 10: Ohio House 6 (Johnson v. Wilson): Same Players, New Field Will Miller Chapter 11: Texas House 23 (Canseco v. Gallego): Congressional Bellwether, Partisan Prophet: Texas 23 and the Past, Present, and Future of Party Fortunes Walter Clark Wilson and Christopher Tyler Camarillo Part III: U.S. Senate Elections Chapter 12: Florida (Nelson v. Mack): All Show and No Go Peter Bergerson and Margaret Banyan Chapter 13: Massachusetts (Brown vs. Warren): The Professor v. The Model: How grassroots organizing and fundraising returned a Democrat to Ted Kennedy's former seat. Joe Caiazzo Chapter 14: Missouri (Akin v. McCaskill): “It Ain’t Over ‘Til It’s Over”: Missouri’s Tumultuous and Unpredictable Senate Contest Kimberly L. Casey and Michelle Wade Chapter 15: Ohio (Brown v. Mandel): The Key to a Majority: A Very Expensive and Dirty Campaign William Binning and Sunil Ahuja Chapter 16: Virginia (Allen vs. Kaine): Clash of the Titans Bob N. Roberts Chapter 17: Wisconsin (Baldwin v. Thompson): The Most Negative Senate Race in State History Tom Lansford Part IV: Conclusions Chapter 18: The Legacy of the 2012 Congressional Election Robert Dewhirst Index About the Contributors

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThe scholars contributing to Studies of Communication in the 2012 Presidential Campaign thoroughly examine each topic, providing the reader with solid history, context, and analysis. Indeed, nontraditional topics, such as campaigning and advising by first ladies, political profiteering, and the skillful treatment of race in the 2012 Obama campaign, all entice the reader to delve deeper into the text. Thus, this must-read text is insightful and challenges all readers to consider carefully the impact of communication in political campaigns. * Presidential Studies Quarterly *Once again, Robert E. Denton, Jr., has assembled some of the top names in the field of political communication to unpack the nature and function of the 2012 presidential campaign. The result is a fine understanding of the creation, distribution, reception, and reaction to campaign messages in the 2012 context. From candidate surfacing to the broadest appeals of the campaign’s final weeks, the essential topics are all covered. -- Joseph R. BlaneyIn this volume, an eclectic collection of insightful scholars thoroughly examine snippets of diverse discussions that made up the 2012 Presidential Campaign. In a time of extreme division and incivility in our national dialogue, these observations can be a catalyst for positive change. Denton’s Studies of Communication in the 2012 Presidential Campaign provides an opportunity for the reader to reflect on how different communication strategies and methods affect our ability to maintain an effective political structure and improve national dialogue at a time when the quality of both is clearly at risk. -- Melanie Mills, Eastern Illinois UniversityTable of ContentsPreface Robert E. Denton Jr. Chapter 1: The Early Campaign of 2012 Judith S. Trent Chapter 2: Mitt Romney and the 2012 Presidential Nomination Henry C. Kenski and Kate M. Kenski Chapter 3: “Persona” in the 2012 Presidential Campaign Dennis D. Cali Chapter 4: The Rhetoric of a Campaigning First Lady Theodore F. Sheckels Chapter 5: First Ladies and Presidential Advising: Ann Romney, Hilary Rosen, and the 2012 Presidential Campaign Melody J. Lehn Chapter 6: Political Propheteering: The Role of Purity in the 2012 Presidential Nomination Addresses Brian Heslop and Patrick S. Loebs Chapter 7: Informed and Undecided: Persuasive Appeals to Noncommittal Voters Rita Kirk and Dan Schill Chapter 8: The Honeymoon is over! Rhetoric, Shared Identity, and the Symbolic Communication of Race in the 2012 Obama Campaign Zoe Spencer Chapter 9: Music as Rhetoric: Music in the 2012 Presidential Campaign David R. Dewberry and Jonathan H. Millen Chapter 10: Candidates Use of Social Network Sites to Control their Campaign Message Stephanie E. Bor Chapter 11: This One is Not Like the Others: President Obama’s Genre-bending Second Inaugural Joseph Valenzano III

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Book SynopsisRonald T. Libby's Purging the Republican Party examines Tea Party primary campaigns against Republicans including the defeats of Dede Scozzafava in New York and Bob Bennett in Utah, and the election of Marco Rubio in Florida. It includes an assessment of the Tea Partyâs political prospects following the 2012 elections and beyond.Trade ReviewProfessor Libby thoroughly analyzes the U.S. House race featuring New York State Representative Dede Scozzafava and U.S. Senate races featuring Mike Lee (Utah) and Marco Rubio (Florida). Through his skillful blending of polling results, newspaper accounts, and behind the scene politics, he is able to document the origin and the continued power flexed by the Tea Party. His provocative conclusion points towards sustained involvement of the Tea Party in American Politics. Only time will tell if his well-founded prediction comes true. -- Sean M. Theriault, The University of Texas at AustinLibby’s book is not just a detailed account of the rise, ideology, and electoral success of the Tea Party that brings much-needed balance to mainstream media accounts, it also provides important insights into the continuing fight over the soul of the Republican Party. -- Stan Veuger, American Enterprise InstituteTable of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments I. Introduction 2. The Tea Party’s Political Ideology 3. The Tea Party’s Policies: Contract From America 4. The Civil War Within the Republican Party 5. The “Scozzafava” Strategy to Defeat Senator Bob Bennett 6. Tea Party-Hispanic Constituency for Senator Marco Rubio 7. Conclusion: the 2012 Elections and Beyond Appendix A

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewBenoit is a communication scholar of the highest order, a researcher who reveals the importance of studying message. A Functional Analysis of Political Television Advertisements is exhaustive in its analysis of a wide range of spots created for candidates varying in level of government, stage of campaign, and nation. There are few works that parallel Benoit’s effort in producing a generalizable set of findings that reflect genuine insights, and it is sure to have a sustained impact on the field. -- Lance Holbert, University of South CarolinaBenoit's insights and new perspectives on how political advertising impacts voters is a must read for scholars and professionals in political communication. A Functional Analysis of Political Television Advertisements provides the crucial next step in understanding the dynamics at work in campaigns micro targeted to specific publics. -- Gregory Payne, Emerson CollegeTable of ContentsPreface Part I: Preliminaries 1. Introduction: Political Television Spots 2. Method: The Functional Approach to Political Advertising Part II: Presidential Campaigns 3. In the Beginning: 1952, 1956; The Democrats Ascend: 1960, 1964 4. Nixon’s Return: 1968, 1972; After Watergate: 1976, 1980 5. Republicans in Control: 1984, 1988; The End of the Millennium: 1992, 1996 6. George W. Bush in the Oval Office: 2000, 2004; Barack Obama, African American President, 2008, 2012 7. Primary Campaigns: Who Shall Lead Us? 8. Third-Party Candidate Political TV Spots: Another Choice Part III: Other Campaigns 9. Other Theories: Issue Ownership and Functional Federalism in Political TV Spots 10. Non-Presidential and Non-U.S. TV Spots Part IV: Comparisons 11. Trends and Contrasts of Political Television Spots 12. Development of American Political Television Spots 13. Conclusions and Implications Appendix. Functional Theory Codebook References

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Book SynopsisThis book was designed to make a contribution to our understanding of how and why people make the decisions they do at the polls. Coleman and Wu analyze a decade of research to examine how the mediaâs image presentation of political candidates influences voting at both the aggregate and individual level.Trade ReviewFrom the perspective that elections should involve the rational evaluation of candidates’ issue positions, campaigns and voters that focus on images and emotions are generally disdained. But Coleman and Wu argue that candidate images and voter emotions are central to the electoral process because they stimulate voters to evaluate candidates. Previous research in political communication has focused largely on the first level of agenda setting (addressing issues), but in this book, the authors analyze the second level of agenda setting (addressing affect). This work is unique in two ways. First, it focuses on the visuals of candidates, rather than their words, and assesses them as positive or negative. Second, it measures the positive and negative emotions candidates engender in voters. In doing so, it measures the impact that mediated affect has on elections. The authors use a multi-modal approach that uses experiments as well as surveys that vary across time and location. The result is an overwhelmingly persuasive argument that the candidate images broadcast by various news media play an important role in the public agenda during elections. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. * CHOICE *Image and Emotion in Voter Decisions makes a great contribution in political communication scholarship, specifically the role of visual communication in politics—an area that is clearly understudied. To borrow David Weaver’s words, the volume is an important addition to the agenda-setting and voting literature in many ways. It draws its strength from three key aspects: (a) the strong emphasis on the role of visual content to provide evidence for the second-level agenda-setting effects; (b) the combination of various theories of information processing and media effects models to provide a stronger evidence of the influence of politicians’ images on voters during elections; and (c) use of comprehensive data from four presidential elections in the United States and one in Taiwan—making the volume fact-laden—hence providing useful insights on the topics of inquiry. I would not hesitate to recommend this book to a researcher seeking to gain useful knowledge of literature that documents the power of visual communication in politics. * Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly *"The book fills a gap in agenda setting literature, I highly recommend it."​ -- Guy J. Golan, Syracuse University“This is an important addition to the agenda-setting and voting literature in several respects. It brings various theories of information processing to bear on agenda-setting research, and it emphasizes the role of visual content in agenda-setting effects. It also analyzes the relative strength of first- and second-level agenda-setting effects on voting behavior in one Taiwanese and four U.S. presidential elections. As such, this program of work represents probably the only longitudinal effort so far to examine visuals for their second-level agenda setting effects.” -- David H. Weaver, Indiana UniversityBuilding on the cognitive approach prevalent in most political communication scholarship, this book provides a comprehensive overview of the role of visual information and emotion in news and its impact on voter decisions. It is a must-read for political communication researchers, educators, and professionals. -- Spiro Kiousis, University of FloridaTable of Contents1 The Importance of Image and Affect in Politics 2 Historical Traces and Relevant Concepts 3 The Role of Information Processing 4 The Methods Behind the Research: How We Did These Studies 5 The Two Levels of Agenda Setting: Issues and Attributes 6 Visual Cues in the Formation of Affect 7 The Valence of Affect: Accentuate the Negative or Put Your Best Foot Forward? 8 The Makeup of Affect: Emotions and Traits 9 New Media and Demographic Differences in Agenda Setting 10 An International Investigation of Affective Agendas 11 What We Now Know About Affect and Implications for Democracy

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Book SynopsisThis book explores congressional redistricting, the relevance of the Voting Rights Act, and the legal concept of racial purpose, focusing on the role race and racism played in the Texas redistricting process and the stateâs 2011Voter Identification Law. The author makes a case for the use of mixed-methods research techniques in litigation research.Trade ReviewThis book is a deep dive into the racism underlying passage of a discriminatory redistricting plan and a discriminatory voter identification law (SB14), both approved in Texas during the 2011 legislative session. Flores combines blow-by-blow accounts of the passage of those controversial measures, a legal investigation into the degree to which each violated the rights of Latinos and thus the Voting Rights Act, and the history of race relations in Texas, all framed by the Supreme Court’s discussion of discriminatory purpose in Arlington Heights v. Metropolitan Housing Development Corp (1977). The book tells the rich and detailed story of racial animosity among Republican supporters of the two measures, as well as legislators’ use of 'racist shields' and their refusal to discuss how SB14 might unfairly restrict Latino participation. Flores speaks powerfully to the history of race relations in Texas, where Latinos 'find themselves being used as a buffer race between Anglos and African Americans,' and the inattention of courts to the many ways that the two minority communities differ. He briefly touches on the impact of Shelby County v. Holder (2012), and calls for a recommitment to the proposition that all citizens, including Latino citizens, should have an equal electoral voice. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. * CHOICE *This impressive and important volume explores some of the ways in which law has been used in recent times to disempower minority voters and distort democracy in the United States…. Flores provides an insider’s view of this litigation and produces a richly detailed and nuanced narrative based on voluminous documentary evidence related to both cases…. Overall, this book shows the continuing relevance of race and racism in U.S. politics and policy and some ways in which racial prejudice may distort American democracy. It also outlines a promising methodology for scholars and legal activists alike to examine and, when relevant, demonstrate racial motivations in governmental actions. This study is a model of politically engaged research that makes significant contributions to the jurisprudence of equal protection, social science methods, and critical race studies. The descriptions and analyses regarding the role of race and racism in official governmental actions constituting the core of the research described in this volume are especially timely given our current politics, in which political rhetoric, policy proposals, and the actions of public agencies are increasingly challenged by political and legal activists and social movements. * Law and Politics Book Review *Henry Flores analyzes southwestern history, constitutional law and litigation to unravel the racial bias behind efforts to limit the influence of minority voters. With more than thirty years’ experience as an expert witness in voting rights cases, Flores offers the reader a bird’s eye view of the players and their motivations in southwestern electoral politics. He unravels the web of contested ideas, ideology and social science analysis that play out in contemporary voting rights struggles. Highly recommended. -- Benjamin Marquez, Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin, MadisonProfessor Flores has performed an enormous service by illustrating the ways in which power and race intersect in the distribution of political power where there is a far-reaching incentive to keep the contemplation of race hidden. His close study of the Voting Rights Act and the actions of the Texas Legislature shows the pervasive impact of race on decisions making and the ways in which it deforms democracy. Anyone who wants to understand the ways in which our racial history has distorted representational rights needs to read this book. -- Gerald Torres, Jane M. G. Foster Professor of Law, Cornell University Law SchoolTable of ContentsChapter One: Uncovering Racial Purposes in Voting Rights Politics Chapter Two: In Search of Racism Chapter Three: Racism, the Arlington Heights Factos, and Latinos Chapter Four: Latino Identity, Whiteness, and Dual-Race Theory Chapter Five: “Do Citizens Select Legislators or Do Legislators Select Their Constituents?” Chapter Six: There is a Method to This Madness Chapter Seven: Strategic Racism Uncovered

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis book raises a number of interesting questions about the extent and implementation of the language assistance provisions of the Voting Rights Act, including coverage as it relates to Hispanic, Asian, American Indian, and Native Alaskan populations. Reilly pulls together information from a variety of government and academic sources, as well as from interviews with bureaucrats and community members, to present a detailed overview of the history and effect of these provisions. Most powerful is her analysis of the extent and causes of differences in translations provided to voters, particularly in Spanish but with illustrative examples from other languages as well. While Spanish translations often result in ballot measure descriptions that are more easily read than their English counterparts, translations to other languages have sometimes made those measures indecipherable. Later chapters explore the causes of these sources of variation in translation quality and provide helpful tips for election officials and community activists hoping to improve language access for covered populations, such as the tendency of professional translators to use formal language, which can result in reduced readability. A dense volume packed with references and data. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. * CHOICE *Dr. Reilly begins a conversation that is both vital in an applied policy sense, and also grounded in theoretical principals of political participation and policy implementation. Reilly points out that while the national government has created guidelines concerning translation of ballots and voting materials more generally, ultimately, state and local governments have control over implementation. How readable the translations are is key to meaningful political participation on the part of individuals with limited English proficiency. -- Martha Kropf, University of North Carolina, CharlotteTable of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction to Ballot Accessibility and the Language Minority Provisions Chapter 2. Legal Framework of Minority Language Ballot Access Chapter 3. Minority Language Voters: A Demographic Study Chapter 4. Readability of Ballot Measures Chapter 5: Analysis of State and County Policies on Minority Language Ballots Chapter 6: Views of Political Actors Chapter 7: Conclusion and Policy Potential

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Book SynopsisLanguage Assistance under the Voting Rights Act provides an interesting and unique approach to the problem of translating minority language ballots and evaluating the causes and effects of differences in the translated ballot language. As a whole, this book demonstrates the strong relationship between accessibility, state policy, and the role this has on participation among minority language voters, particularly in the area of direct democracy. This offers insight into the complex relationship that has evolved into the current state of governance across the United States, as well as how covered jurisdictions interact with federally mandated language assistance. By looking at this relationship from a variety of standpointsincluding historical and policy analysis, interviews, and statistical analysisthis book shows a new perspective of the translation process and the implications for minority voters and their efficacy.Trade ReviewDr. Reilly begins a conversation that is both vital in an applied policy sense, and also grounded in theoretical principals of political participation and policy implementation. Reilly points out that while the national government has created guidelines concerning translation of ballots and voting materials more generally, ultimately, state and local governments have control over implementation. How readable the translations are is key to meaningful political participation on the part of individuals with limited English proficiency. -- Martha Kropf, University of North Carolina, CharlotteThis book raises a number of interesting questions about the extent and implementation of the language assistance provisions of the Voting Rights Act, including coverage as it relates to Hispanic, Asian, American Indian, and Native Alaskan populations. Reilly pulls together information from a variety of government and academic sources, as well as from interviews with bureaucrats and community members, to present a detailed overview of the history and effect of these provisions. Most powerful is her analysis of the extent and causes of differences in translations provided to voters, particularly in Spanish but with illustrative examples from other languages as well. While Spanish translations often result in ballot measure descriptions that are more easily read than their English counterparts, translations to other languages have sometimes made those measures indecipherable. Later chapters explore the causes of these sources of variation in translation quality and provide helpful tips for election officials and community activists hoping to improve language access for covered populations, such as the tendency of professional translators to use formal language, which can result in reduced readability. A dense volume packed with references and data. Summing Up: Recommended. Graduate, research, and professional collections. * CHOICE *Table of ContentsChapter 1. Introduction to Ballot Accessibility and the Language Minority Provisions Chapter 2. Legal Framework of Minority Language Ballot Access Chapter 3. Minority Language Voters: A Demographic Study Chapter 4. Readability of Ballot Measures Chapter 5: Analysis of State and County Policies on Minority Language Ballots Chapter 6: Views of Political Actors Chapter 7: Conclusion and Policy Potential

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Book SynopsisSeniors are America's most dependable voters; they vote in all elections and contests on the ballot. But definitions of seniors are changing and so, too, must the campaign outreach techniques and strategies used by candidates, consultants, political parties, and advocacy groups, especially to reach seniors with limited sight, hearing, and mobility.Trade ReviewTargeting Senior Voters is right on target in shattering the myth that older voters are a monolithic group that can be made to fall in line by pressing certain 'hot buttons.' It's valuable reading for political professionals and anyone seeking insights into what makes America's most active, concerned citizens tick—and why, as the twenty-first century unfolds, winning their votes will be increasingly tricky.... -- Elliot Carlson, editor * AARP Bulletin *Targeting Senior Voters provides both practitioners and students of politics a rich, broad perspective on this critical segment of the electorate. As usual, Susan MacManus has done an excellent job identifying the hot buttons and pulling together relevant information. Candidates and political consultants would be wise to read it carefully before planning their next campaigns. -- Ronald A. Faucheux, Ph.D., editor-in-chief * Campaigns & Elections *This book blends public opinion analysis, institutional and legal assessments, and strategic thinking to provide a sophisticated study of senior citizens' electoral behavior. Unlike many political how-to volumes, this one is firmly rooted in social science research. MacManus, an accomplished political scientist and a leading expert on Florida politics, covers an impressive array of relevant issues. This book will be valuable for several audiences including senior citizen advocates, campaign strategists, and political science and gerontology scholars. * CHOICE *Susan MacManus has produced a volume that contains the first and last word on seniors and politics—a kind of 'everything you ever wanted to know about senior citizenship but were too young to ask.' Given their extraordinarily high voter turnout rate, seniors are critically important in elections, and their views on issues and reactions to campaign techniques must be taken into account. MacManus pieces together a magnificent mosaic on seniors that is perfect for a general readership as well as a wide range of undergraduate and graduate classes in political science. -- Larry J. Sabato, director, University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of The Kenneday Half-CenturyTargeting Senior Voters is right on target in shattering the myth that older voters are a monolithic group that can be made to fall in line by pressing certain 'hot buttons.' It's valuable reading for political professionals and anyone seeking insights into what makes America's most active, concerned citizens tick—and why, as the twenty-first century unfolds, winning their votes will be increasingly tricky. -- Elliot Carlson, editor * AARP Bulletin *Table of ContentsChapter 1 Seniors: America's Most Consistent Voters Chapter 2 The Graying Behemoth Chapter 3 Identifying and Surveying Senior Voters Chapter 4 Campaigning to Seniors: Going after Votes Chapter 5 Helping Seniors Register and Vote: New Forms of Outreach, Accommodation, and Protection Chapter 6 Crafting the Message: Issues Affecting Seniors Chapter 7 Targeting Seniors in the 21st Century: A Review of Some Basic Dos and Don'ts

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Book SynopsisSeniors are America's most dependable voters; they vote in all elections and contests on the ballot. But definitions of seniors are changing and so, too, must the campaign outreach techniques and strategies used by candidates, consultants, political parties, and advocacy groups, especially to reach seniors with limited sight, hearing, and mobility.Trade ReviewTargeting Senior Voters is right on target in shattering the myth that older voters are a monolithic group that can be made to fall in line by pressing certain 'hot buttons.' It's valuable reading for political professionals and anyone seeking insights into what makes America's most active, concerned citizens tick—and why, as the twenty-first century unfolds, winning their votes will be increasingly tricky.... -- Elliot Carlson, editor * AARP Bulletin *Targeting Senior Voters provides both practitioners and students of politics a rich, broad perspective on this critical segment of the electorate. As usual, Susan MacManus has done an excellent job identifying the hot buttons and pulling together relevant information. Candidates and political consultants would be wise to read it carefully before planning their next campaigns. -- Ronald A. Faucheux, Ph.D., editor-in-chief * Campaigns & Elections *This book blends public opinion analysis, institutional and legal assessments, and strategic thinking to provide a sophisticated study of senior citizens' electoral behavior. Unlike many political how-to volumes, this one is firmly rooted in social science research. MacManus, an accomplished political scientist and a leading expert on Florida politics, covers an impressive array of relevant issues. This book will be valuable for several audiences including senior citizen advocates, campaign strategists, and political science and gerontology scholars. * CHOICE *Susan MacManus has produced a volume that contains the first and last word on seniors and politics—a kind of 'everything you ever wanted to know about senior citizenship but were too young to ask.' Given their extraordinarily high voter turnout rate, seniors are critically important in elections, and their views on issues and reactions to campaign techniques must be taken into account. MacManus pieces together a magnificent mosaic on seniors that is perfect for a general readership as well as a wide range of undergraduate and graduate classes in political science. -- Larry J. Sabato, director, University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of The Kenneday Half-CenturyTargeting Senior Voters is right on target in shattering the myth that older voters are a monolithic group that can be made to fall in line by pressing certain 'hot buttons.' It's valuable reading for political professionals and anyone seeking insights into what makes America's most active, concerned citizens tick—and why, as the twenty-first century unfolds, winning their votes will be increasingly tricky. -- Elliot Carlson, editor * AARP Bulletin *Table of ContentsChapter 1 Seniors: America's Most Consistent Voters Chapter 2 The Graying Behemoth Chapter 3 Identifying and Surveying Senior Voters Chapter 4 Campaigning to Seniors: Going after Votes Chapter 5 Helping Seniors Register and Vote: New Forms of Outreach, Accommodation, and Protection Chapter 6 Crafting the Message: Issues Affecting Seniors Chapter 7 Targeting Seniors in the 21st Century: A Review of Some Basic Dos and Don'ts

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Book SynopsisThe pressures of contemporary electioneering force political professionals into campaign modea state of mind that merges a visceral drive to win elections with a deep-seated habit of strategic thinking. Wise political professionals know the basic rules of electoral strategy and how to read the political terrain. Campaign Mode examines the strategic histories of five successful congressional candidatesOhio''s Ted Strickland, Georgia''s Bob Barr, California''s Loretta Sanchez, Tennessee''s Harold Ford, Jr., and Pennsylvania''s Rick Santorum. The authorsboth of whom have advised major political figurescombine original interviews, survey data, historical investigation, and first-hand observation of the candidates to reveal the inner workings of electoral politics. They demonstrate that campaigns do matter and show readers how to think like political professionals.Trade ReviewBurton and Shea have written a unique book that explains how campaigns operate. By focusing attention on campaign strategy in particular, they help shed light on what, for most Americans, is a complex and mysterious process. -- Stephen K. Medvic, Franklin and Marshall CollegeCampaign Mode does an outstanding job of opening up the world of electoral politics. This thoughtful book systematically analyzes campaign strategy in congressional elections and provides real world examples to illustrate how these strategies develop. It bridges the gap between what political scientists think they know about campaigns and how these campaigns actually unfold. -- Kelly D. Patterson, Brigham Young UniversityBurton and Shea get it right. They identify the conceptual rules that typically dictate campaign strategy, note the exceptions and illustrate it all with well-chosen case studies and analysis. This book is an enjoyable must-read by two writers who blendtheir political and academic expertise to perfection.... -- Thurgood Marshall, Jr., campaign aide to former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al GoreAn interesting book for the political practitioner wanting general insights into strategic thinking in political campaign management. -- Paul Baines, Middlesex University, LondonCampaign Mode is a pleasure to read and has something for everyone—academics, practitioners, and political junkies. Burton and Shea use a nice blend of scholarly literature and stories from the field to produce their 'rules of engagement'—rules that ring true and that candidates can ignore only at great peril. An ideal book for the classroom or just for a good read. -- Thomas Holbrook, University of Wisconsin, MilwaukeeBurton and Shea get it right. They identify the conceptual rules that typically dictate campaign strategy, note the exceptions and illustrate it all with well-chosen case studies and analysis. This book is an enjoyable must-read by two writers who blend their political and academic expertise to perfection. -- Thurgood Marshall, Jr., campaign aide to former President Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al GoreTable of ContentsChapter 1 Campaign Mode and Professional Understanding Chapter 2 Strategic Effects Chapter 3 Build Strong Connections with the Electorate: Ted Strickland, Sixth District of Ohio Chapter 4 Hammer at the Opponent's Weak Point: Bob Barr, Seventh District of Georgia Chapter 5 Defy Conventional Wisdom: Loretta Sanchez, Forty-Sixth District of California Chapter 6 Gain the Center without Losing the Base: Harold Ford Jr., Ninth District of Tennessee Chapter 7 Preempt the Challenge: Rick Santorum, Pennsylvania Chapter 8 Conclusion: Campaign Mode Revisited

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Book SynopsisThis text explores the ways in which congressional primary elections appear to be changing. It examines how primary elections influence the types of candidates who run, their support, the positions they take, their resources, media coverage, and the type of party nominees that prevail.Trade ReviewThe work's strengths include the authors' diverse perspectives, including their use of a wide array of evidence from election results, campaign spending totals, and surveys of participants. A valuable contribution for those interested in the process of recruitment, representation, and elections. * CHOICE *Galderisi, Ezra, and Lyons are to be congratulated for editing such a fine volume. They have assembled many of the leading scholars of congressional elections and the result is a splendid set of essays that advance our understanding of congressional primaries in many important ways. It is certainly the best single resource on congressional primaries and I highly recommend the book to everyone interested in American elections. -- Tom RiceTable of ContentsChapter 1 Preface Chapter 2 Introduction: Nomination Politics and Congressional Representation Chapter 3 Congressional Primaries in Historical and Theoretical Context Chapter 4 Primary Elections as a Deterrence to Candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives Chapter 5 The Benefits and Burdens of Congressional Primary Elections Chapter 6 Campaign Finance in U.S. House Primary and General Elections Chapter 7 Elections and Amateurs: The Christian Right in the 1988 Congressional Campaigns Chapter 8 The Polarizing Effects of Congressional Primaries Chapter 9 The Effects of Electoral Rules on Congressional Primaries Chapter 10 Explaining the Ideological Differences Between the Two U.S. Senators Elected from the Same State: An Institutional Effects Model Chapter 11 California's Experience with the Blanket Primary

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Book SynopsisIn The Perfect Tie: The True Story of the 2000 Presidential Election, James W. Ceaser and Andrew E. Busch continue their study of national elections and their broader implications for American politics and society. With groundbreaking research of electoral politics and penetrating discussions of divided government, independent candidates, party platforms, realignment theory, the electoral college, and campaign strategies, Ceaser and Busch attempt to make sense of the 2000 presidential election. By separating myth from fact in presidential contests and by emphasizing the significance of frequently overlooked issues, such as foreign policy, this book is essential reading for courses in American Government, Campaigns and Elections, and Presidential Politics, as well as for any American interested in the real and lasting importance of the 2000 elections.Trade ReviewThe Lewis and Clark of American elections have returned with the first thoughtful account of the 2000 contest, and their reporting is eye-opening, indeed indispensable. -- Charles R Kesler, Claremont McKenna CollegeIf you want to understand why we had this razor-thin election for president in 2000, this is the book for you. Well-written, serious, yet lively in tone, it tells a fascinating story of a national coin toss that came up neither heads nor tails, but instead showed a coin standing on edge—keeping the nation on edge with it for many weeks after election day. -- Bernard Grofman, University of California, IrvineThe extraordinary election of 2000 deserves a first-rate narrative and analysis. This is it. There won't be a better one. -- William Kristol, editor, The Weekly StandardCeaser and Busch have written another clever and insightful account of a national election. The Perfect Tie offers a perfect road map for investigating the closest and most controversial contest in more than a century. -- John Green, University of AkronJames Ceaser and Andrew Busch provide the first comprehensive scholarly account of the epic 2000 election. Drawing on their own rich knowledge of political history and the full resources of current political science, they achieve insights and analysis that are deep as well as broad. In clear and literate style, they thoughtfully examine both process and substance from pre-primary preparations to post-election proposals for electoral reform. -- A James Reichley, Senior Fellow; Georgetown University; author of The Life of the PartiesOnce again, Ceaser and Busch come through with a post-election analysis that is both timely and scholarly. For anyone interested in a thoughtful and engaging review of the events of the historic 2000 elections, this is the perfect book. -- Mark J. Rozell, George Mason University, author; The New Politics of the Old South: An Introduction to Southern Politics, Sixth EditionAfter pop analysis and pundit pontifications, journalistic rehashing and insider stories, we now have the first, and very first-rate, effort by scholars to study seriously the 2000 presidential election. Ceaser and Busch do an excellent job of placing the 2000 election into a broader context of elections and politics in the United States over time. * Library Journal *An intelligent and lively analysis of the lengthy pre-election campaign, to the confluence of several extraordinary events. * Times Literary Supplement *The Perfect Tie is well-written and engaging and the authors have fun with terms and events. This is a serious and important book. * Perspectives on Political Science *A book rich in analysis and detail, well-written. * Political Science Quarterly *[A] detailed, scholarly and timely account of the highly controversial election. . . . Informative, interesting, and accessible. * Political Studies Review *Table of ContentsChapter 1 Prologue: Election Eve, 2000 Chapter 2 The Politics of the Perfect Tie Chapter 3 The Invisible Primary: The Marathon Begins Chapter 4 The Party Nomination: The Three-Way Race Chapter 5 The Interregnum: The Four Faces of Al Gore Chapter 6 The Final Election Campaign: Roller Coaster Chapter 7 The Post-election Campaign: Bush versus Gore Chapter 8 Congressional and State Elections Chapter 9 Electoral Reform Chapter 10 Appendix: Presidential Vote by State, 2000

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Book SynopsisShifting the focal point from incumbency to open seat competition in the U.S. House of Representatives is the task this book embraces. In the process, the authors demonstrate the importance of candidates and competition, and the role of money, gender, and special elections in determining how open seats get filled and when partisan changes occur.Trade ReviewWhether installing a Republican majority or a Democratic majority, and whether loathing or liking Congress, citizens' attraction to congressional incumbents continues to dominate vote choice to such an extent that it is difficult to see the larger picture. By focusing on those races with no incumbent running, Gaddie and Bullock are able to provide a remarkably fresh look at the dynamics of modern House races. Along the way they offer surprising results and a clear refutation of the belief that there is nothing new to say about congressional elections. -- John R. Hibbing, University of NebraskaGaddie and Bullock provide coverage and analysis of key issues—from the emergence of candidates to the effect of previous political experience to financing to the influence of the election of women—in an often original and regularly enlightening fashion. Not only is this a book congressional scholars will want to have, but it can also serve as a research stimulus for students of congressional elections who are looking for new paths to explore. -- Bruce I. Oppenheimer, Vanderbilt UniversityThe analysis is methodologically sound and, in places highly sophisticated, yet the conclusions are not beyond the grasp of an educated lay person. . . . Overall, this work is a genuine contribution to the literature on congressional elections. The book makes a powerful case for studying open seat races and lays the groundwork for future exploration in the field. It deserves a spot in the library of all students of Congress and elections. -- Stephen M. Nichols, California State University * American Political Science Review *Gaddie and Bullock conduct an excellent and thought-provoking foray into this area that has been long overdue for such a focused exploration. Their analysis is sophisticated, but accessible, and should be on the reading list for all students of congressional elections. * American Review of Politics *Elections to Open Seats in the U.S. House is a book that every student of congressional elections should have on his or her shelf. * Congress & the Presidency *InElections to Open Seats in the U.S. House Keith Gaddie and Chuck Bullock give us a sophisticated analysis of competitive U.S. congressional elections. . . . The authors have 'peeled away the cloak of incumbency' to reveal the electoral prospects of candidates with political experience and strong financial backing, the successes and future of women running for Congress, and the probable effects of term limits on congressional competitiveness. This book is an indispensable resource for students of congressional elections. -- Samuel C. PattersonTable of ContentsChapter 1 Where the Action Is: Why Open Seats Jump-Start Congressional Careers Chapter 2 Open Seat Congressional Elections: Are These Influenced by the Same Factors as Incumbent Elections? Chapter 3 Candidates and Competition: Who Are They? Where Do They Come From? Chapter 4 Investing in the Future Chapter 5 Women and Open Seat Congressional Elections Chapter 6 Special Elections: The Other Open Seats Chapter 7 Understanding the Past, Predicting the Future Chapter 8 Appendix: Forecasting Open Seat Vote Chapter 9 Methodological Sources

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