Renewing Presidential Politics: Campaigns, Media, and the Public Interest

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Rowman & Littlefield, 1996 - 207 pages
Do we get the best presidential candidates to run and elect the presidents we deserve as a nation? If not, why not? Could it have something to do with the quality of campaigns in American politics today? Noted presidential scholar Bruce Buchanan puts the 1996 presidential election campaign in context with the campaigns of 1988 and 1992, making the case that 'good' campaigns--especially those with issue-oriented media coverage and positive campaign advertisements--do make a difference in the quality and quantity of citizen participation, policy input and output, and overall good governance. Perfect for college courses on campaigns and elections and on the presidency, this book looks ahead to future election campaigns with a hope for creating a nation of 'citizen owners and lovers' of the political process, not to mention candidates and media coverage worthy of citizen involvement and attention.

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Contents

A Tale of Two Campaigns
1
The History of a Relationship
21
A Conflict of Interests
39
The Uses of Presidential Campaigns
61
Manipulation versus Persuasion
79
The Costs of Politics
91
Welfare and Race
115
Media Distorting the Message
135
Back to the Voters
159
References
179
Index
199
About the Author
Copyright

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About the author (1996)

Bruce Buchanan is professor of government at the University of Texas at Austin. He is author of The Presidential Experience and The Citizen's Presidency, among many books and articles for the scholarly and popular press, and was director of the Markle Foundation Presidential Election Watch for the 1996 campaign.

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