The Iowa Precinct Caucuses


Book Description

Once an obscure regional affair, the Iowa precinct caucuses have become political olympics, of make-or-break importance to presidential candidates every four years. How this transformation came about -- and what it means to state and national politics -- is the subject of this book, a penetrating look into the role of the media in the American electoral process. Ground breaking when it was first published in 1987, Iowa Precinct Caucuses has been extensively updated, expanded and revised in this second edition to reflect the profound, rapid changes that mark American politics.




The Iowa Precinct Caucuses


Book Description

Although some people refer to Iowa as “flyover country,” presidential candidates and political reporters in the national press corps have no difficulty locating the state every four years at the beginning of presidential primary season. When Iowa Democrats pushed forward their precinct caucuses in 1972, the Iowa caucuses became the first presidential nominating event in the nation. Politicos soon realized the impact of Iowa’s new status and, along with the national media, promoted the caucuses with a vengeance. The Iowa Precinct Caucuses chronicles how the caucuses began, how they changed, and starting in 1972 how they became fodder for and manipulated by the mass media. Hugh Winebrenner and Dennis J. Goldford argue that the media have given a value to the Iowa caucuses completely out of proportion to the reality of their purpose and procedural methods. In fact, the nationally reported “results” are contrived by the Iowa parties to portray a distorted picture of the process. As presidential primaries have grown in the media spotlight and superseded the parties’ conventions, Iowa has become a political proving ground for the confident, the hopeful, and the relatively unknown, but at what cost to the country? The third edition of this classic book has been updated to include the elections of 2000, which saw the first winner of the Iowa caucuses to reach the White House since 1976; of 2004 and the roller-coaster fortunes of Howard Dean and John Kerry; and of 2008 and the unlikely emergence of Barack Obama as a presidential contender.




Iowa Precinct Caucuses


Book Description

This text explores the role of the media in the American electoral process, focusing on Iowa as a prism on the national scene. The author examines the beginning of the precinct caucuses and the events which thrust them into the political spotlight in the early 1970s.




American Government 3e


Book Description

Black & white print. American Government 3e aligns with the topics and objectives of many government courses. Faculty involved in the project have endeavored to make government workings, issues, debates, and impacts meaningful and memorable to students while maintaining the conceptual coverage and rigor inherent in the subject. With this objective in mind, the content of this textbook has been developed and arranged to provide a logical progression from the fundamental principles of institutional design at the founding, to avenues of political participation, to thorough coverage of the political structures that constitute American government. The book builds upon what students have already learned and emphasizes connections between topics as well as between theory and applications. The goal of each section is to enable students not just to recognize concepts, but to work with them in ways that will be useful in later courses, future careers, and as engaged citizens. In order to help students understand the ways that government, society, and individuals interconnect, the revision includes more examples and details regarding the lived experiences of diverse groups and communities within the United States. The authors and reviewers sought to strike a balance between confronting the negative and harmful elements of American government, history, and current events, while demonstrating progress in overcoming them. In doing so, the approach seeks to provide instructors with ample opportunities to open discussions, extend and update concepts, and drive deeper engagement.




The Dynamics of Political Communication


Book Description

The third edition of The Dynamics of Political Communication continues its comprehensive coverage of communication and politics, focusing on problematic issues that bear on the functioning of democracy in an age of partisanship, social media, and political leadership that questions media’s legitimacy. The book covers the intersections between politics and communication, calling on related social science disciplines as well as normative political philosophy. This new edition is thoroughly updated and includes a survey of the contemporary political communication environment, unpacking fake news, presidential communication, hostile media bias, concerns about the waning of democracy, partisan polarization, political advertising and marketing, the relationship between social media and the news media, and the 2020 election, all the while drawing on leading new scholarship in these areas. It's ideally suited for upper-level undergraduate and graduate political communication courses in communication, journalism, and political science programs. This edition again features online resources with links to examples of political communication in action, such as videos, news articles, tweets, and press releases. For instructors, an instructor’s manual, lecture slides, and test questions are also provided. Access the support material at www.routledge.com/9780367279417




Presidential Campaign Communication


Book Description

Major textbook introduction to the ways that the people of the US use the process of human communication to select their Presidents. Looks at the function and effects of talk about American presidential politics in everyday life.










Presidential Elections, 1789-1996


Book Description

Statistics on every presidential election from 1789 to 1996.