The Making of the Presidential Candidates 2008


Book Description

Discusses the presidential election process with eight chapters that cover such topics as how television covers the nomination process, the origins of the presidential selection process, and nomination finance in the post-Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act era.




One-Car Caravan


Book Description

By the time most Americans see the presidential candidates on the campaign trail, they are practiced performers surrounded by a platoon of staffers and a brigade of reporters. But on their initial forays into Iowa and New Hampshire in 2002 and early 2003, their entourages were decidedly unpresidential--just an aide or two, perhaps a local reporter, and the candidate himself. Their motorcades were literally one-car caravans; their campaign stops, small gatherings in living rooms. The national media only intermittently follow the candidates as they struggle to define themselves, work out the kinks in their message and refine their personas. But Walter Shapiro did. One-Car Caravan is Shapiro's revealing account of the humble roots of the current presidential campaign, and he provides a telling picture of the 2004 Democratic contenders in their metaphorical boxers and briefs. He shows us John Kerry, Dick Gephardt, Joe Lieberman, John Edwards, Howard Dean, and the others with their hair down, their ties askew, and their foibles bared. It's not pretty to watch a candidate who dreams of flying on Air Force One bump his head on a luggage bin on a small commuter jet, but it can be pretty funny.




Every Day Is Extra


Book Description

An instant New York Times bestseller, John Kerry’s revealing memoir offers “a detailed record of an important life…frank, thoughtful, and clearly written…A bittersweet reminder of what the country once demanded of its leaders” (The New York Times Book Review). Every Day Is Extra is John Kerry’s candid personal story. A Yale graduate, Kerry enlisted in the US Navy in 1966, and served in Vietnam. He returned home highly decorated but disillusioned, and he testified powerfully before Congress as a young veteran opposed to the war. Kerry was elected to the Senate in 1984, eventually serving five terms. In 2004 he was the Democratic presidential nominee and came within one state—Ohio—of winning. He succeeded Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State in 2013. In that position he tried to find peace in the Middle East; dealt with the Syrian civil war while combatting ISIS; and negotiated the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate agreement. “In these pages Kerry shows remarkable honesty, depth, even spirituality…There is remarkable poignancy—not the usual currency of the career politician and the country’s top diplomat” (The Boston Globe). A witness to some of the most important events of our recent history, Kerry tells wonderful stories about colleagues Ted Kennedy and John McCain, as well as President Obama and other major figures. He writes movingly of recovering his faith while in the Senate, and how he deplores the hyper-partisanship that has infected Washington. Every Day Is Extra “draws back the curtain on a life you thought you knew, but turns out to be a bit different…A surprisingly personal book” (The Washington Post) that shows Kerry for the dedicated, witty, and authentic man that he is and provides forceful testimony for the importance of diplomacy and American leadership to address the increasingly complex challenges of a more globalized world.




The Big Sort


Book Description

The award-winning journalist reveals the untold story of why America is so culturally and politically divided in this groundbreaking book. Armed with startling demographic data, Bill Bishop demonstrates how Americans have spent decades sorting themselves into alarmingly homogeneous communities—not by region or by state, but by city and neighborhood. With ever-increasing specificity, we choose the communities and media that are compatible with our lifestyles and beliefs. The result is a country that has become so ideologically inbred that people don't know and can't understand those who live just a few miles away. In The Big Sort, Bishop explores how this phenomenon came to be, and its dire implications for our country. He begins with stories about how we live today and then draws on history, economics, and our changing political landscape to create one of the most compelling big-picture accounts of America in recent memory.




On the Campaign Trail


Book Description

A collection of historic and memorable images -- many of them rare or unseen for decades -- capturing the excitementof nearly two centuries of presidential campaigns An elated, victorious Truman brandishes a newspaper with the headline "Dewey Defeats Truman." Theodore Roosevelt galvanizes the crowd with a fiery stump speech. Richard Nixon, visibly ruffled, wipes away sweat during his debate with a poised John F. Kennedy. Against the backdrop of a towering American flag, Ronald Reagan captivates crowds with his promise of a stronger, prouder America. Bill Clinton weaves a spell with his saxophone and sunglasses. Throughout American history, few events have commanded the undivided attention of the American public the way presidential campaigns have. These national spectacles speak to our hopes, our values, our sense of patriotism, even our sense of humor. Now these enduring moments of inspiration, the humiliating gaffes, and the heartbreaking losses of these campaigns are captured in a historic collection of photographs from America's greatest photojournalists. From the divisive election of Abraham Lincoln right down to the opening salvos of the 2004 campaign, America's presidents -- and pretenders to the office -- come to life in these pages, including Teddy Roosevelt, William Jennings Bryan, FDR, Ike, George McGovern, JFK, Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, and George W. Bush. These men embody not only the drama of their times, but also the great arc of American history. They are captured here in pivotal and telling campaign moments: on the stage and behind the scenes, on whistle-stop tours, at high-voltage conventions, and in head-to-head debates. Accompanied by political adviser Douglas E. Schoen's trenchant essays, which frame the highlights and historical context of each campaign, the striking photographs in On the Campaign Trail offer a unique view of the moments that have united and divided us during the race for the presidency. A fascinating journey in words and images, this landmark collection brings home the drama, fanfare, and power of America's great national contest.




The Buying of the President


Book Description

Details where campaign contributions are coming from for the 1996 presidential candidates and describes the role these donations play in American elections




The American Voter Revisited


Book Description

Today we are politically polarized as never before. The presidential elections of 2000 and 2004 will be remembered as two of the most contentious political events in American history. Yet despite the recent election upheaval, The American Voter Revisited discovers that voter behavior has been remarkably consistent over the last half century. And if the authors are correct in their predictions, 2008 will show just how reliably the American voter weighs in, election after election. The American Voter Revisited re-creates the outstanding 1960 classic The American Voter---which was based on the presidential elections of 1952 and 1956---following the same format, theory, and mode of analysis as the original. In this new volume, the authors test the ideas and methods of the original against presidential election surveys from 2000 and 2004. Surprisingly, the contemporary American voter is found to behave politically much like voters of the 1950s. "Simply essential. For generations, serious students of American politics have kept The American Voter right on their desk. Now, everyone will keep The American Voter Revisited right next to it." ---Larry J. Sabato, Director of the University of Virginia Center for Politics and author of A More Perfect Constitution "The American Voter Revisited is destined to be the definitive volume on American electoral behavior for decades. It is a timely book for 2008, with in-depth analyses of the 2000 and 2004 elections updating and extending the findings of the original The American Voter. It is also quite accessible, making it ideal for graduate students as well as advanced undergrads." ---Andrew E. Smith, Director of the University of New Hampshire Survey Center "A theoretically faithful, empirically innovative, comprehensive update of the original classic." ---Sam Popkin, Professor of Political Science, University of California, San Diego Michael S. Lewis-Beck is F. Wendell Miller Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the University of Iowa. William G. Jacoby is Professor of Political Science at Michigan State University. Helmut Norpoth is Professor of Political Science at Stony Brook University. Herbert F. Weisberg is Professor of Political Science at Ohio State University.







Our Plan for America


Book Description

John Kerry and John Edwards know that the issues, and the stakes, of the 2004 Presidential election are the most profound and urgent to confront America in generations. They think that America needs more than to get back on course–America needs a whole new direction. Our Plan for America presents, in full scope, Kerry and Edward's map for the next four years and beyond. Here, in thorough detail and accessible language, Kerry and Edwards delineate point-by-point the most urgent challenges facing America today, and their plans to redress these, including: LAUNCHING AND LEADING A NEW ERA OF ALLIANCES MODERNIZING THE MILITARY CHARTING THE COURSE TO ENERGY INDEPENDENCE RESTORING FISCAL DISCIPLINE TO WASHINGTON CREATING NEW JOBS IN AMERICA PROVIDING HEALTH CARE FOR EVERY CHILD MANAGING SKYROCKETING HEALTH CARE COSTS PROVIDING EVERY AMERICAN A WORLD-CLASS EDUCATION AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND COLLEGE




Notes from the Trail


Book Description

The modern race for the presidency has become a national sport. We've seen the baby-kissing, the barbecues, and the photo-ops; news cameras have taken us inside Iowan living rooms leading up to the caucuses, and they've given us a bird's-eye view of the grand halls of political conventions. But what is it like to be on the inside of this spectacle? What happens when the candidate is your closest family member? In her account of her father's bid for the presidency, Alexandra Kerry brings us inside the bubble. Her words and images lend an intimacy to our often overblown politics as she sheds light on some of the contradictions, ironies, and saving graces of our electoral process and our country.