No Way to Pick a PresidentCombining unparalleled knowledge about presidential politics with scintillating analysis on what's wrong with the way American presidents are chosen, No Way to Pick a President shows us, in memorable and dramatic detail, how professional mercenaries—with little party loyalty and diminished political principles, driven by skewed priorities and an insatiable need for money—are corrupting American public life. Jules Witcover has covered every election since 1952. According to his analysis, never before in history has so much money poured into a presidential campaign as flowed into the election of 2000. In this lively, story-filled account, Witcover examines the many ways in which politicians themselves have condoned or encouraged these developments and how they are responding to the new demands of a media-driven, money-conscious age. He assesses the effects of campaign funds, both "soft" and "hard," and of a press corps that practices invasive, "gotcha" journalism. At the same time, Witcover shows us how television dramatically, even destructively, distorts the election process, discouraging voter participation and dissuading some of our most promising public figures from seeking higher office. |
Contents
The Era of the Hired | |
Television Raises the Stakes 4 Main Street to Madison Avenue | |
Sour Mothers Milk | |
Anything Goes | |
The 800Pound Gorilla | |
Watchdogs and Lapdogs | |
A Process Gone Berserk 10 Coronations Not Conventions 11 Rolling the Dice | |
The Grand Facade | |
Moments of Truth | |
An Accident Waiting to Happen 15 Whither the Parties? 16 Time for an Overhaul Bibliography | |
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American ballot Bill Clinton Bob Dole Bush Bush’s campaign finance campaign manager candidacy candidate’s Carter Carville choice commission Congress Deardourff Dick Morris Dukakis early Eisenhower electoral college electoral votes federal Ford fundraising Gary Hart George governor Hampshire primary Hart Hart’s hired guns Humphrey Iowa issues James Carville Jimmy Carter John Kennedy Kennedy’s Lamar Alexander later major parties Michael Dukakis million Mondale Morris national convention negative Nixon nomination opponent Oval Office party leaders party’s percent Perot political consultants politicians polls pollster popular vote presidential campaign presidential candidates presidential debates presidential election presidential nominee presidential politics presidential primaries press corps primaries and caucuses questions raised reelection reporters Ronald Reagan Roosevelt Ross Perot running mate says Senator soft money speech spend state’s Steve Forbes story strategists strategy television advertising There’s ticket Truman vice president vice presidential voters Washington Watergate White House winner York