Renewing Presidential Politics

Review A wonderfully thoughtful and insightful book. It shows how citizen engagement can make presidential campaigns more effective in strengthening our democratic processes. -- Daniel Yankelovich, President, Public AgendaBuchanan has cast a probing eye on democratic theory and practice to explain why contemporary American political campaigns have become so repellent. This is an extremely sophisticated analysis. -- Paul Taylor, Free TV for Straight Talk CoalitionBuchanan effectively presents and analyzes a number of important and relevant works on the various topics he addresses. ― Perspectives on Political ScienceThis valuable and challenging book forces us to reexamine the role of the citizen in a political democracy in a way that both blames and praises the citizen. ― Rhethoric and Public AffairsBuchanan makes a real contribution in defining bad practices such as manipulation, attack speech, deception, pandering, and demagoguery. ― Choice Product Description 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. About the Author 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.