Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman. Nominations and Campaigns Chapter 9...

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman.

Nominations and Campaigns

Chapter 9

Edwards, Wattenberg, and LineberryGovernment in America: People, Politics, and

PolicyFourteenth Edition


The Nomination Game

Nomination– The official endorsement of a candidate

for office by a political party – Generally, success requires momentum,

money, and media attention.

Campaign Strategy– The master game plan candidates lay

out to guide their electoral campaign


The Nomination Game

Deciding to Run– Campaigns are more physically and

emotionally taxing than ever.– American campaigns are much longer.

• Barack Obama made clear his intention to run for president in January 2007.

• Other countries have short campaigns, generally less than two months.


The Nomination Game

Competing for Delegates– Nomination game is an elimination contest– Goal is to win a majority of delegates’

support at the national party convention, or the supreme power within each of the parties• The convention meets every four years to

nominate the party’s presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

• Conventions are but a formality today.


The Nomination Game

Competing for Delegates– The Caucus Road

• Caucus: meetings of state party leaders for selecting delegates to the national convention

• Organized like a pyramid from local precincts to the state’s convention

• A handful of states use a caucus—open to all voters who are registered with a party

• The Iowa caucus is first and most important.


The Nomination GameCompeting for Delegates– The Primary Road

• Primary: elections in which voters in a state vote for a nominee (or delegates pledged to the nominee)

– Began at turn of 20th century by progressive reformers– McGovern-Fraser Commission led to selection of

delegates through primary elections– Most delegates are chosen through primaries.– Superdelegates: democratic leaders who automatically

get a delegate slot• Frontloading is the tendency of states to hold

primaries early to capitalize on media attention. New Hampshire is first.

• Generally primaries serve as elimination contests.


The Nomination Game

Competing for Delegates– Evaluating the Primary and Caucus

System• Disproportionate attention to early ones• Prominent politicians do not run.• Money plays too big a role.• Participation in primaries and caucuses is low

and unrepresentative; 20 percent vote in primaries.

• The system gives too much power to the media.


The Nomination Game


The Nomination GameThe Convention Send-off– National conventions once provided great

drama, but now are a formality, which means less TV time.

– Significant rallying point for parties– Key note speaker on first day of Convention– Party platform: statement of a party’s goals

and policies for next four years• Debated on the second day of the Convention

– Formal nomination of president and vice-president candidates on third and fourth days


The Nomination Game


The Campaign Game

The High-Tech Media Campaign– Direct mail used to generate support

and money for the candidate– Get media attention through ad budget

and “free” coverage– Emphasis on “marketing” a candidate– News stories focus more on the “horse

race” than substantive policy issues


The Campaign Game

Organizing the Campaign– Get a campaign manager– Get a fund-raiser and campaign counsel– Hire media and campaign consultants– Assemble staff and plan logistics– Get research staff, policy advisors, and

pollsters– Get a good press secretary– Establish a website


The Campaign Game


Money and CampaigningThe Maze of Campaign Finance Reforms– Federal Election Campaign Act (1974)

• Created the Federal Election Commission (FEC) to administer campaign finance laws for federal elections

• Created the Presidential Election Campaign Fund• Provided partial public financing for presidential primaries

– Matching funds: Contributions of up to $250 are matched for candidates who meet conditions, such as limiting spending.

• Provided full public financing for major party candidates in the general election

• Required full disclosure and limited contributions


Money and CampaigningThe Maze of Campaign Finance Reforms– Soft Money: political contributions (not subject

to contribution limits) earmarked for party-building expenses or generic party advertising

– The McCain-Feingold Act (2002) banned soft money, increased amount of individual contributions, and limited “issue ads.”

– 527s: independent groups that seek to influence political process but are not subject to contribution restricts because they do not directly seek election of particular candidates


Money and CampaigningThe Proliferation of PACs– Political Action Committees (PACs): created by

law in 1974 to allow corporations, labor unions and other interest groups to donate money to campaigns; PACs are registered with and monitored by the FEC.

– As of 2006 there were 4,217 PACs.– PACs contributed over $372.1 million to

congressional candidates in 2006.– PACs donate to candidates who support their

issue.– PACs do not “buy” candidates, but give to

candidates who support them in the first place.


Money and Campaigning


Money and Campaigning

Are Campaigns Too Expensive?– Fundraising takes a lot of time.– Incumbents do worse when they spend

more money because they need to spend to defeat quality challengers.

– The doctrine of sufficiency suggests that candidates need just “enough” money to win, not necessarily “more.”


The Impact of Campaigns

Campaigns have three effects on voters:– Reinforcement, Activation, Conversion

Several factors weaken campaigns’ impact on voters:– Selective perception: pay most attention to

things we agree with– Party identification still influence voting

behavior– Incumbents begin with sizeable advantage


Understanding Nominations

and CampaignsAre Nominations and Campaigns Too Democratic?– Campaigns are open to almost everyone.– Campaigns consume much time and money.– Campaigns promote individualism in

American politics.Do Big Campaigns Lead to an Increased Scope of Government?– Candidates make numerous promises,

especially to state and local interests.– Hard for politicians to promise to cut size of

government


Summary

Campaigns are media-oriented and expensive.Delegates are selected through caucuses and primaries.Money and contributions from PACs regulated by the FEC are essential to campaigns. Campaigns reinforce perceptions but do not change minds.

Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman. Nominations and Campaigns Chapter 9...

Documents

Transcript of Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Publishing as Longman. Nominations and Campaigns Chapter 9...