Friday, November 28, 2008
Winners and Losers
In my American Government class, I spend a great deal of time on the effect that McGovern-Fraser reforms had on the American political system, including the enduring effects on the current political system. McGovern-Fraser ended the party hold on nominations, thus removing from the political party an effective mechanism of control on candidates. This meant that the candidates would need to figure out their path to nomination minus the party, which meant developing their own strategy of engaging voters and managing the press. And from this was born the campaign strategy, and now bachelors and graduate degrees in campaign management.
Once a campaign manager established him or herself as a winner, he or she was in great demand and could charge boatloads to work on a campaign--thus contributing to the high cost of elections in the United States. Furthermore, many of these individuals--and the firms they started--worked for the candidate regardless of party--and thus had no incentive on advancing a cause or the larger questions of governing--what is in the best interest of the citizenry or democracy took a backseat to winning at all costs. And all costs is what it has become.
So my students--some encouraged by the possibility of having a political science degree that also makes money--ask how do the candidates know the best from the worst? Is there some scorecard that shows wins and losses? Well there actually is--and accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.
Campaigns and Elections magazine has just published its list of the winners and losers in 2008, broken down to the state and local level as well as national elections, and where applicable, by political party. So if you are interested in working as a campaign manager or thinking about your big run in 2010, these lists may come in handy.
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Once a campaign manager established him or herself as a winner, he or she was in great demand and could charge boatloads to work on a campaign--thus contributing to the high cost of elections in the United States. Furthermore, many of these individuals--and the firms they started--worked for the candidate regardless of party--and thus had no incentive on advancing a cause or the larger questions of governing--what is in the best interest of the citizenry or democracy took a backseat to winning at all costs. And all costs is what it has become.
So my students--some encouraged by the possibility of having a political science degree that also makes money--ask how do the candidates know the best from the worst? Is there some scorecard that shows wins and losses? Well there actually is--and accessible to anyone with an Internet connection.
Campaigns and Elections magazine has just published its list of the winners and losers in 2008, broken down to the state and local level as well as national elections, and where applicable, by political party. So if you are interested in working as a campaign manager or thinking about your big run in 2010, these lists may come in handy.
