Winning the Presidency 2008

The presidential election of 2008 is unique in a history of memorable campaigns for the highest office in the U.S. Never before has an African American captured the nomination of a major political party. Never before have the Republicans nominated a woman for vice president. Never before has a woman come so close to capturing the nomination of a major party. And with at once one of the oldest and youngest candidates contending for the office, never before has the campaign been stretched over such a range of voters and issues. Add to that the multiple threats to the U.S. economy and the longest war the country has ever waged and the electoral context is set. This book is the first to describe and assess these monumental developments. Topics covered by an all-star cast of contributors include the historical moment in which the election takes place; party and campaign strategies, including e-politics and online fundraising; the nomination process, drastically reformed for 2008 (creating national primaries within each of the parties and contributing to the endless primary season as well as the invisible primaries); participation patterns, especially among younger and Latino voters; the role of race, class, and gender, including the hidden vote and the Bradley effect; the policy debates, including hot-button issues of guns, gays, and God; an assessment of the general election campaign and voting results; and a critique of the likely policy directions of the winning candidate and party. No other book captures both the range and depth of this one in its early look at the meaning of the most significant election in years one with unprecedented institutional, constitutional, and policy consequences for all of us. Contributors include:Patricia Conley University of Chicago; M. Margaret Conway Department of Political Science, University of Florida (Emeritus); William J. Crotty Political Science Department, Northeastern University; Stephen E. Frantzich Political Science Department, U.S. Naval Academy; Arthur Paulson Political Science Department, Southern Connecticut State University; Nicol C. Rae Department of Political Science, Florida International University; Howard L. Reiter Department of Political Science, University of Connecticut; Evelyn M. Simien Department of Political Science, University of Connecticut; Robert J. Spitzer Political Science Department, SUNY Cortland; Stephen J. Wayne Department of Government, Georgetown University; John Kenneth White Politics Department, Catholic University of America.