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No Way to Pick A President: How Money and Hired Guns Have Debased American
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No Way to Pick A President: How Money and Hired Guns Have Debased American Elections Paperback - 2001

by Jules Witcover


Summary

Never before has so much money poured into a presidential campaign as flowed into the election of 2000. Jules Witcover, who has covered every election since 1952, here combines unparalleled knowledge about presidential politics with a scintillating, wise analysis of what's wrong with the way American presidents are chosen. He 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. At the same time, he shows 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. 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 assessses the effects of campaign funds, both "soft" and "hard, and of a press corps that practices invasive, "gotcha" journ

From the publisher

As the United States marks its first presidential election of a new century, Witcover shows us how professional mercenaries -- with little party loyalty and diminished political principles, driven by an insatiable need for money -- are poisoning public life. At the same time, politicians themselves have condoned and even encouraged these developments, responding to the demands of a media-driven age in which the press corps pursues its own quest for celebrity and financial reward.

Sharp, revealing, and rich with anecdotes, No Way to Pick aPresident offers a wealth of presidential history, from the role of the vice president's office to campaign funds, television and the electoral college.

First line

Every American mother likes to think that her son (or, nowadays, her daughter) can become president.

From the rear cover

For all the confusion and frustration over the way the 2000 presidential election ended, it did serve the useful purpose of proving how far things have gone wrong. Veteran reporter Jules Witcover has covered every presidential election since Eisenhower and in No Way to Pick a President, he blasts the current system, from the money-drenched, front-loaded primaries to Election Day itself. Sharp, revealing, and rich with presidential history, No Way to Pick a President takes a journey through the debased thickets of presidential campaigning and concludes with an intelligent set of prescriptions to improve the way America selects its leaders.

Details

  • Title No Way to Pick A President: How Money and Hired Guns Have Debased American Elections
  • Author Jules Witcover
  • Binding Paperback
  • Edition [ Edition: first
  • Pages 320
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Routledge, London
  • Date 2001-03-28
  • Features Bibliography, Index
  • ISBN 9780415930314 / 0415930316
  • Weight 0.95 lbs (0.43 kg)
  • Dimensions 8.94 x 6.08 x 0.86 in (22.71 x 15.44 x 2.18 cm)
  • Library of Congress subjects United States - Politics and government -, Presidents - United States - Election -
  • Library of Congress Catalog Number 2001019126
  • Dewey Decimal Code 324.973

About the author

Jules Witcover, a nationally syndicated columnist for TheBaltimore Sun, has been covering Washington politics for almost half a century. He is the author of ten books, including the best-seller Marathon, about the 1976 Carter/Ford race. He is also the co-author of four works with Jack Germond.

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No Way to Pick A President: How Money and Hired Guns Have Debased American Elections
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No Way to Pick A President: How Money and Hired Guns Have Debased American Elections

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No Way to Pick A President: How Money and Hired Guns Have Debased American Elections
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No Way to Pick A President: How Money and Hired Guns Have Debased American Elections

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No Way to Pick A President: How Money and Hired Guns Have Debased American Elections

No Way to Pick A President: How Money and Hired Guns Have Debased American Elections

by Jules Witcover

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No Way to Pick A President
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No Way to Pick A President

by Witcover, Jules

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