The only nonpartisan guide to the complex and often baffling process that decides the nations next president. The accessible, nonpartisan guide to the 2008 Presidential candidates, explaining the primaries, conventions and caucuses, fund-raising and campaigning, as well as the political parties, public policy organizations, the role of media, popularity polls, and individual voting rights. The League of Women Voters, founded in 1920 to help women achieve the right to vote, is a neutral consumers advocate group whose mission is to educate voters. Today, its membership includes thousands of men, but it remains nonpartisan and the most respected arbiter of election policy. Every four years, the League of Women Voters publishes this guide in their national effort to get every eligible voter to the polls in November. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Supplementing the early and intense media and web coverage of the 2008 presidential election, these three books intend to help members of the general public cast an informed vote. Foer and Halperin specifically focus on the candidates, while the League of Women Voters clearly explains the election process. Foer (editor, New Republic) and his colleagues gather their journal's previously published profiles of 13 candidates: five Democrats and eight Republicans, each group's essays presented in seemingly random order. One-page, resume-style information on the candidate is followed by a stylized portrait illustration by David Cowles and the signed essaywith analysis both of the contender's personality and positions. An appendix compares the candidates' stands on Iraq, foreign policy, energy, capitalism, immigration, health care, and social issues. Recommended for all public libraries.Halperin (senior political analyst, Time magazine) profiles, in alphabetical order and considerable detail, the Republican and Democratic front-runners, then considers the remaining contenders in less detail. He has a more populist bent than Foer's and editorializes further about the candidates' chances. In a conversational style, he presents the positions of the front-runners on such issues as Iraq, government spending, health care, and gun control, along with areas of potential controversy, why each candidate could win, and what their presidencies would be like. With the swiftly changing political landscape and 24/7 media coverage, this volume already feels somewhat dated. Recommended for larger public library collections.The League of Women Voters' offering is an essential text for understanding the process, laws, and issues that impact a U.S. presidential election. In chapters grounded in history and statistics, Guldin covers political parties, media, money, campaigning, primaries, conventions, and election day processes. The results serve to demystify the election process and clearly explain how both fundamental and controversial issues can impact election results. This timely guide offers regular citizens and specialists alike sound information on the mechanics and implications of the political process. Recommended for academic and public libraries. Donna L. Davey, NYU Lib. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Foreword	ix
Introduction	xi
Part I The Players	xiii
Chapter 1 We the People	1
It's Been a Long Road: Voting in the Nation's Early Years	1
Opening Democracy's Door: Expanding the Franchise	2
Unfinished Business: Lowering the Barriers to Voting	4
Voter Turnout: Turn-offs and Turn-ons	7
Turnout Rises in 2004	9
Turning Things Around: How to Increase Voter Turnout	11
The Debate Over Voter ID	14
Chapter 2 The Candidates	17
Are They Crazy? What It Takes to Run for President	18
Where Do They Come From? The Candidates' Varied Backgrounds	20
Running for the Boss's Job: When the Vice President Steps Up	23
Political Newcomers: Nonpoliticians in the Running	25
Campaign Strategy, Part I The Candidates and the Issues	25
Campaign Strategy, Part II Dividing the Electorate	26
Chapter 3 The Parties and Other Behind-the-Scenes Powers	29
Early History: How the Political Parties Came to Be	30
The Life of the Parties: Democrats and Republicans Take Center Stage	30
Party Mechanics: How the Parties Work	34
Independents' Day: Beyond the Parties	36
Enter the Special Interests: Independent Groups Step Up Their Campaign Activity	39
Chapter 4 The Media	47
Running for Coverage: The Candidates and the Media	48
The Media under Fire: What's Wrong with Today's Election Coverage?	51
The Media Respond: Is Political Coverage Getting Better?	54
The New Media: Expanding Election Coverage	55
New Media = More Choices for Voters	56
Too Much of a Good Thing? Critiquing the New Media	58
How to Find the Best Election Coverage	60
Elections Go Online	61
Chapter 5 Money: Who Gives It, Who Gets It	67
Why They Donate: The Quest for Influence	73
Public Funding of Presidential Elections: How it Works	77
Getting around the Rules: Hard and Soft Money	81
Evading the Soft-Money Ban	84
Independent Advocacy: Really Independent?	87
Funding Presidential Campaigns: A System in Trouble	89
Serious Problems, Possible Solutions	90
Part II The Process	93
Chapter 6 Early Action	95
Laying the Groundwork: Campaigning Unannounced	96
The Money Chase, Part I PAC It Up	96
The Money Chase, Part II The Exploratory Committee	98
Competing for Talent: Lining Up Key Advisers and Staff	101
Who's Who: The Campaign Team	101
Making It Official: The Announcement	102
After the Early Going: A Winnowing of the Field	103
Chapter 7 The Primaries and Caucuses	107
How It Works: Choosing the Delegates	107
Primary Education: What Is a Primary?	108
A Primary Alternative: What's a Caucus?	110
The Early States: Iowa and New Hampshire	111
A Mega-Primary for 2008	113
Primary Participation: Who Votes in the Primaries?	116
Chapter 8 Conventions	121
What's It All About? The Function of the National Conventions	121
The Delegates: Who Are All These People?	123
Conventional Wisdom: "My Kind of Town"	126
The Scripted Convention: "Boring Is Good"	126
The Role of the Media. The Conventions As News Events	129
Convention Highlights: A Viewer's Guide	130
Chapter 9 The General Election Campaign	135
Campaign Strategy, Part I A Shift to the Center	135
Campaign Strategy, Part II Targeting a Candidate's Appeal	137
Campaign Tactics, Part I The Candidates in Control	140
Campaign Tactics, Part II A Little Help from My Friends	142
Campaign Tactics, Part III Four Campaigns at Once	143
The Candidates Face Off: The Presidential Debates	147
What About the Issues?	148
It's Your Choice!	149
Chapter 10 Election Day	151
A Work in Progress	151
The Help America Vote Act	154
A College Education: How Does the Electoral College Work?	155
Do We Ideally Need the Electoral College? Proposals for Change	156
Tabulating the Outcome: The Results Are In!	159
Early Projections: Jumping the Gun	160
Making It Official	162
Bibliography and Videography	167
Index	171

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