Democracy for Hire: A History of American Political Consulting

Timed to coincide with the 2016 presidential race, this illuminating primer from Johnson (Campaigning in the Twenty-First Century) will arrive when the inner workings of political campaigns are on many people’s minds. What the average voter may not realize, however, is how relatively new professional political consulting is to the American electoral process. Johnson documents the explosion of the political-consulting business, from its start in the 1930s with the husband-and-wife team of Clem Whitaker and Leone Baxter, to the growing importance of private polling from the late ’50s onwards, to the influx of dark money and super PACs in recent years. Stressing the significance of adapting to new technologies, especially since the turn of the 21st century, he effectively scatters transcripts of famous political commercials throughout. He chronicles each presidential election from 1964 to the present, while also profiling political consultants who have played major roles over the years. Ultimately, the author is able to demonstrate the necessity of consulting to modern campaigns, refuting persistent claims by political scientists that it has only “minimal effects” on an already decided electorate. This extensive account of such a vital part of the modern political system makes for an accessible read, fit for academics and the general voter alike.[em] (Nov.) [/em]