Synopses & Reviews
The Race for the White House from Reagan to Clinton provides an overview of the process for selecting presidential candidates and electing the president. Terminology will be explained and the path from the so-called 'invisible primary', through the primaries and caucuses, the national party conventions, the fall campaign, and the voting of the Electoral College will be outlined. Each of the elections between 1980 and 1996 - Reagan through Clinton - is carefully studied by author Anthony Bennett. Each chapter offers a narrative of both the nomination races and the general election campaigns, as well as offer analysis of the way people voted and why. These five elections offer insights into types of election - two in which incumbents were defeated (1980 and 1992), two in which incumbents were re-elected (1984 and 1996), and one in which no incumbent was standing (1988). The book also looks back over the five elections and explaisn how the nomination and election processes changed during this period. It shows how that the process, especially in terms of nominations, has become more democratic - with more people participating in a more open system - but less efficient in testing the qualities and skills needed to be a successful president.
Review
Review
"Anthony Bennett has provided a rigorous, clear and balanced analysis of the road to the White House. As well as providing vivid historical sketches of successive races, Bennett offers a comprehensive account of the changes in nominating processes that have shaped, for better and worse, who gets to the White House and why. This is a welcome and important addition to the scholarship on the politics of presidential selection." - Robert Singh, Professor of Politics, Birkbeck University of London
Review
"Tony Bennett's 'Race for the White House' is wonderfully readable and insightful. He nicely combines history, political science and commentary to recount and analyze what happened, and why, in five important presidential elections. Leave it to a Brit to explain so well American politics to Americans." - David Skaggs, former US Congressman "Anthony Bennett has provided a rigorous, clear and balanced analysis of the road to the White House. As well as providing vivid historical sketches of successive races, Bennett offers a comprehensive account of the changes in nominating processes that have shaped, for better and worse, who gets to the White House and why. This is a welcome and important addition to the scholarship on the politics of presidential selection." - Robert Singh, Professor of Politics, Birkbeck University of London, UK
"Anthony Bennett's book offers a polished overview of the subject. It combines a wealth of detail with a fluency of style. It provides an excellent 'next step' for those wishing to move beyond the introductory textbooks." - Edward Ashbee, Associate Professor, Department of Business and Politics, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
Review
"Tony Bennett's 'Race for the White House' is wonderfully readable and insightful. He nicely combines history, political science and commentary to recount and analyze what happened, and why, in five important presidential elections. Leave it to a Brit to explain so well American politics to Americans." - David Skaggs, former US Congressman "Anthony Bennett has provided a rigorous, clear and balanced analysis of the road to the White House. As well as providing vivid historical sketches of successive races, Bennett offers a comprehensive account of the changes in nominating processes that have shaped, for better and worse, who gets to the White House and why. This is a welcome and important addition to the scholarship on the politics of presidential selection." - Robert Singh, Professor of Politics, Birkbeck University of London, UK
"Anthony Bennett's book offers a polished overview of the subject. It combines a wealth of detail with a fluency of style. It provides an excellent 'next step' for those wishing to move beyond the introductory textbooks." - Edward Ashbee, Associate Professor, Department of Business and Politics, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark
Synopsis
The Race for the White House from Reagan to Clinton provides a foundation for how the presidential nomination process and the presidential election process have changed over the past three decades by addressing a number of important questions about the nomination and electoral processes.
Synopsis
The election of 1980 represented not only a departure from a 44 year-long period of predominantly Democratic presidents, but also a change in the rules of American politics. Anthony Bennett takes us through the last five elections of the twentieth century, from Ronald Reagan's 'Are you better off than you were four years ago?' in 1980 to Bill Clinton's 'Bridge to the twenty-first century' in 1996. Beginning with the fundamentals of process and terminology, Bennett devotes a chapter to each election - including the candidates, the conventions, and the campaigns - and then explains why the race turned out as it did. Finally, he explains how the system continued to evolve to its modern day state and how Reagan, Bush and Clinton built their winning coalitions.
About the Author
Anthony J. Bennett is a British academic who received his masters and doctoral degrees in United States government and politics at the University of Essex. Before retiring, he taught at the Royal Hospital School, Ipswich and at Charterhouse. He is the author of several books, including The American President's Cabinet: From Kennedy to Bush.
Table of Contents
The Making of the Process
1980: 'A New Beginning'
1984: 'It's Morning Again in America'
1988: 'A Kinder, Gentler America'
1992: 'It's the Economy, Stupid!'
1996: 'A Bridge to the 21st Century
How the Process became more Democratic but Less Efficient