Americans tend to see negative campaign ads as just that: negative. Pundits, journalists, voters, and scholars frequently complain that such ads undermine elections and even democratic government itself. But John G. Geer here takes the opposite stance, arguing that when political candidates attack each other, raising doubts about each other’s views and qualifications, voters—and the democratic process—benefit. In Defense of Negativity, Geer’s study of negative advertising in presidential campaigns from 1960 to 2004, asserts that the proliferating attack ads are far more likely than positive ads to focus on salient political issues, rather than politicians’ personal characteristics. Accordingly, the ads enrich the democratic process, providing voters with relevant and substantial information before they head to the polls. An important and timely contribution to American political discourse, In Defense of Negativity concludes that if we want campaigns to grapple with relevant issues and address real problems, negative ads just might be the solution.

The study of political parties has usually focused on the organizations themselves and their roles in government and politics. Politicians and Party Politics shifts the spotlight to the individuals who make up political parties -- the politician as member of a political party, the politician as part of the political process, and the politician in relation to his or her constituents. With thirteen essays from a distinguished group of contributors, this volume examines how politicians as party members motivate voters, how they conduct campaigns, and how they behave in government.With interests ranging from public opinion research to democratic theory, the contributors bring a wide array of new theories and new data to bear on age-old problems. They offer a new way to think about party coalitions, question the benefits of two-party competition, and focus on politics as a vocation. By putting the politician center stage and examining issues from a variety of viewpoints, this insightful volume advances the argument that, to understand party politics, one must understand the motives and actions of politicians themselves.Contributors: Larry M. Bartels, Robert A. Dahl, James DeNardo, John G. Geer, Fred I. Greenstein, Ikuo Kabashima, Stanley Kelley, Jr., Jonathan S. Krasno, David R. Mayhew, Walter F. Murphy, Gerald M. Pomper, Thomas R. Rochon, Carol M. Swain, and John Zaller

Product Description: Do politicians lead public life or follow it? Does the nature of representative democracy dictate that those in power respond to popular sentiment? And if public opinion is central to political action, what does it mean for a politician to lead? This book aims to answer these and other fundamental questions on leadership and followership...read more

Product Description: To the ongoing assessment of our current procedures for nominating presidential candidates, John Geer brings historical perspective, a careful evaluation of the accumulating evidence,and much good sense. The result is a book that challenges widely held beliefs and that will instruct all those with an interest in presidential nominations, whether as reporters, candidates, students, or citizens...read more (view table of contents, read Amazon.com's description)