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| Foreword | ix | |
| Introduction | xiii | |
| Part I | The Players | xv |
| Chapter 1 | We the People | 1 |
| It's Been a Long Road: Voting in the Nation's Early Years | 2 | |
| Opening Democracy's Door: Expanding the Franchise | 2 | |
| Unfinished Business: Lowering the Barriers to Voting | 5 | |
| Turnout Turns Down: The Turned-Off Voter | 9 | |
| Turning Things Around: How to Increase Voter Turnout | 12 | |
| 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 | 26 | |
| Campaign Strategy, Part II: Dividing the Electorate | 27 | |
| Chapter 3 | The Parties and Other Behind-the-Scenes Powers | 31 |
| Early History: How the Political Parties Came to Be | 32 | |
| The Life of the Parties: The Democrats and Republicans Take Center Stage | 33 | |
| Party Mechanics: How the Parties Work | 36 | |
| Independents' Day: Beyond the Parties | 39 | |
| Enter the Special Interests: Independent Groups Step Up Their Campaign Activity | 43 | |
| Chapter 4 | The Media | 49 |
| Running for Coverage: The Candidates and the Media | 50 | |
| The Media under Fire: What's Wrong with Today's Election Coverage? | 52 | |
| The Media Respond: Is Political Coverage Getting Better? | 56 | |
| The New Media: Expanding Election Coverage | 58 | |
| New Media = More Choices for Voters | 59 | |
| Too Much of a Good Thing? Critiquing the New Media | 61 | |
| Finding the Best Election Coverage: What You Can Do | 62 | |
| Elections Go Online | 63 | |
| Chapter 5 | Money: Who Gives It, Who Gets It | 67 |
| Why They Donate: The Quest for Influence | 70 | |
| How Did We Get Here? A Short History of Campaign Finance | 72 | |
| Public Funding of Presidential Elections: How It Works | 76 | |
| Getting around the Rules: Hard and Soft Money | 80 | |
| Evading the Soft-Money Ban | 84 | |
| Beyond Soft Money: Independent Advocacy | 85 | |
| Funding Presidential Campaigns: A System in Trouble | 87 | |
| Serious Problems, Possible Solutions | 88 | |
| Part II | The Process | 91 |
| Chapter 6 | Early Action | 93 |
| Laying the Groundwork: Campaigning Unannounced | 94 | |
| The Money Chase, Part I: PAC Attack | 95 | |
| The Money Chase, Part II: The Exploratory Committee | 96 | |
| Competing for Talent: Lining Up Key Advisers and Staff | 99 | |
| Who's Who: The Campaign Team | 100 | |
| Making It Official: The Announcement | 101 | |
| After the Early Going: A Winnowing of the Field | 103 | |
| Chapter 7 | The Primaries and Caucuses | 105 |
| How It Works: Choosing the Delegates | 105 | |
| Primary Education: What Is a Primary? | 106 | |
| A Primary Alternative: What's a Caucus? | 108 | |
| The Early States: Iowa and New Hampshire | 109 | |
| An Accelerated Schedule for 2004 | 112 | |
| Primary Participation: Who Votes in the Primaries? | 113 | |
| Chapter 8 | The Conventions | 123 |
| What's It All About? The Function of the National Conventions | 124 | |
| The Delegates: Who Are All These People? | 126 | |
| The Scripted Convention: A News- and Controversy-Free Event | 128 | |
| The Role of the Media: The Conventions As News Events | 131 | |
| Convention Highlights: A Viewer's Guide | 132 | |
| Chapter 9 | The General Election Campaign | 137 |
| Campaign Strategy, Part I: A Shift to the Center | 139 | |
| Campaign Strategy, Part II: Targeting a Candidate's Appeal | 140 | |
| Campaign Tactics, Part I: The Candidates in Control | 144 | |
| Campaign Tactics, Part II: A Little Help from My Friends | 145 | |
| Campaign Tactics, Part III: At the Grass Roots, On the Ground, and On the Air | 147 | |
| The Candidates Face Off: The Presidential Debates | 150 | |
| Chapter 10 | Election Day | 153 |
| A Work in Progress | 154 | |
| Affirming Your Vote: About the Electoral College | 156 | |
| A College Education: How Does the Electoral College Work? | 156 | |
| Do We Really Need the Electoral College? Proposals for Change | 160 | |
| Tabulating the Outcome: The Results Are In! | 161 | |
| Early Projections: Jumping the Gun | 164 | |
| Making It Official | 166 | |
| Appendix | Election 2000 and The Amazing Florida Recount | 169 |
| Bibliography and Videography | 181 | |
| Index | 183 |
Overview