Missed opportunity : Gore, incumbency and television in election 2000 / E.D. Dover.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Dover, E. D. (Edwin D.), 1946-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Presidents--United States--Election--2000.

Presidents.

Television and politics--United States.

Television and politics.

Political campaigns--United States.

Political campaigns.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (213 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Distribution:

London : Bloomsbury Publishing, 2024

Place of Publication:

Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2002.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

While the 2000 presidential election had a number of unique features, including the decisive role of the Supreme Court, it actually was quite similar to three earlier television-age campaigns. For the fourth time since 1960, an incumbent president retired and his party nominated the vice president as a potential successor. The nomination of the vice president has become so commonplace that we now expect it. Unfortunately, we lack theoretical explanations of why vice presidents win nominations while often losing the general election. Dover seeks to advance this needed theory. Dover looks at the recurring features of television-age elections with surrogate incumbents and applies them to a description of the leading events of Election 2000. The emphasis is on mediated incumbency, a phenomenon that occurs when mass media, particularly television, exert enormous influence in defining the context and meaning of politics for most voters. The first topics considered are the growth of the modern vice presidency and the nature of surrogate incumbent elections. The outcome of such elections often turns on how effectively the vice president and his opponent overcome dilemmas unique to their strategic positions as incumbent or challenger. Dover then describes the campaign from January 1999 through December 2000, from the perspective of television news media, and shows how Gore failed to overcome his dilemma during a time marked by peace and prosperity. The text is an important resource for scholars, students, and other researchers involved with American elections, political communication, and the American presidency.

Contents:

Cover

MISSED OPPORTUNITY

CONTENTS

1 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS IN THE TELEVISION AGE

EVOLUTION OF THE VICE PRESIDENCY

Origins and Early History

The Early Twentieth Century

DEVELOPMENT OF THE MODERN PRESIDENCY

The Vice Presidency since 1945

The Vice Presidential Role

2 ELECTIONS WITH SURROGATE INCUMBENTS

THE ROLE OF TELEVISION NEWS

PRESIDENTIAL PARTY NOMINATIONS

OPPOSITION PARTY NOMINATIONS

GENERAL ELECTIONS

3 THE CAMPAIGNS FOR THE PARTY NOMINATIONS: 1999

REPUBLICANS

DEMOCRATS

4 THE CAMPAIGNS FOR THE PARTY NOMINATIONS: 2000

THE EARLY TEST STATES: REPUBLICANS

THE EARLY TEST STATES: DEMOCRATS

THE FEBRUARY PRIMARIES: REPUBLICANS

THE FINAL PRIMARIES: REPUBLICANS

THE FINAL PRIMARIES: DEMOCRATS

5 THE GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN BETWEEN MARCH AND AUGUST

THE PRECONVENTION PERIOD

THE NATIONAL CONVENTION PERIOD

6 THE GENERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN BETWEEN AUGUST AND NOVEMBER

THE PREDEBATE PERIOD

THE DEBATES AND THE FINAL WEEKS

7 THE GENERAL ELECTION: OUTCOME AND MEANING

THE NATIONAL OUTCOME

THE FLORIDA VOTE CONTROVERSY

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PARTY NOMINATIONS

GORE'S DILEMMA

BUSH'S DILEMMA

SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

About the Author.

Notes:

Bibliographic Level Mode of Issuance: Monograph

Includes bibliographical references (p. [189]-198) and index.

ISBN:

9798400686351

9786610422753

9781280422751

1280422750

9780313010958

0313010951

OCLC:

614662490