Presidental Elections & Candidates, U.S. Politics & Government - 20th Century, Presidents of the United States - Biography, U.S. Politics & Government - 1992-2001, U.S. Politics - Campaigns & Elections, The United States House of Representatives
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Overview
In this highly original and provocative account of how our political system actually works, Elizabeth Drew shows convincingly that the real contest for political power in this country in 1996 wasn't the Presidential election, but a far more important fight, with much higher stakes. She introduces a surprising set of characters, the leaders of a close-knit collection of groups on the right for whom nailing down a realignment of power in their favor took clear precedence over winning back the White House. The real political story of 1996 - the struggle for long-term political predominance - was fought in the contest for the House of Representatives. By holding Congress, this coalition of interests on the right hoped they could control the national agenda into the twenty-first century. With her access to the back rooms and closed meetings, Elizabeth Drew has written the secret history of a titanic battle. She reveals the details of the often ruthless strategies conservative activist groups used to insure their hold on the House of Representatives. Drew shows that Republican leaders, in fact, decided to throw Dole overboard much earlier than was realized, and discloses the other brutal decisions that were made lest his inept campaign get in the way of their more pressing goals. She proves with indisputable new evidence how both Parties and special-interest groups on all sides made deals, pooled information, and spent money in ways that made a complete sham of the campaign finance laws - in some cases with actions that were legally questionable. She demonstrates conclusively the devastating effect of the revelations late in the election of the Clinton team's abuse of the campaign spending laws, and she provides important insights into what campaign finance reform must look like in order to fix a broken system.Editorials
Library Journal
Political commentator Drew has written the book for all Americans concerned about campaign finance improprieties. She tells the story of how political interest groups, in conjunction with both the major political parties, influenced the raising and spending of campaign monies in the 1996 presidential and congressional campaigns. Focusing primarily on Republican efforts (though also alluding to the Democrats), Drew discusses these groups (Christian Coalition, National Beer Wholesalers Association, National Rifle Association, etc.) that mobilize their membership for candidates in local, state, and, in particular, federal races. Relying on interviews with these groups' leaders and party insiders, Drew reveals how "hard" money (which can be legally used on behalf of candidates) and "soft" money (which can be raised and spent on "issues" instead of candidates but are run in races against vulnerable opponents) can circumvent current campaign finance laws. Highly recommended for all collections.Patricia Hatch, Insurance Inst. for Property Loss Reduction, BostonBook Details
Published
May 29, 1997
Publisher
New York, N.Y., U.S.A. : Viking, 1997.
Pages
384
Format
Hardcover
ISBN
9780670875368