Inside Campaigns: Elections through the Eyes of Political Professionals
Chapter 1: Unafraid to Fail The Craft and Science of Poltical Campaigns A Tale of Two Managers The Personal Side of Politics Why Campaign Managers Do It What Campaigns Do Do Campaigns Matter? Teaching Topics Chapter 2: Political Math Why Campaigns Matter Debating Campaign "Effects" What Does "Matter" Mean? The Role of Fundamentals: From Demographics to Party ID Partisan Composition of the Electorate Share and Performance The Case of Nevada Ask Gore if the Margin Matters Chapter 3: Political Historian and Data Scientist Charting a Path to Victory through Information and Analysis Tough Numbers in the Big Easy Defining a Winning Coalition: Who Are Our Targets? How Do We Reach Them? What Do We Tell Them? How Are We Doing? What Are Our Opponents and Allies Doing? The Secret Ballot Problem Presidential and Congressional Campaigns: The Art and Science of Data Analysis Targeting and Micro Targeting: "Bells and Whistles" vs. "Old Fashioned Grunt Work" Focus Groups, Polls, and Other Forms of Information Gathering Determining Voter Blocs GOTV Summary Chapter 4: Enterpreneur and Chief Financial Officer Launching the Campaign Spending and Margins The Money Advantage How Money Matters (Decisions) "The Nightmare of All Campaigns" (Fundraising) Hiring the Right Team (Staff) Conclusion Chapter 5: Marketing Wizard How Do We Reach Them? The Paradox of Politics and Marketing in the Digital Age Political Brand Management: Knowledge is Power What are GRPs? Learning the Basic Language of Media How Many GRPs Does a Campaign Need? Exploding the Conventional Wisdom of "1,000 GRPs Per Spot" In the Internet Age, Television is Still King The Media Mix: Beyond TV Manager Profile Katie Merrill: Managing in the California Big Leagues Chapter 6: Script Writer and Stage Manager Crafting the Campaign's Messages What Do We Tell Voters? How the Message Matters Why Campaigns "Go Negative" "A Hugging Contest?" Why Negative Ads Affect Election Margins When Going Negative Backfires Going Negative in a Primary Responding to Negative Attacks Conclusion Chapter 7: Spinmeister and Policy Wonk Navigating the Media Landscape Defusing Bad Press The Shifting Character of the Media Landscape "Hand to Hand Combat" The Frustrated Policy Wonk Cell Phones and Earned Media "The Blogs Will Pick It Up Immediately" (Speed) Working the Refs (Credibility) Earned Media: An Imperfect Tool Chapter 8: Field General Who Do We Need? How Do We Reach Them? The Two Step Process: Deciding to Vote and Voting for or Against a Candidate "Old Fashioned Grunt Work" Losing and Winning on the Ground Manager Profile Reed Galen: Just Say No Chapter 9: Strategy Enforcer and Team Builder Keeping a Day to Day Focus on the Long Term Path to Victory James Carville: Losing Before Winning Clinton Gore 1992: "The Best Campaign Ever" Keeping the Campaign Team on Strategy with Signage Inheriting a Team: The Turnaround Manager How Are We Doing? Strategy Enforcer in the Age of Super PACs "What are They Doing?" Team Builder Managing Consultants "The Right Kind of Culture" Chapter 10: Candidate Caretaker and Confidant Handling Details and Building Trust Becoming Indispensable The Buffer and the Concierge Building Trust: "Jimmy Here's What We Need to Do" Building the Relationship Honesty Managing the Candidate's Family Losing and Winning: When the Campaign Ends