Stephen K. Medvic's Books

In Defense of Politicians

The Expectations Trap and Its Threat to Democracy

By: Stephen K. Medvic

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In Defense of Politicians

The Expectations Trap and Its Threat to Democracy

By: Stephen K. Medvic

Politicians are reviled. From jokes on late-night TV talk shows to radio show rants and from public opinion polls to ubiquitous conventional wisdom-politicians are among the most despised professional class in modern society. Drawing on seminal work in political science, Stephen K. Medvic convincingly argues to the masses that this blanket condemnation of politicians is both unfair and unwarranted. While some individual politicians certainly deserve scorn for misjudgments, moral failings, or even criminal acts, the assumption that all of them should be cast in a similar light is unjustified. More importantly, that deeply cynical assumption is dangerous to the legitimacy of a democratic system of government. Politicians, as a class, deserve respect, not out of blind obedience to authority but because democratic deliberation requires it. Medvic explains how cognitive biases in the way people reason often lead us to draw unjustified conclusions of politicians in general based on the malfeasance of some. Scandals involving politicians are likely to be remembered and to serve as "evidence" of the belief that "they all do it." Most politicians, in fact, care deeply about their cities, states, and nation. But they face a trap of unrealistic and contradictory expectations from the public about how politicians should behave. Medvic, in turn, demonstrates the necessity of ambition, the utility of politics for resolving conflicts peacefully, and the value of ideology in framing political choices. In the end, citizens must learn to tolerate the inherent messiness of politics as the only viable alternative to violent conflict. In the process, we must embrace our role in the political system as well.

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Page Count

218

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

0415880440

ISBN 13

9780415880442

Campaigns and Elections

Players and Processes

By: Stephen K. Medvic

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Campaigns and Elections

Players and Processes

By: Stephen K. Medvic

Stephen K. Medvic’s Campaigns and Elections is a comprehensive yet compact core text that addresses two distinct but related aspects of American electoral democracy: the processes that constitute campaigns and elections, and the players who are involved. In addition to balanced coverage of process and actors, it gives equal billing to both campaigns and elections and covers contests for legislative and executive positions at the national, state, and local levels, including issue-oriented campaigns of note. The book opens by providing students with the conceptual distinctions between what happens in an election and the campaigning that precedes it. Significant attention is devoted to setting up the context for these campaigns and elections by covering the rules of the game in the American electoral system as well as aspects of election administration and the funding of elections. Then the book systematically covers the actors at every level—candidates and their organizations, parties, interest groups, the media, and voters—and the macro-level aspects of campaigns such as campaign strategy and determinants of election outcomes. The book concludes with a big-picture assessment of campaign ethics and implications of the "permanent campaign." New to the Fourth Edition: • Fully updated through the 2020 elections, looking ahead to the 2022 midterms • Covers the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the 2020 election as well as the January 6, 2021, insurrection at the US Capitol • Adds new sections in Chapter 3 on election integrity and the assessment of election administration • Reviews recent Supreme Court cases on gerrymandering and faithless electors • Expands coverage of social media as a source of news, of the increasingly partisan nature of the media, and of the role of media fact-checking in campaigns and elections • Reorganizes the chapters on the various actors so that the chapter on candidates leads directly to the chapter on campaigns • Fully updates the resources listed at the end of each chapter

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Page Count

340

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1000479161

ISBN 13

9781000479164

In Defense of Politicians

The Expectations Trap and Its Threat to Democracy

By: Stephen K. Medvic

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In Defense of Politicians

The Expectations Trap and Its Threat to Democracy

By: Stephen K. Medvic

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Page Count

218

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Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

0415880440

ISBN 13

9780415880442

Political Consultants in U.S. Congressional Elections

By: Stephen K. Medvic

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Political Consultants in U.S. Congressional Elections

By: Stephen K. Medvic

Campaign consultants are arguably now as famous in the United States as the politicians themselves. During the past decade, those who know the names Bill Clinton, George Bush, Newt Gingrich, and Christine Todd Whitman also recognize the names James Carville, Mary Matalin, Frank Luntz, and Ed Rollins. Professional consultants, once part of the privileged inner circle of presidential and gubernatorial candidates, are increasingly found at all levels of politics. Indeed, more than half of congressional candidates hire campaign consultants. These professional have become as important to a candidate's success as money. In this innovative study, Stephen K. Medvic explores all aspects of political consultancy and develops an empirically based theory that ensures the impact consultants have on elections. Political Consultants in U.S. Congressional Elections answers two simple questions: What do professional political consultants do? and How successful are they? Medvic analyzes the way consultants shape political dialogue and uses empirical data to show the benefits--and limits--of a consultant's involvement in a campaign. He focuses on issues as diverse as vote shares, outcomes, and fundraising. Finally, the author demonstrates how the adversarial nature of campaigns fosters the kind of electioneering advocated by most political consultants and argues that this process may not be as harmful for the country as is often suggested.

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Page Count

246

Publisher

Ohio State University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0814208738

ISBN 13

9780814208731

Gerrymandering

The Politics of Redistricting in the United States

By: Stephen K. Medvic

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Gerrymandering

The Politics of Redistricting in the United States

By: Stephen K. Medvic

For nearly as long as there have been electoral districts in America, politicians have gerrymandered those districts. Though the practice has changed over time, the public reaction to it has remained the same: gerrymandering is reviled. There is, of course, good reason for that sentiment. Gerrymandering is intended to maximize the number of legislative seats for one party. As such, it is an attempt to gain what appears to be an unfair advantage in elections. Nevertheless, gerrymandering is not well understood by most people and this lack of understanding leads to a false sense that there are easy solutions to this complex problem. Gerrymandering: The Politics of Redistricting in the United States unpacks the complicated process of gerrymandering, reflecting upon the normative issues to which it gives rise. Tracing the history of partisan gerrymandering from its nineteenth-century roots to the present day, the book explains its legal status and implementation, its consequences, and possible options for reform. The result is a balanced analysis of gerrymandering that acknowledges its troubling aspects while recognizing that, as long as district boundaries have to be drawn, there is no perfect way to do so.

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214

Publisher

John Wiley & Sons

Published Date

ISBN 10

1509536884

ISBN 13

9781509536887

Campaigns and Elections

Players and Processes

By: Stephen K. Medvic

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Campaigns and Elections

Players and Processes

By: Stephen K. Medvic

Stephen Medvic’s Campaigns and Elections is a comprehensive yet compact core text that addresses two distinct but related aspects of American electoral democracy—both the processes that constitute campaigns and elections and the players who are involved. In addition to balanced coverage of process and actors, it also gives equal billing to both campaigns and elections, and covers contests for legislative and executive positions at the national and state and local levels, including issue-oriented campaigns of note. The book opens by providing students with the conceptual distinctions between what happens in an election and the campaigning that precedes it. Significant attention is devoted to setting up the context for these campaigns and elections by covering the rules of the game in the American electoral system as well as aspects of election administration and the funding of elections. Then the book systematically covers the actors at every level—candidates and their organizations, parties, interest groups, the media, and voters—and the macro level aspects of campaigns such as campaign strategy and determinants of election outcomes. The book concludes with a big picture assessment of campaign ethics and implications of the "permanent campaign". New to the Third Edition Fully updated through the 2016 elections. Questions the "party decides" theory of the nomination process in light of the Trump Republican candidacy. Covers campaign finance laws and practice emanating from both Citizens United and McCutcheon. Critically examines restrictive voting laws in place for the first time in the 2016 presidential election. Looks at new automatic voter registration as well as registration removals. Expands coverage of media effects on campaigns at every stage, including social media. Draws upon recent research on new campaign technologies and of the science of campaigning.

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Page Count

387

Publisher

Routledge

Published Date

ISBN 10

1351673645

ISBN 13

9781351673648

Gerrymandering

The Politics of Redistricting in the United States

By: Stephen K. Medvic

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Gerrymandering

The Politics of Redistricting in the United States

By: Stephen K. Medvic

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Page Count

214

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John Wiley & Sons

Published Date

ISBN 10

1509536884

ISBN 13

9781509536887

Political Consultants in U.S. Congressional Elections

By: Stephen K. Medvic

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Political Consultants in U.S. Congressional Elections

By: Stephen K. Medvic

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Page Count

246

Publisher

Ohio State University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0814208738

ISBN 13

9780814208731

Shades of Gray

Perspectives on Campaign Ethics

By: Candice J. Nelson,David A. Dulio,Stephen K. Medvic

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Shades of Gray

Perspectives on Campaign Ethics

By: Candice J. Nelson,David A. Dulio,Stephen K. Medvic

To many, the term "campaign ethics" is an oxymoron. Questionable campaign conduct occurs at many levels, from national presidential elections to local delegate contests. Campaign ethics goes beyond mere "ethical dilemmas," or trying to decide whether or not a particular act is above board. The chapters in this volume examine the broad questions of ethics in campaigns from the perspective of those actors that play critical roles in them, as well as the scholars who study them. The contributors—who include leading academics, as well as practitioners from the world of campaigning and campaign reform—outline, assess, and critique the role and responsibilities of candidates, citizens, organized interest groups, political parties, professional campaign consultants, and the media, in insuring ethical campaigns. Contributors include: Robert E. Denton (Virginia Tech University), David A. Dulio (Oakland University), Brad Rourke (Institute for Global Ethics), Robin Kolodny (Temple University), L. Dale Lawton (Institute for Global Ethics), L. Sandy Maisel (Colby College), Larry Makinson (Center for Responsive Politics), Stephen K. Medvic (Franklin & Marshall College), Dale E. Miller (Old Dominion University), Candice J. Nelson (Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, American University), Mark A. Siegel (Office of Congressman Steve Israel), Paul Taylor (Alliance For Better Campaigns), James A. Thurber (Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, American University), Michael W. Traugott (University of Michigan), Carol Whitney (Whitney and Associatesand Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, American University), and William H. Wood (Sorenson Institute for Political Leadership, University of Virginia).

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Page Count

277

Publisher

Brookings Institution Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0815798849

ISBN 13

9780815798842

Book's by Stephen K. Medvic

In Defense of Politicians

In Defense of Politicians

Campaigns and Elections

Campaigns and Elections

In Defense of Politicians

In Defense of Politicians

Political Consultants in U.S. Congressional Elections

Political Consultants in U.S. Congressional Elections

Gerrymandering

Gerrymandering

Campaigns and Elections

Campaigns and Elections

Gerrymandering

Gerrymandering

Political Consultants in U.S. Congressional Elections

Political Consultants in U.S. Congressional Elections

Shades of Gray

Shades of Gray

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