A written "insider's tour", this book trawls through the fast-paced, often sordid world of the professional political campaign. A veteran campaign consultant himself, Dennis Johnson serves as guide through the world of fund-raising, push-polling, focus groups and negative attacks that form the basis of high-stakes national campaigning. Cash is flowing into political races at a phenomenal rate, but why is every campaign so thirsty for funds? More polling, consultants and TV time all require more capital. Major campaigns are now run almost entirely by professionals and this book details the skills, strategies and methods used - and the extraordinary resources these require - to provide an expose of the highly sophisticated techniques used to reach and persuade voters. As this volume makes clear, the more the candidates turn to sophisticated and unethical tactics, the less they focus on the concerns of the voters.