Do Running Mates Matter?

Do Running Mates Matter?
Author: Christopher J. Devine
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Total Pages: 298
Release: 2020-05-15
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 070062970X

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The American vice presidency, as the saying goes, “is not worth a bucket of warm spit.” Yet vice presidential candidates, many people believe, can make all the difference in winning—or losing—a presidential election. Is that true, though? Did Sarah Palin, for example, sink John McCain’s campaign in 2008? Did Joe Biden help Barack Obama win? Do running mates actually matter? In the first book to put this question to a rigorous test, Christopher J. Devine and Kyle C. Kopko draw upon an unprecedented range of empirical data to reveal how, and how much, running mates influence voting in presidential elections. Building on their previous work in The VP Advantage and evidence from over 200 statistical models spanning the 1952 to 2016 presidential elections, the authors analyze three pathways by which running mates might influence vote choice. First, of course, they test for direct effects, or whether evaluations of the running mate influence vote choice among voters in general. Next, they test for targeted effects—if, that is, running mates win votes among key subsets of voters who share their gender, religion, ideology, or geographic identity. Finally, the authors examine indirect effects—that is, whether running mates shape perceptions of the presidential candidate who selected them, which in turn influence vote choice. Here, in this last category, is where we see running mates most clearly influencing presidential voting—especially when it comes to their qualifications for holding office and taking over as president, if necessary. Picking a running mate from a key voting bloc probably won’t make a difference, the authors conclude. But picking an experienced, well-qualified running mate will make the presidential candidate look better to voters—and win some votes. With its wealth of data and expert analysis, this finely crafted study, the most comprehensive to date, finally provides clear answers to one of the most enduring questions in presidential politics: can the running mate make a difference in this election?

A Love Unexpected

A Love Unexpected
Author: Leah Brunner
Publisher:
Total Pages: 228
Release: 2021-06-11
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 9781737015604

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My one and only goal has always been to make it to congress. I've got it all: the looks, the brains, the connections... Except I missed one glaring requirement: a wife. The conservative voters of Kansas don't trust an unmarried man. Which means I need a bride. Immediately. The lovely Odette Hastings seems to fit the bill. She's a wholesome small-town girl, and most importantly, in need of cash. I'll give her the money to take care of her elderly parents, and she'll be the political arm candy I need. The only problem is Odette is a little too beautiful, a little too intelligent, and much too distracting. I have to keep my eye on the prize. Even when I'm starting to think there might be something I'd rather have more... A Love Unexpected is Book 1 in the Under Kansas Skies series. This is a sweet, closed-door romance and can be read as a stand-alone.

The VP Advantage

The VP Advantage
Author: Christopher Devine
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2016
Genre: Presidents
ISBN: 9781784993375

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A widespread perception exists among political commentators, campaign operatives and presidential candidates that vice presidential (VP) running mates can deliver their home state's electoral votes in a presidential election. In recent elections, presidential campaigns have even changed their strategy in response to the perceived VP home state advantage. But is the advantage real? And could it decide a presidential election? In the most comprehensive analysis to date, Devine and Kopko demonstrate that the VP home state advantage is actually highly conditional and rarely decisive in the Electoral College. However, it could change the outcome of a presidential election under narrow but plausible conditions. Sophisticated in its methodology and rich in historical as well as contemporary insight, The VP Advantage is essential and accessible reading for anyone interested in understanding how running mates influence presidential elections.

Eighteen-Day Running Mate

Eighteen-Day Running Mate
Author: Joshua M. Glasser
Publisher: Yale University Press
Total Pages: 428
Release: 2012-08-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0300183372

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No skeletons were rattling in "his" closet, Thomas Eagleton assured George McGovern's political director. But only eighteen days later--after a series of damaging public revelations and feverish behind-the-scenes maneuverings--McGovern rescinded his endorsement of his Democratic vice-presidential running mate, and Eagleton withdrew from the ticket. This fascinating book is the first to uncover the full story behind Eagleton's rise and precipitous fall as a national candidate.Within days of Eagleton's nomination, a pair of anonymous phone calls brought to light his history of hospitalizations for "nervous exhaustion and depression" and past treatment with electroshock therapy. The revelation rattled the campaign and placed McGovern's organization under intense public and media scrutiny. Joshua Glasser investigates a campaign in disarray and explores the perspectives of the campaign's key players, how decisions were made and who made them, how cultural attitudes toward mental illness informed the crisis, and how Eagleton's and McGovern's personal ambitions shaped the course of events.Drawing on personal interviews with McGovern, campaign manager Gary Hart, political director Frank Mankiewicz, and dozens of other participants inside and outside the McGovern and Eagleton camps--as well as extensive unpublished campaign records--Glasser captures the political and human drama of Eagleton's brief candidacy. Glasser also offers sharp insights into the America of 1972--mired in war, anxious about the economy, ambivalent about civil rights.

Picking the Vice President

Picking the Vice President
Author: Elaine C. Kamarck
Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
Total Pages: 37
Release: 2020-07-07
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0815738757

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How Picking the Vice President Has Changed—and Why It Matters During the past three decades, two important things have changed about the U.S. vice presidency: the rationale for why presidential candidates choose particular running mates, and the role of vice presidents once in office. This is the first major book focusing on both of those elements, and it comes at a crucial moment in American history. Until 1992, presidential candidates tended to select running mates simply to “balance” the ticket, sometimes geographically, sometimes to guarantee victory in an must-carry state, sometimes ideologically, and sometimes for all three reasons. Bill Clinton changed that in 1992 when he selected Al Gore as his running mate, saying the experience and compatibility of the Tennessee senator would make him an ideal “partner” in governing. Gore's two immediate successors, Dick Cheney and Joe Biden, played similar roles under Presidents Bush and Obama. Mike Pence seems to also be following in that role as well, although the first draft of history on the Trump Administration is still being written. What enabled this change in the vice presidency was not so much the personal characteristics of recent vice presidents but instead changes in the presidential nomination system. The increased importance of primaries and the overwhelming need to raise money have diminished the importance of “balance” on the ticket and increased the importance of “partnership”—selecting a partner who can help the president govern. This book appears as Joe Biden prepares to choose his own running mate. No matter who wins the November 2020 elections, what Elaine Kamarck writes will be of interest to anyone following current affairs, students of American government, and journalists whose job will be to cover the next administration.

A Love Uncontainable

A Love Uncontainable
Author: Leah Brunner
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2021-11-19
Genre:
ISBN: 9781737015611

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Seven years ago I made a decision that would change my life forever... I've never told a soul.Now I'm worried my past could ruin my future.As a surgeon and single father, my life is chaotic. I barely have time to find a new babysitter or a new tenant for my income property, let alone think about dating.Sophie Windell seems like the answer to all of my problems-renting out my income property and babysitting my daughter.But now Sophie brings a whole new set of complications.I can't stop thinking about how gorgeous she is, and how her laughter fills the house with joy. Not to mention our daughters adore each other.So, what's the complicated part? Well, she's still grieving the loss of her husband, and I work with her dad.And then there's the secret I've held for seven years. If I tell her, will I lose everything she's brought into my life?Or worse, will I hurt the woman I'm coming to love?

Wicked Game

Wicked Game
Author: Rick Gates
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 255
Release: 2020-10-13
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1642937932

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As featured in The Washington Post and Bloomberg! In a factual firsthand account of this turbulent period in our nation’s history, Donald Trump’s 2016 deputy campaign chairman takes us deep behind the scenes to examine the truth about how Trump won, why the Mueller investigation failed, and how the current state of presidential politics is tearing apart the very fabric of our democracy. Rick Gates, who served as Donald Trump’s deputy campaign chairman in 2016 and as a cooperating witness in the Mueller investigation, gives readers a rare, in-depth look at one of the most controversial elections—and presidents—in U.S. history. From a perspective only he can offer, Rick answers the important questions: How was Trump able to beat sixteen high-profile, experienced Republican contenders, and Hillary Clinton, to win in 2016? How did the campaign work? What really happened with Russian election interference and the Mueller investigation? And more. With refreshing candor, Rick shares his story, observations, and facts with the intent that readers form their own opinions and draw their own conclusions. The result is a thought-provoking account that informs and educates readers on both sides of the political aisle as we approach the 2020 election. In up-close detail, Rick takes us through his personal journey to explain how Trump defied the odds, the polls, and even his own party to become the 45th president of the United States. He shares pivotal moments behind the scenes of the campaign and inauguration that have never been shared before, revealing critical decisions and political tactics that explain how Donald Trump was able to upset the entire Republican political establishment and beat a system built on centuries-old traditions. He also shows us how Donald Trump brought his personal brand to the presidency and how, in the end, the political establishment had no choice but to adapt to him—because Trump would never adapt to them. Following the inauguration, Rick was entangled in the Robert Mueller investigation on Russian election interference. In Wicked Game, Rick lifts the veil to detail exactly what happened behind the operations of the Mueller probe, providing the first major account from an insider indicted in the investigation. In the government’s sentencing memo in their case against him, federal prosecutors took the unusual step of praising Rick for his “extraordinary assistance” in their efforts: “Gates has worked assiduously to provide truthful, complete, and reliable information,” they wrote. Which makes it all the more compelling when Rick’s account reveals the inadequacies of our legal system, and how a small group of people in Washington manipulated the political system for their own purposes—undermining our democracy in the process. History has its eyes on America, and as people all over the world try to understand Trump’s presidency in a time of global crisis and uncertainty heading into the 2020 election, Rick’s powerful, firsthand account provides revealing and factual insights that he hopes Republicans and Democrats alike will learn from and apply as our nation moves forward.

Primary Colors

Primary Colors
Author: Joe Klein
Publisher: Random House
Total Pages: 384
Release: 2009-05-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 0307559238

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A brilliant and penetrating look behind the scenes of modern American politics, Primary Colors is a funny, wise, and dramatic story with characters and events that resemble some familiar, real-life figures. When a former congressional aide becomes part of the staff of the governor of a small Southern state, he watches in horror, admiration, and amazement, as the governor mixes calculation and sincerity in his not-so-above-board campaign for the presidency.

Hillbilly Elegy

Hillbilly Elegy
Author: J. D. Vance
Publisher: HarperCollins
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2018-05-01
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0062872257

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THE #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER IS NOW A MAJOR-MOTION PICTURE DIRECTED BY RON HOWARD AND STARRING AMY ADAMS, GLENN CLOSE, AND GABRIEL BASSO "You will not read a more important book about America this year."—The Economist "A riveting book."—The Wall Street Journal "Essential reading."—David Brooks, New York Times Hillbilly Elegy is a passionate and personal analysis of a culture in crisis—that of white working-class Americans. The disintegration of this group, a process that has been slowly occurring now for more than forty years, has been reported with growing frequency and alarm, but has never before been written about as searingly from the inside. J. D. Vance tells the true story of what a social, regional, and class decline feels like when you were born with it hung around your neck. The Vance family story begins hopefully in postwar America. J. D.’s grandparents were “dirt poor and in love,” and moved north from Kentucky’s Appalachia region to Ohio in the hopes of escaping the dreadful poverty around them. They raised a middle-class family, and eventually one of their grandchildren would graduate from Yale Law School, a conventional marker of success in achieving generational upward mobility. But as the family saga of Hillbilly Elegy plays out, we learn that J.D.'s grandparents, aunt, uncle, sister, and, most of all, his mother struggled profoundly with the demands of their new middle-class life, never fully escaping the legacy of abuse, alcoholism, poverty, and trauma so characteristic of their part of America. With piercing honesty, Vance shows how he himself still carries around the demons of his chaotic family history. A deeply moving memoir, with its share of humor and vividly colorful figures, Hillbilly Elegy is the story of how upward mobility really feels. And it is an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American dream for a large segment of this country.

Trump Revealed

Trump Revealed
Author: Michael Kranish
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 448
Release: 2016-08-23
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1501155776

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"Who is Donald J. Trump? Despite decades of scrutiny, many aspects of his life are not well known. To discover Trump in full, The Washington Post assembled a team of ... reporters and researchers to delve into every aspect of Trump's improbable life, from his privileged upbringing in Queens to his ... 2016 rise to seize the Republican candidacy for president"--Dust jacket flap.