Politics for Dummies

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Introduction
	What Is Politics?
	Why You Need This Book
	How to Use This Book
	How This Book Is Organized
		Part 1: Politics and You
		Part 2: Making Your Voice Heard
		Part 3: Politics Is a Team Sport
		Part 4: It’s All Marketing
		Part 5: Let the Campaigns Begin!
		Part 6: Presidential Politics
		Part 7: The Part of Tens
	Icons Used in This Book
	Where to Go from Here
Part 1 Politics and You
	Chapter 1 It’s Politics, Baby!
		Elected Politicians — a Quick Look
			Federal officials
			State officials
			Local officials
		Politics versus Government
			Politics has spin doctors
			The government has spokespeople
		What Do You Want from Your Elected Officials?
	Chapter 2 The Money-versus-Vote Analysis
		The Factors behind Any Political Stance
			Weighing public opinion
			Counting the money
		Money Makes the World Go ’Round
			Fundraising
			Leverage and money
			Senate money
		Hatred Is a Greater Motivator than Love
			Evil versus good
			But who is the bad guy?
		Your Stake in the Election
			Is the legislation good for you?
			Does the legislation touch your life?
Part 2 Making Your Voice Heard
	Chapter 3 Be a Part of the Solution — Vote!
		Should You Register to Vote?
			Upsides and downsides of registering
		Why Vote in Primaries?
			Taking your chance to choose the candidate
			Declaring your party affiliation
		Do Elected Officials Care What You Think?
			Your opinions are worth real money
			Giving voters what they say they want
	Chapter 4 Contributing Your Time or Money
		Donating Your Time
			Finding your niche
			Spending your time well
		Money Talks
			Deciding who should get your money
			Putting your wallet away
			Knowing what to expect
		Which Kind of Contributor Are You?
			Party backers
			Ideological givers
			Kingmakers (and queenmakers)
			Special interest groups
	Chapter 5 Telling Politicians What’s on Your Mind
		Reaching Out and Touching Your Representatives
		Town Meetings
		Putting It in Writing
			More sometimes means less
			Multiplying your opinion
		Teamwork Is the Name of the Game
			Other officials
			Recognized organizations
			The media
Part 3 Politics is a Team Sport
	Chapter 6 Partying with Politics
		Why We Have Only Two Parties
			The big-tent theory
			Third parties
			Independent candidates
			Departing from the party
			Voters value independence
			Legislation requires cooperation
		Those Were the Days
			Television and the decline of party power
			The cost of campaigning
			Contributors gain the upper hand
			Voters can be duped
		Straight-Ticket Voting versus Ticket Splitting
		Political Parties Serve a Purpose
			Ensuring a fair election
			Getting out the vote
			Providing information
			Amplifying your voice
		Choosing the Candidates
			Party nominees
			Primaries
			Conventions
			The role of ideology in candidate selection
	Chapter 7 Taking Sides
		Putting Parties in Their Place
		Identifying by Political Party
			Registering as a Democrat or Republican
			Asserting your independence
			Joining a third party
		Separating the Democrats from the Republicans
			Running with the elephants
			Joining the donkeys
		Making Your Own Choice
			Evaluating the platforms
			Listening to the candidates
	Chapter 8 Joining a Special Interest Group
		Identifying Special Interest Groups
		Enlisting Lobbyists
			What a good lobbyist does
			Special interests and the government
		Making Political Contributions
			Getting action with PACs
			Contributing to nonlegislative candidates
			I’ll help you if you help me
		Getting the Same Access as Special Interest Groups
		Are Special Interest Groups Contributing Your Money?
			Finding out who contributes
			Local races
			State races
			Federal races
	Chapter 9 Getting Political Online
		Understanding Politics on the Internet
		Government Websites versus Campaign Websites
		Engaging with Elected Officials and Candidates Online
			Visiting a website
			Subscribing to an email list
			Liking a Facebook page
			Following a Twitter account
			Sample resources
Part 4 It’s All Marketing
	Chapter 10 Harry Handler Meets Carly Candidate
		Handling a Campaign
			Examining the profile of a political handler
			Moving around within the party
			Working for a common goal
		Developing a Marketing Strategy
			Checking out the candidate’s appearance
			Improving a candidate’s image
			Identifying the message
		Responding to a Handler’s Controls
	Chapter 11 Selling the Candidates, Warts and All
		Fixing the Warts: A Nip Here, a Tuck There
			Let’s get personal: Personal questions
			Just for the record: Officeholder record
			Oops — I forgot about that: Illegal warts
			But I’m innocent!: Legal warts
			Some professions are just wart-filled
		Preparing for the Worst: Handlers Dig for Dirt
		Beware of Your Opponent: Fending Off Attacks
			Ignore the attack
			Tell the rest of the story
			Diffuse the wart
			Take the offensive and attack first
			Insist that candidates should always tell the truth
		Highlighting a Candidate’s Beauty Marks
			Celebrating a candidate’s upbringing
			Making the most of a candidate’s parents
			How important are beauty marks?
	Chapter 12 Truth in Advertising
		Truth Plus Truth Doesn’t Always Equal Fact
			Drawing a false conclusion
			The art of set-up legislation
		The Media Can Help You
			Getting the media analysis you need
			Hounding your news media: Review the ads and get on the stick!
		Whose Side Are the Media On, Anyway?
			Taking the good with the bad
			Acknowledging that there’s such a thing as being too objective
		If You’re on Your Own
			Listening to neutral parties
			Learning the truth yourself
		Don’t Let Either Side Manipulate You
			Beware of straw men or appeals to emotion
			If you don’t want to be manipulated . . .
		It’s Go-Time: Demanding Answers to Your Questions from Candidates
	Chapter 13 Casting That Vote!
		Reach Out and Ask Someone: Others Can Help You Decide
			Voting by party
			If Frank likes this guy . . .
			Checking out endorsements
		Making Up Your Own Mind
			Gathering information
			Looking to the campaigns
			Making your choice
			Knowing when to make your decision
Part 5 Let the Campaigns Begin
	Chapter 14 Who Says Talk Is Cheap? (Where Your Contribution Goes)
		Campaigning at the Local Level
			Going door-to-door
			Alternative contacts
		National and Statewide Campaigns
			You have to see it (on TV) to believe it
			Buying the time
		Getting Out the Vote: Just Do It!
		Where Your Money Won’t Go
		Campaigns Never Say, “Enough!”
			Fundraising wars
			Looking beyond the money
	Chapter 15 For Whom the Campaign Polls
		The Role of Polls
			Who gets polled?
			Who polls?
		Polls Are Expensive
			Size of the sample
			Length of the poll
		Benchmark Polls
			Knowing what to expect
			Learning from the pollsters
			Telling pollsters which arguments persuade you
		Is the Candidate’s Message Getting Through?
	Chapter 16 Dodging the Issues: What You Can Do
		Tough-versus-Trivial Issues in a Campaign
			To win, a candidate must build support
			Proposing change is risky: I’ll take vanilla instead
			Sticking to symbolic issues
		Using Diversions to Avoid Risks
			Dodging with diversions
			Diversions may not build support, but they don’t jeopardize it, either
		Stick to Your Guns!
			Speaking up at local forums
			Getting help from the media
			Completing candidate questionnaires
			When all else fails, don’t forget the direct approach
	Chapter 17 Campaigning for Your Vote
		Launching a Direct Mail Campaign
			Freedom from scrutiny
			Advantage of the delayed reaction
			Target the right voters
			Why is your mailbox full of political mail?
		And Now a Word from Our Sponsors . . .
			When and how candidates advertise on TV
			Are you a target?
		Attack of the Killer Phone Calls!
	Chapter 18 Negative Campaigning: The Dark Side of Politics
		The More Things Change . . .
			Slinging mud in the 1800s
			Joining the TV generation
		Two Important Principles of Campaign Communications
			Candidates try to make you like them
			Candidates try to make you dislike the opponent
		Separating the Good from the Bad
			Above-the-belt ads
			Below-the-belt ads
		Selling Negativity
			Product comparisons
			Laughter covers faults
		Why Use Negative Advertising?
		Countering Negative Campaigns
			Preventing negative campaigning from discouraging good candidates
			Give ’em a pat on the back
	Chapter 19 The Money Thing: Is Reform Possible?
		Campaigns Cost Too Much
			Contributors get better access to politicians
			Voters end up paying
		Campaign Finance Reform
			Federal campaigns
			State campaigns
		Getting More Good People Involved
		You Can Improve the System
Part 6 Presidential Politics
	Chapter 20 Throwing Their Hats in the Ring
		Welcome to Iowa
		Welcome to New Hampshire
			Being the first
			Who goes to Iowa and New Hampshire?
			Getting off to a good start
		Staying in the Spotlight
			Getting a bounce
			The media can also hurt
			A day at the races
		Conducting Straw Polls
		Introducing the Nominees
	Chapter 21 Getting the Party Started: National Party Conventions
		Sending Delegates to the National Convention
			Conventions don’t choose presidential nominees
			What happens at the national conventions?
		The Politics of the Conventions
			Creating the right effect
			Concentrating partisan energies
		Playing Your Role as a Voter
	Chapter 22 The Electoral College and the 2000 and 2016 Presidential Elections
		Explaining How the Electoral College Affected the 2000 and 2016 Elections
		Examining the Electoral College’s Messy History
			Looking at other controversial elections
			Gauging the impact of the electoral college
			Arguing for the electoral college
			Arguing against the electoral college
		Changing the Electoral College
	Chapter 23 Filling Some Really Big Shoes: Electing a President
		Contributing to the Nominee
		Shaping a Candidate’s Message
			Identifying issues in your region
			Keeping candidates abreast of change
			Acknowledging that the primary message may not be the final message
		Acquiring the Information You Need to Vote for President
			The media loves a presidential campaign
			Turning to nontraditional media: Can we talk?
		The Electoral College and You
			The road to 270 electoral votes
			The candidate versus the party
		A Game of Strategy
			The game plan: Vote, and vote for me!
			You are the target
			Volunteer in a presidential campaign
Part 7 The Part of Tens
	Chapter 24 The Ten Commandments of Modern Politics
		All Politics Is Local
		You Can’t Beat Somebody with Nobody
		Dance with the One That Brung Ya
		Never Say Never
		The Three Most Important Ingredients in Politics: Money, Money, and Money
		It Ain’t Over ’til It’s Over
		The Harder You Work, the Luckier You Get
		The Best Defense Is a Good Offense
		You’re Never Too Far Ahead
		Most Political Wounds Are Self-Inflicted
	Chapter 25 Ten Things to Teach Your Children About Politics
		Voting Isn’t Only Your Right — It’s Your Duty
		Public Service Is a Good and Honorable Profession
		Never Pin Your Future to the Outcome of the Next Election
		Never Trust Anyone Who Lies, Including a Politician
		Democracy Is the Best System of Government
		Avoiding Politics Makes You More to Blame for Its Failures, Not Less
		Learn the Facts and Form Your Own Opinions
		You Have to Wait ’til 18 to Vote, but You Don’t Have to Wait ’til 18 to Help Others Vote Wisely
		Politicians Are Just Like the Rest of Us
		When Politicians Make You Promises, Make Sure You Want What They’re Promising
	Chapter 26 Ten Common Political Mistakes
		Believing That Anything Is Secret
		Giving a Reporter an Interview “Off the Record”
		Failing to Answer an Opponent’s Attack
		Promising Not to Run for Reelection
		Not Taking a Poll
		Taking a Poll and Ignoring the Results
		Not Knowing When to Retire
		Believing That Public Officials Can Have a Private Life
		Thinking That the Federal Treasury Is Your Piggy Bank
		Failing to Follow the Strict Letter of the Law
	Chapter 27 Ten (or so) Quotable Quotes
		On Politics
		On Being President
		Did I Really Say That?
		On Participation
		On the Press
Appendix: State ID Voting Requirements
Index