The Permanent Campaign and Its Future

by Norman J. Ornstein (Editor)

Eminent political scientists weigh the benefits and the costs of this state of permanent campaign and describe the kind of political system likely to emerge within it.

Genres: Political Science, Politics

Paperback

First published January 1, 2000

Reviews

[Marks54 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this to better understand why politics, especially Congressional politics, has become so incredibly sleazy and pernicious. The basic punchline here is that given the importance of new media, campaigns have become highly antagonistic and dependent on a perpetual stream of campaign financing. This leads elected officials to turn into self-contained and self-perpetuating small businesses devoted almost exclusively to reelection. Ornstein is a well known pundit and this idea is fairly well established, although I had not read a detailed treatment of it before. The writing is OK and the book is a chore to read, although it moves quickly once the basic idea has been grasped.

[Anthony Faber · Rating 5 out of 5]

Essays written in 2000 on the various ramifications of the fact that congresspeople are constantly campaigning and raising money.