No Place for Amateurs: How Political Consultants Are Reshaping American Democracy

Despite all the grassroots citizen activity through online avenues in recent years, it is still true that professional consultants are the ones running elections in the US. The second edition of No Place for Amateurs further explores how consultants are reshaping democracy. Professional consultants still call the shots, despite the bloggers, the Dean supporters, and those who think that campaigns can be run from the bottom up, rather than the top down. Dennis Johnson, who prior to entering academia ran his own candidate and opposition research firm and was chief of staff to a member of Congress, expertly guides students through these issues.

The second edition addresses the many changes that have taken place in political campaigns since 2000, including a new landscape of campaign funding, the media and technology’s increased importance to the way campaigns are run, as well as updating the cast of consultants and elections referenced in examples. It also highlights the campaigns of 2005-06 and the activities of Rove and the Republican operatives surrounding Bush.

Dennis W. Johnson is Professor and former Associate Dean of the George Washington University Graduate School of Political Management, Washington, D.C.