THE ELECTION GAME And How To Win It

by Joseph Napolitan ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 7, 1972

A perfectly fascinating informal memoir by a political consultant emeritus who comes across as a true craftsman and a potent administrator. This is not a handbook, he says, but it will be used as such by candidates, managers, pollsters and other pros, as well as historians of electoral contests (much of it is devoted to evaluations of the campaigns Napolitan participated in). The author only works for ""Democrats I like"": Gravel of Alaska in 1968, Milton Shapp of Pennsylvania in 1966, Burns of Hawaii in 1970, as well as Marcos of the Philippines and Mandel's pre-primary efforts in Maryland. He also served as Humphrey's advertising director in 1968, and makes a good case that a little more money, a better time and place for the convention, and a strong Humphrey anti-war stand would have made the difference given the fine work by his ""media team."" From the Gravel victory Napolitan concludes that TV really does matter and that ""issues don't mean a hell of a lot."" It is the texture, the technical specifics, the gossip and the strategic sense, not the McLuhanite gloss, which make the book a winner. (Compare this with Mickelson's Electric Mirror above.) The dangers of ad agency collaboration, the uses of polls, the way to beat Nixon in 1972 with one million dollars worth of TV time, etc., etc. -- Napolitan is totally caught up in this world, and you might say it's an amoral one; certainly he exalts image-making with none of Joe McGinniss' squeamishness. But he despises mere Mad Ave. slickness, enjoys and respects his candidates, and offers an insider's view sharp enough to make this an instant classic.

Pub Date: April 7, 1972

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1972

Categories: NONFICTION