The Selling of the President

My interest in this particular book began with the press on the anniversary of the death of Robert F. Kennedy. Although I heard about this book, I never read it. Until now. It was a good read on the genesis of political campaigning in the modern day. It's manifestation, however, took place in 1980 with the election of President Ronald Reagan. McGinnis takes us into the back room of the political campaign to illustrate how Richard Nixon, politcal pariah of 1960, evolves into the Republican nominee a short 8 years later. The names of individuals involved in the process in 1968 have relevancy to this date (i.e. Roger Ailes, Patrick Buchanan) and infamy in the past (i.e. Dwight Chapin, John Mitchell). McGinnis also illustrates the movement away from the importance of the print media to the new media of television in political campaigning. When viewed today, we may shrug our shoulders. However, back in 1968, it was revolutionary. The Selling of the President 1968 is a good beginning to understanding political marketing of candidates for office.

Author Joe McGinnis gives an inside view of the highly-controlled, thoroughly-packaged 1968 Presidential campaign of Richard Nixon. Readers see how the Nixon team made its political commercials and stage-managed campaign events in order to manipulate the public. Nixon had lost a close race eight years earlier to John F. Kennedy, in part because he'd looked haggard in his TV debate appearances. This time he and his handlers were determined that Nixon would be scrubbed and scripted while avoiding debates. In short, they peddled Nixon to voters the way corporations promote cars and cosmetics. Nixon had a huge advantage in money and thus television ad buys, and he went on to a narrow victory on Election Day over Democrat Hubert Humphrey. Ironically, Nixon's packaged 1968 effort seems amateurish compared with today's media-specialized, poll-driven campaigns. Consider that in 2004 President Bush used the secret service as his private Gestapo to illegally detain dissenters, and even his supporters had to sign contracts in order to attend his campaign rallies. Some accused McGinnis of betraying Nixon with this book, a charge later leveled against him when he wrote the true-crime narrative FATAL VISION. Others argue that he did his job and let the public see an un-reported, dark side of politics. Whatever your view, this is a concise, informative, interesting look at political manipulation.

It's amazing that Joe McGinnis was allowed access so close to Richard Nixon's inner circle. One of the drawbacks to this kind of journalism is that people learn from it and shut off these opportunities later. For an audience in 2005 this book will shed light on some of the same media handling that goes on now. Nixon's campaign guys treated him as a product, not a politician, and staged a number of televised "meet the public" type get togethers with regular people before the election. But they hyper controled his message even to the point where they get pretty scared if one of the members of the public go off topic and Nixon starts to look like he can't handle a question on civil rights or some hot topic of the 1960s. Same thing is going on today with Social Security forums. President George W. Bush goes up on a platform and meets with people to talk about his plan to save Social Security. It's pretty staged. Many of the names today are the same also, and the key ad guy that worked for Nixon -- Harry Treleaven -- helped get the first President George HW Bush elected to Congress in 1964. It's a slim book, only about 170 pages of text and another 30 or so of Nixon campaign memos. I read it in about two afternoons. Anybody interested in politics today or the Nixon era would love this book, but it's a fascinating look at how modern advertising and political campaigns merged. You can see how politics came to be what it is today through this book.

Joe McGinniss joined the Nixon campaign as an observer, and wrote this book of connected stories. Nixon's team had a number of advertising and TV professionals. The book lacks and index and a table of contents. The cover shows Nixon's face on a pack of cigarettes - an apt metaphor. They are heavily advertised, and bad for you in the short and long run. People know this, but they buy them anyway!Chapter 1 shows Nixon taping commercials for varied markets. "I pledge an all-out war against organized crime in this country." But investigations into organized crime was later halted. Chapter 2 tells us that politics, like advertising, is a con game! Both promise more than they deliver. McGinniss says Nixon lost in 1960 because the camera portrayed him clearly (p.32). I think the TV audience judge he was lying, the radio audience took him at his word. By 1968 Nixon learned how to act sincere. He would appear mellow, not intense; respected, if not loved (p.34). Page 36 explains how this works: saturated TV advertising showing the candidate and giving the desired impression, followed by public appearances where he doesn't say anything. TV would be controlled to transmit the best images (p.38). Chapter 3 tells about Harry Treleaven, who worked on the 1966 campaign for George Bush; he was elected because he was likeable, and none knew his stand on the issues. More people vote for emotional than logical reasons (p.45). Chapter 4 explains the power of TV. "The press doesn't matter anymore: (p.59). Painting Nixon as mellow was their way to overcome the old Nixon. Chapter 5 tells how the TV shows were staged for each region. Page 64 explains the politics for a panel of questioners. The selected audience applauded every answer. Chapter 6 says that if Nixon could not act warmer they would produce commercials that made him so!Chapter 7 tells how a commercial would "create a Nixon image that was entirely independent of the words" (p.85). "The secret is in the juxtaposition" (p.88). (Was this parodied in that scene in "The Parallax View"?) Once complaint was of a picture of a soldier who had scrawled "LOVE" on his helmet; a new picture was found with a plain helmet. Later they received a letter from that soldier's mother - Mrs William Love (p.92)! Page 99 tells why you never saw a farmer on this show. Or a psychiatrist (p.100)! Chapter 9 gives an insider's view to the commercial images and what they meant. Chapter 10 tells of seeking Wallace voters with a ballad. Another trick was to be seen as a friend of Billy Graham. Chapter 11 tells of Nixon's shrinking lead. How could a slick production lose to a rough-edged show? Chapter 12 rates a Humphrey commercial as "contrived and tasteless" (p.138), but also "most effective" since it showed HHH as a real person in open air, not being kept in a TV studio. Chapter 13 explains how a TV show worked. People would call in with questions; these would be passed to the staff. They would be scrapped, and prepared questions and thei

How do you turn a craggily grouch of a candidate from 1960 into the exciting answer for America in 1968? It takes tweaks, spinning, manipulating, and a little personal improvement from the man himself to make it happen. Amid an amazing news year touched off by the Tet Offensive, and featuring the deaths MLK and RFK, and the riots in Chicago, the American people were looking for a way out of the Vietnam War and a way to put stability back in the Oval Office. So, they turned to Nixon? A man who lost in 1960? Who lost an election for office in California in 1962? Who was out of politics for another six years? This is the task you'll read about. Very interesting write-up of one of the most interesting elections in our nation's history.