Books by E. D. Dover

Images, Issues, and Attacks explores important differences between incumbents and challengers in the uses of televised advertising in modern presidential elections.

This book explores how the twelve leading presidential candidates of Election 2008, six in each party, used the major Themes of televised political advertising-images, issues, and attacks-to create campaign narratives justifying their election. Each candidate introduced numerous ads over many months, presenting him- or herself as a qualified leader and advocate of specific public policies, or trying to raise doubts about the images and issues advanced by rivals.

In the past several decades, the country has seen some incumbent presidents win second terms by margins previously believed to be unattainable, yet has witnessed defeats of more incumbents than at any time in our national history.

While the 2000 presidential election had a number of unique features, including the decisive role of the Supreme Court, it actually was quite similar to three earlier television-age campaigns. For the fourth time since 1960, an incumbent president retired and his party nominated the vice president as a potential successor.

This book is an examination of the central role of incumbency in the televised world of American presidential elections and analyzes how an individual incumbent, Bill Clinton, influenced the recurring and predictable patterns of televised news in ways that secured his reelection.

This all-in-one reference guide will help students, researchers, and interested readers make sense of the infamous election of 2000. Following an overview of the 2000 presidential race, five essays spotlight separate issues related to the race and its outcome.