Claiming the Mantle: How Presidential Nominations Are Won and Lost Before the Votes Are Cast (Dilemmas in American Politics)

This book examines the process by which presidential nominees are selected in U.S. , describing the evolution of the presidential nomination system from its original conception of letting the voters decide to its current form in which the race is usually over before the first vote is cast. Although Howard Dean Outraised His Opponents In 2003, He Did Not Develop The National Organization Or The Institutional Support Necessary To Secure The Nomination, Leaving Himself Vulnerable To John Kerry's 2004 Surge. Drawing On Numerous Examples From The 2004 Democratic Campaign, And Detailed Analyses Of Every Contested Republican And Democratic Presidential Nomination Race Since 1976, Claiming The Mantle Interprets The Evolution Of The Presidential Nomination Process And Explores The Unwritten Rules Of The Pre-primary Campaign That Allow One Candidate To Claim The Mantle While The Others Fall Short.--jacket. The Sound Of Bubbles Bursting -- The Formal Rules--winning Delegates -- The Formal Rules--campaign Finance -- Claiming The Mantle -- The Seven Dwarves -- Snow White And The Seven Dwarves -- Clash Of The Titans -- Looking Ahead. R. Lawrence Butler. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. The sound of bubbles bursting The formal rules winning delegates The formal rules campaign finance Claiming the mantle The seven dwarves Snow White and the seven dwarves The clash of the titans Looking ahead.