First published 1969
Richard Nixon stands before television cameras in 1968, his political future hanging on a new kind of campaign. The old rules of presidential politics no longer apply. Harry Treleaven, an advertising executive, argues that voters find policy discussions tedious. What matters now is image, not substance. Roger Ailes, a public relations specialist, orchestrates carefully crafted TV presentations designed to sell Nixon like any other product. Frank Shakespeare, drawing on eighteen years of experience at CBS, oversees the entire operation. Together, this team transforms how America chooses its presidents. They write the playbook for modern political campaigns, where television appearances matter more than policy positions. Nixon becomes their test case, a candidate repackaged for mass consumption. The story reveals how presidential campaigns shifted from debates about governance to exercises in marketing, forever changing the relationship between politicians and voters.
Genres: 20th-century, political-science, politics, social-issues, journalism, american-history
Vibes: suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-events, investigative-journalism
Period: 1968
253 pages · Hardcover · Trident Press/Simon & Schuster (NYC)