Book Page-Post Election Accounts of the 2004 Presidential Campaign

The Book Page-2004 Post Election Accounts

See Also: The Book(s) on Bush Election

Journalistic and Academic Books Offer Insights on the Campaign

in chronological order

Alexandra Kerry. ~~October 31, 2006~~ , ~~April 2007~~, August 2007. AN ACCIDENTAL ACTIVIST: My Sudden Collision with Politics. Emmaus, PA: Rodale Books.
"An acclaimed young filmmaker and photographer—and daughter of Senator John Kerry—provides a rare glimpse into the inner circles of power through words and photographs. A presidential campaign memoir like no other... Documenting that journey via photographs and original writing in this, her first book, Alexandra Kerry brings readers inside the political whirlwind up close and personal: What did it feel like to see her father attacked by the Swiftboat Veterans for Truth? What did she learn about America and its people? How did it feel to see her father come so close to becoming president, and then to watch him concede?"

David E. Campbell, ed. April 30, 2007. A MATTER OF FAITH: Religion and the 2004 Presidential Election. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.
Comprised of papers presented at "A Matter of Faith: Religion in the 2004 Presidential Election" conference held December 2-3, 2005 at the University of Notre Dame.

Robert J. Fitrakis, Steven Rosenfeld, and Harvey Wasserman. October 2006. WHAT HAPPENED IN OHIO? A Documentary Record of Theft and Fraud in the 2004 Election. New York: The New Press.
"In the first comprehensive look at the most critical state's voting process in the 2004 presidential election, three pathbreaking investigative journalists (one a member of the legal team that sued the state of Ohio for election fraud), compile documentary evidence of massive potential theft and fraud in the presidential vote—problems that may have changed the outcome of the presidential election in Ohio, and thus the nation."

Produced and Directed by James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo. October 6, 2006 (NYC, Columbus and Dayton) ...SO GOES THE NATION (site). IFC First Take.
"'…SO GOES THE NATION' examines America's tumultuous electoral process through the eyes of diverse politicians, activists, and voters. The 2004 presidential election between George W. Bush and John Kerry provides the stage, showing how the voting public is manipulated by both parties’ leaders and their political marketing machines. Political activism and the thoughts of voters themselves are revealed in the ultimate cross-section state: Ohio... In addition to interviewing American voters and grassroots campaigners, filmmakers James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo gained unprecedented access to high-ranking Republican and Democratic campaign strategists and officials. …In the final two weeks of the election, the filmmakers sent fifteen camera crews crisscrossing Ohio, a battleground state that has consistently lived up to its familiar political axiom: 'As goes Ohio - so goes the nation.'"

John Clifford Green, Mark J. Rozell and Clyde Wilcox, eds. September 15, 2006. THE VALUES CAMPAIGN? The Christian Right And the 2004 Elections. Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
"The Values Campaign? The Christian Right and the 2004 Elections reaches well beyond the instant analyses of the post-election period to provide an assessment of the role of the religious right in 2004. The contributors to this volume are among the leading scholars of religion and politics in the United States, and many have contributed for over a decade to ongoing discussions of the role played by the religious right in national elections... The authors consider national mobilization and issues, and also explore the role of the Christian Right in specific states. Their evaluations contend that the "values campaign" was not an aberration but a consistent pattern of national politics, and that moral traditionalism will likely continue to be a significant factor in future elections."

David B. Magleby, Anthony Corrado, and Kelly D. Patterson, eds. August 2006. FINANCING THE 2004 ELECTION. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.
"Since 1960, these Financing the Election volumes have presented authoritative information on the costs and trends of campaign finance in the United States. In establishing the parameters of electoral campaigns and political spending as well as interpreting the results, Financing the 2004 Election provides a unique resource for anyone concerned with the current state of money and politics. This important book, featuring recognized authorities on campaign finance, pays special attention to the effects of the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002, contrasting current campaign financing with pre-BCRA patterns. The authors also draw lessons from 2004 for future reform at the state and federal levels."

David B. Magleby, J. Quin Monson, and Kelly D. Patterson. July 3, 2006. DANCING WITHOUT PARTNERS: How Candidates, Parties, and Interest Groups Interact in the Presidential Campaign. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc..
"Political parties, interest groups, and candidate campaigns all pursue similar goals in presidential elections: each entity attempts to mobilize voters. However, the regulatory environment often prevents these groups from coordinating their efforts. With participants playing by new rules mandated by the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, the 2004 presidential election included previously unseen configurations and alliances between political actors. In some campaign situations, the resulting "dance" was carefully choreographed. In others, dancers stepped on each other's toes. In still others, participants could only eye each other across the floor... Dancing without Partners intensively analyzes the relationships among candidates, political parties, and interest groups under the BCRA's new regulations in the 2004 election cycle in five battleground states. The chapters assess the ways in which the rules of the game have changed the game itself—and also how they haven't. The result is a book that will be invaluable to researchers and students of presidential elections."

Andrew Paul Williams and John C. Tedesco, eds. June 30, 2006. THE INTERNET ELECTION: Perspectives on the Web in Campaign 2004. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc..
"The Internet Election analyzes the unprecedented role of the Web in the 2004 presidential campaign. This volume responds to the drastically changing political landscape and, specifically, its effect on the Bush-Kerry race with an eye toward future elections. Leading political communication scholars cover campaign Web sites, grassroots organizing via the Internet, candidate e-mail strategies, blogs, online discourse about candidates' spouses, and the gendering of (other than presidential) candidates on Web sites."

Joel Bleifuss and Steve Freeman. June 19, 2006. WAS THE 2004 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION STOLEN? New York: Seven Stories Press.
"Was the 2004 Presidential Election Stolen? analyzes the exit poll data and looks at documented examples of conventional vote suppression and outright vote fraud. It investigates the possibility that enough election fraud occurred to determine the outcome of the presidential race. And it asks why neither the government, nor the Democratic Party, nor any major media organization did their own investigation."

Michael J. Malbin, ed. March 2006. THE ELECTION AFTER REFORM: Money, Politics, and the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
"Includes chapters from the "who's who" of political scientists writing on campaign finance today. Examines all aspects of campaign finance post-BCRA, and includes a thorough treatment of 527s. Contains extensive tables, figures, and appendices to further illustrate BCRAs long term effects on our political system."

Kathleen Hall Jamieson, ed. December 30, 2005. ELECTING THE PRESIDENT, 2004: The Insiders' View. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
"In this volume, the consultants who brought the country the Bush-Cheney and Kerry-Edwards contest of 2004 explain the strategies behind the ads and debates, discuss what they did and failed to do to elect their candidates, and reveal their differing perspectives on the issues that mattered. Electing the President, 2004 focuses on events from September 11 to the release of the Osama Bin Laden tape that affected the outcome of the elections. The debates, the advertising, the work of 527 groups, the campaign organizations—all these components contributed to an eventful election season, with the two campaigns continually vying for the attention of the American public. Through this analysis of strategy—their own and their opponents'—these insiders offer a ringside seat to a hotly contested democratic process."

Mark Crispin Miller. October 17, 2005. FOOLED AGAIN: How the Right Stole the 2004 Election and Why They'll Steal the Next One Too (Unless We Stop Them). New York: Basic Books.
"I'm making the case that Bush/Cheney stole the election. There are several smoking guns--see the Conyers report--but my view is that trying to find the smoking gun is a waste of time. It's a bit like arguing with Holocaust denial, so copious is the evidence, and so many and so glaring the anomalies. My argument is basically that this rip-off was not done in just one way or two, but through the whole-hearted participation of the theocratic movement that supports Bush/Cheney. There was certainly stuff done way at the top--Ken Blackwell, for example, had to have been working closely w/ the White House--but there was a lot of grass-roots intereference, too. The fundamental strategy was this: Do anything you can to hype up Bush's vote, and whittle down the Kerry vote."

Produced by Rob Barnett, Kate Cunningham, and Doug Davis; directed by Steven Rosenbaum. [Film: 78 minutes]. September 29, 2005. INSIDE THE BUBBLE. CameraPlanet.
"'Inside the Bubble' is a war picture - a road movie & a buddy flick. The film offers a front row seat inside the biggest story of 2004 with unique, exclusive, backstage coverage of the race for the White House, seen through the eyes of the senior staffers & advisers closest to Senator John Kerry. The ‘bubble’ is a private place where the man who would be President surrounds himself only with the people he trusts the most. The ‘bubble’ floats above ground, where media hounds are normally kept at bay. This is the place where a small group of super-humans give everything they have to one man. The ‘bubble people’ put personal lives on hold - sacrificing sleep, health, family, career, cash and sometimes sanity – to work together to defeat a President and lead the nation."

J. Gregory Payne, ed. September, October, November and December 2005. CAMPAIGN 2004 : Volumes 1-4. Special issues of AMERICAN BEHAVIORIAL SCIENTIST. SAGE Publications.
Volume 1: Constructing the New American Ideal/Idols in Democracy, Volume 1 (September 2005)
Volume 2: Constructing the New American Ideasl/Idols in Democracy, Volume 2 (October 2005)
Volume 3: The Political Celebrity Spectacle: De/Constructing Image Meaning/Mongering (November 2005)
Volume 4: Style vs. Substance in Digital Politics and International Perspectives on Democracy (December 2005)

Institute of Politics, ed. August 30, 2005. CAMPAIGN FOR PRESIDENT: The Managers Look at 2004 (Campaigning American Style). Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc..
"Every four years following the presidential election, the Institute of Politics at Harvard University convenes a distinguished gathering of campaign managers, media commentators, and interested political observers to reflect on presidential campaign strategies from the earliest primaries through Election Day. The result is a book, and the 2004 election edition is published for general audiences as well as college classrooms and campaign and media professionals."

Robert E. Denton, Jr., ed. August 28, 2005. THE 2004 PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN: A Communication Perspective. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc..
"...political communication specialists break down the 2004 presidential campaign and go beyond the quantitative facts, electoral counts, and poll results of the election. Factoring in everything from '527' groups to Fahrenheit 9/11, they look at the early campaign period, the nomination process and conventions, the social and political context, the debates, the role of candidate spouses, candidate strategies, political advertising, and the use of the Internet. This enlightening book shows why more technology doesn't always mean more effective communication and how, as we attempt to make sense of our environment, we collect 'political bits' of communication that comprise our voting choices, worldviews, and legislative desires."

William J. Crotty, ed. August 2005. A DEFINING MOMENT: The Presidential Election of 2004. Armonk, NY: M.E. Sharpe.
"Set against the backdrop of the war in Iraq, drastically altered relations with traditional U.S. allies, intense partisanship, and a national debate over moral values, the 2004 presidential campaign presented voters with a clear choice that reflected deep divisions within the country. This collection analyzes this watershed election and its likely consequences. The contributors examine every aspect of the election, including the strategies and tactics of the Bush and Kerry campaigns, voter turnout and policy consequences, campaign financing, and the power of incumbency."

Kevin McMahon, David Rankin, Donald Beachler and John White. July 2005. WINNING THE WHITE HOUSE, 2004: Region by Region, Vote by Vote. New York: Palgrave MacMillan.
"This text helps students understand both the issues and how and why people vote for a candidate. After discussing the dynamics of the primary campaigns, the authors examine three broad sets of issues that play a key role in voting: foreign policy, domestic policies, and the culture wars. This sets the foundations for an examination of regional similarities and differences in voting patterns, as the varying salience and valence of issues--whether general or specific--is explored across and within regions. Special attention is paid to battleground states. Drawing on concepts from political science, this book advances students' understanding both of the field and the phenomenon."

Comedy Central. [DVD] June 28, 2005. THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART: Indecision 2004. Released by COMEDY CENTRAL Home Entertainment and distributed by Paramount Home Entertainment.
"'The Daily Show with Jon Stewart: Indecision 2004' DVD is an uncensored three-disc boxed set featuring original content produced exclusively for the DVD by Jon Stewart and correspondents Samantha Bee, Stephen Colbert, Rob Corddry and Ed Helms.... In addition, the DVD will include the following: all four shows from the Democratic National Convention taped at Boston University; all four shows from the Republican National Convention taped at COMEDY CENTRAL's World News Headquarters in New York City; 'The Bush-Kerry Debate: The Squabble in Coral Gables,' a special live presentation of the first presidential debate held on September 30, 2004; 'Election Night 2004: Prelude to a Recount,' the culmination of the show's 'Indecision 2004' coverage that originally aired as a special one-hour primetime presentation; and highlights from the 2004 campaign."

Gary Abernathy. June 20, 2005. ELEPHANT WARS: Why fight the Democrats when we have each other? Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, Inc..
"'Elephant Wars' offers a detailed insider account of the contentious 2004 election in West Virginia, including the controversy over the gubernatorial candidacy of the state GOP chairman's brother, and the battles with the Republican National Committee and Bush campaign over message and tactics... " Written by Gary Abernathy, former executive director of the West Virginia Republican Party, the book "reveals a lot of details about the challenges and battles a state party constantly faces across the board... A state party is always dealing with issues ranging from disagreements with the national party, to fundraising, strategy and candidate recruitment, and the constant juggling act necessary to aggressively pursue the party’s goals while trying to keep everyone on board with the overall mission... 'Elephant Wars' also reveals how the Bush campaign focused unprecedented time, money and attention on the Mountain State--as well as an extraordinary level of heavy-handed control."

Larry J. Sabato. June 2, 2005. DIVIDED STATES OF AMERICA: The Slash and Burn Politics of the 2004 Presidential Election. New York: Pearson Longman.
A follow-up to his best-selling Get in the Booth! A Citizen’s Guide to the 2004 Election, this new book looks back at the 2004 campaigns and election and offers fresh analyses and trenchant commentary by Larry Sabato and a team of top election scholars and journalists... From the rise and fall of Howard Dean to the “Bush Mandate,” and from the impact of campaign finance laws to the role of religion, this book offers insights on an array of the most significant events and issues that dominated the most intense and important election in recent memory.

Introduction by Gore Vidal; Edited by Anita Mille. Week of May 9, 2005. WHAT WENT WRONG IN OHIO: The Conyers Report on the 2004 Presidential Election. Chicago: Academy Chicago Publishers.
"This fascinating and disturbing book is the official record of testimony taken by the Democratic Members and Staff of the House Judiciary Committee, presided over by Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the Ranking Member. Originally published in January 2005 by the Government Printing Office, it has been edited and re-designed for maximum readability. Witnesses included both Republicans and Democrats, elected officials, voting machine employees, poll observers, and many voters who testified about the harassment they endured, some of which led to actual vote repression. Much of the disruption suffered by many Ohio voters was orchestrated by Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell who also chaired the Ohio-Bush Re-Election Campaign, a disquieting conflict of interest."

Alexandra Pelosi. May 1, 2005. SNEAKING INTO THE FLYING CIRCUS: How the Media Turn Our Presidential Campaigns into Freak Shows. New York: Free Press [Simon & Schuster, Inc.].
"Alexandra Pelosi, creator of the Emmy award-winning film Journeys with George and of Diary of a Political Tourist, makes her literary debut with an intimate look at the frenzied and grueling underbelly of presidential campaigning and the puppet role of the media. Pelosi went along on the campaign trail in order to, as she puts it, 'document the absurd hazing rituals that our presidential candidates have to go through.' With this savvy, well-connected, and fearless guide, it's a rollicking, breakneck journey unlike any other... Probing, insightful, and lively, Sneaking into the Flying Circus exposes the election process for what it is: a three-ring gala production that comes to town every four years."

Matt Taibbi. April 25, 2005. SPANKING THE DONKEY: Dispatches from the Dumb Season. New York: New Press.
"Spanking the Donkey is a campaign diary like no other. Celebrated reporter Matt Taibbi, described by the New York Observer as 'a downtown bomb thrower,' here turns a withering eye on the kissing contest of puffed-up martinets and egomaniacal fantasists more generally known as the 2004 democratic primaries... Taibbi juxtaposes an idiotic dog-and-pony show in which clashes of plainly identical candidates are presented as real controversies, with the quite separate concerns of the ordinary Americans whose lodging he shares. The gap between the antiseptic exercise in faint patriotic optimism that is mainstream politics and the harsh realities of life for the millions of Americans that the electoral parade simply passes by, have never been more sharply, or hilariously, sketched."

James W. Ceaser and Andrew E. Busch. March 2005. RED OVER BLUE: The 2004 Elections and American Politics. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers.
"In Red over Blue: The 2004 Election and American Politics, James W. Ceaser and Andrew E. Bush go beyond headlines and soundbites to explore the events, outcomes, and effects of the most recent exercise in American democracy. Beginning with an analysis of George W. Bush's first term and continuing through the primaries, general election, and aftermath, the authors share their insight and analysis through a clear and engaging narrative. Ceaser & Busch also look beyond the Presidential contest to examine important house, senate and gubernatorial races, as well as controversial state initiatives that played an important role in this election season... Building on Ceaser & Busch's studies of the 1992, 1996, and 2000 elections, this volume is essential reading for courses in American Government, Campaigns and Elections, and Presidential Politics, as well as for any American interested in the real and lasting importance of the 2004 elections."

Michael Nelson, ed. March 2005. ELECTIONS OF 2004. Washington, DC: CQ Press.
"An insightful and incredibly current look at the recent elections, this highly anticipated volume offers students a road map for teasing out the tension and competition of particular races while giving perspective to the larger trends and implications of the election results. An invaluable resource when imparting the significance of voting and elections in the classroom, instructors can count on The Elections of 2004 for a gripping read and unsurpassed analysis... Michael Nelson brings together a world-class team of contributors, with leading lights Gerald Pomper and Wilson Carey McWilliams new to this edition, along with the additional fresh perspectives from Barry Burden, Nicole Mellow and Marian Currinder."

Kenneth R. Libbey. January 2005. SNATCHING DEFEAT FROM THE JAWS OF VICTORY: How the Democrats Lost the 2004 Election. MacLean and Clark, Publishers (self published).
"This book is a collection of columns published over the past year on a political website. In addition to recalling the evolution of the campaign, they cover key issues that persist in American party politics. Many of them put the campaign developments into historical perspective. While written from a Democratic point of view, they do not spare Democrats from criticism." Kenneth R. Libbey has a Ph.D. from Syracuse University and taught political science at the University of Cincinnati. For 20 years, he evaluated government programs for the Congress as a member of the U.S. General Accounting Office. In 1998, he ran for the state senate in Oregon.

Evan Thomas and the Staff of Newsweek. January 2005. ELECTION 2004: How Bush Won and What You Can Expect in the Future. New York: Public Affairs.
"A full year before each presidential election, four Newsweek reporters are detached from the magazine and dispatched to work full-time covering the campaigns of the Republican and Democratic candidates. Because Newsweek promises not to reveal any information until after the votes are cast, the reporters recive highly unusual access... In ELECTION 2004, we have the ultimate fly-on-the-wall view into the Bush-Cheney and Kerry-Edwards campaigns. Candidates, operatives and press alike give surprisingly candid opinions and are caught at moments of spontaneous joy, giddiness, anger, and frustration... With their unprecedented behind-the-scenes access, Newsweek is able to perfectly capture the culture of the teams and their differing approaches to campaign strategy, making ELECTION 2004 this election cycle's version of the famous documentary 'The War Room.'"

See also chapters in:
Mary Cheney. May 9, 2006. NOW IT'S MY TURN: A Daughter's Chronicle of Political Life. New York: Threshold Editions [Simon & Schuster].
"...Mary Cheney, who served as a top campaign aide to her father, the vice president, presents a behind-the-scenes look at the high-intensity world of presidential politics and talks for the first time about her life, her family, and her role in the campaigns of 2000 and 2004... In NOW IT'S MY TURN, a frank, funny, and down-to-earth memoir, Mary Cheney describes life inside the bubble of a national campaign. She talks about her close relationship with her parents, how it feels to be pursued by the press, and what it was like when John Edwards and John Kerry made her sexual orientation an issue in live debates televised to millions of Americans. As she describes it, life inside a presidential campaign can be uplifting, frustrating, and heartbreaking, but no matter what else it may be, it's always entertaining."

Elizabeth Edwards. September 2006. SAVING GRACES. New York: Broadway Books [Random House].
"During the 2004 presidential campaign, Elizabeth Edwards gained attention and admiration for her smart, likable, and down-to-earth personality. These qualities shine forth in SAVING GRACES, a memoir of the trials, triumphs, and tragedies Edwards experienced, and the various communities that celebrated her joys and lent her steady strength and quiet hope in darker times."

Ed Gillespie. September 2006. WINNING RIGHT: Campaign Politics and Conservative Policies. New York: Threshold Editions [Simon & Schuster].
"In WINNING RIGHT, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee draws from lessons learned in more than twenty years of campaign strategy and national policy debate -- most especially from his role at the heart of the historic and groundbreaking 2004 presidential election -- to reveal how the game of politics is played on its highest level."

Terry McAuliffe with Steve Kettman. January 2007. WHAT A PARTY: My Life Among Democrats: Presidents, Candidates, Donors, Activists, Alligators And Other Wild Animals. New York: Thomas Dunne Books [St. Martin's Press].

and the film:
Mora Mi-Ok Stephens, director. 2005. CONVENTIONEERS. [film]. Cinema Libre Studio.
"America’s current division into Red States and Blue States is given a romantic twist in the ironic Romeo & Juliet-esque CONVENTIONEERS. Set against the 2004 Republican National Convention, it explores the complicated, bitter love affair between a Republican delegate and a Democrat protesting the RNC... Shooting entirely in New York, director Mora Stephens and producer Joel Viertel utilized the 2004 Republican National Convention by incorporating events of the RNC into the storyline of the film. The film blends actors with real events and real activists from both sides of the aisle, and features breakthrough performances by actors Matthew Mabe and Woodwyn Koons as the two star-crossed lovers and Alek Friedman as the interpreter, all of whom must choose between their political ideals and their personal desires during the tumultuous days of the convention." [interview]

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