In six pages this paper explores the changing landscape of political campaigns over the past twenty years in terms of the profound influences exerted by 'big money' and the increasing price tags of necessary candidate advertising. Five sources are cited in the bibliography.
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The political campaign process changed substantially in the past few decades. The emergence of candidate-centered campaigns has been at the helm of many of these changes. With
that emergence has come substantial increases in campaign cost and the consequent problem of financing those costs. Money, after all, is an extremely important determinant in putting the face
of a respective candidate before the voting public. This coupled with the ever-increasing divide between the major political parties has created a campaign scenario which is vastly different from
those experienced throughout our history. Todays political campaign is more characterized by slick advertising campaigns and fundraising gimmicks than it is by a
true address of the issues and qualifications of the candidate. Indeed, much has changed since the days of old when political candidates earned their way into office on the basis
of their merit. Taylor (1999) accuses: "Elections have lost their pride of place at
the center of our democratic life. They are bloated with money, stale with ads, devoid of citizens and impervious to change".
Where once a candidate took almost sole responsibility for getting his message to the American process, today the process has become considerably more
complex. Many players intertwine in contemporary political campaigns. The campaign process in the U.S., in most instances, revolves around the two party system, a system which was set
up to manage the power of the government in relation to the interest of the people. Irish and Prothro (1971, 213) note political parties are peaceable agencies which are