The authors bury their noses so deep in the tiny details of campaign ads that they do not get around to the big picture of US politics. ( )

I was pleased to read a surprisingly objective analysis of the factors that determined the outcome of the 2008 presidential election. It's technical approach of how the demographics of the populace determined how the media affected the propensity of a group to be moved toward a particular candidate to vote for. The charts though not necessary in this book, the writing stands on its own, enhance and support the analysis. This book would make an excellent text book on future national elections and a great read for any political or media junkie.

This study covers the actual election cycle of the two primary candidates for president of the United States in the 2008 election. The time period is broken down into five segments that consist of McCain’s gain in momentum, to the impact the choice of the vice presidential selections had, to the way each campaign is perceived to confront the economic collapse, the McCain surge just before the election and finally the weakening of that surge at the end.

The study does a good job of discussing the strategic environment of the election cycle and the shift from a public focused on war to the economy. And the effects of the tanking economy and candidate evaluations are covered in detail from facts to misconceptions reenforced by misleading ads. I like that the authors addressed the effects of vice presidential candidates on the election with objectivity. Though they did a good job on their Palin and Biden; they failed to mention that people were comparing Palin with Obama.

What I took from this book was that media was the major factor in deciding who would be president and a large part of that had to do with who spent the most money. They show this has been so since 1990. The forces in play when a candidate can spend more money than the other influences how people vote. The less politically aware one is the more they are to be influence by this advertising and take it as fact. It shows how with the micro-targeting particular groups you could greatly influence their decision without impacting those who would be offended by the same information.

Obama greatly outspent McCain. In one month, by breaking his promise to use federal funds as McCain kept his, Obama raised more money than McCain had to spend on his entire election. The authors show that up to a point, money spent on ads translates into votes. Their information is inconclusive on the effective of more modern technology such as Twitter and videos on the Internet. But I see those mediums of becoming even more important for not only getting out candidates messages but for watch dog groups who are fact checking the ads.

So as you read this book you should ask yourself, since 1990 has the office of President of the United States been bought? And will the Internet enhance the election process and force an even playing field? ( )