Political Consultants

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Political Consultants
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Ubiquitous

• Era where a campaign involves a consortium of
  consultants --media, polling, fund-raising,
  strategizing, direct-mail, etc.
• Drives up the costs - In 1976 average senate
  race 600,000 - now 4-5 million -- perhaps 50,000
  consultants and staffers --In '86 Richard
  Wirthlin's polling firm took in some 10.4 Million
  - bigger than Gallup
• Technology has taken politics out of back rooms
  and opened it to the masses (good), jacked up its
  costs (not good), and speeded its pace (good and
  bad).
• Technology created the present political
  consulting industry -- with over 3000 firms and
  7000 individual professionals.
• Specialization, not only in areas of a campaign
  but in types of campaigns, Latino, foreign,
  blacks, women, state local, etc.

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• Media consultants, often get 15 on every
  television buy - increased competition reduces
  the rate
• "Geodemographnic clustering" - the use of
  computerized mailing lists keyed to zip codes,
  allowing targeting to narrow demographic groups.
• Explosion in advertising linked to technologies
  allowing instant responses. As Sabato says,
  "It's like the arms race. You need this missile
  because the other guy has that missile."
• Leads to confrontational advertising, more
  advertising in state local races, earlier starts

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What Do Consultants think

• How important do consultants thinks these are
  Highly Important or Somewhat important
  Ideology 79 Electability, 65 Candidate's
  Wealth, 27
• Is your win-loss ratio important Yes 59, No
  41
• How involved should the candidate be in setting
  and executing strategy very 39 Somewhat 46
  Little or no involvement 15
• Do misrepresentations of abilities and unethical
  practices take place in the political consulting
  profession? Yes 88 No 12 -- Source National
  Journal, 1984 1986, Campaigns Elections, 1986

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Political Consultants Survey - 98

• Survey of 200 top level consultants, Campaigns
  Elections, Aug. 1998, Thurber Strothers
• Over 1/3 get involved for Thrill of Competition
• Political beliefs and Money tie for reason to get
  involved at 26 each
• Over 70 annual incomes over 100,000 30
  200,000
• White (98) male (82) 94 college, 40 grad
  school 75 under 50, 40 under 40 years old
  extensive prior government/politics experience

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• 2/3rds say voters are only fair amount or ill
  informed 80 have trust in People to make
  choices
• 48 rate congressional candidates as only fair
  or poor 44 say they helped elect someone they
  were eventually sorry to see serve in office
• When considering whether to take on a candidate
  or not, consultants place almost as much
  important on the candidate's ability to raise ,
  as political beliefs
• Only 39 say ability to govern is very important
• 68 rated journalist unfavorably (58 fair, 19
  Poor)
• 60 think public is bothered by negative
  campaigning 53 by the amount of spent

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Does professionalization enhance politics at the
expense of democracy?
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Where the s Go
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