The Interplay of Campaigning and Governing: Qualities, Challenges, and the Permanent Campaign
This analysis explores the essential qualities candidates for office should possess and the characteristics the electoral process tends to select. It discusses whether campaigns produce effective officeholders and the interrelation of campaigning and governance. Key points include the legitimization and accountability of officeholders through elections, the importance of differing goals and timeframes in governance versus campaigning, and the phenomenon of the "Permanent Campaign." Finally, it examines the evidence for this trend and considers whether it poses a problem and how to address it.
The Interplay of Campaigning and Governing: Qualities, Challenges, and the Permanent Campaign
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Presentation Transcript
What qualities should (normatively) candidates for office have? • What qualities does the electoral process select for? • Do campaigns produce good officeholders?
Why should campaigning and governing be related? 1. Elections legitimize officeholders 2. Elections hold officeholders accountable 3. Officeholders should govern as they perceive the electorate would want them to
Why should governing NOT be like campaigning? • Different fundamental goals • Different time horizons • Different relationships to others • Against the intent of the Constitution
What is the “Permanent Campaign”? • A nonstop battle for public approval in order to engage in the act of governing itself.
What evidence shows that the permanent campaign exists? • Pseudoevents • Presidents “going public” • Pork barrel spending
Why has the permanent campaign developed? • Party organizational decline • Sunshine laws, interest group politics • Direct communication technology • Political technology • Media profit motive • Activist government
Is there any way to reverse the trend toward the permanent campaign?
