The Iowa precinct caucuses The making of a media event

In the third edition of their book, Winebrenner (emer., Drake Univ.) and Goldford (Drake Univ.) examine the history of the Iowa precinct caucuses from obscurity to their prominence as a media spectacle in contemporary presidential campaigns. In doing so, they provide a comprehensive guide to the process and account for its evolution by analyzing presidential campaigns from 1968 through 2008. The authors investigate the increased attention the national media gave to the caucuses and the subsequent changes this exposure produced in the ways presidential hopefuls campaigned in Iowa. The vignettes produced by Winebrenner and Goldford illustrate varying strategies and tactics candidates in recent campaigns employed. In the end, the authors suggest that the import of the caucuses remains in their ability to both "make" and "break" candidates by winnowing the field significantly. They argue that this influence is disproportionate to the reality and purpose of the caucuses themselves. This is due not only to the politics of Iowa but also to the characteristics of caucus participants themselves. The Iowa Precinct Caucuses is a must read for those who seek to better understand the presidential selection process. Summing Up: Essential. All readership levels. R. M. Alexander Ohio Northern University